Winning is supposed to cure everything, but the Las Vegas Raiders’ No. 1 wide receiver has a gripe. It’s the same issue he’s been vocalizing since Week 3 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Silver and Black aren’t playing well enough on offense, and Davante Adams is not contributing enough without the ball.
Davante Adams Mirrors The Successful Mindsets Of These Legendary Figures
Success is both an action and a mindset—one that can be achieved through an excess of discipline, sacrifice, and focus. All focus isn’t created equal, and putting the cart before the horse never works. However, anyone who has ever achieved greatness will tell you this: It is lonely at the top.
Few possess the ability to be great mentally and physically, as indicated by some of these motivational quotes.
- “Winners act like winners before they are winners. The culture precedes positive results. It doesn’t get tacked on as an afterthought on your way to the victory stand. Champions behave like champions before they are champions; they have a winning standard of performance before they’re winners.” -Bill Walsh
- “They said you had to take what the defense gave you. No, we are going to take what we want.” -Al Davis
- “Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing.” – Vince Lombardi
- “You don’t adjust; you just dominate.” -Al Davis
- “Never be comfortable with just enough.” -Ray Lewis
- “I’m p***** off for greatness. Because if you ain’t pissed off for Greatness, that means you’re ok with being mediocre.” -Ray Lewis
- “Be clear in your own mind as to what you stand for. And then stand up for it.” -Bill Walsh
Adams has a fire in his belly for greatness, a shared mentality he identified in Maxx Crosby and Aaron Rodgers. Mediocrity is out of the question; anything short of this lofty standard simply isn’t acceptable. He wants so desperately to contribute more to the success of the offense. Using Adams as a decoy, the offense has yet to produce 20 points in a game. The All-Pro wideout has proven that he can make plays if you just give him a chance.
Is It The Diva Or The Fire That Burns Brightest?
My takeaway from Davante Adams’ comments today: He values winning above all else but knows the #Raiders can’t win at the level he wants to without the offense being significantly better. For the offense to be that he needs to get the ball more. It’s fairly simple.
— Tashan Reed (@tashanreed) October 18, 2023
Let’s get a few things straight before misinterpreting and taking Adams’ stance out of context. The former Packer is a lot of things, but a diva is not one of them. As a wide receiver, he cannot directly possess the ball or touch it without it being distributed to him. Teams choose to double- and triple-cover him because he is capable of scoring any time that he touches the football. In fact, it doesn’t matter how many defenders are around him.
Head coach Josh McDaniels shares Dominic Toretto’s belief that it doesn’t matter if you win by an inch or a mile. Technically, this is correct. However, the great ones aren’t content with one-point victories when they are capable of dominating. Keeping with an honest assessment, McDaniels is 9-14 as the leader of the Silver and Black. Some might even say he is so desperate for wins that he will take them any way he can. You should never apologize for a victory in the NFL. But at some point, the team has to catch fire offensively.
The Raiders’ offense has been inconsistent as a whole, despite its individual pieces being elite.
The Tale Of The 2023 Raiders: Grinding Out Wins vs. Blowing Teams Out
It’s wild how many agreed with Davante Adams being frustrated after a loss to the Steelers. But now he’s a “diva” and “crybaby” for saying the exact same thing after a win vs. the Patriots.
That is called consistency. He didn’t switch up. Everything he said Week 3 is STILL true.
— Hunter Haas (@NFLDraftHaas) October 19, 2023
Now that we’re all up to speed on what was said and by whom, let’s get to the issue at hand. In 2021, when the Raiders made the playoffs under a miraculous run, it was said their success wasn’t sustainable. This was due to the improbability of nearly every bounce having to go their way. Fast forward to Week 7 of the 2023 season; the same thought process holds true.
Relying on the defense to close games out when the offense is ineffective will not cut it. Right now, the defense is standing on its head and elevating its standard of play. Against the New England Patriots, a team previously outscored 72-3 in the last two games, the Raiders offense was a ghastly 16.6 percent (or 1/6) in red zone scoring. That forced the defense to close out the game in a walk-off fashion.
Week 6 was supposed to be a get-right game. Instead, the Raiders eeked out another victory and used arguably their best player as a successful decoy. Davante Adams must be incredibly frustrated because he is telling the quarterback, the play-caller, the coach, and the media he can not be “Him” without the football.
Davante Adams Needs More Looks — And He Needs Them Now
Even if he’s doubled or tripled, the 30-year-old star is still open. All you have to do is throw him the ball. While we can be sure this admission may rub some teammates the wrong way, it doesn’t change the fact that he is right.
As the Raiders enter the softer portion of their schedule, it would be refreshing to see them start blowing teams out. Help from Josh McDaniels’ offense is necessary to do so.
*Top Photo: Harry How/Getty Images