By the time Josh McDaniels wrapped up his first season with the Raiders, everyone in the building seemed to realize that Derek Carr and the team needed to part ways.
With McDaniels in control, the relationship between Carr and the organization was beyond repair and that was something everyone on the inside seemed to understand.
At the time, the parties involved said the right things and they are saying still the right things today.
The day after McDaniels was fired, Carr was asked about his former head coach, and he didn’t use the opportunity to take any shots at McDaniels. Instead, Carr said that his heart was for Josh and Dave [Ziegler] and their families…
But despite all the nice public sentiment over the last 10 months, there’s no doubt that something shifted when McDaniels and the organization sent Carr home for the final two games of the regular season.
The locker room may have understood why the team was moving on from Carr, but the decision still came with consequences.
Along with Rich Bisaccia, Carr was the one of the leaders in the building that carried the organization through one of the most difficult seasons an NFL team has ever had to navigate. His play on the field may have suffered after the loss of the Jon Gruden and Henry Ruggs, but Carr brought an element of leadership to the Raiders locker room that McDaniels underestimated.
It wasn’t that the team couldn’t find another leader (Maxx Crosby has filled the void admirably), but McDaniels to some degree sabotaged his own standing in the locker room in the way he carried out the departure of Carr.
“McDaniels wanted to move on from quarterback Derek Carr despite the signal caller’s rapport with star receiver Davante Adams. Carr was looked upon as a team leader, and when he left, team chemistry was destroyed,” NFL insider Tony Pauline reported last week. “McDaniels was never able to revive that chemistry and soon lost the team, according to people in the building.”
More than a few players in the locker room didn’t like the way McDaniels handled Carr’s final weeks with the team and the perception of McDaniels and the ‘Patriot Way’ took a major hit when Carr was sent home.
McDaniels took another unnecessary shot at Carr when he assigned Aidan O’Connell the no. 4 jersey that Carr had worn for the last nine years.
McDaniels had opportunities in the last 10 months to regain the trust of the team, but those missed opportunities are stories for another day.
twitter: @raidersbeat
All I have to say is F#@K mcclown. All he came to do was build a west coast patriot team. The Raider Nation don’t play that ****.
You missed it… McClown did the same thing with the Raiders that he did with Denver!!! HE and he alone was to be the unquestioned leader of the team. He intentionally got rid of Every Team Leader he could. Carr, Ngakoue, Ingold, Perryman, and Waller. Tried a few others (Renfrow) but couldn’t get out of contracts. In his own mind McClown was a god and wanted no False gods. A Single Voice…. what a disaster!!
Move On.
We can still make the playoffs. 9 and 8 could get in. Love Aiden’s moxy and ability to know where to go with the ball.
“Just win Baby”
Car was a team leader and he showed what kind of person he was when he didn’t take a shot at McDaniels.
McDoushbag got what he deserved for damaging the Raiders team the way he did! The Raiders have new life and energy now that he’s gone. Had Carr, Waller and Perryman etc etc not been run . . Their record would be much better than it is now.
So glad that arrogant turd is gone!
McDukie 💩, is a very good OC, but that owes to the fact that he had Brady. Needless to say, his leadership skills are nonexistent. Carr was a leader in the locker room and to replace him with pie back Jimmy G proved that he didn’t learn anything from his Denver experience. His dismissal is a classic case of “we get what we deserve.”
I’ve been a Raider fan since 1963 when Tom Flores was QB. I felt bad when they got rid of Stabler but he was getting up in years and the trade was better for the team. When McDoushbag got rid of Carr and traded down to Jimmie G. things went down hill fast. I knew the Carr/Adams combination was a great thing with the proper plays being called in Carr knew that Adams would be open alot. O’Connell would of been a great backup to Carr and Carr would of worked with him. Now we can just hope the game slows down Aiden and he improves, he has no backup.
Yup, Bisaccia was the coach they should have gone with, you’d have at least a team that would go deep in the playoffs. Back to rebuilding. AOC is ok, but when he can put up 30+ po9ints we can start the comparison to Carr. Raiders gonna need to be able to put up a consistent 28 points per game if they want to be more than 1 and done in the playoffs, IF they get there.
McDaniel’s contract was wrong from the get go. Did Not live up to his words, very un Raider like. I hope other teams take notice of the unprofessional acts of this former coach. Next stop Miami, let’s go Raiders. Out!
Are you kidding me?
He gave d.carrs jersey to another QB, months after he was poorly and disrespectfully shown the door???
That move right there speaks volumes about what a classless POS he is. As a lifelong Raider fan, that had to be one of the all-time low moments. Dude wanted to blame everyone but the face in the mirror. Forever McDouche to me.
A life long Raider fan and you are just now realizing that AOC was given Carrs old number? I mean geez he’s had it since the first preseason game and I noticed on the first snap he took. Classless act by a classless coach.
Indy dodged a bullet when McDaniels reneged on that coaching job! But, no one except McDaniels, has dismantled a playoff team like they were paid to do so.
The raiders are now the Raiders of old without mcdummy the team is smiling and laughing and having fun something that I haven’t seen since mcdummy took a hold I’m so glad he finally got what he deserved fired.
Carr was a team leader and he showed what kind of person he was when he didn’t take a shot at McDaniels.
I don’t know about exactly what he deserved. He’s still getting paid.
I been Raiders seen 1970 Raiders Happy since they fire josh mcDaniel they like play Raiders 1970 go Raiders. Raiders fan for life
The way the Mc Dummels treated Carr a good christain man was unforgiveable, can we please just have some stability and loyalty, Mark Davis iam again offering my service to help restore OUR RAIDERS TO GREATNESS LETS GET BACK WHAT WE USED TO BE AND NOT A LAUGHING STOCK, LETS GO ANTONIO AND THANK YOU!
Mcd is laughing all the way to the bank. Doing this to 2 franchises in AFC west!!! Coincidence I think not!
We may have won in the end and expect big things from the Raiders this year.
Let there be no mistake to me he intentionally tried to tear the raiders apart and leave us in shambles . I know it sounds absurd and in some way unrealistic , but that’s what these comments are for….lol.
Antonio Pierce is the real deal, look for upset in Miami this weekend!!!
1 more move in upper management is needed gm has to go
I’m curious to know if Aiden chose #4 or if McDaniels assigned it to him. How does that work? Was there a conversation between the two of them regarding that idea?
Unless you’re a 1/2 round draft pick, your jersey # is chosen for you by the head coach. McDipshit did that on purpose!
McDildo assigned it to him. No doubt as an F you to Carr. He purposely sabotaged Carr because he wanted his own former Patriot at QB. My understanding is when Carr changed the play that JM was all over him even if the play was successful. Carr is better that they gave him credit for and leadership was unquestioned. He’s not doing great in New Orleans yet but he’s still getting use to new receivers and OC and Coach. The latter 2 mentioned arent very **** good I might add. It also helps to have a line that can give a guy a couple full seconds to throw a pass. New Orleans is terrible in pass protection. Carrs best years with the Raiders came when he had one of the top 10 OL’s in the league.
McDaniels is a modern day Kamikaze pilot. The only difference is he took an entire team with him.
Have been patriots fan since 1993, My brother is a lifelong raiders fan. The day they hired mcdummy, I told bro “He’s going to destroy your team” mcdummy does it again!!!
That POS Patriot should of never been considered to be head coach of the Raiders let alone sweep the parking lot!
The day he was hired I wanted to vomit,
Every press conference he spoke at was nauseating then destroyed the fabric of a pretty solid team!
I could go on endlessly about my distaste for mcdouchbag but I’ll just stop and say I’m back to a happy Raider lifer!!!
I’m rooting for AP and love the juice we’re playing with now!!
We need a few more dogs but we’ll get there again!!
Bleed Silver and Black!!
Right now the Raiders are in the best position they can be McD is gone, the Patriot way is gone and the expensive Carr is gone and happy in NO. Carr may be better than Aidan but that contract was going to hold the Raiders back.