Former NFL executive defends Raiders HC Josh McDaniels' first season
Raiders HC Josh McDaniels’ first season in charge was iffy at best, but the head coach is receiving a resounding defense from an unlikely place.
It is easy to throw head coach Josh McDaniels under the bus for underachieving in the 2022 NFL season. And if one did, McDaniels could be deserving of a good portion of the blame.
However, the Las Vegas Raiders' head coach doesn't deserve all of the vitriol for his team going 6-11 in 2022. At least, that is what one former NFL executive believes.
“I think there were so many close games, and I think as you get used to — I believe in Josh McDaniels, I believe in his system," RickSpielman, the former general manager of the Minnesota Vikings, said, per "The Inside Scoop," a video series on Raiders.com. "Great coach, great leader of men in the locker room. But it takes some time. Sometimes it clicks quicker, and other times, it doesn’t. It’s just like when you watch a player. Some rookies come in and maybe struggle their first year and two years later, they’re in the Pro Bowl. Others come in and make an immediate impact but struggle down the road.
“So I think that with his background — I’m very familiar with his dad. We grew up in the same area together in Ohio. My dad and his dad were coaching against each other in Canton, Ohio. But I know that he’s going to have that program turned around. There’s too many good football players down there. And as they get adapted to the new systems, it’s just going to get smoother and smoother. And I think if they’re able to finish some of the games that they could have won this year, they wouldn’t have had maybe as disappointing of a season as probably everybody felt it was.”
It is a fair assessment of the head coach. And he is right, the Raiders lost a litany of close games. However, that does not explain the team's lack of discipline in critical moments or why the team was able to throw former starting quarterback Derek Carr under the bus so quickly.
McDaniels hasn't been perfect. And that is to be expected. But he apparently doesn't deserve nearly as much of the blame he's received. Although, I am not sure about that one.
