The Las Vegas Raiders have moved on from the dog days of the old Patriots way that Josh McDaniels tried to bring to the silver and black. Sure, they may still be in the dog days, as the Raiders sit at 5-7 on the year, but the worst of it all is in the past.
For now, anyway, until owner Mark Davis potentially makes another bad hire. Now, though, we are learning where it all went wrong for the Raiders in the Josh McDaniels - Dave Ziegler era. And there were a lot of areas that went wrong.
According to SI's Hondo Carpenter and his sources, there are ten things that the two did wrong that got them both unemployed at the moment. However, the one that sticks out to me is their disagreement over what they should do in the draft.
Here is what Carpenter wrote from his source on the subject of C.J. Stroud in the draft:
"Dave felt he was a generational talent, and Kelly loved him. Z had done his research. He knew the cost to move up to No. 1 and even No. 2. He felt the cost was cheap, and he was willing to do almost anything that didn't include Maxx Crosby. He and Josh agreed that the price of No. 1 was too high, but Z wanted to move up to No. 2 and grab Stroud. He could have made the deal. He also knew Stroud would allow McDaniels to show the fans and the owner that an identity would be established. Josh was willing to move up for Bryce Young, but as expected, he went No. 1, and Stroud to the Raiders had long been dead." - Hondo Carpenter, SI Fan Nation
In this story, Carpenter has a quote from a source that states that McDaniels overruled Ziegler on the QB decision. On the day of his introductory press conference, Ziegler said he would have the final say. Now, he is saying that McDaniels overruled him. Something isn't adding up here. Ziegler could very well be trying to save face as he gears up for another GM hiring cycle this offseason.
C.J. Stroud has been not only the best quarterback of this draft but also one of the best quarterbacks in the league. I hate to say it but had they drafted Stroud or traded up to draft him, those two could still both have their jobs right now.
Josh McDaniels's infatuation with Jimmy Garoppolo is weird, as he wasn't that great in New England or San Francisco. It's easy to see now that Stroud is much better than Garoppolo. Now the Raiders are 5-7, trying to make the playoffs with Aidan O'Connell as their quarterback. The Houston Texans have much less and are currently in the hunt.
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