Make no mistake, the Las Vegas Raiders escaped Week 5 with a victory, but the story continues to be Josh McDaniels’ awful coaching. A postgame embrace between star defensive end Maxx Crosby and former Raiders interim coach Rich Bisaccia evoked a strong response postgame; maybe the team really did make a mistake last January.
Winning cures all—that usually rings true in the NFL—but still, there’s no way you walk away from Monday night feeling confident. Let’s face it: Crosby and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham bailed out McDaniels. You could make the argument that the Raiders won in spite of McDaniels’ horrid time management and play-calling. Yes, a win is a win, and the Silver and Black now look to host the New England Patriots next week. A Patriots team that, by the way, looks to quickly be heading towards the Caleb Williams sweepstakes, if you’re keeping track.
Following the win, Maxx Crosby shared a warm embrace with the former interim coach, who rallied the Raiders two years ago. In light of the Henry Ruggs II tragedy and Jon Gruden’s embarrassing exit, Rich Bisaccia kept the locker room together (and won it over) en route to a playoff appearance. A memory that now seems like it was a decade ago under Josh McDaniels’ auspice. As you can imagine, following what could only be described as genuine love and admiration between player and coach, Raider Nation weighed in.
That hug between Rich Bisaccia and Maxx Crosby
— JT (@CondorSZN) October 10, 2023
“COME ON RICH” yells Lisa Salters with a smile to Rich Bisaccia, who hugs his former player Maxx Crosby before Salters slaps Bisaccia in the backside pic.twitter.com/6wlIeeiRIh
— The Whole Delivery (@TWDTV1) October 10, 2023
It’s hard not to see the way Maxx Crosby grabbed Rich Bisaccia and not feel like the Raiders hired the wrong guy after the 2021 season.
— Dalton Blackman (@blackman_dalton) October 10, 2023
We chose that visor wearing dumb*ss over this leader of men. Disgusting.
— Hank Hellmans (@HankHellmans) October 10, 2023
Davis should’ve given rich a shot. Those players balled out for him.
— keith postel (@keith_postel) October 10, 2023
Maxx Crosby interrupted in his interview to shake hands with the coach the Raiders should’ve hired instead of Josh McDaniels. Rich Bisaccia got this Raiders team playing hard in a weird situation.
— Tommy (@TommyBeeswax) October 10, 2023
Onto the next one for the Raiders…
Regardless of how you feel about McDaniels, it’s safe to say that he’s not going anywhere. A brief moment of nostalgia or of “what might have been” is always nice; still, the Raiders have their coach. At 2-3, the season is far from over—hate to break it to those who were hoping their team would throw in the towel in favor of a “tank.”
With Crosby and Graham leading the way, these Raiders are doing anything but lying down.
*Top Photo: X/Twitter
