Josh McDaniels sets the tone at minicamp

Accountability is here for the Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders are getting ready for the new season with OTA’s underway. We get our first glimpse of the team’s image and the future of the football franchise under this new regime.

Josh McDaniels comes from the Bill Belichick tree, where it is an acquired taste for players. Many players will vouch for the system, while others will complain about the strict accountability. At his first stop, McDaniels tried to duplicate it to awful results. The former Denver Broncos head coach is looking to right his wrongs.

“I feel like I’ve learned a lot. I feel like it’s slowed down for me for sure.” McDaniels said, “It doesn’t mean anything at this point in time of the year. It doesn’t have any bearing on what’s going to happen down the road, but definitely feel a different comfort level now in terms of understanding what my role is and how to do it better.”

It is an excellent outlook for the new head coach. The Raiders will get a hungry leader attempting to be better than during his last opportunity. However, McDaniels is setting the tone at practice by letting the players know mistakes are not acceptable.

During Thursday’s practice, the team lined up in the wrong position. It caused the offensive session to stall, and the team was forced to run laps. It creates an atmosphere of being prepared and ready for Sundays where the game plans are of utmost importance.

“I would say they were probably just as responsible for that and wanting to do that because it wasn’t a good period.” McDaniels said, “They know that. I’m not going to be out there cracking a whip on that. I mean, if we’re not doing the right things in a football game there’s going to be some consequences. And usually, they’re negative. So, I think they understand the whole the concept of that. We don’t play well, we don’t practice well.”

The balance from one of the best play-callers in the league is an incredible sight to see. It’s a breath of fresh air from the previous coaching staff with players who have frozen feet running the show. Finally, the Raiders are ready to be serious.