A major change in organizational culture in Las Vegas occurred nearly three weeks ago
The players have taken over this place,” a Raiders official said.
Ownership is fine, too.
Interim coach Antonio Pierce led this team to two wins against the Giants and Jets and gave players a chance to be themselves and voice their concerns to coaches.
This openness is working so far.
Another Raider source described the atmosphere around the building last month.
Ever since Josh McDaniels and (general manager) Dave Ziegler were forced out after being at the helm for a year and a half, it was like, ‘Dam-dong, the witch is dead
It symbolizes “no
Nonsense, often requiring guidance – Style and its presence in the building.
He maintained tight control and had high expectations for his employees and team
Nearly all of the current assistants were hired by McDaniel and now work for his new boss
Some people I spoke to still appreciate McDaniel’s approach, but others are adapting to a post-patriotism lifestyle
Meetings have moved to earlier times to accommodate the assistants’ preferences, and players have more say on how they want to operate as an organization.
For example, the team had planned to fly to Florida on Friday and practice Saturday in Orlando for their game against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday
Instead, some team leaders spoke up because they preferred to practice in Las Vegas and then fly to Florida on Saturday
It’s a slight adjustment, but it’s what the players wanted.
A big test awaits them against the NFL’s total yardage leader in Miami, and the Raiders are aware of their limitations.
Some people want to see how the team responds to adversity
They have not been tested yet.
No one wants to fail and no one supports the idea that this path won’t work, but many within the Raiders organization are wondering if this new style of empowering players is sustainable or if the overall change is I’m wondering if it’s just a quick shot in the arm.
Training is miserable
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott told reporters he fired offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey because he felt his team couldn’t walk back into the locker room without knowing something had changed. He essentially called Dorsey the scapegoat for the team’s problems without using that term
You don’t often hear a coach put it that way publicly, but McDermott knows that after taking over the play calling on defense following Leslie Frazier’s departure and now firing Dorsey, the pressure is on him to win. Sometimes change for the sake of change isn’t the answer, but this organization is desperate for a spark as they play host to the Jets on Sundayuffalo has only missed the playoffs once since McDermott took over as the head coach in 2017, and a team source said he is looking for “more energy and juice” in this offense. They want to get off to a fast start and start putting up significantly more points
While turnovers have crushed this team, the question remains: How will the Bills be different under new play caller Joe Brady? Will they take the ball out of Josh Allen’s hands and look to run the ball more with James Cook? Since Allen joined the Bills, it was always explained to me by coaches in Buffalo and around the league that deemphasizing Allen would never be the way for Buffalo to win games. Though I expect tweaks to be made to the offense, I do not get the sense the Bills believe pulling back on Allen will be the game plan
The Bills are 5-5 and on the outside of the AFC playoff race looking in. They are desperate, and so are the Zach Wilson-led New York Jets at 4-5
A new week, another starting quarterback out. Two since Sunday, in fact
A total of six Week 1 starting quarterbacks have had season-ending injuries before I had my first argument with my mother on Thanksgiving
With so many backup quarterbacks playing, including a record number of rookie starters, there’s been one solution to the injured starting QB problem in 2023: Go get Josh Dobbs. And that’s what the Minnesota Vikings did. For others, it’s going to be an uphill battle to make the postseason with their backup options. It doesn’t mean they can’t, but the season just became much more difficult
The Jets lost Aaron Rodgers, the Indianapolis Colts lost Anthony Richardson, the Vikings lost Kirk Cousins, the New York Giants lost Daniel Jones, and this week, two top AFC contenders found out they’ll need their backups for the remainder of the year as Cleveland’s Desha In Watson and Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow are both done
Baltimore Ravens players told me they heard Burrow shout, “I heard a pop!” the moment after pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney came screaming his way. The “pop” sound is never good and can indicate a ligament issue in the wrist, which is what Burrow sustained. Burrow is going to get further evaluations to decide the next steps. Side note, a general manager texted me, “This is why Joe Burrow was never going to step foot on the field without that deal
In the preseason, Burrow got his contract extension done, a deal he would probably get no matter what. But it was smart of his camp to seal it while making him the highest-paid player in football
P.S. Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson is in line to be the highest-paid non-QB in football, and he’s on the path to returning from a hamstring injury. He’s not going to play this week, but he will soon. Seeing all of these significant season-ending injuries, will he still return without a deal in place? He says yes
Burrow’s injury has a second layer to it. The NFL is investigating the Bengals for possibly hiding Burrow’s wrist injury before the game on the daily injury report. This was all caught by the league after the Bengals posted, and then deleted, a video of Burrow wearing a black soft brace on his right hand coming off the team plane. This seemed alarming considering he was a full participant at practice all week. The league is in contact with the organization and will review photos and practice videos to discover if the Bengals were hiding this information
Burrow said the wrist injury that knocked him out for the year is entirely new. I would expect a heavy fine headed to Cincy from the league office if they discover the Bengals were treating the hand all week
The precedent here would be Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Back in 2019, the NFL fined the Steelers $75,000 and Tomlin $25,000 for violating the injury report policy. The Steelers didn’t reveal an injury to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger
A league source said the NFL is not taking this lightly, but it will take some time to decide. We also are still awaiting the results of the league’s investigation into Bijan Robinson and the Atlanta Falcons’ injury report saga
As if the Bengals losing Burrow to a devastating injury wasn’t enough for a Thursday night game, Ravens Pro Bowl tight end Mark Andrews suffered a cracked fibula and an ankle ligament injury. He is done for the season due to a hip-drop tackle
This form of tackling is getting tons of attention across the league, and it may soon be banned. The NFLPA is publically against outlawing it because it believes the play will be too tricky to officiate
A league source told me the discussion of banning this tackle is already on “the table of contents of things to discuss in the offseason” with the NFL competition committee. The last time it was discussed, the committee was split on making the change. We’ll see if it gets more support this time around
Quarterbacks Ryan Tannehill and Jimmy Garoppolo could possibly be playing for different teams right now if the trade deadline were pushed back a few weeks. Teams are desperate for quarterbacks, and the options are limited.
With so many quarterbacks injured this season, many fans want to know why the league doesn’t extend the deadline to November, rather than immediately after Week 8
A high-level NFL official said that what has made the league so successful is its competitive balance and equality, which are fostered by draft order, salary cap and even the schedule. If they extend the trade deadline, teams could sell players off who are trying to win, or teams could tank for the next season by dumping players once the team realizes it’s not going to the playoffs. Barring a drastic change to the NFL schedule, the trade deadline is unlikely to move again
Dobbs has become the star of the show for the Vikings based on his incredible ability to win games with such little preparation and familiarity with his Minnesota team. But another player who also deserves a look is Vikings running back Ty Chandler, especially this week against the Denver Broncos, who have the league’s worst run defense
Minnesota’s run game has been a weak area, and finding open space seems impossible at times. But Chandler has the potential to change that. Last week, with Alexander Mattison out with a concussion, Chandler ran the ball 15 times for 45 yards and a touchdown. Mattison is still in concussion protocol, and Chandler could have a chance to shine again
