Josh McDaniels got the dreaded vote of confidence.
The longtime former Patriots offensive coordinator is in his first year as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. The team is 2-7, and lost Sunday to the Indianapolis Colts, who were in their first week of playing for Jeff Saturday, the former Pro Bowl center with no prior pro or college coaching experience.
Nonetheless, McDaniels received an endorsement from team owner Mark Davis in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
“As far as Josh goes, I have no issues,” Davis said. “I’m getting to know him a lot better. When you sign someone to a contract, don’t you expect him to fulfill the contract?”
Davis said he still believes McDaniels is the right person for the job.
Josh McDaniels got the dreaded vote of confidence from Raiders owner Mark Davis. Getty Images“I like Josh. I think he’s doing a fantastic job. That’s why I hired him,” Davis said. “We did an exhaustive search and found the person we believe is going to bring the Raiders to greatness.”
Jeff Howe of The Athletic also reported Monday that McDaniels has received “assurances” from Davis that he will return next year.
After the loss to the Colts, star wideout Davante Adams seemed to pin the blame on the heart of his teammates as opposed to the ability of the coach.
Davante Adams doesn’t think enough players on the Raiders are ‘fully bought in.’ Getty Images
“Just don’t have enough guys that are fully bought in,” Adams said, according to The Athletic. “I don’t think people are like, you know, ‘F what (McDaniels) is talking about’ or ‘I’m going against the grain.’ It’s just a matter of executing when it’s time. … It means playing a complete game, every minute of the game, giving it everything you’ve got. … It’s doing your job and making the plays when you’re called on and get the opportunities, and we just don’t do that at a high enough level right now.”
Quarterback Derek Carr got emotional at the postgame press conference after Las Vegas’ loss to the Colts when asked if there was a disconnect between him and McDaniels.
“I love Josh, I love our coaches,” Carr said. “They’ve had nothing but success, way more success than I’ve ever had. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for being emotional.
“I’m just pissed off about some of the things that a lot of us do just to practice, what we put our bodies through just to sleep at night. And for that to be the result of all that effort pisses me off. It pisses a lot of guys off.”
McDaniels, 46, is in his second tenure as an NFL head coach. In 2010, he was fired in his second season with the Denver Broncos after accumulating an 11-17 record. He was offensive coordinator in New England from 2006-09 and 2012-21.
