Gee, who coulda seen this coming?

I am sure he isnt acting completely alone,  the Davis family must approve of his vision for the team going forward...or maybe he is doing this shit to force his own way out of town.

"I think many of us realize we won’t be here next year. We are just waiting to see if we will be here next week."

That's a real powerful message to the locker room.

Their team chant before game day is +Dead man walking

@"Vikergirl" said: "I think many of us realize we won’t be here next year. We are just waiting to see if we will be here next week."

That's a real powerful message to the locker room.

I have zero sympathy for their underperforming FAs walking on egg shells nor the organization that drafted so poorly for so long that they had to overpay for FAs that weren't smart signings.

Classic example is buying virtually their whole O-Line instead of drafting them. Worked well for one year and hasn't since. 

He traded away their best player....how do you think that sits with the other vets in the locker room? You aren't getting better by doing that, the players know who can really play and who can't. Gruden has been out of the league FOREVER in NFL years. He was also an abrasive coach to players. He got lucky once, just like Brian Billick did. 

Jiminy Crickets. 
Credibility was never his strong suit. Talking past the point of human consumption is. I'm just thankful to hear his voice less now.
Dude is a legend...in his own mind.

@"StickyBun" said: He traded away their best player....how do you think that sits with the other vets in the locker room? You aren't getting better by doing that, the players know who can really play and who can't. Gruden has been out of the league FOREVER in NFL years. He was also an abrasive coach to players. He got lucky once, just like Brian Billick did. 

Gruden is an asshat. That doesn't make the miscast collection of FAs McKenzie signed because he stinks at drafting talent (other than the no-brainer Mack selection) innocent of their own poor play that cost Del Rio his job.

They should all have been put on notice after last year's debacle and a change in leadership that this would happen.

Evidently Chucky is embracing the Browns rebuild model...  ;) B)  

@"FSUVike" said:

@"StickyBun" said: He traded away their best player....how do you think that sits with the other vets in the locker room? You aren't getting better by doing that, the players know who can really play and who can't. Gruden has been out of the league FOREVER in NFL years. He was also an abrasive coach to players. He got lucky once, just like Brian Billick did. 

Did you miss the part about how those same vets were supposed to challenge NE and flamed out? How many of them have already bailed on Carr?

@"StickyBun" said:

@"FSUVike" said:

@"StickyBun" said: He traded away their best player....how do you think that sits with the other vets in the locker room? You aren't getting better by doing that, the players know who can really play and who can't. Gruden has been out of the league FOREVER in NFL years. He was also an abrasive coach to players. He got lucky once, just like Brian Billick did. 

Did you miss the part about how those same vets were supposed to challenge NE and flamed out? How many of them have already bailed on Carr?

Pretty sure Carr hasn't lost the locker room, especially those that matter:

1:10

95.7 The GameVerified account @957thegame#Raiders TE Lee Smith on Derek Carr reports: “The attacking of our strongest leader & the strongest man in this locker room is absolute horse%*t.”

My real point here is that McKenzie just threw money at guys instead of building through the Draft and selecting Players with certain personality traits as well as physical traits.

So the Raiders have a collection of FAs, not a core group of draftees indoctrinated into their culture, whatever that may be.

Meanwhile, Rick and Mike have built a core of draftees that truly drink the purple kool aid and bolstered that with key FA signings like Reiff and KC that seamlessly fit the team culture.

Very different approaches that continue to yield very different results.

@"FSUVike" said: My real point here is that McKenzie just threw money at guys instead of building through the Draft and selecting Players with certain personality traits as well as physical traits.

So the Raiders have a collection of FAs, not a core group of draftees indoctrinated into their culture, whatever that may be.

Meanwhile, Rick and Mike have built a core of draftees that truly drink the purple kool aid and bolstered that with key FA signings like Reiff and KC that seamlessly fit the team culture.

Very different approaches that continue to yield very different results.

@"Jor-El" said:

@"FSUVike" said: My real point here is that McKenzie just threw money at guys instead of building through the Draft and selecting Players with certain personality traits as well as physical traits.

So the Raiders have a collection of FAs, not a core group of draftees indoctrinated into their culture, whatever that may be.

Meanwhile, Rick and Mike have built a core of draftees that truly drink the purple kool aid and bolstered that with key FA signings like Reiff and KC that seamlessly fit the team culture.

Very different approaches that continue to yield very different results.

Why is the "Raiders approach" working for the Rams? I actually agree with what you are saying that throwing mercenary FAs together doesn't work - usually. It's why I expected the Rams to disappoint this year. I'm really surprised that team is playing well. McVay is probably a better coach than Gruden, but is that all?

@"FSUVike" said:

@"Jor-El" said:

@"FSUVike" said: My real point here is that McKenzie just threw money at guys instead of building through the Draft and selecting Players with certain personality traits as well as physical traits.

So the Raiders have a collection of FAs, not a core group of draftees indoctrinated into their culture, whatever that may be.

Meanwhile, Rick and Mike have built a core of draftees that truly drink the purple kool aid and bolstered that with key FA signings like Reiff and KC that seamlessly fit the team culture.

Very different approaches that continue to yield very different results.

Why is the "Raiders approach" working for the Rams? I actually agree with what you are saying that throwing mercenary FAs together doesn't work - usually. It's why I expected the Rams to disappoint this year. I'm really surprised that team is playing well. McVay is probably a better coach than Gruden, but is that all?

But the core of their team is guys they drafted: Goff, Gurley, Donald. They filled in spots they were whiffing on in the draft like OT & CB with FAs.

Agree with you about chemistry, though. Their FO signed some major malcontents, which is usually what the Raiders do. The fact that it's working so well is really a testament to McVay.

of course most of the Vererans will not be with Oakland next year.  they are way too young!

@"Jor-El" said:

@"FSUVike" said: My real point here is that McKenzie just threw money at guys instead of building through the Draft and selecting Players with certain personality traits as well as physical traits.

So the Raiders have a collection of FAs, not a core group of draftees indoctrinated into their culture, whatever that may be.

Meanwhile, Rick and Mike have built a core of draftees that truly drink the purple kool aid and bolstered that with key FA signings like Reiff and KC that seamlessly fit the team culture.

Very different approaches that continue to yield very different results.

Why is the "Raiders approach" working for the Rams? I actually agree with what you are saying that throwing mercenary FAs together doesn't work - usually. It's why I expected the Rams to disappoint this year. I'm really surprised that team is playing well. McVay is probably a better coach than Gruden, but is that all?