As most Raiders are aware by now, Josh Jacobs has “left the building,” so to speak. However, business continues in Henderson. After Josh McDaniels addressed the media on Tuesday, Rich Eisen couldn’t help but question the validity of what the beleaguered head coach had to say. In particular to the situation surrounding last year’s leading rusher.
While commenting on the situation regarding running backs in the NFL, McDaniels expressed admiration and respect for Jacobs. Especially in terms of what he accomplished last season and what he’s trying to accomplish at this moment in trying to secure a better financial future.
“I’ve said it multiple times this spring. I respect him [Josh Jacobs] tremendously. I have a great deal of respect for him as a player and as a person for what he did for our team last year, and I look forward to seeing him whenever he is here. And I respect that process, too. It’s his decision to make, and I know they all have to do what they think is best for them. Like I said, we all have to do those things in our lives, and I have a great deal of respect for him.”
Is Josh McDaniels being genuine with his remarks, or is it lip service at this point?
The mere mention of McDaniels’ name these days arouses anger and frustration from Raider Nation—along with those “clown” memes you see on social media. However, whether fans admit it or not, McDaniels isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. The question of believing him merits discussion; it wasn’t that long ago that the Raiders head coach praised former tight end Darren Waller only to ship him off shortly after. Now, it should be noted that general manager Dave Ziegler has the final say over the roster, not McDaniels, but I digress. Rich Eisen himself echoed a similar stance when questioning McDaniels’ words.
“He’s making nice, which he’s possibly doing behind the scenes anyway, you have to assume. The reason why, for some Raiders fans, that doesn’t ring true is that I guess he needed to lead the league for the coach to believe in him. Because it certainly didn’t seem like they did [believe in him] when they first showed up and didn’t lock him up for a fifth year. Which is why he was free and needed to be franchise tagged. So, it’s tough to say we believe in him when they’re in this predicament because they didn’t pick up his fifth-year option.”
What do you make of this whole fiasco with Josh Jacobs?
There are many ways to go with what Eisen is saying. If you’re already of the opinion that you don’t believe anything that McDaniels or Ziegler have to say, you’re probably clapping in agreement right now.
On the other hand, there’s not much else McDaniels can say right now. What’s he supposed to say—bash Josh Jacobs and say the Raiders don’t need him? Either way, Eisen isn’t technically wrong to question McDaniels. So far, this Raiders regime and their actions don’t always align with their words.
*Top Photo: Jeff Bottari/Getty Images
