Since the news that Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler were relieved of their duties dropped earlier this week, you would be forgiven for thinking the Las Vegas Raiders deposed a despot or dictator. We’ve all seen the videos of Davante Adams playing basketball on a tiny hoop and heard reports of offensive linemen wrestling each other in the locker room as the celebrations continued all week.
Other players like Hunter Renfrow talked about not having to walk on eggshells anymore, and there was a palpable sense of relief from any player who was asked about the change in the locker room. There have been other videos of the Raiders bringing back the dance circle at practice and there seems to be a vibe of relaxed confidence in Las Vegas since Antonio Pierce took over the job.
During the Josh McDaniels era, several players would make references to things being very regimented and strict on the team. There were reports by beat writers that McDaniels and his staff would tell players not to trust the media, and that their social media activities would be closely monitored by the team.
On the surface, you may think that there is nothing wrong with a coach bringing some discipline and order to an NFL locker room but it appears that McDaniels took things too far.