Draft season is always full of misinformation, but one of the worst swing-and-miss efforts involving the Raiders this year was a story that popped up shortly after the Raiders drafted Alex Leatherwood.
The Pro Football Network report, which popped up a few hours after the Leatherwood pick, suggested that major changes were coming within the Raiders’ organization – specifically because of the pick.
“Word in league circles is a major shake-up in the Las Vegas Raiders’ front office will be coming soon after the draft and significant heads are expected to roll,” PFN‘s Tony Pauline reported one month ago this week. “The pick of Alex Leatherwood in the middle of Round 1 last night, a player they could have traded down and selected, is opening a lot of wounds and seems to be the final straw. Additionally, I’m also hearing about a lot of friction between major players in their front office.”
The report wasn’t specific about which heads would roll, but there are essentially two significant heads in the Raider organization in terms of their personnel department: Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock. Gruden obviously wasn’t on the hot seat, so most of the speculation around Pauline’s “scoop” involved Mayock.
But a month later, Mayock is still gainfully employed and it sounds like the Raiders’ draft room was in agreement on the Leatherwood pick. The rest of the league may not have liked the pick, but any internal “friction” within the Raiders’ organization seems to have been overwhelmingly exaggerated… if not completely made up.
twitter: @raidersbeat
Unless Gruden uses the” Guillotine”
Ob himself ,Heads will remain firmly planted on their corresponding shoulders.
Sadly, these days, when it comes to “reporting game changing news” NOTHING can be believed until it actually happens. Hyperbole is the law of the land when it comes to sports news and nothing garners attention quite like sensationalism.
I’ve said it before… Tony Pauline and MANY like him are such Crap Journalists that they make it up just to hear themselves speak. They have no reporting skills and Zero Inside info as they have no idea what it is to develop personal relationships with ANYBODY. In this High Speed social media age they get away with being unskilled reporters and blatant liars because the news moves fast enough for most to forget who said what and when. Thank You Raider Beat for pointing out ANOTHER POS that is horrific at what they are supposed to do: Write insightful articles that convey solid, truthful information.
Rumors. Lol. Rumors started by sports gurus that have as much connection to reality as psychics. But, some followers latch on to such blarney as though it’s the Great Pumpkin speaking to them…
Most of the “journalists” that cover the Raiders anymore seem to be Raider haters of the highest order. I realize that the Raiders haven’t been good for a while, but even the worst teams have good things to report on. You cannot tell me that all the negativity surrounding the Raiders in the media is earned, and the article and writer mentioned in this piece are a prime example of that. One of the worst ones though is Josh Dubow, he always has something negative to say about the Raiders(usually Carr), and even when he does report good things, it just seems like a contrived effort, not to appear biased…
This is something you don’t regularly see from the raiderbeatdown, a report that actually supports the team you cover. What’s funny here is this group calling out another organization for making things up. Most of the scoops posted from the raiderbeatdown don’t come from a team insider, coach, trainer or janitor they are also made up.
Look, Justin Houston has had more sacks than anyone on the Raiders, why not bring him in for a tryout? This defense NEEDS all the help it can get. Gruden trades premier players like Rodney Hudson but won’t bring in Justin Houston? Come on asshole. Get a fucking clue. No wonder the Raiders suck under this fool.
Two Serious Mistakes by Jon Gruden
Why won’t Jon Gruden bring in Justin Houston for a tryout if defensive pressure on the quarterback was the problem, last year? He is better than anyone on the Raiders team and his production roves it. Also, in my opinion, Jon Gruden made two serious mistakes this offseason. He let Nelson Agholor get away by trying to be cheap and traded Rodney Hudson. Don’t be surprised if those two moves come back to bite him in the ***. If Hudson had lost a step, I could understand the trade but he has not and that single move is proof that Gruden is inept. Next, Agholor definitely had chemistry with Carr and will be sorely missed.Both of these two mistakes fall squarely on Jon Gruden’s shoulders. What a fool.