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2022 Las Vegas Raiders (3 Viewers)

I'm not as worried about the O line as most people.  James got better and better as the year went on, Good will be back next year and Leatherwood will hopefully be better next year.

 
I'm not as worried about the O line as most people.  James got better and better as the year went on, Good will be back next year and Leatherwood will hopefully be better next year.
It will be interesting to see how the next regime handles Leatherwood. Will they move him back to RT? He seemed to settle in to the guard spot and play pretty well.

 
FTR, I hate this move. Really wanted to see Mayock do his thing with a coach and a few draft classes of his own.

Between this firing and the 2-1 odds, I suspect Jim Harbaugh gets the equivalent of Gruden's former setup in the next few days.

 
FTR, I hate this move. Really wanted to see Mayock do his thing with a coach and a few draft classes of his own.

Between this firing and the 2-1 odds, I suspect Jim Harbaugh gets the equivalent of Gruden's former setup in the next few days.
I’m with you EXCEPT…if Davis knows (and he should) that all draft picks (including the 1st and 2nd rounders) were Mayock's final call, then I’m fine with it. 

 
let the #### show begin.

i'm disappointed that these reports are coming out piecemeal.  fire everyone at the same time and get it over with.  bad form.

honestly, this is my worst case scenario.  complete reboot.  this will most likely set the team back, yet another 5 years.  which is the end of carr.  so add on 2-3 years of rebuild.  so 2030?  unless they somehow get a stud qb out of the draft.

IF bradley is retained, shorten that death knell by 3-5 years.  but if the entire d needs to be revamped.  forget it.

:hot:

 
Mayock had to go after the last drafts.  People started this narrative that Gruden made the picks in the the first two rounds and Mayock made the picks in the later rounds.  Where is the proof?  Why would there be such a separation?  Mayock and Gruden likely made those horrible draft decisions together and Mayock got what he deserved.  

I wrote often that big changes were coming and I expect lots more surprises.   The Carr haters may get their wish.  Waller may get moved.   while squeaking into the playoffs and getting knocked out immediately may be a huge success for the Raiders, it’s not a successful season when you look at the entire body of work by a HC and GM.  The mismanagement of the o line was obvious all season and was really glaring Saturday.   The people responsible for that disaster had to go.  
i'd be fine with waller being moved for a nice haul

 
Current Vegas odds on new HC. 

Jim Harbaugh 2-1

Bisaccia 5-2

Doug Pederson 5-1

Mike Tomlin 7-1

Dabo Swinney 8-1

Byron Leftwich 10-1

David Shaw 10-1

Eric Bieniemy 10-1

Sean Payton 10-1

Todd Bowles 10-1

Brian Daboll 14-1

Joe Brady 16-1

Nathaniel Hackett 20-1

Lane Kiffin 100-1

:lmao:  Kiffin  :lmao:
i'll take the field

 
I think Bisaccia did a great job of holding this team together, but with the firing of mayock I think his days are numbered. I am a Harbaugh fan and would prefer to see him stay at U of M, but if him and Vic Fangio come as a pair to the Raiders...that would be excellent IMO. Fangio is a very good DC and Harbaugh has done well in the NFL already.

Our offense seems to be just a couple players from being a real force to reckoned with. (OL and WR). Carr seems to have found that ability that great QB's have of being able to read plays at the line and get us into plays that will work. I think his hands almost got tied to much by Olson and his need and want to run gimmick plays with Mariota at QB. I think Carr has turned that corner that in hurry up situations he can call and run plays from the line(he just needs the tether that holds him back cut).

Our defense needs work though... I think our DL is now become a strength instead of a weakness and I don't think that changes from Bradley's schemes to Fangio's schemes. Our LB core and secondary though would need overhauls to change DC's. 

Now with all that said...if the players are bought into Bisaccia... I believe he needs to stay. He did a great job and earned it.

 
No Harbaugh.  No no no no no no no.  You do NOT want to see the thread titles if that happens.  Hell you might not even see any as I go hide under a bed for three years until the next HC.

That list of candidates is a joke.  Tomlin?  wtf?  Joe Brady?  You mean the guy that was fired as an OC two months ago?  That's the next HC?  (I'd take him over Harbaugh).  Brady is actually my top choice for OC - I think he got clowned by a clown coach who's trying to appease a clown owner.   But no way is he a HC candidate, that's ridiculous.

I don't want a defensive guy.  I want an OC that will run the same general playbook every year and get the QB some continuity.  A defensive HC that hires great OC's is going to keep changing them out every 2-3 years.  Andy Reid is the model to me - Mahomes is going to get exactly one offensive system his entire career, and he got a year on the bench to learn it.  Whoever our QB is we need that.

QB - I want it to be Carr but that dude is so frustrating to watch.  He sleep walks though early games, overthrowing guys, turnovers, bonehead plays, terrified bunny in the pocket - and then when the game is on the line he lights it up.  It's like he's not focused at all early on.  Where's that urgency in the first quarter?  Where's the killer instinct to put something away at halftime?  He has a ton of come-from behind or game-winning drives - well no ####, he plays terrible for 3 quarters so often he gets a ton of chances.  I also think he drastically under-uses Edwards, that guy's a way better player than the amount of love he got from the QB.

He definitely needs more weapons.  Waller's a stud but you can only feed a TE so much, you gotta have an outside guy too.  Jackson is a joke, Zay Jones is a joke, Edwards wasn't used enough, and God love Renfro but he's limited in his area of impact.  We need more diversity at the position.

I'd love to see JJSS.  He's fun, he'd be cheap(ish), and he's a way better player that people realize, PIT just had a lot of options, spread it around, and had Ben falling apart all at the same time.  He's not an alpha #1 maybe but he's a Deebo-type WR and a great athlete.  I'd kill for Godwin, that's a Devante Adams clone and TBB should be unable to pay him again.  He'll cost a ton but sign me up anyway.

Carr won't be signed for two years.  If the new guy buys into him he'll get a monster market deal and if they don't they'll move him quickly.  Two year deals just don't happen for QB's.  The perennial problem, and reason he's still here, is "if not him who?".   But hey if the Rams can get Stafford then anything's possible - Carr and a 1st for Wilson?  A L L D A Y L O N G.  I don't think it happens and again, it may not need to, but a man can dream.

 
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I'm not as worried about the O line as most people.  James got better and better as the year went on, Good will be back next year and Leatherwood will hopefully be better next year.
Agreed. 

James improved greatly and Good will be back and healthy. Miller is a stud. 

That leaves us with Simpson and Leatherwood as questions. Both are young (Simpson in his second year and Leatherwood obviously a rookie). Do we keep Cable (my guess is we do if Bisaccia is retained but Mayock being fired make me belief the chances of that are very limited) and then what is his take on it? If we don't then I would be extra worried about regression from them. 

Here is the thing... over the season, the offense was less effective in the second half. This is as the offensive line that struggled greatly in the first half was getting better. What was the big difference? Ruggs. That is why I am really wanting to find a speedster WR because his speed was the difference from having a good offense to having one of the better offenses. 

 
I’m with you EXCEPT…if Davis knows (and he should) that all draft picks (including the 1st and 2nd rounders) were Mayock's final call, then I’m fine with it. 
Mayock is the kind of guy that would never shift responsibility even if it was not his final decision. Also, the way Mayock approached the job wasn't to make decisions and here coach, here is your players, good luck.... but rather, being very collaborative with the coaches in trying to find and get the players that they wanted for their system. I think Gruden drove the decisions because A) he had the power B) he is not the kind of guy to not have a strong opinion C) how Mayock approached the GM role. 

It doesn't matter though. Mayock is gone. 

 
If I am Mark Davis, Mayock gets fired for not using draft capital correctly.  I understand that there isn't always a trade to be made, but in over-drafting every single one if their first round picks, Mayock and Gruden made it clear that they felt trading down for value as a principle was something they were above, making them that much smarter than Walsh, Johnson, and Belichick.  Their most successful 1st rounder was a RB, a position that has the relative value of a Bic lighter.  

If we all knew Leatherwood wasn't going to be drafted in the top 20, why didn't the Raiders? We all knew Arnette wasn't going top 25, why didn't the Raiders know, and turn one pick into three, and still get their guy??  It's like everyone else interested in football knows the consensus draft positioning for every player, except Mike Mayock. Mayock seems like a lovely person, and he sounds very reasonable when he speaks. He also had essentially zero experience running a front office, and has shown no capacity to read the market.

Bring in a GM who understands that the draft a crapshoot, and the way to improve your team is to collect as many picks as possible, and mitigate risk. Belichick isn't a better evaluator than anyone, he just gets more picks than everyone, and winds up with more cheap young talent than everyone else. 

There's a really illuminating article in the Athletic right now regarding the Bears, and their constant spinning of the wheels over the last decade plus.  Forcing a coach on a GM, or a QB on the GM, or some combo of any of three, it doesn't go well. Let the new GM pick his player personnel staff, and his coach.  

 
Spotrac's list of 2022 NFL free agents

I wouldn't mind going after Laken Tomlinson or even Mark Glowinski to get some stability in the middle of the line.

They project around $16 mil/year for WRs Allen Robinson and Mike Williams. For that money I think I would prefer to roll the dice on JuJu who is still only 25 years old. Or shoot the locks off the vault and go get Chris Godwin for $18-$20 mil/year. I don't think I'd spend $25 mil/ year on Adams.

Who ya want? :popcorn:

 
If I am Mark


Davis


, Mayock gets fired for not using draft capital correctly.  I understand that there isn't always a trade to be made, but in over-drafting every single one if their first round picks , Mayock and Gruden made it clear that they felt trading down for value as a principle was something they were above, making them that much smarter than Walsh,


Johnson


, and Belichick.  Their most successful 1st rounder was a RB, a position that has the relative value of a Bic lighter.  

If we all knew Leatherwood wasn't going to be drafted in the top 20, why didn't the Raiders? We all knew Arnette wasn't going top 25, why didn't the Raiders know, and turn one pick into three, and still get their guy??  It's like everyone else interested in football knows the consensus draft positioning for every player, except Mike Mayock. Mayock seems like a lovely person, and he sounds very reasonable when he speaks. He also had essentially zero experience running a front office, and has shown no capacity to read the market.

Bring in a GM who understands that the draft a crapshoot, and the way to improve your team is to collect as many picks as possible, and mitigate risk. Belichick isn't a better evaluator than anyone, he just gets more picks than everyone, and winds up with more cheap young talent than everyone else. 

There's a really illuminating article in the Athletic right now regarding the Bears, and their constant spinning of the wheels over the last decade plus.  Forcing a coach on a GM, or a QB on the GM, or some combo of any of three, it doesn't go well. Let the new GM pick his player personnel staff, and his coach.  
I hope you guys don't mind me jumping in here.  I'm not a Raiders fan (but I do live in Las Vegas now).  This is why the narrative that Gruden was the final decision maker started.  I remember watching the draft when they took Clelin Ferrell when it was pretty much universally agreed among the draft analysts that Josh Allen was the best pass rusher on the board and thinking that seemed like a Gruden pick not a Mayock pick.  Obviously none of us know what went on in the draft rooms but it just seems really odd that they consistently overdrafted players in the first round.   When you look at their day 3 picks during the Gruden/Mayock era they actually did really well getting good players late in the draft.   It's the six first round picks that killed them.  If they had just hit on a couple more of them Mayock would likely be looked at in a completely different light.

 
If I am Mark Davis, Mayock gets fired for not using draft capital correctly.  I understand that there isn't always a trade to be made, but in over-drafting every single one if their first round picks, Mayock and Gruden made it clear that they felt trading down for value as a principle was something they were above, making them that much smarter than Walsh, Johnson, and Belichick.  Their most successful 1st rounder was a RB, a position that has the relative value of a Bic lighter.  

If we all knew Leatherwood wasn't going to be drafted in the top 20, why didn't the Raiders? We all knew Arnette wasn't going top 25, why didn't the Raiders know, and turn one pick into three, and still get their guy??  It's like everyone else interested in football knows the consensus draft positioning for every player, except Mike Mayock. Mayock seems like a lovely person, and he sounds very reasonable when he speaks. He also had essentially zero experience running a front office, and has shown no capacity to read the market.

Bring in a GM who understands that the draft a crapshoot, and the way to improve your team is to collect as many picks as possible, and mitigate risk. Belichick isn't a better evaluator than anyone, he just gets more picks than everyone, and winds up with more cheap young talent than everyone else. 

There's a really illuminating article in the Athletic right now regarding the Bears, and their constant spinning of the wheels over the last decade plus.  Forcing a coach on a GM, or a QB on the GM, or some combo of any of three, it doesn't go well. Let the new GM pick his player personnel staff, and his coach.  
100% I couldn't have said it better myself. We all know from years of watching Mayock on TV, he's knows college talent. He passionate about it, works hard, does his homework and knows his "stuff" when it comes to college players. 

BUT... he was over his head. There is way more to being a GM than just studying college players and going to the Senior Bowl, Scouting Combine etc. As you mentioned he (and Gruden) were terrible at reading the market. And over-reaching for all their 1st round picks came off as they thought they were smarter than everyone else or "we don't care about anyone else's draft boards " mentality. When in retrospect, they should have at least peaked at some consensus lists... 

I'm bummed Mayock was let go, honestly I'm not surprised though. He was Gruden's guy, but I thought he did enough good drafting in the mid to late rounds to keep his job to see how he does without Gruden around.

 
Spotrac's list of 2022 NFL free agents

I wouldn't mind going after Laken Tomlinson or even Mark Glowinski to get some stability in the middle of the line.

They project around $16 mil/year for WRs Allen Robinson and Mike Williams. For that money I think I would prefer to roll the dice on JuJu who is still only 25 years old. Or shoot the locks off the vault and go get Chris Godwin for $18-$20 mil/year. I don't think I'd spend $25 mil/ year on Adams.

Who ya want? :popcorn:
Godwin, but only if there is available cap room.   The o line is the priority this offseason.   We need a RT and possibly a guard just in case Leatherwood doesn’t improve.   DT must be addressed before WR.   The Raiders can then find a WR and hope that Edwards takes another step.   

 
From Vic at the Athletic:

The first domino to fall was Mike Mayock.

Two days after the Raiders’ playoff loss to the Bengals, owner Mark Davis fired Mayock as the team’s general manager on Monday. Though team sources said Mayock knew it was coming, he wasn’t officially told until after it was leaked that the Raiders had requested permission to interview Patriots director of player personnel Dave Ziegler for Mayock’s job. According to the NFL Network’s Albert Breer, when Mayock left the building Monday, his staff didn’t know of his firing until seeing it on social media.

Mayock had said before the season, his third, that he thought his tenure was at “a critical juncture” and that the Raiders needed to win more games. They did, but in the end, a 10-7 record and the team’s first playoff appearance in five years weren’t enough to save him.

Davis didn’t return a call and Mayock declined to comment when reached Monday. Davis hasn’t said anything about interim coach Rich Bisaccia’s status either, though Bisaccia said Monday he has talked to Davis and is in a holding pattern as Davis must go through the “due process” of a coaching search.

And obviously, the new general manager will have some input on the next permanent coach.

The coaching staff and players are waiting to see what happens next, with quarterback Derek Carr — with one year left on his contract — especially curious about what his future holds.

Mayock’s dismissal probably comes down to the team’s six first-round draft picks in his three years. Two came via the Khalil Mack trade made on the eve of Jon Gruden’s first season in 2018 that was supposed to help jump-start a reset of the roster with young foundational pieces. Of the six players selected with first-round picks from 2019 to 2021 with Gruden and Mayock running the drafts, only running back Josh Jacobs is one of the team’s better players.

The others range from disaster to underwhelming.

While Gruden hired Mayock shortly after the 2018 season and had the final say on all personnel moves, Mayock led the draft prep. People inside the building have always pointed to players as a Gruden guy or a Mayock pick, with some obvious gray area as the two did agree on some.

The two biggest disasters fall on Mayock. In 2019, he was confident the Raiders could trade down from the No. 4 slot and pick Clemson defensive end Clelin Ferrell somewhere in the teens. When no trade became available, the Raiders wound up taking Ferrell, a character guy without much twitch, with the No. 4 pick. Ferrell’s starts went from 15 his rookie year to 11 to zero this season — with him notably made a health scratch on opening night — and he has a total of eight sacks and 12 tackles for a loss in 42 games.

But at least Ferrell is a solid rotational player. Cornerback Damon Arnette, the No. 19 pick in 2020, is no longer with the team after he was released in November following a social media post in which he was holding a gun and threatening to kill someone.

Arnette had red flags coming into the draft and was considered a reach at No. 19, but Mayock said he did more homework on Arnette than any other player ever. Besides his maturity issues, Arnette wasn’t very good. He played in nine games as a rookie, and then the team signed veteran Casey Hayward and gave him and Trayvon Mullen the starting jobs before training camp. There was no need for a competition.

The other 2020 first-round pick, Henry Ruggs III, was also released this season, but he was a clean prospect who was playing well, and you can’t put his car crash that resulted in a fatality and Ruggs’ arrest on multiple felony charges on Mayock or the Raiders. 

Ruggs was a Gruden pick, and Gruden and Mayock liked safety Johnathan Abram’s toughness and leaned on offensive line coach Tom Cable for last spring’s reach on tackle Alex Leatherwood, who has already been moved to guard.

Mayock did hit big on some late-round picks like Maxx Crosby, Hunter Renfrow and Nate Hobbs, but he also didn’t do himself any favors bragging about how the Raiders owning three third-round picks in the 2020 NFL Draft was “like stealing” three starters. They used those selections on receiver Bryan Edwards, running back Lynn Bowden Jr. and linebacker Tanner Muse. Bowden was traded before he got through training camp, Muse looked lost and was cut a year later and Edwards looks like a solid rotational piece.

All told, the Raiders had 13 picks in the top 100 selections in the past three years and have two projected starters to show for it in safety Tre’von Moehrig and Jacobs (with Abram, Mullen, Edwards and Divine Deablo as maybes). To be fair, Gruden went 1-for-4 with his top-100 picks in 2018, and Reggie McKenzie went 6-for-17 from 2012 to 2017.

Gruden and Mayock were hot and cold over their two-plus seasons together, and Mayock wound up outlasting Gruden when Gruden resigned in October after his racist, homophobic and misogynistic personal emails were leaked to The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.

Gruden often gave Mayock a hard time about the Ferrell pick as well as some of the other misses, staffers in the building say, but the two seemed to always iron things out despite rumors that Mayock might be gone after the 2019 and 2020 seasons.

And part of that might have been due to the thankless parts of Mayock’s job.

He had to play bad cop after Gruden’s infatuation with and trade for Antonio Brown blew up in the team’s face. He had to figure out the balance sheet when Gruden wanted to break the bank for offensive linemen Trent Brown and

Rodney Hudson, and then again when Gruden wanted to trade them and Gabe Jackson when they refused pay cuts. And he had to smile when Gruden wanted to give a 38-year-old, third-string tight end (Jason Witten) $4 million.

Mayock pushed for defensive end Carl Nassib, who has only four sacks in two seasons after signing a three-year, $25 million deal in free agency in 2020. But there was plenty of blame to go around for other bad expensive free agents, like Lamarcus Joyner, Maliek Collins and Cory Littleton.

Gruden’s opinions of players would change daily. And after the Raiders had some success in free agency this season — Yannick Ngakoue, Quinton Jefferson, Solomon Thomas, Kenyan Drake, Darius Philon, Hayward — you would think maybe it would be interesting (and fair?) to see what Mayock could have down on his own.

Davis did not think so.

Mayock would have almost certainly voted to bring Bisaccia back, which might give us a strong indication of the next domino to fall

 
It's pointless to speculate about GMs & HCs too. Doesn't mean it isn't fun.
I mean... if you get down to it... everything we do in this thread is pointless. It isn't like we make decisions or influence decision makers or influence the wins and games. We are fans indulging in our fandom with some fantasy football thrown in. 

 
Godwin, but only if there is available cap room.   The o line is the priority this offseason.   We need a RT and possibly a guard just in case Leatherwood doesn’t improve.   DT must be addressed before WR.   The Raiders can then find a WR and hope that Edwards takes another step.   
I am good bringing back our DT's from this year. Jefferson, Philon and Thomas rotation was effective (Jefferson and Philon are FAs). We had 10 sacks out of them combined. Unless we go to a 3-4 type of base where maybe we want to rethink all that. There isn't much that would be a clear upgrade over any of them. Suh would be but at 36 years old next year and the price tag he will demand it is questionable if that is a good move or not. The DT's from Cincy would be interesting if available. 

If we stick with Bradley then we need to bring back a lot of players and look to upgrade in the secondary. If we go with another DC the secondary is going to need a near full overhaul. 

Looking at the offense, it is clear that we missed the speed that Ruggs brought. 25.7 points per game average even with the dud games against the Bears and Chargers. 17.8 per per game without him. Keep in mind that the 11 games he missed had much better offensive line play than the 7 games he played in. That is a TD difference a game while the OL got better. 

RT needs to be figured out. Is Leatherwood hopeless there? If so, will he continue to improve at G? Once we figure that out then we know if we need a G or RT. WR is a much higher priority, in my mind, over DT. It is hard to figure out the rest of the priorities without knowing what DC we have. 

 
From Vic at the Athletic:

The first domino to fall was Mike Mayock.

Two days after the Raiders’ playoff loss to the Bengals, owner Mark Davis fired Mayock as the team’s general manager on Monday. Though team sources said Mayock knew it was coming, he wasn’t officially told until after it was leaked that the Raiders had requested permission to interview Patriots director of player personnel Dave Ziegler for Mayock’s job. According to the NFL Network’s Albert Breer, when Mayock left the building Monday, his staff didn’t know of his firing until seeing it on social media.

Mayock had said before the season, his third, that he thought his tenure was at “a critical juncture” and that the Raiders needed to win more games. They did, but in the end, a 10-7 record and the team’s first playoff appearance in five years weren’t enough to save him.

Davis didn’t return a call and Mayock declined to comment when reached Monday. Davis hasn’t said anything about interim coach Rich Bisaccia’s status either, though Bisaccia said Monday he has talked to Davis and is in a holding pattern as Davis must go through the “due process” of a coaching search.

And obviously, the new general manager will have some input on the next permanent coach.

The coaching staff and players are waiting to see what happens next, with quarterback Derek Carr — with one year left on his contract — especially curious about what his future holds.

Mayock’s dismissal probably comes down to the team’s six first-round draft picks in his three years. Two came via the Khalil Mack trade made on the eve of Jon Gruden’s first season in 2018 that was supposed to help jump-start a reset of the roster with young foundational pieces. Of the six players selected with first-round picks from 2019 to 2021 with Gruden and Mayock running the drafts, only running back Josh Jacobs is one of the team’s better players.

The others range from disaster to underwhelming.

While Gruden hired Mayock shortly after the 2018 season and had the final say on all personnel moves, Mayock led the draft prep. People inside the building have always pointed to players as a Gruden guy or a Mayock pick, with some obvious gray area as the two did agree on some.

The two biggest disasters fall on Mayock. In 2019, he was confident the Raiders could trade down from the No. 4 slot and pick Clemson defensive end Clelin Ferrell somewhere in the teens. When no trade became available, the Raiders wound up taking Ferrell, a character guy without much twitch, with the No. 4 pick. Ferrell’s starts went from 15 his rookie year to 11 to zero this season — with him notably made a health scratch on opening night — and he has a total of eight sacks and 12 tackles for a loss in 42 games.

But at least Ferrell is a solid rotational player. Cornerback Damon Arnette, the No. 19 pick in 2020, is no longer with the team after he was released in November following a social media post in which he was holding a gun and threatening to kill someone.

Arnette had red flags coming into the draft and was considered a reach at No. 19, but Mayock said he did more homework on Arnette than any other player ever. Besides his maturity issues, Arnette wasn’t very good. He played in nine games as a rookie, and then the team signed veteran Casey Hayward and gave him and Trayvon Mullen the starting jobs before training camp. There was no need for a competition.

The other 2020 first-round pick, Henry Ruggs III, was also released this season, but he was a clean prospect who was playing well, and you can’t put his car crash that resulted in a fatality and Ruggs’ arrest on multiple felony charges on Mayock or the Raiders. 

Ruggs was a Gruden pick, and Gruden and Mayock liked safety Johnathan Abram’s toughness and leaned on offensive line coach Tom Cable for last spring’s reach on tackle Alex Leatherwood, who has already been moved to guard.

Mayock did hit big on some late-round picks like Maxx Crosby, Hunter Renfrow and Nate Hobbs, but he also didn’t do himself any favors bragging about how the Raiders owning three third-round picks in the 2020 NFL Draft was “like stealing” three starters. They used those selections on receiver Bryan Edwards, running back Lynn Bowden Jr. and linebacker Tanner Muse. Bowden was traded before he got through training camp, Muse looked lost and was cut a year later and Edwards looks like a solid rotational piece.

All told, the Raiders had 13 picks in the top 100 selections in the past three years and have two projected starters to show for it in safety Tre’von Moehrig and Jacobs (with Abram, Mullen, Edwards and Divine Deablo as maybes). To be fair, Gruden went 1-for-4 with his top-100 picks in 2018, and Reggie McKenzie went 6-for-17 from 2012 to 2017.

Gruden and Mayock were hot and cold over their two-plus seasons together, and Mayock wound up outlasting Gruden when Gruden resigned in October after his racist, homophobic and misogynistic personal emails were leaked to The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.

Gruden often gave Mayock a hard time about the Ferrell pick as well as some of the other misses, staffers in the building say, but the two seemed to always iron things out despite rumors that Mayock might be gone after the 2019 and 2020 seasons.

And part of that might have been due to the thankless parts of Mayock’s job.

He had to play bad cop after Gruden’s infatuation with and trade for Antonio Brown blew up in the team’s face. He had to figure out the balance sheet when Gruden wanted to break the bank for offensive linemen Trent Brown and

Rodney Hudson, and then again when Gruden wanted to trade them and Gabe Jackson when they refused pay cuts. And he had to smile when Gruden wanted to give a 38-year-old, third-string tight end (Jason Witten) $4 million.

Mayock pushed for defensive end Carl Nassib, who has only four sacks in two seasons after signing a three-year, $25 million deal in free agency in 2020. But there was plenty of blame to go around for other bad expensive free agents, like Lamarcus Joyner, Maliek Collins and Cory Littleton.

Gruden’s opinions of players would change daily. And after the Raiders had some success in free agency this season — Yannick Ngakoue, Quinton Jefferson, Solomon Thomas, Kenyan Drake, Darius Philon, Hayward — you would think maybe it would be interesting (and fair?) to see what Mayock could have down on his own.

Davis did not think so.

Mayock would have almost certainly voted to bring Bisaccia back, which might give us a strong indication of the next domino to fall
This tracks in line with what we were thinking mostly here with some solid insight into specifics. 

 
Some potential GM candidates...

Mark Schofield
January 10, 2022 10:52 am ET

While the head coach hiring cycle is sure to get a ton of attention, the general manager hiring cycle is also about to heat up. With David Gettleman expected to announce his retirement on Monday, there is at least one position open. Another position just became available, with the Chicago Bears firing Ryan Pace.

A third available position also comes from the NFC North, with the Minnesota Vikings firing Rick Spielman.

With all of these moves, who are some names to watch for general manager positions during this off-season?

New England Patriots scouting consultant Eliot Wolf

(Evan Siegle/The Green Bay Press-Gazette via AP)

Eliot Wolf spent the bulk of his NFL career with one franchise: The Green Bay Packers. Wolf started with the organization as a pro personnel assistant back in 2004, when his father was the general manager. He moved his way up to become the assistant director of pro personnel in 2008, and ultimately became the team’s director of football operations.

He moved to the Cleveland Browns in 2018 and spent two seasons as the team’s assistant general manager. The past few seasons, he has been with the New England Patriots as a scouting consultant. But his experience and time in the division might open the door to a general manager position.

Former Atlanta Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff

(Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports)

Despite putting together a roster that made a trip to the Super Bowl, Thomas Dimitroff was let go as the general manager of the Atlanta Falcons a season ago. But Dimitroff’s tenure in Atlanta was successful, as the Falcons made the playoffs in six seasons during his 13 years with the organization.

This past season saw Dan Quinn, the head coach who was also fired alongside Dimitroff, turn his fortunes around as the defensive coordinator with the Dallas Cowboys. Now that Quinn’s name has surfaced as a potential head coaching candidate, perhaps it is time for Dimitroff to get a second look.

Carolina Panthers assistant general manager Dan Morgan

(Grant Halverson-USA TODAY Sports Copyright)

Former NFL linebacker Dan Morgan is one of the names that keeps rising in front office circles. After his playing days drew to a close Morgan quickly shifted to the personnel side, starting out as a scouting intern with the Seattle Seahawks. It did not take lone for him to move up the ranks, as the Saints moved him to their assistant direction of pro personnel after just one year.

Morgan eventually spend three years as the director of pro personnel with the New Orleans Saints, and then three more years as the director of player personnel with the Buffalo Bills.

This past season, Morgan served as the assistant general manager in Carolina with the Panthers. With Scott Fitterer currently in place in Carolina, now might be the time for Morgan to make his next move.

Monday Night Football analyst Louis Riddick

(AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

A name that comes up every hiring cycle is Louis Riddick, the former director of pro personnel with the Philadelphia Eagles and currently an analyst with ESPN.

After his playing career, Riddick moved to the personnel side and worked for two different organizations, Washington and Philadelphia. During his four seasons as the director of player personnel with the Eagles, Riddick helped assemble the “Dream Team,” a talented roster that ultimately fell short of expectations.

During the last hiring cycle, Riddick interviewed for both the Houston and Detroit general manager positions. This could be the cycle where Riddick makes the move back to the league.

Kansas City Chiefs assistant general manager Mike Borgonzi

Mike Borgonzi’s name is another that keeps cropping up during discussions of potential general managers. A member of the Kansas City Chiefs’ front office since 2009, Borgonzi was promoted to assistant general manger this past season after serving as the team’s director of football operations.

Looking at the moves the Chiefs have made during his time with the organization you can see why Borgonzi’s name pops up during these discussions. You certainly know the names at the top of the drafts, but Borgonzi reportedly played a role in some later-round selections, such as L’Jarius Sneed, Kareem Hunt and Travis Kelce.

Last year’s promotion, and his tenure with the team, is a nod to how the organization views him. But opportunities to take over a franchise do not come around every day.

Buffalo Bills assistant general manager Joe Schoen
Buffalo Bills assistant GM Joe Schoen to interview Carolina Panthers
Joe Schoen has spent the bulk of his NFL career in the AFC East, including some time under Bill Parcells with the Miami Dolphins as a national scout. He worked his way up the ranks in Miami, ultimately becoming the team’s director of player personnel.

Schoen ultimately moved to Buffalo to become the team’s assistant general manager, working alongside Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane to help craft a roster that has won back-to-back AFC East titles. Schoen also assisted with the evaluation and selection of Josh Allen, a pick that was not viewed in the best light when made.

Beane said that Schoen is “going to be a general manager,” and this could be the cycle where that prediction comes true.

Indianapolis Colts director of college scouting Morocco Brown

(AP Photo)

Currently the director of college scouting, Morocco Brown has put together an impressive resume for a general manager position. That resume earned Brown some interviews this past offseason, including with the Atlanta Falcons.

Brown began his NFL career with the Chicago Bears, spending seven years as the team’s assistant director of pro personnel from 2001 until 2007. He then moved to Washington, serving as the director of pro personnel until 2013.

After that stop in the NFC East, Brown moved to Cleveland, spending two seasons as the team’s vice president of player personnel. Ultimately, he moved to the Colts, and during his tenure Indianapolis made a number of notable draft selections under his direction. Players such as Darius Leonard, Ryan Kelly, Quenton Nelson and Michael Pittman Jr., just to name a few.

Former Houston Texans general manager Rick Smith

(Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports)

Former Houston Texans general manager Rick Smith is another name to watch this cycle. After starting out on the coaching side, Smith transitioned to a personnel role with the Denver Broncos in 2000, serving as the team’s director of pro personnel. After working in that capacity for six seasons, Smith moved to the Houston Texans as their general manager, and at the time he was hired Smith was just 36 years old, making him the youngest GM in the league.

During his tenure Smith handled multiple roles, including salary cap management and budgeting. That was reflected in the title change that took place in 2012, as he was named the executive vice president of football operations in addition to his general manager duties.

Smith announced at the end of 2017 that he was taking a leave of absence to be with his wife, who was undergoing treatment for breast cancer. His wife Tiffany passed away at the end of 2019.

Since then, Smith has interviewed for a few GM positions, including with the Detroit Lions and the Atlanta Falcons. Perhaps this is the season where he makes a return to the NFL.

Cleveland Browns vice president of football operations Kwesi Adofo-Mensah
Browns VP of Football Ops Kwesi Adofo-Mensah: 'I know what it takes to win and I'll never back down from that' - cleveland.com
If an organization is looking to go outside of the box a little bit, their attention might turn to the Cleveland Browns.

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is currently the vice president of football operations with the Cleveland Browns. Prior to serving in this role, he was with the San Francisco 49ers as their director of football research and development. He also spent time with the team as their manager for research and development. While in San Francisco, Adofo-Mensah worked to implement analytical methods for in-game strategy and player evaluation.

Before his football career, Adofo-Mensah was a derivatives trader with Credit Suisse, trading energy commodities. He graduated from Princeton with a Bachelor’s degree in economics, and obtained a Master’s degree in economic from Stanford.

Indianapolis Colts assistant general manager Ed Dodds

(AP Photo)

Ed Dodds is another member of the Indianapolis Colts’ front office that could find himself in a general manager’s role sooner rather than later. Dodds cut his teeth out west, spending four years in Oakland as a scout with the Raiders. He then made the move to Seattle with the Seahawks, spending ten season in the Pacific Northwest as a scout and personnel executive.

Dodds then moved to Indianapolis, being hired back in 2017 and serving alongside Chris Ballard with the Colts.

Former Cleveland Browns general manager John Dorsey

(Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sport)

Another candidate with experience in the role is John Dorsey, who served as general manager for two different teams. His first stint took place in Kansas City, where he served as the Chiefs’ GM for four seasons. Dorsey moved from Kansas City and the AFC West to Cleveland and the AFC North, spending three years with the Browns in that role.

During his Cleveland tenure, Dorsey was part of the group that drafted Baker Mayfield first-overall.

Since leaving the Browns, Dorsey has served as a consultant, including with the Philadelphia Eagles this past season.

Philadelphia Eagles vice president of football operations Catherine Raîche
Philadelphia Eagles promote Catherine Raiche to VP-football ops, hire Dave Caldwell to front office
As analysts we are not supposed to have rooting interests, but as a former lawyer I cannot help but root for Catherine Raîche.

Raîche began her career as an attorney, practicing in business law for a firm in Montreal. In 2015 she moved to the CFL, taking an intern position with the Montreal Alouettes. She quickly moved into a new role, becoming the team’s coordinator of football administration just a few months later.

In 2017 she was promoted to assistant general manager for the Alouettes, becoming the first woman to serve as a CFL assistant general manager.

In January of 2018, Raîche moved to the Toronto Argonauts, becoming the team’s director of football administration. She left that role in 2019, joining the Tampa Bay Vipers of the XFL in a front office role.

Raîche made the move to the NFL in the summer of 2019, being hired as a football operations coordinator with the Philadelphia Eagles. She was promoted to her current role in 2021, making her the highest ranking woman on the personnel side in league history.

Just 32 years old, this might be a little early for Raîche to secure a general manager position. But that day is coming.

Cincinnati Bengals scout Trey Brown
Bills Interview Trey Brown For GM Role
If Trey Brown looks familiar, you might recognize him from an ad campaign for Microsoft Surface tablets. But his potential as a general manager in the NFL is going to be realized at some point.

When his short playing career ended, Brown moved quickly to the scouting side in the NFL. He started as a scouting assistant with the New England Patriots before becoming an area scout with the team for two seasons.

Brown then joined the Philadelphia Eagles, serving first as an area scout before becoming the team’s director of college scouting. He served in that role for three seasons, and during the 2017 hiring cycle was interviewed for the general manager position with the Buffalo Bills.

Brown then moved to two different startup leagues. He first served as the executive vice president of football operations with the Birmingham Iron, and after a season in that role he became the director of player personnel with the St. Louis Battlehawks.

When the XFL folded, Brown returned to the NFL, being hired as a scout with the Cincinnati Bengals. But given his experience, he is likely to secure some interviews for GM roles this hiring cycle.



Arizona Cardinals vice president of pro scouting Adrian Wilson

Once upon a time, Adrian Wilson prowled the middle of the field for the Arizona Cardinals, spending over a decade with the team as a hard-hitting safety. But when his playing days ended, Wilson moved to the personnel side, starting out as a regional scout with the team in 2015.

After spending four years in that role, Wilson became the team’s director of pro scouting. Wilson worked in that job for two seasons before sliding into his current role as the team’s vice president of pro scouting.

San Francisco 49ers assistant general manager Adam Peters

(Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)

Adam Peters has spent almost two decades in the NFL, and is currently the assistant general manager with the San Francisco 49ers. He played college football for UCLA, and began his NFL career with the New England Patriots as a scouting assistant. He served as both a pro scout and an area scout with the organization during his tenure, giving him experience in both the college scouting realm as well as the pro scouting realm.

Peters moved to the Denver Broncos in 2009, first as a regional scout and later as a national scout. In 2013 he was promoted to the team’s assistant director of college scouting, and after two years in that role he was named Denver’s director of college scouting.

The 49ers hired him in 2017 as their vice president of player personnel, and he was promoted to assistant general manager last year. That promotion came after he went through a round of interviews for the vacant Carolina Panthers general manager job. His lengthy NFL resume probably opens the door to yet more interviews this cycle.

 
@tashanreed

The #Raiders have requested interviews with 3 candidates for their GM vacancy: - Patriots director of player personnel Dave Ziegler - Colts assistant GM Ed Dodds - Bengals scout Trey Brown

 
Heard somewhere that some of the GMs to be interviewed have connections with Harbaugh 
I think Davis will go hard after Harbaugh. I wouldn't be surprised if it is a similar situation where he let's Harbaugh pick his GM like Gruden or he hires a Harbaugh connected guy as a way to get Harbaugh to come. 

 
“Not only does the data show the Raiders being the most penalized team, but it also shows the least penalized team in the NFL (second behind the Vikings) is whatever team plays the Raiders each week.”

are there places that will take bets on this kind of thing?

 
Not going to lie, I wore the same outfit for the last 4 regular season games.  So that win streak was basically because of me. 
And the loss in Cincy is on me. I haven’t worn any raiders gear all year and, for the playoff game, I dug out an old raiders T-shirt to watch the game in. 
 

so, obviously, I’ll take the hit for this one. I’ll burn that shirt immediately. 

 
Ok, this has some legs for a fun topic.   Spill the beans boys and girls... what are your game day traditions.   I'll start: 

  • Same shirt/sock combo is worn the following game if they win.   New combo is found following a loss.
  • My TV remotes have a specific order on the ottoman.  Left to right, tallest to smallest. 
  • My phone is ignored during the game.
  • My family is banned from entering the basement, where I'm watching the game.   
 
Ok, this has some legs for a fun topic.   Spill the beans boys and girls... what are your game day traditions.   I'll start: 

  • Same shirt/sock combo is worn the following game if they win.   New combo is found following a loss.
  • My TV remotes have a specific order on the ottoman.  Left to right, tallest to smallest. 
  • My phone is ignored during the game.
  • My family is banned from entering the basement, where I'm watching the game.   
so is this about game day traditions or is this an OCD test in disguise? ;)  

the only thing I do is ignore the phone/texts/sleeper updates, since I almost always DON’T watch the games in real-time due to family obligations. 
and when I am watching, I don’t ban the family. They simply leave the room since I’m screaming like an idiot. 

 
Tom Pelissero@TomPelissero 10m

#Colts assistant GM Ed Dodds informed the #Bears he’s withdrawing his name from their GM search, per source.

 
Tom Pelissero@TomPelissero 10m

#Colts assistant GM Ed Dodds informed the #Bears he’s withdrawing his name from their GM search, per source.


Looking like; 

Dodds-GM

Harbaugh-HC

Fangio-DC

Pep Hamilton-OC


Dodds’ interview went terribly. This is unsurprising. https://t.co/sWYK4CHYB4

— DaBearsBlog (@dabearsblog) January 19, 2022

From https://www.bleachernation.com/bears/2022/01/19/colts-assistant-gm-ed-dodds-withdraws-his-name-from-bears-gm-search/ and also from the same:

Jeff Hughes of Da Bears Blog (who is as plugged as anyone on this Bears GM/head coach search right now) revealed this afternoon that Dodds’ interview with the Bears went “terribly.” I’m interpreting this as the interview went terribly from the Bears’ perspective of Dodds, and they weren’t interested anymore. But of course, Mike Lombardi was on the Mulley and Haugh Show this morning and said that people he has spoken to who have interviewed for the Bears GM job aren’t impressed with the Bears leadership’s questions.

So, maybe it’s Dodds who feels that the interview went terribly, and he doesn’t believe in the Bears’ leadership enough to leave Indianapolis for Chicago. After all, we saw Dodds interview for the Carolina Panthers GM vacancy last January only to remove his name from consideration for the job shortly after his interview.

===

So he's withdrawn his name from two different potential opportunities - hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

 
Looking like; 

Dodds-GM

Harbaugh-HC

Fangio-DC

Pep Hamilton-OC
Don't know much about Dodds but I can get on board with this list. 

All I know with Mahomes and Herbert in our division the next 10+ years, they have to do better than the previous regime. 

 

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