In a surprising move, Raiders owner Mark Davis has decided to part ways with head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler less than two years after hiring them. The decision followed after a series of disappointing losses and offensive struggles. McDaniels faced criticism as the Raiders started the season with a 1-3 record, although they briefly improved with two consecutive wins. However, back-to-back losses to the Bears and Lions, where the offense faltered, led to Davis’s decision.
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Mark Davis had hired McDaniels and Ziegler to build a West Coast version of the Patriots. After all, Josh McDaniels, their head coach, worked alongside Patriots coach Bill Belichick for 19 seasons before moving to Vegas. Many have questioned the decision to hire McDaniels in the first place, while Cowherd slammed Davis for trying to replicate the Patriots’ success by hiring him.
In the latest from his podcast, The Herd with Colin Cowherd, Cowherd was seen speaking about it, saying, “Patriots South, Houston Texas, that didn’t work. Patriots Detroit Mat Patricia, that didn’t work. Patriots Miami, that didn’t work. And Patriots West, the Raiders didn’t work…” as he emphasized how the seven-time Super Bowl champion, Tom Brady was the ‘rare superstar’ for the team to work.
“Let’s put the Patriot way to bed. It was the Tom Brady way.”
— @ColinCowherd reacts to Raiders firing Josh McDaniels and GM Dave Ziegler pic.twitter.com/HuKdbQNJcU
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) November 1, 2023
The Patriots coaching staff’s inability to prove successful elsewhere seems to be enforcing Cowherd’s position that TB12 needed to be given more credit. In fact, he believes that New England HC Bill Belichick is now just a ‘shell of himself,’ as he contends the Patriots aren’t doing anything right, everything ‘below average.’
The team failed to reach the 20-point mark in their first eight games, marking the longest drought to start a season since 2009. The team’s offensive performance ranked among the worst in the NFL, with the lowest rushing yards per game, 29th in points per game, 30th in third-down conversion rate, and 27th in yards per play.
Later on, Cowherd, as he returned to the shameful dismissal of the ex-Patriots, now-turned ex-Raiders coach, said, “Let’s put the Patriot way to bed. It was the Tom Brady way.” After all, he had said before how proximity to greatness does not ‘equal greatness,’ and that’s why, in Colin’s terms, “Tom Brady is the reason it worked…” And it seems like the New England Patriots are proving Cowherd right.
The Downfall of Patriots in the Post-Brady Era
Belichick, with Brady as his quarterback, secured a remarkable 249 wins against 75 losses, boasting a winning percentage of .769. Together, they won six Super Bowls, creating an unparalleled dominance era. After all, Bill’s coaching record is impressive, with 330 wins, making him second on the NFL’s all-time wins leaderboard, just behind Don Shula. However, his record without Brady is less remarkable, standing at 81 wins and 94 losses, with a winning percentage of .463.
Many have argued that Bill Belichick‘s success was mainly due to having Brady as his quarterback. Success for Belichick, and by extension the Patriots, has been elusive in the post-Brady era. While Belichick has worked with a range of quarterbacks, including Bernie Kosar, Drew Bledsoe, Cam Newton, and Mac Jones, they haven’t been able to replicate even a fraction of the success he had with Brady. One standout example, however, is Matt Cassel’s Pro Bowl season.
On the other hand, Brady continued to excel after leaving the Patriots. With the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he notched a 37-20 record, a winning percentage of .649, and won Super Bowl 56. It seems all stats favor what Cowherd had been saying for so long: it was the ‘Tom Brady way” with the Patriots.
