It hasn’t even been a week since the Las Vegas Raiders fired Josh McDaniels — a tenure full of embarrassment almost every week — and each new revelation somehow sparks more humiliation. The latest comes on the heels of a report from Fox NFL Sunday’s Jay Glazer.
According to Glazer, before the Raiders fired him, McDaniels held a team meeting where players were open about their issues with his coaching. Rather than speak for himself, McDaniels had now interim head coach Antonio Pierce talk on his behalf. A New York Giants legend, Pierce used New York’s run to a Super Bowl title over the New England Patriots in 2007 as a vital point of a motivational speech.
McDaniels apparently took great exception to this, telling Pierce to never talk about the Patriots like that. Talk about a lack of self-awareness.
Inside scoopage of what went on behind the scenes that led the @raiders to fire head coach John McDaniels then.move onto Antonio Pierce as their new coach. #raiders @nflonfox pic.twitter.com/aLcymL3Gcy
— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) November 5, 2023
I understand McDaniels likely has a special affinity for Bill Belichick and New England. After all, that is where he made his hay for years, primarily as an offensive coordinator. But when your players are venting out their frustrations, and a speech clearly resonates with them, that isn’t the time to talk about how any Patriots bashing bothers you. That’s one of those “inside thoughts” you keep to yourself, folks.
Another vintage McDaniels misstep, who seemingly couldn’t be more self-involved if he tried.