Graney: Mark Davis is responsible for instability of Raiders
It was last January when Raiders owner Mark Davis stood in front of a packed room and offered these words to open a news conference: “Today, I have the privilege of introducing two young men who are going to be leading this organization into the future.”
It lasted one year.
Such a future is so typical of the Raiders right now.
It’s a large hunk of instability.
And it’s all on Davis. He’s the constant. He’s the common denominator.
He was on that afternoon last year when he announced the hires of Antonio Pierce as coach and Tom Telesco as general manager. Both are now gone. Pierce was fired Tuesday and Telesco on Thursday.
The former made sense. You can fairly debate whether Pierce should have been given the full-time job after a stint on an interim basis, but in no way question him being dismissed after a 4-13 season. He wasn’t an NFL head coach. Wasn’t in any manner prepared for the job.
Telesco is a different story.
Brady’s call?
What happened in the 48 hours between Pierce being bounced and Telesco learning of the same fate is anyone’s guess. Some reports have suggested Davis prefers his new general manager and coach to come in at the same time. To be connected as one.
It still doesn’t change the consistent turnover.
Maybe it will become clearer when Tom Brady decides what to do.
But no matter how much power the new minority owner with all those Super Bowl rings has — and it’s believed to be a substantial amount — nothing can hide the level of impermanence that has defined this organization.
Coaches and general managers come and go like the mailman.
There has been no stability when it comes to two of the more important positions within the franchise, one with two playoff appearances since 2002. It’s no wonder the Raiders haven’t competed much at all.
You don’t have to be a great owner to win. But if you’re not truly a football guy — and this history of failure has suggested Davis doesn’t fall under that umbrella — you need to bestow far more influence on others regarding these moves. To those who have had more success making such calls.
Brady now appears to be that person.
Of course, there is no guarantee he will be any better at this stuff.
For his part, Telesco offered a solid first draft. He landed a generational player in tight end Brock Bowers with the 13th pick and rookies who became starters in offensive linemen Jackson Powers-Johnson and DJ Glaze.
The Raiders never did solve their quarterback situation under Telesco. He took a flier on veteran Gardner Minshew, which didn’t work out. Telesco also wasn’t given enough time to really address the issue.
So now there is another change. Just when Telesco’s staff and scouts were becoming comfortable with how he wants things done. What types of players he preferred, the metrics he used, how he approaches each draft.
It all starts over. Again.
More connected
This was Telesco that January day: “The fit for me was perfect, and I think the team can win. That’s the biggest thing. I don’t see this as a situation where we have to tear this down and go baseball style where it’s going to take a couple years. I don’t see that. We have to add some things, no doubt, and we have to get better. But I think we can compete right away.”
They couldn’t. They didn’t. They might not for some time.
If it’s really as simple as Davis wants the new general manager and coach to be more connected, he will get his wish. They will be more joined at the hip than were Pierce and Telesco.
But it doesn’t change the instability that has defined the franchise in these matters.
And that’s all on the owner.
Ed Graney, a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing, can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on X.