McDaniels & Ziegler Take Over the Raiders

By Dwayne Douglas @Rtpowpodcast

The Las Vegas Raiders have made a change. A huge change, one that many didn’t see coming. They have hired Dave Ziegler & Josh McDaniels as their General Manager & Head Coach. The buddies from John Carroll University and the New England Patriots are here to build upon what the Raiders did last year and do more than just make the playoffs. In this two part series we will talk about the Pro’s and Con’s of hiring the pair. So lets start with the pro’s.

Pro’s

The pair of former Patriots seem to be in lock step with each other. Mark Davis mentioned in the press conference that Reggie McKenenzie and Dennis Allen’s lack of a relationship is what lead to their demise. This can’t be said for McDaniels & Ziegler who have had a relationship that has spawned over 20 years.

The pair has seen a lot of winning with Patriots. During the Press Conference Dave Ziegler, the Raiders new GM didn’t look too impressed when ask about last years playoff appearance. He gave a look back at the reporter like, that’s not our standard. Clearly it’s about winning rings and being champs.

Play calling in 2021 was not good for the Raiders. The Raiders were one of the worst teams on 3rd down, and one of the worse Redzone offenses in the league. Greg Olson was clearly in over his head. The former Jon Gruden yes man just wasn’t ready to take over the teams offense. Josh McDaniels did some of his best work this year with rookie Mac Jones. The Patriots were 7th in Redzone scoring in 2021, which helped New England make the playoffs with a rookie under center.

Learning from the past, it hasn’t been all rosy for McDaniels in the NFL. He flamed out as the head coach of the Denver Broncos, having ended the season with an 11-17 record. In 2011 he was hired to run the offense for the St. Louis Rams. He didn’t finish the season, after getting fired by Head Coach Steve Spagnuolo, he headed back to New England. He has said all of those moments have help to get him ready for this moment, so for this only time will tell.

Dave Ziegler has final say on personal, at least that is what he said at the presser. Something Raiders Fans don’t know what came, first the chicken or the egg when it comes to Jon Gruden or Mike Mayock. The two tv personalities will forever be remember for the 2020 draft. Which will go down in history as one of the worst with, Henry Ruggs and Damon Arnette to name a few. Nobody knows who was responsible. Was it Gruden, Mayock, or both? Having a clear protocol for they way an organization is run is critical. The motto of the Patriots is “Do Your Job”. Ziegler has a chance to show that he is more than just a personnel assistant to Bill Belichek.