Opinions from around the football world have been strong about the Raiders after they suffered another in a string of bad losses Sunday to a Colts team with an interim coach with no previous experience.
The 2-7 start for first-year coach Josh McDaniels a season after interim coach Rich Bisaccia led the Raiders to the playoffs makes for a ripe target, along with the postgame news conference during which an emotional Derek Carr shed tears over the team’s plight.
A column by the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin, who has long covered McDaniels, was headlined “The Raiders job seemed perfect for Josh McDaniels, but so far it’s a disaster.”
Here is a sampling of some of the other takes:
Stephen A. Smith, ESPN’s “First Take,”
on owner Mark Davis’ quote about “Rome wasn’t built in a day”
“That was one of the dumbest quotes I’ve ever seen an owner make. … Your team was just in the playoffs last year. (Rich) Bisaccia went 7-5 in the 12 games he coached. They won the last four in the regular season to get there and had a competitive playoff game. … You said that’s not where we want to go. You went out and got Josh McDaniels and suddenly you can’t win close games. You’re 2-7. You’re halfway through the season and your season is over. The team doesn’t even look like they want to be on the field. It’s very glaring, very conspicuous, very evident. It ultimately comes back to you, Mark Davis, because when you give an unquestionably idiotic quote like that, in Vegas, in Sin City, where people go to make their dreams come true, even if just for a night, that Rome wasn’t built in a day, it’s got to be the dumbest quote I’ve ever seen from an owner.”
Charles Robinson, Yahoo Sports
“There’s no worse loss. And when you look at owner, coach, GM, quarterback, those are the four fundamental pieces. Out of all those pieces, one of them can be bounced after the season with a minimal salary cap hit and probably will be. And it’s going to be the guy (Derek Carr) who was the emotional guy at the podium.”
Former Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon, 33rd Team
“Derek hasn’t played horribly, but he really hasn’t played well, especially late in games. At some point he has to step up and play better. I think there’s enough tools in the toolbox to get it done and Derek Carr hasn’t, especially when they needed him the most; late in games. If you look at his win/loss record 59-77 that really says it all. Derek Carr has to find a way to put this team on his shoulders and get them to the finish line.”
NFL Hall of Fame defensive back Rod Woodson
“Look at Derek and his press conference. He was very emotional and rightfully so because they do have talent, but every team in this league has talent. The best of the best of the best in the world play in the NFL and if you don’t play together and at your best every single time, if you don’t execute every single play, every down, you’re not going to win. That’s the frustration they see right now. But it’s not over. You have to keep believing in each other and loving on each other, keep believing in their own ability. And if they do that, I think they can pull themselves out of it.”
Frank Schwab, Yahoo Sports
“Josh McDaniels is a bad NFL head coach. He has lost, I believe, now 24 of his last 31 games as an NFL head coach. He has been out of the (Bill) Belichick cocoon four times, OK? One was with the Broncos, which was the— aside from Urban Meyer, one of the worst coaching disasters in NFL history. The second time was when he was the Rams offensive coordinator. He was awful there, shockingly awful. Like, you’re like, whoa, maybe this guy is not even an offensive coordinator. It goes back to New England resurrects his career. Third time, he stands the Colts up at the altar after agreeing to take the job. That should have been a red flag, blaring alarm to everybody in the NFL, do not hire this guy. Like, no, don’t do it. And the fourth time is the Raiders, and he has taken a playoff team and now has them in contention for a top three pick of the draft. At what point do we just say, you know what, yeah, we could give him another year, but we’re just wasting a year? He’s not good. He’s not a good NFL head coach.”
Former NFL linebacker Bart Scott took exception to Carr’s tearful news conference during his ESPN Radio show:
“It sounds like he’s on a soapbox playing the world’s smallest violin. Guess what? Everybody in the league is sacrificing and putting stuff in their body just so they can practice. Attitude reflects leadership. When they gave you that extension, it’s your responsibility Derek Carr. It’s your obligation. Take the gray out of it. If there’s people you feel like aren’t holding up their end of the bargain, that aren’t practicing and caring as much, then call them out. That’s your job. Make it apparent. ‘Hey, this guy isn’t a Raider.’ Miss me with the sentimental crap like you can’t change it and it’s not your responsibility as the quarterback.”
