Jimmy Johnson's Dallas Cowboys Similar to Las Vegas Raiders
Henderson, Nev--Last season the then Oakland Raiders found themselves with a 6-4 record after nine games with the eyes of the nation resting on them. Their emerging superstar back, Josh Jacobs showed all the signs of stardom, and despite setbacks, they were on a roll.
Then the wheels on the season seemed to get out of alignment. Injuries made every week more of a M*A*S*H unit, with General Manager Mike Mayock and Coach Jon Gruden looking at tape and glue trying to figure out how to fix things beyond their control.
In the final six games of the campaign, they lost five contests, and what was once a dream of getting back to the playoffs for the first time since 2016 turned into packing for the move to Las Vegas.
The Raider legendary ICON Al Davis built this franchise on the motto of, "Just Win, Baby." So while many franchises would have spent the offseason complaining about bad luck, the Raiders honored Davis by doing it the Raider way. No whining, but back to work.
Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock are reliable football people. Despite the cries from a few whiners, they have made it clear they are buyers on Derek Carr, and they should be.
Proving that point, they went out and added and stockpiled talent and weapons on both sides of the ball.
Raider Nation should be looking at all of the new weapons and healthy players still here like Christmas and wondering which toy to play with first, rather than do I have a toy to play with like last season?
Outside of New England, there are few franchises over decades that enter the season with a Super Bowl or bust mentality. In fairness, the Patriots have only thought that way for 20 years. For a storied Las Vegas Raiders franchise, it's been nearly 60 years.
I've lived in other cities and covered other teams that saw the playoffs as a moral victory. They aren't the Raiders. That is what sets the Silver and Black apart. The disdain for mediocrity makes Raider Nation the most passionate fans in football and the franchise relevant every year.
In the NFL, every player is competing to move up the depth chart. The signing of Marcus Mariota was brilliant by the Raiders' leadership. He is a good quarterback. Neither Marcus nor Derek Carr will be intimidated by the presence of the other. It will be the opposite. They are competitors.
The 2020 Las Vegas Raiders are Derek Carr's team. He knows that Mariota is a fighter and a battler. He wants to sit on the bench about as much as a fat kid wants to go to a Dairy Queen to watch other children eat a banana split. But the difference is that they are exceptional men and teammates.
In many football facilities across the nation that I have visited, you see a sign. It is the Bible verse of Proverbs 27:17, "Iron sharpens iron." The presence of another good quarterback in the room, one that understands team, makes both men better.
Carr will welcome Mariota and teach him the system. Why? Because he is a winner. He knows that in the precious and violent football game, Mariota is one play away from taking over. Mariota will learn and compete every day like a starter. Why? Because he is also a winner.
Jimmy Johnson built the Cowboys the way Mark Davis, Jon Gruden, and Mike Mayock are retooling the Las Vegas Raiders. In 1990, critics were bemoaning Jimmy Johnson. The money he made, the deals he executed, and a 7-9 team that wasn't in the playoffs.
Johnson made no excuses. He kept pounding away. In 1991 his critics were silenced by a team that had more weapons, got healthy, went 11-5 and ended the season in the playoffs. That year led to 1992 and 1993, when the team had magical seasons and won two Super Bowls.
Raider Nation should be encouraged. There are no moral victories in a culture whose mantras are, "Just Win, Baby," and "Committed to Excellence." But you are led by Mark Davis, Mike Mayock, and Jon Gruden. Three men that don't believe in moral victories and their actions proved it.
I am calling it now--2020 is a playoff year for the Silver and Black.
Built by big winners on the strip, in 2020, in Las Vegas, that remains true. But this time, the most significant will be wearing Silver and Black and be playing in Allegiant Stadium.
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