Las Vegas Raiders fans aren’t happy with Josh McDaniels, and can you blame them? After putting together a two-game win streak and getting back to .500, all the team needed to do was beat a Justin Field-less Chicago Bears squad to be 4-3. However, that didn’t happen.
Fans of the Silver and Black have decided that McDaniels has to go, and former Raiders defensive tackle Warren Sapp agrees. Additionally, with Las Vegas’ struggles, the NFL media wants to know what players like Davante Adams and Maxx Crosby are thinking.
It’s unlikely that either player will leave before the NFL trade deadline on Oct. 31. However, can they begin to question their future in Las Vegas? Ex-NFL defensive lineman Chris Long shared his thoughts on what could be happening behind the scenes.
After a disappointing loss last weekend to the Bears, there’s a lot to get into this week, so let’s dive into the latest.
Warren Sapp: The Raiders have the wrong guy as head coach
McDaniels is on the hot seat in the eyes of Raiders fans. The fanbase is large and loud, so they express their unhappiness in various forms. Whether it’s through laughing at their misery in viral videos or telling owner Mark Davis to his face, they’re coping in many ways.
Nonetheless, it seems the former New England Patriots offensive coordinator has also worn out his welcome with ex-Raiders. Sapp didn’t hold back his criticism, noting that Las Vegas isn’t going anywhere with McDaniels as their head coach.
“We got the wrong guy to the helm,” Sapp said recently on the “What the Football with Suzy Shuster & Amy Trask” podcast. “We’re trying to implement something that is dead. The Patriot Way is dead. Bill Belichick even knows it.
“The Patriot Way is dead, and Josh McDaniels is trying to recreate something that he doesn’t have the credentials for. He’s not Bill Belichick. We watched him do this in Denver when he drafted Tim Tebow and ran the Broncos into the ground. What did Maya Angelou say? When someone shows you who they are the first time, believe them. Josh McDaniels is not a good football coach.”
Las Vegas heads out on the road for a “Monday Night Football” clash with the Detroit Lions. The Raiders are probably walking into the lion’s den (pun intended). Dan Campbell and Co. surely want to take out their frustration after losing 38-6 to the Baltimore Ravens last week. If the Silver and Black fall to 3-5, Raider Nation will only get louder and angrier.
Chris Long: ‘Hellish’ Raiders situation for Davante Adams and Maxx Crosby
Sapp isn’t the only former NFL player weighing in on the current state of the Raiders. Las Vegas’ situation has many wondering, like Chris Long, what Adams and Crosby will do. How long will they want to stay in this situation before wanting out? The 30-year-old receiver hasn’t hidden his frustration with the team’s passing game. Jimmy Garoppolo, right now, doesn’t seem like the answer.
If Adams isn’t seeing the passing game take advantage of his elite talents, the same thing could be said for Crosby. Although Tyree Wilson had a quality game against the Bears, it’s a confidence booster. Nonetheless, Chandler Jones was supposed to be that tandem partner with Crosby, and that didn’t go as planned.
“It’s got to be frustrating for Davante Adams, who basically picks up, and if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” Long told Rich Eisen recently on “The Rich Eisen Show.” “Well, he was trying to fix it, and he wasn’t sure about Aaron’s [Rodgers] future and that sort of thing. You end up in Vegas. It’s just been a hellish couple of years for him with just everything he’s been through.
“For Maxx, I really feel that. I mean, I used to be a rusher on a very bad team. I think I had 13 [sacks] on a 2-14 team. You’re looking around like, ‘What else can I do? And how much better would my life be somewhere else?’ I don’t think Maxx wants out. He seems like a Raider for life to me.”
If the Raiders’ 2023 NFL season spirals out of control, there will be a long list of teams poking to see if either Adams or Crosby are available for a trade. So, what do you say, Raiders fans? All these former players see what’s going on. Which will come first? McDaniels being fired, or are players on the team asking for a trade? Let us know.
*Top Photo: Paul Sakuma/AP Photo