The Las Vegas Raiders had high expectations last season, but things quickly went off the rails in Nevada and the team failed to qualify for the postseason; owner Mark Davis preached patience for the squad at the NFL's Annual League Meeting in Phoenix, AZ this week.
“Unfortunately, every time you change there is going to be changes that those people are going to see but you have to give them time to understand the changes,” Davis said, according to The Athletic's Vic Tafur. “I know that a lot of people can watch film and think that they know it all, but watching film doesn't give you all the answers. You need to watch the games and be there to get the full picture. So, yeah, you gotta have patience.”
The Raiders had three separate three-game losing streaks in 2022, highlighted by the deteriorating relationship between hew head coach Josh McDaniels and longtime quarterback Derek Carr, which ended in the latter being released and signing with the New Orleans Saints in NFL Free Agency.
The team finished 6-11, not at all what the fanbase expected for the “trendy team to upset the apple cart in the AFC West,” per NFL.com.
It will be another new look team in 2023, with Jimmy Garoppolo taking over for Carr and star tight end Darren Waller traded to the New York Giants.
The Raiders have undergone four coaching changes with just two playoff appearances since Davis took over from his father, the late Al Davis. The team still hasn't won a postseason game since losing Super Bowl XXXVII to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002.
“The Raiders lacked cohesion, particularly on defense and had glaring depth issues exacerbated by injury,” wrote Around the NFL's Kevin Patra on Friday. “It's a team in flux that isn't bad enough to crater but doesn't feel good enough as currently constructed to knock the Kansas City Chiefs off the division throne.”
The way things are going in Las Vegas, the rebuild is going to take some time for Mark Davis and the Raiders' brass and even more patience from the fanbase.
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