The Oakland Raiders were perhaps the most disappointing team of the 2017 NFL season. After entering the year with the highest of expectations, the Raiders quickly saw the firing of one coach after another en route to a 6-10 record.

That said, David Carr — former NFL player and brother of quarterback Derek Carr — was a bit shocked to see Oakland wait so long to axe former head coach Jack Del Rio. During an appearance on San Francisco's 95.7 The Game, the elder Carr suggested the team's success in 2016 ultimately attributed to Del Rio's prolonged firing:

“I was really surprised that it lasted that long,” Carr said. “They had some success two years ago, so I think that really helped. But their defense had been struggling for the last couple years. He was brought in to fix that. And I think what Derek and what the offense probably bought that staff and bought those guys a little bit of time.”

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The Raiders enjoyed a remarkable 12-4 record in the 2016 season. Furthermore, the emergence of Carr as an MVP-caliber quarterback fueled the hype machine coming into 2017. However, it became clear that there were still a number of holes in Oakland's scheme and current player personnel.

Fortunately, there is a silver lining to the Raiders waiting so long to fire Del Rio. There is no telling how Oakland would have approached acquiring another coach with the status of future head coach Jon Gruden still unknown at the time of their struggles. Needless to say, the Raiders have found their man in Gruden and the hype machine is up and running once again.