With Josh McDaniels gone, the entire Las Vegas Raiders locker room celebrated as if an evil demon spirit had been exorcised. In fact, star pass rusher Maxx Crosby took to Instagram Live to give the world an inside look after Sunday’s victory. Among those in attendance was owner Mark Davis. In retrospect, was it a bit much?
Did Maxx Crosby, Mark Davis, and the Raiders go too far with Sunday’s behavior postgame?
Let’s face it, given the results of Week 9, one could make the argument that McDaniels was holding back this team. Whether out of ego or some sort of insecurity, it wasn’t working. The Raiders broke through the 20-point mark on offense for the first time this season. Is it a coincidence it happened once the “offensive guru” was jettisoned? When you take into account all of the changes that took place (general manager Dave Ziegler was fired as well) last week, combined with the tough, nearly indigestible losses in Chicago and against Detroit, this team was going through the wringer.
After a dominant outing, it made sense that Crosby wanted his teammates to let off some steam. Reportedly, “Mad Maxx” had the team’s equipment managers grab cigars for the entire locker room ahead of the contest. Once the win was in the books, the players let loose. Multiple personalities made appearances on Crosby’s live stream, but none more important than Davis himself. The often-criticized Raiders owner looks happy and relieved to see his team jubilant, loose, and, well, just plain happy. Can we blame him? Especially given what’s transpired the last few weeks?
Who would want to coach the Raiders now…
Well, maybe it wasn’t the smartest thing to put it all out there. At least, that’s how one senior NFL writer feels; wait for it, he’s from Boston. Ben Volin of the Boston Globe actually thinks Davis did some irreparable damage with Sunday’s display.
“Raiders players dance on Josh McDaniels’ grave, and Mark Davis ensures no self-respecting coach will ever want to coach his team.”
When you account for what took place during McDaniels’ tenure in Denver and now, with the Raiders, why would anyone give him another head coaching opportunity? Yes, he’s an excellent offensive coordinator, but as is evident from how he lost the Vegas locker room, he’s not a leader of men.
As far as the celebration, maybe the cigars were a bit much, but this team needed to exhale. If the win against the Giants meant anything, it represented a fresh start for everyone with the Raiders, from players to the top of the organization.
*Top Photo: Twitter/X