Davis Called Out, “Are You Going to Fail This Time?”

The delay speaks volumes to the decision-making process of the Silver and Black.

Mike Florio is often on the receiving side of his opinions on the NFL, and while I can tell you that doesn’t bother him, having dealt with him in the past, his lightning-rod persona doesn’t mean he isn’t 100% connected around the NFL.

He is. I know owners, executives, agents, and players who communicate with him and disseminate information through his highly successful platform.

You might now always like what Florio says, but never question his authenticity.

Florio spoke on the Raiders and Pierce on his highly successful PFT Live Podcast.

Per Florid, “Will Antonio Pierce get the opportunity to be the permanent head coach of the Raiders? There was some tough talk recently from Maxx Crosby, who really wants him there.  The fact that the Raiders have now put the ball on the tee, they have done all of the interviews that they have to do to comply with the Rooney Rule, they are the first team other than the Patriots who were able to because of contractual arrangements that circumvent the Rooney Rule frankly, they were able to hire Jerod Mayo right away.

Florio then cut to the brass tacks. “The Raiders are now in a position that they can hire anybody at any time, and everyone is wondering, are they going to give Antonio Pierce the job?”

Florio went on to add, “I was saying throughout the final weeks of the regular season that Mark Davis needs to learn from the mistake that he made two years ago when he didn’t keep (Rich) Bisaccia and Mike Mayock after they led the team through some pretty dysfunctional times.”

Then Florio, a lawyer and opinionated but respected around the National Football League, dropped a bomb on Davis.

“You (Mark Davis) failed then; you get another opportunity where Interim GM (Champ Kelly) and Interim Coach (Antonio Pierce) are getting it done at more than an acceptable level. Are you going to fail this time?” (emphasis added by the author)

That bombshell from Florio was a direct hit. No one, at least none I know, questions Mark Davis or his integrity and character. But even he has questioned his football acumen.

Florio continued, “The problem though is, you have to resist the temptation to make a beeline for Jim Harbaugh, or now that Mike Vrabel is out there.”

Then Florio shared what I have been reporting to you for weeks. Who is Mark Davis listening to?

We have discussed this multiple times because Davis tends to let people get in his ear.

To his credit, Davis admits he isn’t his father Al regarding football instincts. But he also tends to listen to people whose advice has not done him well.

“The word on the NFL streets over the weekend was when you start connecting dots, Vrable to the Raiders. Tom Brady intimately involved in the team, even though his attempt to purchase 5-10% of the franchise is yet to be approved by the owners, and it might never be. But, he (Tom Brady) is involved, and he and Vrabel are tight.”

Florio asked a fair question. “Will Mark Davis hold firm with what we feel like Antonio Pierce has deserved, or will he become tempted to make a bigger splash with a Jim Harbaugh or a Mike Vrabel? The thing is, now that the Rooney Rule has been fully complied with and they can hire anyone at any time, he can bring in, Jim Harbaugh could show up today, and he could hire Jim Harbaugh today if he wanted to.”

Florio then dropped a bomb that had the Raiders locker room buzzing. A locker room that was hopeful and excited is stirring; frustration is building.

Florio stated a cold, hard fact. “Antonio Pierce could end up coaching somewhere else…Pierce to the Titans, I kind of like the sound of that. Maybe Pierce to the Falcons; if Bill Belichick doesn’t go to the Falcons, who is going to get that job? Antonio Pierce there. Pierce had at least been coaching with the Raiders and coached at a high level at Arizona State, but he doesn’t have an extensive coaching resume. But he got the opportunity, and it worked. We saw pretty early that Antonio Pierce has it, and others have noticed.”

Florio added, “This idea that Pierce is a real candidate in Tennessee, and possibly a real candidate in Atlanta, that may be enough to get Mark Davis to say ‘Man, wow, if I let this interim coach go not only is there no guarantee whoever I hire is going to be better, I am going to have to witness Antonio Pierce ascend to become a great head coach with someone else.”

Florio then commented on the track record of Mark Davis and his coaching hires, saying, “That is depressing. You look at the folks who managed to get above .500, or at least not be woefully under .500, it was Pierce as an interim, coach, and it was Pierce as an interim coach, and the a little dust up above .500 a few years before that. (Jack Del Rio). It has been a rough 20-years for the now Las Vegas Raiders, and this could be, if they get this right and Antonio Pierce can continue the trajectory that we have seen, they could have something special there.”

The locker room agrees with Florio. The delay has brought unnecessary drama to the team consistently amid drama. The conversation among players today isn’t full of excitement about the future; it is about consternation. It is stressful.

I don't believe that is what Davis wants, but it is what he is creating.

Weeks ago, I reported that if the Raiders continued their trajectory under Pierce, not hiring him would cause a mutiny.  While I was criticized for saying it, we now have seen the locker room respond and know it is accurate.

No coach wants to walk into that, and no matter how you feel about Josh McDaniels, it didn't help him.

The question to Mark Davis stands tall over the Las Vegas Raiders team headquarters this morning, “Are You Going to Fail This Time?”

This is Mark Davis’s team. He has silent minority owners; their stock does not allow them a voice in coaching decisions.

No matter who Davis listens to or doesn’t, this decision is a legacy-defining choice; there is no guarantee anyone will do good.

Who put Josh McDaniels name in his ear?  Who said it was a good choice?  If involved in this search, Davis is listening to the wrong people.

But the pantheon of the football world asks, “Are You Going to Fail This Time?”

Is the delay that Mark Davis is contemplating others?  Or is the delay simply getting all I's dotted and the T's crossed?

I am unsure, but one agent made me he believes it was the latter.

I know that I expect Mark Davis to get this right.

I like Mark Davis; I respect him as well.  I have no doubt his heart is to do what is right by the Las Vegas Raiders.  While signs may be pointing in a different direction, I still expect Champ Kelly and Antonio Pierce to be hired to their current jobs, replacing the interim tag with permanent.

We shall see.

As mentioned, Florio spoke on the Raiders and Pierce in hour two of his highly successful PFT Live Podcast yesterday (01/17/24).  You can listen to it WHEN YOU CLICK HERE.

From February 27 to March 4, 2024, the NFL Scouting Combine will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind.

The NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Mich., on April 25-27, 2024. The Las Vegas Raiders currently hold the No. 13 overall pick.

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