Were the Las Vegas Raiders miserable under former head coach Josh McDaniels? That’s tough to prove. However, ex-Raider cornerback Charles Woodson notes that the team wasn’t having fun playing football.
The Silver and Black fired McDaniels and former general manager Dave Ziegler on Halloween night. Afterward, the franchise named Antonio Pierce as interim head coach and Champ Kelly as interim general manager.
Pierce not only has to prepare his game plan each week, but he also must mend fences with some of the roster. The former Super Bowl champion must install a culture that can bring the team joy to play football again.
Charles Woodson: “Raiders didn’t seem to have fun before Josh McDaniels’ firing”
Not many players are going to have fun playing losing football. It’s really as simple as that. Nonetheless, even when Las Vegas racked up two straight wins this season under McDaniels, it didn’t stop players like Davante Adams from venting their frustration over how the offense looked. This fact wasn’t lost on Charles Woodson.
“I was excited for the Raiders,” Woodson said on Tuesday’s edition of “The Rich Eisen Show.” “You can see the energy that those guys had after that victory. You can see the energy before the game, the way they were reacting to Antonio Pierce, their interim head coach. I was just excited to see them guys playing good football and having fun because it didn’t seem like they were having fun the first half of this season.”
In one game under Pierce, the Raiders discovered they had a running game. Who knew, right? Josh Jacobs rushed for 98 yards and two touchdowns, his best performance of the season. Although the passing game still needs to improve, these little victories can get the offensive unit to buy into what Pierce is selling.
Did the Raiders pick the right time to fire Josh McDaniels?
If the Raiders wanted to salvage their season, they had to make a change, even if the owner, Mark Davis, would take a hit financially due to McDaniels’ contract. As you’d have it, the situation quickly became toxic, resulting in heated dialogues with the fans; who could forget the “Smarten Up!” comments?
Woodson notes that the circumstances looked terrible under their former head coach. The Raider legend possibly hinted at McDaniels losing the team because of how star players were performing. As a result, Davis had to decide whether to take the financial hit or risk seeing several players possibly wanting out.
“It was pretty bad,” Woodson added. “You could just watch the body language of those guys. You had Davante Adams in press conferences, voicing his frustration after wins. Hunter Renfrow, a guy who, two years ago, had over 100 catches, and he’s nowhere to be found. Josh Jacobs led the league in rushing last year, and he couldn’t get going. This thing, it was falling apart. It was melting.”
When the Silver and Black changed to Pierce, the former linebacker had to navigate the adversity. Furthermore, he likely had to convince the team to believe they could dig themselves out of their current situation. Players on the 2021 squad have been through this situation and know how quickly they can overcome a coaching change and still be a playoff team.
The Raiders picked up a convincing 30-6 win over the New York Giants on Sunday. Las Vegas gets the New York Jets this weekend at home. With a suspect, Zach Wilson-led offense, Las Vegas has a chance to go 2-0 under Pierce. Grabbing two wins will be crucial because the schedule doesn’t get easier with teams like the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs on the horizon.
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