Over the last couple of weeks, it’s been quiet on the Trashing Josh McDaniels front.
But by no means does that mean he’s out of the woods.
And again they’re being plunged into his back.
A few things about this report.
One, is that it’s long and seems to be well researched and sourced.
Two, that it’s hardly not without an agenda.
The guy who was right about everything, every time.
The infallibleGallant to McDaniels' incompetent Goofus.
The source continued: Dave was the opposite.
Unlike McDaniels, Ziegler had not been close to Belichick and wasnt imbued in all of his thinking.
He liked Mark, he felt the more Mark was included and involved, the better it would be.
He loved it when Davis was around, whereas Josh was uncomfortable.
Ziegler felt it was better to keep Davis in the loop.
He judged Davis with the eyes and respect he had for the New England Patriots owner, Robert Kraft.
He liked Davis and wanted him close, while Josh liked Davis, but did not want him close.
The source added: It was never that Josh disliked Mark.
Ultimately, handling Davis was an essential part of the failure of McDaniels tenure.
“The problem was that it was almost PTSDish in how he changed.
…[W]hat are you afraid of?
It made no sense to me.”
For Ziegler, it was different.
He had no fear of being fired.
He understood the mandate Davis gave them and felt being bold and aggressive was the key.
Ziegler saw failure in the Patriot Way, while McDaniels saw comfort.
Ziegler was vocal in New England when he disagreed," another league source with direct knowledge said.
He wasnt afraid to fail because he was so excited about succeeding.
They were opposites, and it drove Dave crazy.
The players liked McDaniels as a person, but they struggled with him as a coach.
He came in and you couldnt tell that we had even won.
… We are risking our lives with CTE and injuries, and sh-t.
This is a kids game.
I like Josh, but I dont think he loves this game.
He has no fun.
There’s a lot more in here I didn’t get into.
That kind of shit goes on any time an organization experiences system wide failure.
It’s the JFK “Success has many fathers but failure is an orphan” dynamic.
So I suggest we all take it for what it’s worth.
The first, I guess I can understand.
But Mark Davis is an odd cat.
I could be one of those situations.
But I’m going with my theory.
Second, it’s astonishing how many times this history can repeat itself.
No matter how many times it fails, no one seems capable of learning the lesson.
In how they make personnel decisions.
In how they deal with their players.
In their general demeanor.
McDaniels is now 0-for-2 at trying.
Here’s one last line that resonates with me.
Now we wait for the next McDaniels hit piece.
There’s no way the Raiders players, coaches and front office are done with him.
