Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis gave Raider Nation what they wanted by hiring Antonio Pierce as the new head coach — is he about to hit a grand slam with two more hires?
While some fans are debating whether Davis did his due diligence with regard to the interview process, the fact is, Pierce was his guy. Perhaps he was the “choice” all along.
The lack of “big name” interviews certainly suggests that. That’s especially true when you look at some of the names out there. Still, Pierce is the man. Now, the question shifts to the front office.
On Halloween night, Dave Ziegler was ousted and Champ Kelly assumed his duties as interim general manager. Fast forward to late January, and much like Pierce, Kelly has seen a popular movement rally behind him. Seeing both of them stand side by side throughout the season and even at events thereafter, you’d think they’d be a package deal.
Well, not so fast, Raiders fans.
Should Mark Davis bring in both Champ Kelly and Ed Dodds?
According to Vincent Bonsignore, host of Raider Nation Radio, Mark Davis could be onto something big. He states that the feeling around the league as of Saturday morning was that both Champ Kelly and Ed Dodds could soon be a front office tandem.
Now, it should be noted that this isn’t imminent. Dodds has been busy with his own interviews, as he’s a popular target to fill a general manager vacancy himself. Even so, a hierarchy that might see both Dodds and Kelly working together could be bad news for the AFC West.
In case you’re not familiar with Dodds, he has roots with the Raiders that date back to the legendary Al Davis. His work as assistant general manager of the Indianapolis Colts is impressive.
That’s the same brain trust that drafted Anthony Richardson, Quenton Nelson, Shaq Leonard and Michael Pittman. Prior to that, he was involved with scouting for the Seattle Seahawks; by 2015, he was the senior personnel executive. That department went with Russell Wilson, Boby Wagner, Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman. We all know how that played out.
Needless to say, this could be huge for the Raiders if it comes to fruition.
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