It sounds like we can add another team to the list of potential Bill Belichick suitors. According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, the Raiders are “hoping to get a chance to meet with Belichick” if he’s let go by New England.
[RELATED: Bill Belichick-Patriots Separation Likely To Take Weeks To Finalize]
The Raiders sourced their most recent head coaching hire from New England, although it led to disappointing results. Josh McDaniels didn’t last two seasons in Las Vegas, as he was ousted in late October after starting the season 3-5. The team also fired GM Dave Ziegler, who previously spent close to a decade in New England’s front office.
Belichick would obviously bring a lot more credibility to the role than his former offensive coordinator. However, you have to wonder if Mark Davis and co. would be so willing to hire a Patriots staffer following their recent failure.
The Raiders’ connections to the Patriots go beyond McDaniels and Ziegler. While the move still isn’t approved, Tom Brady is set to become a minority owner of the organization, and there are whispers that he’ll have a say in the team’s next coaching hire. Considering the reported tension between Brady and Belichick at the end of the quarterback’s Patriots tenure, it’d be an interesting development if the new part-owner is willing to recruit his former coach.
Interim head coach Antonio Pierce reportedly has the support of his locker room when it comes to earning the full-time job. However, as Russini notes, Davis has “always made it known” that he wants his Las Vegas franchise to be led by a star name. That’s a reason why Jim Harbaugh could also be a leading candidate for the gig.
Of course, it remains to be seen if Belichick will even leave New England. We learned last night that the potential divorce could take weeks to finalize, and at the very least, it sounds like the respected coach will avoid a Black Monday ouster. A drawn-out separation could limit Belichick’s ability to get a new job, so it’ll be interesting to see how teams like the Raiders navigate their HC search while juggling Belichick’s uncertainty.
Yeah Mark, because BB will cave to your demands.
Patriots are the only team that don’t want this dude
The raiders can have him for two first round picks or a ham sandwich…
The raiders can have coach BB for a first round pick or a ham sandwich or a wooden nickel
Not the Bills!
One issue around Belichick that isn’t talked about enough is his coaching style/philosophy and whether it can still work.
His attitude of; I can win with ok players who match the scheme, everyone is expendable, and next man up only works if everyone is toting the line. In order for that to work, you have to have a great/respected QB who is fully bought in and willing to drive the philosophy.
That was one of the huge advantages of having TB. He was driving the culture and held everyone accountable.
Unless Belichick goes to a team with a great QB, he will most likely fail.
Agreed. Belichick can obviously scheme individual players into productive roles better than most coaches, but the idea that he doesn’t need to chase talent at all is just silly on his part. In his early years in NE, before Brady was the offensive engine that he became, Belichick did in fact have incredible talent on his defense. There were a lot of good Hall or Fane-Ring of Honor level players there, from Ty Law to Lawyer Milloy to Asante Samuel (a little later) to Willie McGinest to Mike Vrabel. Even into the 2000s, he had Jerod Mayo, Vince Wilfork, Donte Hightower, and Devin McCourty,amongst others.
Now, Belichick deserves credit for developing a lot of these guys, and for scheming them appropriately. He also deserves credit for coaching his current star-less defense as well as he has for the last several years. He dies, however, need to realize that there is a place for sheer talent in the NFL, and that no coach is ever going to replace that. We’re seeing why it matters right now in his offense. As for Davis…well, you just got rid of Belichick Jr, in regards to that approach. Do you really want to emphasize it even more, with a surly coach who doesn’t like distractions, in Vegas of all places?
The one thing I will say, based on everything you said, is that while yes he is a defensive mastermind and gets max potential more times than not from his D, there is a non zero chance he hasn’t gone out to get supreme offensive talent because he understands they don’t have an elite QB.
Very well said Lars!
what team doesn’t use “next man up” philosophy?
serious question.
To me, “next man up” is just media mumbojumbo that coaches say to sound tough. I suppose that hearing it helps players’ motivation, but…I mean, duh? What are you going to do, refuse to play a guy there? I agree in that regard.
Belichick seems to seek it out, though. Maybe it’s that he truly thinks that talent can truly be negated with proper strategy. While that’s true in theory and to at least some degree in practice, practically it doesn’t bear out over time on average. Players aren’t chess pieces, after all, and the coach can not completely control them at all times. Plus, the coach is wrong sometimes, no matter how good he is. That’s where talent can be the deciding factor. It doesn’t seem like Belichick accepts that.
As for MoneyballJustWorks’ theory…I definitely have considered that. That theory would require Belichick to have either been mistaken in his evaluation of Jones as a first round pick, or that the rumor that Kraft made him pick him was true. Spending that first rounder elsewhere or trading down would have been Belichick’s course of action in the scenario that you say could be true. It does raise the issue of why he soent so much in free agency a couple of years ago, though he may have seen those deals as temporary placation to but himself time, i suppose. If it is true, though, and Belichick is trying to stay because he’s finally ready to actually invest in the offense, then he’s severely overestimated the amount of leash he has left. I think that it’s possible, but it seems more likely that, while Belichick now thinks the offense is not worth saving in its current firm, he actually tried a rebuild and simply failed to get it done on the offensive side with the Jones era. Now, he may think that it’s better to save up and invest after finding a new guy, but it doesn’t seem like that was his plan all along.
idk man I think he just needs a QB and the team wasn’t awful behind Zappe.
I tend to remember Bill being very active in bringing in notable free agents to fill major roles including this season with Zeke Elliot
I think that Richard Seymour trade gave off a bad stigma , but the reality is raiders were just dumb enough to give up a R1 for a guy who was going to be a standard procedure cap casualty
just my opinion, of what I know only peripherally
I respect your opinion, Goku, and I agree on your second two points. But I have to disagree about Zappe, especially today. He is truly awful.
The defense fought, in all levels, but the individual offensive efforts on the parts of certain players (Jaelen Raegor, oddly enough, Demario Douglas, and Ezekiel Elliott come to mind for today), but Zappe was just throwing it away. He was wasting what little chance they had, and this isn’t the first time. Jones at least could make NFL throws physically. Zappe seems to not only lack the decision making skills and decisiveness that were inconsistent in Jones’ tenure, he also lacks the ability to put zip on his throws or to throw downfield precisely. The sloth of his throws allows defenders time to break on what already is tight coverage most of the time. The combination of a lack of success in the air and limitation of Zappe to short routes means that defenders don’t have to go far to cover a receiver, and as such do so tightly. On top of that, the offense wants to run the ball, lacks consistent tough catch receivers, and Zappe is indecisive in his throws.
All of these factors necessitate at least a strong arm to force the ball to his receivers quickly, since there’s no separation. Instead, Zappe’s hanging ducks, combined with his inability to get the ball out quickly enough, lead to defenders breaking on receivers and forcing neglible gains, breakups, or interceptions (which Zappe keeps throwing). People who thought that the offense couldn’t get worse than it was under Jones should look closely at it how it is now. Of course, the “analysis” that I’ve attempted to give above is purely based on my own unprofessional observations, but the more I watch of Zappe, the worse he seems to get.
Oh, I just re-read your post, Goku. I think that misunderstood you. I apologize, I think you’re correct. The Pats do still need a bit more, though, especially on the line and a bit at receiver. But yes, I’d say that the team isn’t as bad as it looks for the most part.
ya I wasn’t endorsing Zappe , merely pointing out that QB is the issue, namely 1st round pick Mac.
I’m gonna stay consistent as I have all year in saying that Bill ain’t going anywhere next year.
Maybe I’m the only one, but I’d honestly be shocked.
Please no. If Mark decides that he wants to move on from AP, it damn well better be Harbaugh taking the job. Even that is going to piss off a large percentage of Raider Nation. Making another attempt at the “Patriot Way” will send a lot of fans packing.
“Davis has always made it known he wants his Las Vegas franchise to be led by a star name”. Is it any wonder Davis just can’t ever seem to get it right?
I count this as a way to keep Bill Belichick at the top of the news list. The Raiders do not and have never confirmed or denied any coach or player rumors. I could write an article about how Mark Davis would like to undo a personal decision that he believes turned the franchise in the wrong and bring back Jack Del Rio. The Raiders would not confirm or deny that Jack Del Rio was on the coaching candidate list.
I thought that Del Rio was unjustly fired for the shiny new object in Gruden, but I think that he may be too far removed from his ceiling to be the most effective hire right now. I think that he needs to rebuild some positive reputation as a coordinator before he can compete again for a head coaching job.
It was simply an example — the Raiders will not confirm or deny any rumor or story. As an agent or a journalist, one can simply state that the Raiders are interested and it will carry credit.
Another example: The Raiders needing a deep threat that will take the top off a defense have shown interest in Martavis Bryant. An agent puts this out and it gets his clients name back in the news. Mark Davis doesn’t have a lick of interest in Bill Belichick, Jack Del Rio, or Martavis Bryant — but the organization wont deny it.
Very true.
It’s been answered. It was Brady. But owners like Davis aren’t smart enough to figure it out.
Agree, and he’d be right back into the mediocre QB (or draft) issue in Las Vegas. Seems like a really bad fit and I feel bad for Raiders fans.
ya the coach that never finished bad enough to draft a top QB is the reason why they need a QB..
Coach Bill & Baby Huey?
I’d buy that for a dollar!
No, No No No!!!! A 1000 times no!!!!
No!!!! N… O…. NO!!!!
Take Gruden back or hell, I would take Brandon Staley…. wait. what?
Well, maybe not, BB is a bad fit for the Raiders
Bill Belichick: “Welcome to training camp guys, and today I’ll be teaching you how to win games using the tuck rule”.
Belichick signing with Las Vegas would trigger a fan revolt so strong that the Raider Nation would stage a coup d’etat to remove him.
People say that, but the reaction to Brady potentially becoming an owner there hasn’t been so strong as to force reporting on the issue.
I suppose that that would bring an unsavory light on either Brady or Davis, or maybe even Raiders fans, depending on who you ask, so that would probably be why. I don’t imagine that all the old school fans are happy about it, though.
I think a lot of that is the fact that Brady moved on from NE and won on his own, kind of kicking some sand on the Patriot Way. In reality we saw that another coach can’t create the Patriot Way and we deserve to have some stability at the HC position. If we don’t either keep AP or hire Harbaugh there will be a massive amount of grumbling in Raider Nation.
I was referencing Brady’s ignominious part in bringing the last Raiders Gilded Age to a close in the early 2000s, but I can certainly agree with the latter. While (as a non-Raider fan) I don’t see Davis as responsible for how Gruden’s second act ended, he did go out of his way to pursue him and ushered out his most successful coach to do so. That’s not to say that Del Rio hadn’t hit his ceiling, but he didn’t do terribly, and that 12-4 year was the best that the Raiders had seen in some time. Gruden may have ended up building the team to that height and surpassed it-he never got to finish what looked to be a long term project-but there has to at least some element of frustration from suddenly going all in on Gruden, only to have to restart again just as everything seemed primed to finally move positively (3-1 start, and a pretty good outlook that year). Then, Bisaccia, who somehow manages to keep the team together throughout a difficult year, is passed over. The McDaniels clown show puts up a circus tent in the Belaggio. The Black Hole gets traded out for the Death Star, and it seems to suck in first round picks and high level staffers with it.
There’s a lot of dysfunction or plain bad luck that has hit the Raiders in the last few years. Most of it has, at best, been frustrating, and at worst, been infuriating. I don’t say all this to disparage anyone. I say it to understand that it seems like frustration has been coming from a lot of angles for Raiders fans, in a way that it seems like they have to keep starting over. I imagine that it must be draining for the players. Bisaccia seemed to really be a positive force, and seemed to really love the team, and inspired togetherness in the face of a lot if that. Pierce seems to have captured that, as well. Davis supposedly regretted the Bisaccia choice, and if so, my guess would be that that would be why.
This next hire needs to be right, bug there’s only so much more of this cycle of removal that can happen. Here’s the question, then: is Pierce’s apparent love and commitment to the team culture enough to outweigh his lack of experience? Does he have enough tangible knowledge to be able to add strategic value outside of his motivational skills? The best coaches have to be able to add to the team strategically and motivationally. The less successful ones only add in one of those areas. That’s what Davis needs to answer, because right now, he’s in the unenviable position of needing someone who absolutely must add in both.
Davis is following the Vegas way. Bring in an older, past their prime headliner to put on the marquee for an extended residency. Nothing new here.
The Raiders have a guy in Antonio Pierce that is very similar to another first year coach down in Houston…DeMeco Ryans and that has turned out pretty good for the Texans. Both are defensive coaches, both relate to / motivate their players, and they don’t cost an arm and a leg and they just want to coach instead of doing the GM duties as well as coach.
I am NOT a Raiders fan by any stretch of the imagination but Mark Davis has his coach right now and should give Pierce the opportunity to build the Raiders back to what they could be….is it a sexy hire and a big splash?…NO…but as a coach you really want your players to play FOR you and not in spite of you and the players on both sides of the ball have made it known that Pierce is the guy they would play FOR.
You’re spot on. Pierce should be the guy there. However, Davis won’t see it because he has no clue how to run an NFL franchise. If it hadn’t been given to him, he’d never be an NFL owner– nor should he be.
Only fools repeat same mistake over and over ,expecting different results. He did not learn from his father. Who were raiders best hires Madden , Flores , Shell. Pierce is similar not a big name at time but he has the players.
Paris Hilton seems like a logical choice.
There’s no way there is any truth to this. The entire team and fan base will riot if they go back to “the patriot way”. Literally the whole reason any fans are back on board is because Pierce non stop talks about reestablishing classic raiders culture.
AP deserves a few more years. 1st time the Raiders D has been relevant in 20 plus years.
I could see Mark Davis bringing in Bill Belichick as a President of Football Operations type position. A football mind that would oversee and work with the GM and HC to provide a third point of view. Big Al had Ron Wolf for years who filled that exact roll for years and had an immediate impact on two Super Bowl winning teams.
If they hire this clown I will have lots of tickets to sell next year. We are not the damn Patriots and do not want him. Hello tuck you game.
I think this got put out there just to see the response of the Raiders fan base. Even Mark Davis wouldn’t bring in someone so universally hated by the fan base.
Josh McDaniels going to be his OC and Bill O’Brian QB coach.
It’s the Patriot Way.
Hell no
The Raiders will never learn. Yeesh.