Among the league’s biggest disappointments at 2-6, the underachieving Raiders face an uphill battle to make the playoffs, with some beginning to question Josh McDaniels’ job security. Even in a strong AFC West, the Raiders have too much talent to be slumming it in last place, squandering another year of Derek Carr’s prime. Injuries to core contributors Darren Waller and Hunter Renfrow haven’t helped matters, though the Raiders’ abysmal record in close games (five of their six defeats have come by a touchdown or less) would suggest a lack of preparation, a common symptom of coaches who are either out of their depth or lack the experience to effectively communicate in moments of crisis.
McDaniels’ first head-coaching stint with Denver was similarly uninspiring, proving woefully ill-equipped as a leader before retreating to his safety net in Foxboro, rehabilitating himself under the watchful eye of kingmaker Bill Belichick. McDaniels’ success as an offensive coordinator (though, admittedly, the car tends to drive itself when the greatest quarterback of all-time, Tom Brady, is behind the wheel) simply hasn’t translated in Vegas, leaving plenty to be desired as a strategist and in-game decision-maker. Former NFL receiver Brandon Marshall doesn’t have high hopes for the Raiders’ McDaniels experiment, drawing from his own experience playing for him in 2009.
“Josh McDaniels is definitely not suited to be a head coach,” the former Bronco expressed to Kay Adams in no uncertain terms. “He doesn’t know how to lead people. You can have all the X’s and O’s in the world, but when you go into a losing locker room, the first thing you have to do is be able to get to the players’ minds and their hearts. And he’s not capable of doing that. He’s not capable of doing that with his players. He’s not capable of doing that with his coaches.”
The Raiders may already be having buyer’s remorse, regretting hiring McDaniels over Rich Bisaccia, who led the team to a surprise playoff berth after his promotion to interim head coach last season (he replaced Jon Gruden, who resigned in disgrace over leaked emails containing racial and homophobic slurs). McDaniels may not survive another week if the Raiders lose Sunday to Indianapolis, a team that, by all accounts, is actively tanking.
“When things hit the fan, it gets worse with guys like that. You have guys retiring midseason,” said Marshall, alluding to the abrupt retirement of linebacker Blake Martinez earlier this week. “Think about that. That’s horrible leadership. You want guys to rally around you. You want guys to say, ‘This is his first year back. I’m playing for him and his wife and his kids.’ They’re doing the opposite. They’re saying, ‘I’m shutting it down.’”
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