Podcast: Raiders' QB Issues, Locker Room, More
In our latest episode of the Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast, we dive into the QB situation, the locker room, the trade deadline, and multiple other pertinent subjects.
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00:00 Hi everybody, this is Hondo Carpenter from Sports Illustrated's FAN Nation Las Vegas
00:06 Raiders Insider Podcast.
00:09 Thank you all for joining us today.
00:10 We have so much to cover since we did our podcast immediately after the Raiders lost
00:16 to the Chicago Bears on Sunday.
00:20 We're going to dig right in and get into a lot of different subjects today.
00:24 I've been digging, working the phones.
00:25 Yesterday was a travel day for me, but I've been working the phones trying to gather and
00:30 ascertain as much information for you as we can on the state of the franchise, where things
00:40 are at, what's going on.
00:42 And we're going to get into a ton of different issues today.
00:46 Some of them I think we're going to get into a little bit deeper maybe than you would expect.
00:49 Some we're not going to really touch them, but I'm going to let you know why.
00:54 I think you deserve that.
00:56 Before we go any further, I just want to tell you, I am greatly appreciative for all of
01:00 you that have subscribed and liked and reading the articles.
01:06 Our growth is just exponential.
01:09 We now have seven members of our staff covering the Raiders because of the growth, because
01:15 of you guys.
01:17 And we continue to be able to bring our coverage to you for free because as you like and share
01:22 and subscribe and tell people about it, it allows us to be able to bring you the best
01:26 Raiders coverage and it's free.
01:29 So remember, don't pay people for what you can get for free, but we appreciate it and
01:32 we are greatly appreciative of you.
01:35 I want to really get into the first part that's most important.
01:44 I did not personally see this.
01:47 However, people that I do trust and respect told me about it, so I believe it to be true.
01:54 I just want you to know I've not been able to verify it, but again, it's from people
01:58 that I believe.
02:00 The Raiders turned off comments on the Josh McDaniels press conference yesterday.
02:05 A couple of points I want to make to that.
02:07 First of all, it's Mark Davis's company.
02:11 And if that is common in business, that you would do that type of thing if people are
02:17 doing things that are negative towards the business to do that.
02:24 People are saying to me, I can't believe this.
02:26 This is an outrage.
02:27 The NFL should take his franchise.
02:29 Well, that's not how it works.
02:32 There are set guidelines and parameters that the NFL has as far as expectations for their
02:37 teams and the Raiders have not gone without those gone outside of those expectations.
02:43 It was a business decision.
02:45 Someone said to me, what do you think of it?
02:47 Well, it doesn't matter what I think.
02:48 It's not my company.
02:50 I find it very interesting.
02:55 But I get it.
02:56 I understand why the Raiders would do it.
02:58 Again, you may not like that the Raiders do it, but I get exactly why they did.
03:02 And I can understand why fans feel frustrated that they did it.
03:06 But to me, in my job as a professional journalist, I don't work for the Raiders and I'm not a
03:12 fan.
03:13 To me, it's a nothing burger as far as my coverage.
03:18 But because literally, I don't even know.
03:20 I'm going to guess and it's purely a guess.
03:24 Probably 200 people asked me to comment on it.
03:26 So obviously, it's important to my listeners and viewers and readers and watchers.
03:30 And so you deserve to know where I stand on it.
03:34 Again, that's just the situation in the way that it is.
03:40 Someone said to me, or not several, but several people asked me, what are my thoughts on the
03:45 Raiders quarterback situation?
03:47 We wrote an article yesterday that the Raiders have a conundrum.
03:52 And several people had some very creative responses about they think there are some
03:56 conundrums other places.
03:57 And I thought many of those, not all, but many were valid.
04:01 You people cracked me up.
04:02 I appreciate you.
04:04 But I want to talk specifically about the quarterback.
04:10 And several people said, how come you could see a Division Two quarterback, never took
04:14 a stab at the Division One level and his first start as a rookie, and then the Raiders can't
04:19 do that?
04:20 I think that's a very fair question.
04:21 Now, there are a couple things that you saw from Badgett that I think are viable.
04:27 Number one, the Josh McDaniel system favors dropback quarterbacks.
04:32 Look at what he did with Tom Brady.
04:34 The problem with that is, is every year the National Football League gets more athletic
04:42 and faster and faster.
04:46 And to me, and I made this comment last year, this is one thing I love about the digital
04:51 age is you can go back and I, you know, a lot of people say, I called it, I called it.
04:55 Well, you can go back and hold me accountable because I have this platform.
05:00 I made the comment.
05:01 I like a quarterback with mobility.
05:04 I think in today's NFL, I mean, you've got Max Crosby coming at you and other guys coming
05:11 at you every game, Aiden Hutchinson this week against the Lions, who have speed.
05:16 These are fast men.
05:19 I don't think many of you understand how the game has evolved, but it was just a few decades
05:23 ago.
05:25 Not even that, a few years ago, where running backs had the speed of a Max Crosby.
05:32 Think about that for a minute.
05:34 And now you got it everywhere.
05:37 So clearly, I think one of the things that you saw with Badgett is that the Chicago Bears
05:42 were able to roll him away from Max Crosby.
05:45 Now after the game, Badgett said this, and I'm surprised nobody picked up on it.
05:52 Their whole entire game plan, this was the Bears, their whole entire offensive game plan
05:57 is they wanted to know where Max Crosby was and wherever he was, they went somewhere else.
06:02 Now they admitted that.
06:04 That's a factual statement.
06:05 That's not a guess.
06:06 That's not watching the film.
06:07 This is what it looked like.
06:08 No, Badgett said it.
06:12 He mean he just flat said it.
06:15 I was there when he said it.
06:16 I remember thinking, wow.
06:19 Wow.
06:20 I mean, that's smart game planning.
06:24 All right, we don't have the people to cover Max Crosby.
06:27 And they didn't.
06:28 Like everyone else, they had to hold and do other things, which is if it doesn't get called,
06:32 I have no issue with it.
06:34 It is what it is.
06:38 But their whole game plan was, okay, we're going to go wherever Max Crosby isn't.
06:43 Now, first of all, what a statement of respect for Max Crosby when an entire team says our
06:51 game plan is we're going wherever you're not.
06:54 J.J.
06:55 Watt said it a few weeks ago.
06:57 I believe it was on the Pat McAfee show about how great Max Crosby is.
07:02 And if you don't, I mean, if Max Crosby was on a better football team, he would get the
07:08 respect that he deserves.
07:10 I think when you're putting together the list of the best defensive players in all the National
07:15 Football League, if Crosby isn't one, then he's 1B.
07:23 But he's up there.
07:24 Now, because of the team he's on, he's not getting the respect he deserves.
07:29 But I just want everyone to know that I think so.
07:32 With Badgett, he had the mobility.
07:36 You saw in the Chargers game, Aiden O'Connell, because they want them staying in the pocket,
07:42 was a human pinata.
07:46 And if you don't know what that is, it's a, in Mexico, they'll make it up into a Pokemon
07:57 or they'll make it up into an animal and they fill it with candy and you put a blindfold
08:01 over a child and hit it with a bat.
08:04 Really cool.
08:05 It's called a pinata.
08:06 And so he's back there like a pinata and without the mobility.
08:13 Same issue, same principle.
08:16 And so he was able to do things as a rookie that even Brian Hoyer, as a 15-year vet, couldn't
08:25 do because that's not what they do.
08:27 Now I'm going to make a couple of statements here.
08:31 As the Raiders move forward evaluating their franchise, Aiden O'Connell is a very good
08:39 quarterback.
08:40 I think he's very, very good.
08:41 I think he's got a lot to develop.
08:43 If they want to stick with that model of quarterback moving forward, which is their perspective,
08:51 it's not what I would do, but it's their perspective.
08:53 They're the bosses.
08:54 They're handing the keys to the kingdom.
08:56 And at some point, I think you got to get a long look at an Aiden O'Connell.
09:04 I'm not saying you've...
09:07 They got to do what they think gives them the best chance of winning because they're
09:10 still in winning mode.
09:13 And that's still their mentality.
09:15 Win now.
09:16 They're three and four.
09:17 Now the Bills are four and three.
09:19 So it's not like the Raiders are out of it.
09:22 You may say, "Come on, Hondo.
09:23 This is not a team."
09:24 Well, I've told you all along.
09:25 If they were a nine and eight team with their talent, I still maintain that.
09:30 So if they do less than that, it's a woeful underachievement and I'll hold their feet
09:34 to that fire.
09:36 But I also said, "They're a nine and eight team if Jimmy stays healthy."
09:39 I mean, you're seven games in and Jimmy's missed two and a half.
09:45 You can go back to when they were looking at him.
09:49 I told everyone, "If Jimmy stays healthy, Josh McDaniels deserve all the credit.
09:56 Genius move."
09:57 And I said, "But if he doesn't, he owns it.
10:00 He owns this.
10:02 You just sunk millions of dollars for this year and next into a guy that can't stay healthy."
10:09 Now Jimmy's a good guy.
10:10 This isn't a slam on his character or his integrity.
10:14 Good guy.
10:15 He just can't stay healthy.
10:17 And the best ability is availability.
10:18 I'm going to tell you, they talk about this at other positions.
10:25 So why isn't it Jermaine a quarterback?
10:29 Makes no sense.
10:30 But anyway, so if they want to stick with that, then Aiden O'Connell at some point has
10:34 to get a look because you're going to have to do something.
10:39 When people ask me, "Why does that happen?
10:41 Why was Badgen able to do it and not the Raiders?"
10:44 Because he had mobility.
10:46 There was flexibility in the game planning.
10:50 I'm going to say right now, first of all, as a member of the Pro Football Writers Association,
10:58 we get access that is not afforded to just fans.
11:03 And we should.
11:06 But there are things that we can't report that we see because it would hurt the Raiders.
11:10 And if you're a Raider fan, I don't think you want media doing that.
11:14 So I'm not going to name anything specific, but earlier this year, and it happens regular,
11:21 but we were able to see something that the Raiders were installing for a specific team.
11:28 Not going to say what team, I'm not going to say what the formation was.
11:30 And I hope now that you understand why.
11:35 And they came out early in the game, they used these new wrinkles to the attack and
11:40 then never used them again.
11:42 Well, I don't think that they're not adding new wrinkles.
11:45 They're adding new wrinkles every week.
11:48 The problem is, is when you are within a very limited scope, then your changes stay within
11:58 that scope.
12:00 So for example, if you have quarterbacks that you want them to stay in the pocket with a
12:05 pocket presence, then you have to, you know, on you, every change you make still stays
12:12 within the pocket.
12:14 Now could you go out and make some changes?
12:17 I know because I've seen him do it.
12:19 Jimmy has an ability to be more mobile.
12:23 I don't believe Brian doesn't.
12:25 I've watched him since high school.
12:27 Aiden, some haven't seen a lot, so he may actually have more than what we've seen.
12:35 So but Jimmy, you don't want being mobile.
12:38 He's injury prone.
12:40 Aiden, I haven't seen enough of him to know.
12:45 I've not seen it.
12:47 You didn't see it at Purdue, very limited, but you saw a little, so not enough to say
12:52 he can't, but not enough to say it's part of his repertoire.
12:56 And Brian, who I've known since high school, I can tell you he's, that's not his game.
13:02 So if you want to change, you either have to stay within the scope or then go outside
13:08 the scope.
13:09 Now, if you know that Aiden has that ability, then you go with Aiden to try to do something
13:19 to create.
13:20 Now, again, I'm not going to get into details.
13:24 There's going to be some wrinkles on Monday night.
13:26 That's all I'm going to say, but there is every week.
13:33 But you know, Einstein said the definition of stupidity is doing the same thing and expecting
13:37 a different result.
13:40 And if you're not, this is why I asked Josh McDaniels.
13:49 I said to him after the game, you're 24 games into your reign or into your regime.
13:58 And he, they constantly talk about the process.
14:02 So when it's not working, do you change the process?
14:08 Do you stay the process or do you discard the process?
14:16 Now after the game, and I encourage you to go back and watch it, Josh McDaniels talks
14:20 about some things working and he references special teams.
14:25 And I don't think anybody is more of a special teams guy than me.
14:31 That rubs off on me from Jim Trestle, who I think was a genius football coach.
14:38 And it's a third of the game.
14:40 And I remember Jim Trestle hammering into me, the punt's the most important game in
14:45 football.
14:46 And I agree with him.
14:47 It's very, flips the field.
14:49 Raiders have the best in the NFL and AJ Cole, it's a big deal, but you can have the best.
14:53 If the punt is the most important play in football and you have the best punter in AJ
14:58 Cole and you're still playing horrible, it's because without a decent offense or even a
15:07 defense that struggled on Sunday, it doesn't change anything.
15:14 I, and so the mobile quarterback is so huge.
15:19 And again, I've said it all along, so it's not like I'm reinventing myself.
15:23 I like a quarterback with mobility.
15:25 I think Patrick Mahomes is, I've said this for years, by the way, is the best quarterback
15:31 in the National Football League.
15:32 And I did not feel that about him early because a lot of mobile quarterbacks run too quick.
15:40 And Patrick Mahomes under the coaching of Andy Reid, and again, shows you a value of
15:47 coaching has learned to stay in that pocket.
15:50 He knows when to run and when not to.
15:51 And his discipline, I think has made him the best quarterback in the National Football
15:55 League.
15:56 Very, very good.
15:57 Now, Jerrod Goff is not a guy, the Lions this week, who is known for being Mr. Mobile, but
16:05 there is some thread of that.
16:08 And so there's a little bit of, there's a little bit of, I've got to be aware of that
16:16 potential.
16:17 I mean, I think it's killing the Raiders that teams know.
16:23 Your quarterback's not doing anything.
16:26 He's a piñata.
16:27 And again, I understand these are the quarterbacks that they wanted.
16:34 They picked Aiden.
16:35 They wanted to bring in Brian last year.
16:37 That didn't work out.
16:38 They brought him in this year and they got Jimmy.
16:43 This is who they wanted.
16:45 They made this.
16:46 They did this.
16:49 That is the way it works.
16:52 So these are their guys and teams know exactly what to expect from the Raiders.
16:59 I think, and man, I know this makes you angry, but they are the gold standard and I'm going
17:04 to reference them.
17:07 One of the things that makes the Chiefs so good is you literally never know what they're
17:12 going to do.
17:15 You never know it.
17:17 They are constantly changing, evolving everything.
17:23 And so I think that is a very big deal for them.
17:28 And there's none of that with the Raiders.
17:32 The Raiders do bring in some new wrinkles, but again, all their wrinkles stay within
17:36 the pattern.
17:37 So even though they maybe do a couple things, I mean, you saw one deep pass on Sunday, one,
17:45 and they connected.
17:46 Well, okay, they got a positive result out of it.
17:51 And you got a guy with Brian Horner with that ability.
17:53 And the amazing thing was, is in the previous games, you saw lots of times when there were
17:59 guys open down the field, Jimmy didn't hit them.
18:03 It wasn't part of the calls.
18:06 Brian didn't miss a whole lot down the field like that because there wasn't that many called.
18:11 Now there was a lot of mistakes.
18:12 I'm not in any way sitting here saying Brian played mistake-free football because we all
18:16 know that's not true.
18:18 But the issue was there were so many mistakes at so many positions all over the field that
18:22 you could not equate it to anything other than coaching.
18:27 What you saw where the passes were going was predictable.
18:33 You saw to whom the passes were going, predictable.
18:38 If I had to describe the offense that they pay $102 million to, that's $102 million offense.
18:48 $102 million offense.
18:52 I mean, that is the Rolls Royce of offenses in the National Football League by boss.
19:01 And right now it's performing like you paid $10 in a pack of Lucky Strikes.
19:11 It's brutal.
19:14 Josh Owens, this is his offense.
19:18 Mark Davis wanted that offense to evolve.
19:21 And after 24 games, it has not.
19:23 Has not at all.
19:25 And so mobile quarterback is a big deal.
19:27 Now, I don't even know how many people, but a ton of people have asked, and I always tell
19:32 you that I try to, when I get enough people that I know it's hitting a nerve, I'll address
19:37 it.
19:38 I've asked me, what about training for Kyler Murray?
19:52 Tyler Murray had a coach in Cliff Kingsbury who got canned by the way, who designed an
20:01 offense around him.
20:04 Health issues are a big thing.
20:10 I don't think Kyler knows that when to throw and not to throw like a Patrick Mahomes.
20:17 I mean, the team had to put into his contract a clause to get them to watch film.
20:22 Listen, I understand.
20:25 And I don't ever tell fans, this is what you should think.
20:28 Yeah, that's your call.
20:29 I'm just not my job.
20:30 I have too much respect for you to tell you that.
20:34 But at least if you're going to go look for answers, don't you look for somebody who's
20:43 an answer and just not a change?
20:46 Let's go back and say this.
20:50 Derek Carr and Josh McDaniels didn't separate with any hatred.
20:56 There's no animosity and anybody telling you that is not truthful.
21:01 I know them both, not truthful, but it didn't work for whatever reason.
21:06 Didn't work.
21:08 Okay.
21:11 And so when Jimmy came in, you don't get rid of Derek for a Jimmy.
21:19 Nor do I think they would have.
21:24 Had the Tom Brady coming to the Raiders happened.
21:29 I'm not going to get into details because I've told you before now is not the time,
21:33 but I know for a fact and there was no tampering.
21:35 The Raiders had every legitimate reason to believe that Tom Brady was coming.
21:40 Tom Brady didn't do them dirty.
21:42 I'm not implying that, but some things happened that precluded it from coming to fruition.
21:47 That's not on the Raiders.
21:50 Had they not 100% believed and I believed with
22:01 accuracy that he was coming, no way they'd sit Derek the last two games.
22:06 They wouldn't have done it.
22:07 I know that for a fact.
22:10 But they didn't have options either.
22:13 Remember, everybody has bosses.
22:16 Just leave it right there.
22:17 Now, moving on, Derek doesn't fit this system.
22:22 So if Josh was not willing to change the system, it was not a good marriage.
22:25 So if Jimmy was able to stay healthy, it would be a better marriage with Josh if Josh wasn't
22:33 willing to change.
22:34 It's not a slam on Derek.
22:37 It's also not a slam on Josh.
22:40 It's just the reality of what they had.
22:42 Mark Davis brought them in here because he wanted this offense.
22:52 So you don't go just go, "Okay, let's go grab a Kyler Murray.
22:56 He's available."
22:57 Well, he's also available for a reason.
22:59 Can't stay healthy.
23:01 There's serious questions about him football-wise.
23:10 That's not an answer.
23:11 I've heard some people say, "What about Justin Fields?"
23:15 I think Justin Fields would absolutely be a viable option.
23:20 But he's already proven in his short career durability.
23:25 So to me, he's off the board.
23:27 Now I know Justin, like him a lot, covered him a lot in college, even a little bit in
23:32 high school when he was a top recruit.
23:34 I really like Justin personally.
23:37 I like him professionally.
23:39 But you don't need to bring in another durability issue.
23:44 I understand when you're frustrated, you're willing to grasp at straws.
23:50 But whether you like it or not, Josh and Dave Ziegler are going to build for the future.
23:58 And they're not building as guys who are making, "Okay, we're panicking because we think we're
24:04 going to get fired."
24:07 And whether you think they should get fired or not, we're going to address that in a minute,
24:12 you should at least respect they're not playing Russian roulette with your franchise's future.
24:21 If you don't like Josh McDaniels, I think there's plenty of reasons to have that opinion.
24:24 If you do like him, that's fine.
24:25 I think there are reasons to have that opinion.
24:29 But for all you people that just hate him or whatever, you would at least owe them the
24:35 respect that they're not playing Russian roulette with your franchise's future.
24:41 That's integrity.
24:43 And I'm going to call spades or spades.
24:44 I'm not afraid to call him out.
24:46 The offense is a disaster.
24:48 And he was the guy universally lauded around the NFL as an offensive mastermind.
24:55 And it's horrible.
24:56 But I'm also going to give credit where credit's due.
24:58 So again, to me, Kyler and Justin are out, but for very different reasons.
25:03 Now, I want to get into another issue that many people have asked me to address.
25:11 Evidently, there was a report yesterday and it was a travel day, so I have not seen it.
25:18 I know it didn't come from our small knit of group beat writers that Josh McDaniels
25:25 has lost the locker room.
25:26 Now, first of all, I don't make it a living to shoot down like I'm a clay pigeon person
25:34 and I'd like to shoot clay pigeons, but other people's reporting.
25:38 First of all, you never know where other people's sources are.
25:41 So because I don't know who it is, I have no clue.
25:45 I don't know what it is.
25:47 So I can address this with no animus because I don't know who reported it.
25:53 I think there are several things you want to look at when you look at any report.
25:58 First of all, are they people who are close to the situation?
26:03 Now, I want to give you a reason why I don't attack people's reporting.
26:08 Several years ago, a head coach told me that he was going to get rid of a certain player
26:15 at a certain deadline a couple of months ahead, and he told me why that deadline was there.
26:20 And he said to me, "Don't use me as a source, but you can report this player is going to
26:27 be gone by this date."
26:29 I said, "All right, well, what do I do if it doesn't happen?"
26:32 "Then you can say I was your source."
26:34 I said, "Fine.
26:35 When I get sources that I use anonymously, my rule to all of them is if it is proven
26:44 you lied to me, I'm going to out you.
26:48 So if you're not lying, you don't have nothing to worry about, thank God for the First Amendment,
26:54 I'll never out you and never would in a million years.
27:00 But if you lie to me, I will."
27:02 Now, another reporter who I was friends with goes to this player and says, "Hey, it's being
27:09 reported by Hondo Carpenter that you're going to be gone by this date."
27:13 The player laughed and said, "No way.
27:14 I ain't going anywhere.
27:15 I love it here.
27:17 I'm committed."
27:19 So he had a legit...
27:20 Now, the guy's my friend.
27:21 He wasn't calling me a liar.
27:22 He was just simply doing his job and the player said this.
27:28 So I went to him privately, just said, "Hey, just want to let you know you can report that
27:34 that's what he's saying, but be careful because you're reporting definitively."
27:37 He goes, "Oh, yeah, but I got it.
27:42 I got it from the player."
27:43 I said, "Okay.
27:44 Well, the date comes, player's axed and gone.
27:50 I'm not going to attack him.
27:52 He got it from the player.
27:53 That's legitimate.
27:54 I just got it from a source higher up the food chain."
27:57 And sometimes you report stuff and things change.
28:00 Like Tom Brady was coming to the Raiders.
28:06 Some things happened that were unforeseen to Tom and Tom's life and it didn't work out.
28:12 Tom, wasn't that Tom lied to anybody or wasn't that Tom mid led the franchise when it wasn't
28:16 like the franchise thinking he was coming.
28:21 They were stupid or they were dupe.
28:22 They weren't.
28:23 Sometimes things change.
28:24 Again, look what happened with Aiden O'Connell starting with the Chargers and Brian Hoyer
28:30 last week.
28:31 And I can assure you my sources were pretty good and things evolve.
28:37 They change.
28:39 And so I say all that to say, so I'm not going to shoot down anyone's report because who
28:44 knows who they talked to.
28:46 But I'm going to say this, my job is not to confirm or deny other people's reporting.
28:51 My job is to confirm and deny what I know.
28:55 Here is what I know.
28:57 And I did not talk to, I'm not implying I talked to half the team yesterday.
29:01 I did not.
29:02 I did not talk to multiple parts of the team in the organization.
29:09 I do not.
29:10 The team is very frustrated.
29:15 And I think it's absolutely 100% accurate to report to you.
29:21 Everybody is.
29:22 I think Mark Davis is frustrated.
29:24 I think Dave Zeger is frustrated.
29:26 I think Josh McDaniels is frustrated.
29:28 I think every coach is frustrated.
29:30 I think every player is frustrated.
29:32 I think everybody inside the building from janitors to secretaries to executives to other
29:37 people are all frustrated.
29:38 I think Raider Nation is frustrated.
29:42 I'm not a fan.
29:44 I'm frustrated.
29:45 You say, why are you frustrated?
29:49 I'm frustrated for you guys.
29:51 Man, I love Raider Nation.
29:54 Love your passion and fire and zeal.
29:56 Love it.
29:57 And I'm frustrated for the coaches and players.
29:59 There's a lot of really good people in this organization.
30:02 Listen, I've covered some teams where I thought a lot of the coaches were scumbags, where
30:07 I thought a lot of the players weren't good people.
30:11 I didn't hardly like anybody.
30:14 And they won.
30:15 I don't like these people.
30:19 They're good people.
30:23 And it's frustrating for me.
30:25 Now, do I think every player in that locker room supports Josh McDaniels?
30:30 No, I don't.
30:35 Do I think every player and do I think though the players that matter among leadership,
30:43 among very key contributors, do I think those people support Josh?
30:52 Yes, they're not out there calling for him to get fired.
30:55 In fact, in a minute, I'm going to read you a text, but they're not there calling for
30:59 him to be fired or wanting him to be fired at all.
31:02 Now, again, it doesn't mean that one of the outliers may be said to somebody that they
31:07 feel that way.
31:10 That could be very germane.
31:12 I don't know that.
31:13 A couple of the outliers, I totally think if somebody knew them, probably would say
31:18 that.
31:20 But it's not them.
31:24 There's a lot of frustration.
31:27 And I think there's a lot of people questioning.
31:31 But I have nothing to gain or lose.
31:35 I'm being professional.
31:37 So I would tell you, I have reported before in my career, when I thought coaches lost
31:43 a locker room, when change was necessary.
31:49 And that's not my job to just wantonly call for a coach's firing.
31:55 I don't create news.
31:57 I report news.
32:00 If I got to a place where, in my opinion, after talking to people, I felt Josh had lost
32:05 the locker room, you better believe I would run to a camera and do a podcast and report
32:10 it to you.
32:11 That would absolutely be newsworthy, and I would do it.
32:14 Someone said, well, Hondo doesn't do it because of repercussions.
32:17 The Raiders are professionals.
32:19 They don't have to like when negativity comes and we report it.
32:24 And I don't blame them.
32:25 If I worked for the team, I wouldn't like it either.
32:29 But as long as you do your job professionally, there's not going to be an issue.
32:34 The Raiders are an absolute organization.
32:35 I can tell you this.
32:37 Everyone in the PR department, and there are two, three, five, six, I think six in the
32:44 PR department, are really good people.
32:48 I can tell you right now, one, two, three, four, five, six.
32:55 Six people.
32:57 If I'm missing anybody, I'm not intending to leave anybody out, are very good men and
33:01 women.
33:02 They care about the team.
33:04 They love the team.
33:05 It matters to them.
33:07 Do I think that those people would love every story to be great?
33:12 I sure do.
33:14 And who wouldn't if you're a PR person?
33:17 And they're professionals and they understand we have jobs to do just like they do.
33:22 And this is a professional organization.
33:24 Mark Davis understands that.
33:25 Dave Ziegler understands that.
33:26 Josh McDaniels, players, they get it.
33:31 They get it.
33:32 And so I would absolutely report if I felt he had lost the locker room.
33:39 I don't believe that's the case.
33:40 Now, I'm very open with you.
33:42 Everybody's frustrated.
33:45 Everybody is.
33:47 Everybody I talk to.
33:48 Do I think that Josh McDaniels has had some decisions he's made questioned?
33:53 Absolutely.
33:54 A hundred percent.
33:55 I know he has.
33:56 Hey, that didn't make sense.
33:58 I don't know about this, whatever.
34:00 That's normal.
34:01 I absolutely love and adore my wife.
34:05 Precious woman.
34:07 Okay.
34:08 Do I like everything that she does?
34:09 No.
34:10 Does she like everything I do?
34:11 No.
34:12 But we're not getting a divorce.
34:13 We haven't turned on each other.
34:14 And I absolutely adore the ground the woman walks on.
34:16 I'm married out of my league.
34:18 So it doesn't mean that in a relationship you can't have that kind of stuff.
34:23 But I would tell you, and I believe that my finger is absolutely on the pulse of the team,
34:32 if I thought he had lost the locker room.
34:34 So I can't comment on other people's reporting.
34:36 I can think of a couple of players that would probably say that who are not long-term solutions
34:48 or are not key cogs in the wheel.
34:54 But I don't believe that, so I'm not going to say it.
34:57 And again, just understand my job is not to shoot down other people's reporting.
35:02 And just because I think my hand is on the pulse pretty good of this team, I told you
35:08 that story of a previous situation because I'm not calling anybody a liar.
35:13 Plus I don't have any idea who wrote it, but I can almost certainly tell you it didn't
35:17 come from one of the beat guys who are part of this every single day.
35:24 I've had several of you ask me to retweet or do a story on the fire Josh McDaniels train.
35:35 I need you to know I not only won't, but you need to know why.
35:41 If I thought that Josh McDaniels had lost the locker room, I would tell you.
35:46 If I thought that Josh McDaniels had taken this franchise to the very end and there was
35:52 nowhere to go, I would say that.
35:56 But as a reporter and a professional, my job is not to create news, it is to report news.
36:04 Now do I think Josh getting this franchise turned around is an uphill battle?
36:14 I do.
36:18 But do I see paths that he could get there?
36:23 I do.
36:25 So while I am going to be very blunt and honest about where I think things are at, that's
36:32 not my job.
36:35 And so I acknowledge and I write this in my articles that there's a frustrated fan base
36:42 and many people who are not supportive of the coach.
36:47 That's reporting.
36:49 But I'm not getting into tweeting, you know, sign a petition or do whatever.
36:56 That's not professional.
36:57 It's not what I do.
36:58 I have to stay in my lane.
37:02 And I think that helps me as a reporter.
37:05 You know, there are a lot of really good fans that have, you know, pods or whatever or sites,
37:12 I'm sure, that are good people that love the team.
37:17 They're writing from a fan perspective.
37:20 So they have the right to write whatever they want from a different purview than mine.
37:25 And so because so many have asked you, "Hey, Honda, why are you such a coward?
37:30 You won't retweet this."
37:31 Well, first of all, calling me names is only going to just get you muted because I don't
37:35 care.
37:36 I really don't.
37:37 In fact, if you want to call me names, I feel like you're giving other people a break.
37:43 But when several people say, "Hey, could you do this?" or "Why haven't you?"
37:47 I think that's a fair question.
37:48 And I think you deserve to know.
37:50 Now I want to go on to a couple of other issues that I think are really important to address.
37:59 Marcus Peters.
38:01 Again, we see him.
38:04 I want to go back because every time I report something to you, my lane is I believe I have
38:19 to be 100% fair.
38:22 Okay?
38:24 I know several people who've played with Marcus Peters at other places that liked him, thought
38:30 he was a good player.
38:34 And I've said that.
38:35 But I also said when they signed him, he's a guy that is a very good cover corner, but
38:48 isn't very physical at all.
38:52 That's just who he is.
38:54 Now, you may remember, go back with me to the offseason.
38:59 The Raiders brought him in and it was a long time before they signed him.
39:03 And people asked me why.
39:04 And I said, they didn't want to sign him.
39:09 But because of previous draft failures that weren't theirs, there was no depth at corner,
39:16 just none.
39:18 And eventually they knew we got to go out and sign him.
39:21 So it was a one-year stopgap deal.
39:25 I said at the time, I don't expect him back next year.
39:27 And I don't.
39:29 But part of the reason they signed him for $5 million, but part of the reason that they
39:37 signed him was because they had to have a body of some level of production.
39:44 And we knew he wasn't physical and he's not.
39:51 Now I also reported and I'm willing to be accountable to it.
39:55 I was very impressed with him during training camp.
39:58 He was very helpful to the young guys.
40:02 I had always heard he was a good guy from people I trust, but I'd never heard that he
40:08 was a leader.
40:13 And I gave him a lot of credit because the young players, receivers and defensive backs
40:18 were talking to him, getting advice, and he was extremely helpful.
40:24 But the entire year he's been a complete liability.
40:28 So if you just noticed it at the Chicago game, then I would ask you what games have you been
40:37 watching?
40:38 He is what he is.
40:40 He's a cover corner that isn't going to step up.
40:43 Occasionally you'll see him maybe in a blitz situation or in an open field situation.
40:48 If it's not going to be a collision, make some good plays, but that's not him.
40:53 So if there's a collision coming nine times out of 10, you're going to watch him get out
40:56 of the way.
40:57 And people like it.
40:58 I can't stand it, but I would not have signed him.
41:03 I understand why they did because your defense was a great concern and you didn't know how
41:09 certain corners were going to mature.
41:14 But at this point, I think all chips should be on the table.
41:22 But you knew what you were getting.
41:26 Very quick story.
41:28 I lived in a very nice neighborhood once on a private lake and a couple of yuppies moved
41:37 in and they decided they were going to do the yuppie thing and get some chickens.
41:43 Have a little bit of chicken.
41:45 I think it was three hens and a rooster.
41:50 And they had those chickens for about a week.
41:55 And I'm down getting off my boat and walking up to my house and the neighbor lady is there
42:02 and I said, "Hey, what happened to your chickens?"
42:04 She goes, "I had to get rid of them."
42:05 I said, "Why?"
42:06 She goes, "Because every morning they're cock-a-doodle-doing."
42:09 I said, "You do know that's what roosters do?
42:13 That's what they do?"
42:14 "Oh, I didn't know that."
42:18 Okay, well, it's like getting a dog getting mad because it barks.
42:23 Well, you knew what you're getting with Marcus Peters, so you don't have to like it.
42:27 I don't blame you.
42:29 I don't blame you.
42:30 I mean, if everybody's healthy, but let's be honest, Nate Hobson was clearly developing
42:34 issues of an inability, overshadowing ability and unavailability.
42:40 Excuse me.
42:41 I mean, if you're the Raiders, I'm riding with Amik, Jokorian and Nate from my three
42:47 corners.
42:49 But I wouldn't assign Marcus, but I understand why they did, and I think it made sense.
42:55 But I don't like it.
42:56 He's not part of Long Team.
42:57 I don't expect him here next year at all.
42:59 It is what it is.
43:01 But for several people, you know, "You got to talk about Peters.
43:04 Did you see this?"
43:05 Well, we've been seeing him all year.
43:06 He is what he is.
43:09 Let's talk about the trade deadline.
43:12 Again, there were people who came out like it was news.
43:16 Raiders not going to trade Devante.
43:18 Again, this is why it's important to know who you're getting your news from.
43:21 It wasn't news.
43:23 But watch what happens.
43:26 All Raider Nation, click, click, click, retweet, retweet, post on Facebook, this, and so you
43:31 give all these clicks to people who gave you news that was not news.
43:34 We've been telling you all along, he's not going anywhere.
43:38 So again, Raider Nation gets played, which I feel bad for you.
43:46 I feel bad for you.
43:49 But some of it you do to yourself.
43:53 And so when you look at where the franchise is today, talking about the trade deadline,
44:00 I've told you, they won't use draft capital unless it's someone who's part of a long-term
44:05 vision.
44:06 But if it is, they would.
44:10 They would prefer to trade player for player.
44:15 But they're looking for things that can be long-term or short, but they're out there.
44:21 Doesn't mean anything's going to happen.
44:24 That's where they're at.
44:25 Now, I want to address Hunter Renfro, and then I got one more thing to talk about.
44:33 I told you guys last year I'd have been shocked if he was on the roster.
44:36 I didn't say a trade was imminent.
44:38 I just said I'd be shocked.
44:42 And around the draft, you saw some of my other colleagues doing the same thing.
44:46 It didn't happen.
44:48 Would I be shocked if Hunter Renfro would be traded?
44:52 No.
44:53 Now, last year, before training camp, people said to me, "What do you think the Raiders
44:56 would take to him?"
44:57 I said, "I think they would like a four, but would take a five."
44:59 Oh, I wish you could have seen all the response I got from Raider fans.
45:04 "You're stupid.
45:06 He's worth a one."
45:08 Well, I think now you see he's not worth a one.
45:13 His contract, and although we haven't seen it this year, in the past, his durability
45:19 issues.
45:21 Now, do I think the Raiders would take less than a four or five?
45:29 No.
45:30 Probably.
45:31 That's opinion.
45:32 That's not definitive.
45:34 But he doesn't fit into their plans.
45:37 And remember, I promised you that I would tell you whenever the day comes that he's
45:42 not part of the organization, I would tell you why I thought he'd be traded.
45:48 But I want you to know there's no animus between him and Josh or Josh and him.
45:54 This is nothing.
45:55 First of all, it's not the way Hunter is.
45:57 And second of all, it's not the way Josh is.
45:59 It's not the way Josh is.
46:03 It's not dislike.
46:05 Hunter's style literally doesn't fit what Josh does.
46:09 Now, we talked earlier about that narrow pattern.
46:16 Do I think that Hunter could fit?
46:20 Heck yes, I do.
46:21 Has anybody ever heard of Julian Edelman or Wes Welker?
46:25 Where in the Raiders did they?
46:26 Do you remember watching?
46:27 I'm going to read you a couple of things.
46:35 Got my phone here.
46:36 I don't know if it shows up because it blurs.
46:38 But this is from a former Patriot player who really loves Josh.
46:46 So this is not coming from a point of somebody who dislikes the coach.
46:53 Rondo, where the hell are the bubble passes that we used to see with Wes and Julian all
46:58 the time?
46:59 It seems like these are made for the Josh McDaniel system.
47:04 Just wondering, is Hunter hurt?
47:06 No, he's not.
47:11 And I agree.
47:13 Those are vital parts of this scheme.
47:16 I don't understand why they're not being used.
47:19 And what they're doing now, Hunter doesn't fit.
47:23 Would I be making some adjustments?
47:26 Yes.
47:29 You can call that stubbornness on Josh's part.
47:32 Fair.
47:35 I don't think that's unfair.
47:36 But he doesn't fit.
47:40 And again, whenever the day comes that Hunter's not part of the organization or they're not
47:44 part of the organization, I'll share why I believe that way.
47:47 But for right now, that's where I think Hunter would be the guy that you'd expect to get
47:52 moved.
47:53 But again, the contract and whatever, I don't know that.
47:57 But I think there are a few others that could be traded.
48:03 But it's a tricky situation.
48:06 They're not going to hurt the long term viability of the Raiders.
48:09 And again, whether you like the regime or not, that's something you should respect.
48:14 Now lastly, I told you I would read a text, a message, excuse me, from a player.
48:24 And here's what that player said to me about Josh losing the locker room.
48:30 F that.
48:33 I think everybody's frustrated.
48:34 We share that frustration.
48:38 But I can't think of a one of us that really wants to see the coach fired in the middle
48:42 of the season.
48:43 Just quit on the year.
48:45 Just give up on the year.
48:46 Who does that?
48:48 Who quits?
48:49 That doesn't make any sense to me.
48:52 Hold on.
48:54 Frustrated you better believe it.
48:58 Wondering about some stuff?
48:59 Of course.
49:00 Want a guy fired, lost our locker room, give me an effing break.
49:07 There you go.
49:10 So again, what's the state of the franchise?
49:15 I think they're in discombobulation.
49:20 I think they have got to take a long, hard look at what we're doing.
49:27 I'd be looking at the Hunter Renfro type of stuff.
49:33 I'd be looking at, you know, why do we have a Hunter Renfro and we're not using him when
49:39 we see we did it.
49:41 I would be looking at every single part, every single part of this team, figuring out grass
49:50 mushrooms.
49:51 To me, there's no ego.
49:52 Everything's on the table.
49:53 What can we do?
49:54 Win, baby, just win.
49:56 I saw a lot of people saying fire Patrick Graham.
50:06 The defense is one of the only thing that's been a bright spot, but we knew the defense.
50:10 Look at what they invested into it.
50:12 The Raiders are getting, I think the Raiders are getting more out of their defense and
50:16 what they've invested into it.
50:18 But it's hard to have your defense play well when your offense isn't.
50:23 You know, they always say complimentary football.
50:25 Well, let's be honest.
50:26 For the last several weeks, it hasn't been.
50:28 It's been the defense carrying the load.
50:32 Now like the Bills game, they look terrible on Sunday, but again, had no compliment.
50:40 So there you go.
50:42 That's the state of the franchise.
50:43 That's what I know from the inside right now.
50:45 We're going to have plenty of more coverage coming, including some interesting things
50:51 headed your way this week.
50:57 We're going to have a lot more insider information.
50:58 I've got a whole page of notes that I didn't even get to address because I'm still waiting
51:02 to get some comments and get some more information on, but a lot going on.
51:08 And I know you're upset Raider Nation.
51:10 I know the people in the building are upset.
51:12 I think everybody should be.
51:16 Not saying that this is a time for kumbaya and s'mores, but what I am saying is that
51:22 I know you're frustrated, your frustrations being heard, and it's up now to the regime
51:30 to fix it.
51:31 If you don't like the narrative, change the product.
51:36 Simple enough.
51:38 And I would say to the Raiders, they know their fan base is frustrated.
51:43 They're not stupid.
51:45 So if you don't like the product, like what's going on, change the product.
51:52 Fix it.
51:54 Fix it.
51:55 If there was a theme of today, just fix it.
52:00 From Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation, Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast, part of the
52:04 Fans First Sports Network.
52:05 I'm Hondo Carpenter.
52:07 Thanks for joining us, everybody.
52:08 We'll see you tomorrow.
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