Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast: Maxx Crosby wasn't wrong and the latest on the organizational search for new leadership.
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00:00 Hello everybody, this is Hondo Carpenter from Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation Las Vegas
00:07 Raiders Insider Podcast.
00:08 It's great to have you today.
00:10 We're going to get into the Raiders, what's going on with Antonio Pierce, what's happening
00:18 with Champ Kelly.
00:21 But right up front I want to address the situation with Max Crosby and his statements, what has
00:31 been said about his statements, and all that encompasses his comments with the Raiders,
00:40 etc.
00:41 So, first of all again, thank you for being here.
00:44 So many of you have liked, shared, subscribed, and we're growing exponentially and just want
00:51 to simply say thank you.
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00:57 So thank you so much for doing that.
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01:47 click on it and that's where that happens.
01:51 So let's get right into today's podcast.
01:55 I want to discuss Max Crosby and the Max Crosby situation.
02:00 It was reported by some that Max Crosby would demand a trade if Antonio Pierce is not hired.
02:11 His wording, publicly, was that he would consider all options, of which demanding a trade is
02:22 legitimate that he may.
02:29 I was stunned by the response of a lot of Raider Nation that said, "Bye, bye Felicia,
02:41 you can't have that."
02:43 I was stunned by it.
02:45 And I want to tell you why.
02:48 I'm going to tell you how it applies to the current situation with the Raiders and what
02:55 my take of it is.
02:57 First of all, I have had the privilege of knowing Max Crosby for many, many years, back
03:03 to when he was not even playing at Eastern Michigan, when he was not playing as much
03:10 as he wanted, nor in my opinion, as much as he should.
03:17 Max Crosby is a lot of things.
03:20 He is not a drama king.
03:23 He is not a person that's a, "It's all about me."
03:27 In fact, he is one of the rare chameleons that it's all about we, not about me.
03:34 He is one of the most loyal people in the world.
03:38 He is one of the most faithful guys in the whole world.
03:42 I have said this numerous times.
03:46 He is, to the best of my knowledge, I have never met his family.
03:49 If I have, I don't remember.
03:53 But he is a guy that when you get to know him, and I know him well, he's the kind of
03:58 guy you want your daughter to marry.
04:01 He is a guy that when he came face to face with his issues, he chose sobriety.
04:09 He is a guy that gives 110%.
04:12 And again, the loyalty factor, who he is as a man, he pours himself into being a father,
04:20 a husband.
04:21 Those are the most important things in the world to him.
04:25 And so he's asked, "What do you think?"
04:31 Now I want to go through and I want to parse what he said.
04:38 And again, I'm coming from a perspective of somebody who knows Max and knows him well.
04:44 And I want to talk about what I think of what he said.
04:50 You're certainly welcome to feel anything you want.
04:54 But Max Crosby puts more effort into being a Raider than just about anyone.
05:01 From Mark Davis' signed out.
05:04 He is at the facility nearly every single day.
05:08 He works and eats.
05:11 There isn't a cheat day in Max Crosby's world in anything he does.
05:17 I've lost a lot of weight, about 180 pounds.
05:23 Didn't have surgery.
05:24 It doesn't mean people who have surgery are wrong.
05:27 I just didn't need it.
05:30 By being extremely disciplined and watching what I eat.
05:35 And they always will say, "Hey, come on.
05:41 Today's a cheat day.
05:42 You're going to be losing weight.
05:44 Today's a cheat day."
05:46 Max doesn't even know what a cheat day is because he is an all in or an all out guy.
05:53 That's how he rolls.
05:54 It's how he operates.
05:57 It is the way in which he was raised.
06:00 His family are hardworking people.
06:03 You don't get to say, "Oh, I'm just blowing the day off."
06:07 Every day you grind.
06:09 Every day you do what you do.
06:12 This is a man that puts the maximum effort into being a Raider.
06:18 This is a man who for, I've been telling you, for several weeks has been running at between
06:25 60 and 70% capacity.
06:28 This is a guy that literally played when there was concerns about his body being in a place
06:37 that could have cost him everything.
06:40 Literally.
06:42 This is a guy that several weeks, the last several weeks of the season could have cashed
06:46 it in and nobody would have questioned his commitment.
06:49 This is how he rolls.
06:52 At one point, he was the only player in the NFL this year listed as doubtful on Thursday
06:57 who played and has given everything.
07:05 This is a guy that loves Mark Davis, loves the organization.
07:10 I've seen people comment, "Hey, if you think you just want this guy because you like smoking
07:15 cigars and listening to music, you are entitled to whatever opinion that you want."
07:24 I respect that.
07:25 A hundred percent, I respect that.
07:28 But that means you're also entitled to be wrong.
07:32 When you make a comment, "He only wants Antonio Pierce because of the music they listen to
07:37 in the locker room or smoking cigars," that is the most ignorant comment in the entire
07:43 world.
07:44 Again, you're entitled to it.
07:47 But I literally went through and anybody I saw, I just muted them.
07:50 Don't want to listen to them.
07:51 You have a right to speak, but your right to speak doesn't mean I have to listen.
07:56 I laugh.
07:58 Everyone wants to talk about what makes me angry, what makes me sad.
08:01 Well, my rights don't end where your feelings begin.
08:06 You're entitled to feel that way.
08:09 But I want to take a different perspective because if you don't know Max, you may feel
08:16 that way, but me missing the point.
08:21 Max made the most Raider answer that there is.
08:26 "Hey, all I want to do is win.
08:30 I am driven to winning.
08:34 I am doing every single thing in the world I can do for the Raiders to get in the playoff."
08:39 Well, what's he saying?
08:40 "If we don't keep AP, I would have been your five years and had five coaches."
08:47 He's saying to Mark Davis, "I want to be a Raider.
08:53 My desire is to be a Raider.
08:55 My heart is to be a Raider.
08:58 I love your team.
09:00 I am committed to winning.
09:02 I risked my life when sick this year, as well as the way I play.
09:08 I risk my life every time I step on the field because of CTE and other injuries."
09:14 A lot of the best football players have trouble walking the rest of their life.
09:20 One hit away from a massive injury.
09:24 And what's he saying?
09:26 "Not if you don't pay me X, I'm leaving.
09:30 If you don't get me a coach and you don't demonstrate to me you are as committed to
09:35 winning as I am, I'm going to consider every option."
09:39 Is there a more Raider answer?
09:43 Your franchise's motto is "Just Win, Baby."
09:48 You have a player who demonstrates "Just Win."
09:54 And he says, "If you don't want to do that, great.
10:00 I'm just going to consider every option."
10:07 I not only think that he made the right statement, I don't blame him.
10:17 This is a guy saying, "Listen, I got mine.
10:21 I got my big deal.
10:23 I can sit back and cash checks, but I love the fans."
10:32 He talked about the fans.
10:35 We're sick of this.
10:38 What are they sick of?
10:42 Instability.
10:43 I want there to be stability.
10:48 I want to win.
10:51 I want to stick with a scheme.
10:54 The last time we had something going, you chose to listen to other people and ignore
11:01 us.
11:02 That's great.
11:03 It's your team.
11:05 You can do that.
11:06 He didn't call Mark Davis out.
11:09 If you choose to ignore us again, and I'm the one giving you all of this, then guess
11:14 what?
11:15 If you choose to, that's cool.
11:16 I'm going to consider what my options are.
11:18 What's my option?
11:19 My option is I can ask to be traded.
11:23 Now Mark Davis has a right to say, "Screw you.
11:26 I'm not trading you."
11:31 That's Mark's right.
11:33 That's Max's right.
11:35 But he's saying, "We're tired of this."
11:41 He's literally saying, "We want you to succeed."
11:48 It's like the person in a relationship and the other is constantly cheating.
11:56 And they say, "Listen, I'll take you back.
12:00 But if you do it again, we're done.
12:04 I care about us or I wouldn't give you a second chance.
12:09 I wouldn't give you a third or fourth or whatever that may be.
12:12 But you do it again, I'm done.
12:14 I'm done."
12:18 Are they wrong?
12:21 Is it wrong of a guy who gives you everything he has, not just at practice, not just in
12:27 the building?
12:31 When is the last time you saw Max Crosby in any trouble legally?
12:37 When's the last time you saw him make a fool of himself?
12:41 When's the last time you saw him make a fool of the organization?
12:46 No.
12:48 He's going to NBA games, getting tons of respect from other players and other leagues because
12:55 he is an elite generational talent.
13:01 I've been telling you for the four years I cover this team, here am I as myself and the
13:06 people close to him of the work ethic of an Irvin Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Kobe
13:12 Bryant.
13:14 He is one of those elite players.
13:18 If he's not the best, he's the second best defensive player in the National Football
13:22 League.
13:24 He is a top five player at any position.
13:28 If you made a current Mount Rushmore of current players, Crosby's on it.
13:37 He's saying to you, "Listen, this is what I expect.
13:44 I expect the organization to be as committed to winning as I am.
13:48 If it's not, hey guys, I got my money.
13:52 This is about championships.
13:54 I want to win championships.
13:57 I'm tired of watching the Super Bowl.
14:00 I'm tired of watching the playoffs.
14:03 I've been here all these years, been to the playoffs once.
14:11 If you don't keep AP next year and Champ, a lot of people talk about AP and they should,
14:16 but he includes Champ in that, then I got to consider being here."
14:23 Is there a more Rader answer?
14:25 No.
14:27 Guess what?
14:29 Each of us, most of us work for somebody.
14:35 Now let's use a couple of people as an example.
14:40 You all know, because I felt like I was not being braggadocious, but I always tell you
14:47 if something could skew my opinion and it's called full disclosure.
14:55 So in the interest of full disclosure, when Brian Hoyer got signed here, I made it clear
15:00 to everyone that Brian Hoyer and I go back a very long ways and are very good friends.
15:11 He taught one of my sons when he was very young, how to throw a football when I became
15:16 a quarterback.
15:20 I've known him since before he was even in college.
15:23 I consider his parents friends.
15:26 I know his siblings who are tremendously wonderful people, was even at his grandma's almost
15:32 funeral.
15:33 I don't say that to be braggadocious.
15:35 I said it because I wanted to give you full disclosure in case you thought my opinion
15:41 of Brian was altered by that.
15:45 If Brian Hoyer says, "If you don't keep Antonio Pierce, I'm going to consider all
15:51 my options," no one cares.
15:55 No one should care.
15:59 Brian's impact on the football team is nowhere near that of Max's.
16:04 So he doesn't carry the weight.
16:08 I'm using Brian because even though I know him, the reality is he doesn't carry the weight
16:13 of Max.
16:14 And Brian, who's one of the smartest people you know, and I know, would tell you that.
16:21 My opinion doesn't matter.
16:24 There is maybe one other player on this team who carries Max's weight, but I don't think
16:37 Devante carries the weight of a Max Crosby.
16:42 Devante's older.
16:45 He's got less career ahead of him than he has behind him.
16:50 Max doesn't.
16:52 Max has got a lot more years left than what he's played.
16:57 This is a, I'd be stunned if he doesn't play 10 or 12 years.
17:01 Now, he may choose, "Okay, the risk isn't worth it.
17:04 I've got my money.
17:05 I'm not," but he doesn't play for money.
17:08 Yes, he makes a ton of it.
17:10 Yes, he gets a paycheck.
17:12 But the guys who play for money are the guys that get the big deal and then change how
17:16 they play.
17:18 Money changed Max.
17:20 It made him even more committed.
17:23 He's a unicorn.
17:24 He is a rare breed.
17:28 He is elite.
17:31 If you were to let the NFL know that Max, that Devante Adams is on the trading block,
17:37 there would be a ton of NFL teams interested.
17:41 I would say to you, eight to 10, maybe 12 teams would be interested in Devante Adams.
17:53 I know that there was eight to 10 who called prior to the trade deadline.
18:00 Max Crosby, if you let it be known, he's on the trade deadline.
18:05 31 teams step up and are interested in trading for him.
18:12 A generational talent with a lot of wear left on the tires who will give you maximum effort.
18:23 That's a unicorn.
18:26 Again, and so when he says that, he's not coming out being a prima donna.
18:34 He didn't come out and say he hates Davis.
18:37 He hates the Raiders.
18:38 He's tired of being, this was not, came on and said, I love it here.
18:43 I'm a Raider for life.
18:45 I'm tatted.
18:49 But I'm a Raider for life if you want to be the Raiders.
18:55 If you're all in and it's just win, I'm here.
18:59 I'm in the building.
19:00 I'm giving you, I am demonstrating to you what Raider effort is.
19:07 And if you don't want to demonstrate to me Raider effort, okay, that's cool.
19:10 Love you.
19:12 Peace out.
19:15 I don't think he did anything wrong at all.
19:22 I think Max Crosby cares.
19:27 He loves this organization.
19:30 He loves the fans and he loves winning.
19:35 He's a winner.
19:36 And he's saying, I became a Raider because your motto is just win.
19:45 And if you're not going to do what I think is necessary for just win, I'm not playing
19:51 just for the cash.
19:54 I'm playing because I want to win.
19:58 And you saw the last several games of this year, sick beyond belief and some of them
20:04 throwing up his knee, his thumb, which both will get surgery this week.
20:10 I think Wednesday.
20:14 If you don't want to be Raiders, then I'm going to go find somebody who does.
20:21 Now, you may disagree with him.
20:25 Guess what, if I go to my company and I believe that I am a great contributor to my company,
20:31 I believe that I generate them a lot of money.
20:35 If I go to my company and say, if you don't do this, I'm leaving.
20:41 And don't believe at all that my company wants me to go.
20:45 I believe their answer would be, okay, we appreciate you.
20:49 Thank you for all you've done for us.
20:52 Wish you the best.
20:53 It's just the reality.
20:56 Most of us, that is the reality.
21:00 I work for a great company, committed to the same things I'm committed to.
21:06 But they would say, okay, Hondo, listen, we appreciate you.
21:09 You've been a great contributor.
21:12 God bless you, wish you the best.
21:15 I don't even claim to be that person with my company, but Max is.
21:21 When I go to work, my children worry, am I going to get a paper cut?
21:29 When he goes to work, his beautiful bride, his family, and eventually,
21:36 when his baby's older, will wonder, is dad going to be able to walk when he's 50?
21:44 Is dad going to end up with an infection losing a leg?
21:49 Is dad going to be able to physically pick us up, pick up his grandchildren?
21:57 Is he going to be able to remember the names of his grandchildren?
22:02 Because he's a unicorn.
22:05 If you want to consider him a prima donna, if you want to go buy Felicia, that's fine.
22:11 But then don't tell me all you are is committed to winning.
22:17 He may be wrong.
22:21 Antonio Pierce may fail.
22:24 Champ Kelly may fail.
22:29 But based on the track record of this organization,
22:37 Max has given you more reason to believe he knows the path to being what Raiders are
22:44 than anybody in the organization's given you.
22:48 Merrick Davis has went out and hired some very respected, really good coaches.
22:53 You can't say that John Gruden wasn't a great coach.
22:58 You can't say that about Del Rio.
22:59 You can't say that Josh McDaniels, he's been a failure as a head coach,
23:05 but so incredibly respected as an X's and O's guy.
23:09 Complete failure, not denying that.
23:14 I don't think any one of us could look at Mark Davis and say,
23:16 "Wow, he's made a lot of decisions that were just intentional.
23:22 He didn't care."
23:25 That would be unfair to paint Mark Davis in that brush,
23:29 and I don't believe it's truthful.
23:31 I believe he does care.
23:32 If he didn't, Josh McDaniels would have stayed as a coach, and I've said that.
23:38 But here's the one guy in his organization that says, "Listen,
23:42 we've trusted your way multiple times.
23:46 It failed.
23:49 Please trust me."
23:52 Now, I want you to realize what Max did when he made that statement.
23:58 He put himself, I'm up here on a hunting trip.
24:01 By the way, temperature today is, with the wind chills, somewhere around 20 below zero.
24:07 But let me tell you what Max did, because he's not dumb.
24:14 A lot of people see the language and how he likes to horse around and think,
24:20 "Oh, Max Price."
24:21 Max Price, there's not a dumb bone in his body.
24:26 He is calculated.
24:28 He is consistent, and he's very, very smart.
24:35 Max knew when I make this statement, if Mark Davis chooses not to listen to me,
24:48 that I know what my value is here.
24:52 "Shut up.
24:54 Play the game."
24:57 I think my value is more than that.
25:01 So he speaks up, knowing now if Champ and AP get hired, the bullseye's on him.
25:13 The bullseye's on him.
25:17 He knows if AP fails, if Champ fails, I carry that weight on me.
25:25 People are not going to just blame me now for a loss.
25:30 They're going to blame me for an organizational failure.
25:36 So what he said was, "I'm willing to help carry this weight.
25:43 I play in games that don't matter.
25:46 I play in games because we only get 17, where the playoffs are done and I could
25:51 check out, but that's not who I am."
25:58 Trust me, you may not agree with Max Crosby.
26:05 You may think going with AP over Dodds and AP and Champ over Dodds and Harbaugh or
26:12 Dodds and Vrabel or whoever you want, you may think, "He's wrong.
26:18 That's a dumb move."
26:19 Okay, you're entitled to that opinion.
26:23 He's entitled to his, and he's making it known just when, and he's willing to
26:35 accept more of the responsibility.
26:38 I'm sorry, you can disagree with him, but if your attitude is, "Eh, your opinions
26:45 don't matter," okay, okay.
26:49 So you don't change jobs?
26:52 I've had jobs before that I changed because I didn't like the leadership.
27:01 You never have?
27:05 You never have.
27:07 He took a very team-friendly deal because he wanted to be a Raider, made a lot of money.
27:13 No one's doubting that, but he took a very team-friendly deal.
27:17 Didn't let it get to where they had to franchise tag him.
27:21 Didn't want to see what the market offered.
27:23 He did a Tom Brady-esque move, took a very friendly deal.
27:30 And now he's saying, "Hey, if y'all aren't going to make decisions that I think lead
27:37 to winning, I'm going to explore every option, which is the possibility of asking you to
27:41 trade me."
27:45 I don't see one thing that Max Crosby did wrong.
27:49 It's amazing how many people want players to voice their opinions unless they disagree
27:54 with it.
27:56 Again, most of the players on this team, their opinion doesn't matter.
28:06 He's the one, again, maybe Devante, but those are the two.
28:13 And really you can make an argument, there's only one whose voice deserves that weight.
28:22 You may disagree, but I don't believe he said anything wrong.
28:26 All right, let's move along.
28:28 Let's talk about Champ Kelly.
28:32 Champ had an interview in Carolina, and I have a connection to somebody in Carolina
28:38 that goes back many, many years before I was covering Raiders, before this person was any
28:45 part of the organization whatsoever.
28:48 Known them a long time.
28:50 And I simply asked, "Hey, how did things go with Champ?"
28:59 And which I don't have the service right now.
29:06 But I was told, I'm paraphrasing here, that he killed it.
29:12 That he knew their entire roster without notes.
29:15 Again, I'm going off memory here, I'm not reading it.
29:18 That without notes, he broke down their entire roster.
29:23 He gave multiple answers to multiple questions that really opened the door to him, almost
29:36 hyperlinking his answers.
29:39 And he would go on and explain everything.
29:43 I was told it was the longest of all the interviews that they conducted, and was told by this
29:50 person that they would be stunned if Champ Kelly didn't get another interview.
29:56 It went really, really well.
30:00 Now, there are two camps.
30:03 Those that think Champ Kelly has done everything in the world to earn this job, talking about
30:07 with the Raiders, and those that don't.
30:11 However you decide your opinion, it's fine with me.
30:17 I have made it clear.
30:19 I said it when Mike Mayock was released, that I believed he was an awesome candidate
30:27 for the job, and I stand by that.
30:29 I think now more than ever, he is the best candidate.
30:34 He knows this roster, upwards, downwards, backwards, and forward.
30:38 He carries tremendous respect in the National Football League.
30:43 He picks up that phone, everybody's picking it up.
30:47 Now some of them, when you have a general manager, pick it up thinking, "Hmm, we can
30:54 fleece these guys."
30:57 The Raiders previously, before Champ got here, were considered to have an archaic scouting
31:08 system.
31:11 They were considered teams that would make emotional decisions.
31:15 I mean, look at some of the draft picks, just made no sense.
31:22 Just none.
31:23 Emotion, "Oh, I can fix that guy.
31:27 Oh, I can, I can," whatever.
31:32 And so there were times teams felt like they could probably take a little bit of an advantage
31:38 of the Raiders.
31:40 Now Champ Kelly was a key asset that Dave Ziegler entrusted to revamp the scouting system,
31:49 and now it's one of the best in the National Football League.
31:54 And he is a guy that when he calls, people pick up the phone.
32:00 They know that he's not out trying to make them look stupid.
32:09 But he's smart.
32:10 He knows his roster.
32:11 He knows your roster.
32:13 He knows every roster in the National Football League.
32:17 He's already here.
32:19 He's already established.
32:20 He already has the franchise scouting and working towards the next draft.
32:25 He's the guy that when Mark Davis made the decision to move on from McDaniels and from
32:33 Ziegler, he entrusted Champ Kelly.
32:38 There were two names considered for interim coach, Edgar Bennett and him.
32:45 And he presented those options to Mark and felt like Antonio Pierce was the way to go.
32:53 That proved to be a very good decision.
32:57 And he goes and kills it with Carolina.
33:02 I know this.
33:04 Couple of reasons people have asked me, how come more clubs haven't wanted to interview
33:07 him?
33:08 First of all, a lot of teams maybe have a guy already in mind that they know who they
33:14 want.
33:17 So that's a reason not everybody gets interviews.
33:21 Second of all, I know of one club, because I have a very good friend that I hunt and
33:26 fish with every year who's part of that club, that their exact words were, I don't think
33:34 he fits in our organization because our owner does primarily a lot of what he does through
33:42 other people.
33:45 So it's fascinating how all that works.
33:49 But again, expect him to get a second interview.
33:53 Not reporting that as a fact yet, just the person there expects it, said they would be
33:57 stunned if he didn't, but he knocked it out of the park.
34:01 And I want to quickly address something.
34:04 None of that came from Champ.
34:08 I saw people, oh, this is a leak from Champ.
34:10 I'm telling you right now, had nothing to do with Champ.
34:15 Came from somebody within the Carolina organization.
34:18 So that's out.
34:20 Now, I am going to tell you a little bit, not much, but a little bit about what's going
34:29 on with him and the Raiders.
34:30 I expect him, I'm not here reporting it as 100% accurate.
34:35 I'm giving you my expectation is that Champ Kelly is going to be the general manager of
34:41 the Las Vegas Raiders.
34:44 And certainly, certainly that is wide open.
34:51 I'm just telling you what I believe.
34:54 I think it's the best option for the Raiders, but my opinion is irrelevant.
34:59 Mark Davis does not care what Hondo Carpenter thinks, and he doesn't care what you think.
35:05 It's his team, he can do whatever he wants, whatever he wants.
35:11 If he chose to trade Mark and Max Crosby tomorrow, it's his team.
35:19 I'm not invested as a fan.
35:24 My job is an analyst.
35:26 And so analyzing this situation, being there, talking to players and members of the organization
35:32 on a regular basis, knowing what is going on, he's clearly the best option.
35:37 It doesn't mean there isn't some other really good guys, just means he's clearly the best
35:41 option in my opinion.
35:42 I expect him to get it.
35:44 The only thing I will tell you is that he has made a tremendous impression within the
35:51 entire organization.
35:54 He's very respected and has made a tremendous impression.
36:01 We'll leave it there.
36:03 Now we move to Antonio Pierce.
36:08 I don't, they could certainly go hire whoever they want.
36:14 I don't think there is a better coaching candidate for this job than Antonio Pierce at all.
36:25 Don't think there's a better one.
36:32 I believe, I'm not reporting this as factual, I'm giving you Hondo Carpenter opinion.
36:38 I believe that he will be the next coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.
36:46 That's what I believe.
36:47 My 70%?
36:48 No, Tony, that's what I believe, that he's going to be the next coach of the Raiders,
36:54 which is a terrific decision.
36:58 But here is something that I want to throw out to you.
37:01 Now, if you don't want him, that's fine.
37:04 I don't think anyone who watches this podcast, who knows football on the lease, would say
37:09 that Jim Harbaugh is a horrible football coach.
37:15 You'd have to be insane to say that.
37:19 You'd have to be insane to say that Mike Vrabel is a horrible football coach.
37:25 Okay?
37:27 That just is not even logical.
37:30 So good coaches, but this team right now, where they are at, the best option and the
37:41 one that I think gives you the best opportunity to win without any mode of a rebuild is AP.
37:54 Now remember, I got to look at my notes here.
37:58 I think it's the 22nd in-person interviews can begin with coaches whose teams are still
38:07 in the playoff.
38:11 But one of the things you want to be aware of and be cognizant of is, let's assume that
38:19 Carolina comes back and says to Champ, "All right, we want you.
38:25 Who do you want to be our head coach?"
38:29 And he says, "AP."
38:34 Okay?
38:36 Now you're Champ and you're AP.
38:40 If you're offered the jobs, do you continue to wait, hoping that you get the Raiders?
38:48 Now I'm going to be very blunt with you because I know both men.
38:54 We know them both.
38:57 I believe their heart is 100% Raider.
39:02 In fact, I know that.
39:05 They love the Raiders.
39:06 They want this job with the Las Vegas Raiders, period.
39:11 That's what they want.
39:17 But do you wait wanting something?
39:22 When your dream is to be a general manager or to be a head coach, and there's only 32
39:26 of them, do you continue to wait or say, "Listen, this is what I want.
39:37 This is what I have offer for right now.
39:42 And if my dream is to be a head coach and my dream is to be the Raiders, but they can't
39:49 make up their mind, do I take that opportunity?"
39:56 I don't know the answer to that.
39:57 And I think I'm very good about telling you this is what I know, this is what I don't
40:01 know.
40:02 But I'm telling you, I believe, I know both men want to be Raiders.
40:08 But I believe if the Raiders drag their feet, that they would certainly give great attention
40:18 to the possibility of going somewhere else.
40:20 I believe that 100%, as would all of us.
40:25 If you had a chance to be a TV personality, let's say that you're in TV, and you've always
40:34 wanted to be an ESPN SportsCenter anchor.
40:38 All right.
40:40 And that doesn't happen.
40:43 But another sports media entity would say NFL Network offers you a job as an anchor.
40:49 Do you just sit around saying, "No, I want to be with ESPN."
40:52 No, you take that job.
40:54 Maybe your dream is to been a lathe operator for General Motors.
41:04 And it's always been your dream, but you got a chance to be a lathe operator for Ford.
41:09 What do you do?
41:11 So that is the current state of where it's sitting.
41:18 I think there's going to be one other team that is going to want to interview Patrick
41:23 Graham.
41:25 I'm almost certain of that.
41:28 I'm talking to somebody who I know very, very well in that organization.
41:34 I'm not going to get into why that request hasn't been made yet, although it may have
41:40 already been made.
41:41 I don't know that, so you're going to have to forgive me, but I don't believe they had.
41:45 But I think there's a very good chance that Patrick Graham is going to get another interview
41:48 as well.
41:49 And so that's where the process sits.
41:53 Do I think the Raiders could have a coach and a general manager in place within a week?
42:00 Yes, I think they could.
42:04 Do I expect it?
42:06 Probably not.
42:07 I think it would think it's going to be just probably a little bit longer than that.
42:12 But that is where the situation sits today.
42:15 There's a lot of great options.
42:19 There's a lot of great options.
42:22 Do I think there is some angst amongst the players?
42:27 But some of them, it's just the reality.
42:30 Their angst is not relevant.
42:35 It is to them, but I mean, it's not relevant to rushing a decision.
42:42 But when you got a Max Crosby saying, "Hey, just make sure you get it right."
42:46 There's no angst unless you don't.
42:51 So that's where the situation sits.
42:53 We're going to continue to bring you updates on it all the time, all week.
42:58 You know, we present these podcasts to you all the time.
43:01 Thank you for listening, everybody.
43:03 I hope it brings a different perspective with Max.
43:08 And you may say, "I don't like players making those statements."
43:14 I respect that.
43:18 But if you're just like, "Bye, don't care."
43:21 I think you need to check yourself and ask yourself, "Why is his voice different?"
43:30 Why is his voice different?
43:34 Because it is.
43:35 I'm going to end with this.
43:42 Years ago, I'm actually going to tell you two quick stories.
43:46 But years ago, I knew a guy who had a girlfriend who tried to control his life.
43:55 And this guy's dad went to him and said, "Listen, when you get married, your wife's your partner.
44:02 You listen to everything your wife has to say.
44:05 But you're not even engaged and she's trying to control you.
44:13 You may want to back off.
44:16 If she's your wife, her voice is different.
44:20 But she's not even your fiance."
44:25 And the guy took the advice, said, "Hey, listen, I appreciate you.
44:31 You're my girlfriend, but we're not even engaged yet.
44:34 Step back a little bit.
44:36 Don't try to run my life."
44:38 And I believe now they've been married over 30 years and her voice is different.
44:44 Why? Because she's not a girlfriend.
44:46 She's a wife who's produced some wonderful children and they're partners in life.
44:52 The voice is different.
44:55 Last point.
44:58 And we're on a hunting trip.
45:00 And when I come in from hunting, I'm working, even sitting in the blind, I'm texting, doing work, working all the time.
45:08 And I love it. It's not a complaint.
45:11 And I'm sitting at the computer typing and my 18-month-old son, Dexter, comes up to me.
45:19 And he's trying to get dad's attention.
45:22 And I'm like, "It's OK, Dexter. Just give me, give daddy a minute. I'm working."
45:27 I'm sitting there and all of a sudden it hits me.
45:31 I've got plenty of older children.
45:34 And they don't come and jump in dad's lap anymore.
45:39 They're not demanding of my attention.
45:41 They have lives. They're older.
45:44 And I miss them and I love them like every parent does.
45:47 And I thought, "Dexter's not always going to want to get in dad's lap.
45:52 He's not going to want to just take a second and give me a hug and a kiss.
45:55 I love you, dad."
45:57 So his voice was different.
45:59 So I pushed back the computer.
46:03 Reached down, grabbed him, pulled him up, gave him a huge hug and a kiss.
46:07 We talked for a couple of minutes.
46:08 You know, as much as an 18-month-old and his 52-year-old dad do.
46:15 Put him back down on the ground and he crawled all the way through four steps to the ground and said,
46:19 "Bye-bye," and walked out and crawled out of the room.
46:24 My point to you is this.
46:27 His voice is different.
46:32 He's my son.
46:34 And no matter what I'm doing, there's nothing of more value than him.
46:41 Max Crosby's voice is different.
46:44 I don't think the way he said it was wrong.
46:46 I think he could have said it wrong.
46:48 I don't think he did at all.
46:51 I think his voice deserved to be heard.
46:54 I appreciate all of you very, very much.
46:56 You're tremendous people.
46:58 You're hardworking people.
47:00 You're the salt of the earth.
47:01 And I love spending time with you guys every single day in these podcasts.
47:06 So from all of us here at Sports Illustrated's FAN Nation, Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast,
47:11 I appreciate you.
47:13 I respect you.
47:14 Thank you for spending some time with us.
47:16 I hope you have a wonderful day.
47:17 And wherever you are, I hope you're able to stay warm.
47:22 Our heat here where we're at on the trip is set at 70, and the temperature inside is 56.
47:30 So, boy, is it fun.
47:33 Appreciate y'all.
47:34 Have a great day.
47:35 Thanks for joining us.
47:36 And stay out of trouble and be good.