Once heralded as an “offensive guru,” Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels has seen his reputation take a hit this season. The play selection and overall lack of trust in his offense have been disheartening. Is it time for a change? Should he step aside?
But first, let’s give some credit where it’s due.
Praise be to our “Short King” Amik Robertson.
Thanks to a stellar performance from their defense, the Raiders averted a disastrous 1-4 start to the season. Las Vegas defeated a middling Green Bay Packers team by just four points despite the defense securing three interceptions, a feat we haven’t seen from the unit since 2021. Though the team was victorious, a final score of 17-13 does not reflect the effort of defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. For the first time since this writer still needed a fake ID to attend clubs in Los Angeles, the Raiders’ defense was reliable.
Josh McDaniels has repeatedly said the offense, which has yet to eclipse 20 points in a game this year, has plenty of things it needs to improve upon; but the true change needs to come at the top of the pecking order. McDaniels is a subpar play-caller, and it is becoming more evident by the snap.
History Shows McDaniels Struggles Without Tom Brady
Maybe that explains the push to make Brady a minority owner so quickly.
It is very easy to look at the utter lack of success when it comes to the Belichick coaching tree. Most fail immediately, while others have a season of success before falling off the nearest cliff expeditiously. Mark Davis and his brain trust don’t get the benefit of this being McDaniels’ first “post-Pats” go round. Josh was not only a head coach with play-calling duties once before, but he was also the OC for the now-former St. Louis Rams. Neither stop yielded great results.
McDaniels’ single full season in Denver saw an offense that finished 20th in scoring. That roster had a few weapons on it in addition to a Pro Bowl quarterback in Jay Cutler… Wait, McDaniels had Cutler traded before the 2009 season started because he felt his system would be good enough with Kyle Orton running the show. It sounds familiar, doesn’t it? ‘JMD’ never came close to finishing a second run, as the Donkeys wisely canned him early in the 2010 season.
Undeterred by his objective, the Denver Debacle, the Rams brought McDaniels in to be their offensive coordinator in 2011. That led to a high-powered unit that finished the season dead last in scoring. Josh would then return to the welcoming arms of Brady, Hoodie, and the Pats in 2012 to be their offensive coordinator once again. This went swimmingly until Brady’s departure in 2020. Without Mr. 199 overall, the Patriots offense sputtered.
New England would finish 27th in scoring as McDaniels looked lost without Brady for the third time.
The Raiders Don’t Have A Proven Alternative
On paper, it seems like an easy decision for McDaniels to surrender the play sheet. However, the Raiders current offensive coordinator is an unknown quantity as well. Mick Lombardi followed McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler from the Pats, where he was the wide receivers coach. Lombardi does have experience with other franchises outside of New England in different positions, including assistant HC with the 2013 49ers; none of those stops saw Lombardi call plays.
The bright side to this is that Lombardi may have his own ideas as to how the offensive should operate. Giving the reins over to the 36-year-old could provide a breath of fresh air for a stagnant offense.
What do you think? Cast your vote below.
*Top Photo: Fox News Today
Does Raiders HC Josh McDaniels need to give up play calling duties before it’s too late?
— RaiderRamble.com™ (@TheRaiderRamble) October 10, 2023