His son, current Raiders owner Mark Davis, voted against the league’s plan to turn the lower rows of seats closest to the field in every stadium into advertising opportunities. The Raiders were the only team to oppose the measure with Davis expressing his misgivings during the virtual meeting last week.
“I can’t imagine telling one fan they cannot attend the opening game of our inaugural season in Las Vegas at the most magnificent stadium that they helped to build. Let alone tell 3,500 fans that their seats are gone for the entire season,” Davis told Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “Those seats in the front rows are some of our most ardent fans, including members of the famed Black Hole. You think I want to sell advertising on their seats?”
The Raiders are sold out for the entire season with no other seats to accommodate displaced fans, if the team will be allowed to have a full stadium. So the eight-row buffer zone, sold as a way to further protect players, coaches and team staff from COVID-19 exposure, could become a problem.
Davis said the league has time to come up with a better alternative.
“Creativity will be necessary,” Davis said. “One of our executives came up with a solution, one in which Las Vegas will be familiar, but the league shot it down dismissively. But we’re not ready to give up yet. We will do everything we can to see that all our fans are able to attend every game this season.”
The league will allow fan attendance based on state and local regulations of each of its 32 teams. That makes it possible that one team could play in a full stadium and another in front of no fans.
The Raiders await word from Nevada leaders.
“Unfortunately, a league that operated the entire offseason on the basis of equity, whether it be the draft or team facility access, has completely dropped the ball on uniform attendance procedures,” Davis said. “We have potentially 32 different capacities and seating formations. Where is the equity in that?”
If the Raiders can’t have a full stadium, Davis wonders whether it would be best to have no fans.
“Maybe it’s all or none, because I’d hate to have to tell any of our fans they can’t go to some or any Raiders games,” Davis said. [Reply]
They are improving overall. I think Mike Mayock has them going in the right direction as far as personnel. Since Gruden has arrived all but a few players have been replaced. The team is young and will go only as far as Carr takes them.
Carr is in a make or break year. If he doesn't perform really well this year then he will be replaced. Unfortunately for the Raiders they have to compete with Mahomes magic for years to come.
That leads to the question. Who are the top QB's coming out in the draft next year? [Reply]
Originally Posted by Eureka:
They are improving overall. I think Mike Mayock has them going in the right direction as far as personnel. Since Gruden has arrived all but a few players have been replaced. The team is young and will go only as far as Carr takes them.
Carr is in a make or break year. If he doesn't perform really well this year then he will be replaced. Unfortunately for the Raiders they have to compete with Mahomes magic for years to come.
That leads to the question. Who are the top QB's coming out in the draft next year?
I think this is the problem. You're gonna be picking through a class that basically sat on the couch for over a year. Not going to be great options for an instant boost. [Reply]
Originally Posted by BryanBusby:
I think this is the problem. You're gonna be picking through a class that basically sat on the couch for over a year. Not going to be great options for an instant boost.
One less year of learning and growing as a player.
Look at this past draft. Joe Burrow cemented his status as the No.1 overall pick with his play last year but would he go high in the draft without that year?
Herbert played well the year before and was considered the best in the class but then didn't play as well last year thus he slid to the 3rd QB taken.
Next years draft might be the strangest ever. [Reply]
I'll be shocked if Gruden doesn't draft a QB next year. The missing piece on their offense is the QB, and IMO Carr is not the answer.
But I honestly thought he'd draft one this year and I was wrong, so maybe . . . I don't know. I still think Gruden is a solid HC. And Mayock ha what it takes to be a good GM. But if they stick with Carr after this year, and Carr doesn't just flat out 'WOW' everyone, I'll be completely confused about what they're thinking over there. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Megatron96:
I'll be shocked if Gruden doesn't draft a QB next year. The missing piece on their offense is the QB, and IMO Carr is not the answer.
But I honestly thought he'd draft one this year and I was wrong, so maybe . . . I don't know. I still think Gruden is a solid HC. And Mayock ha what it takes to be a good GM. But if they stick with Carr after this year, and Carr doesn't just flat out 'WOW' everyone, I'll be completely confused about what they're thinking over there.
Carr gets a pass for having such an abysmal arsenal to throw too. Renfrow is a decent third down option, Waller is a legit tight end.. after that the hands team is extremely subpar - as the past draft shows. If carr gets the same results then no doubt he’s gone [Reply]
Originally Posted by Megatron96:
I'll be shocked if Gruden doesn't draft a QB next year. The missing piece on their offense is the QB, and IMO Carr is not the answer.
But I honestly thought he'd draft one this year and I was wrong, so maybe . . . I don't know. I still think Gruden is a solid HC. And Mayock ha what it takes to be a good GM. But if they stick with Carr after this year, and Carr doesn't just flat out 'WOW' everyone, I'll be completely confused about what they're thinking over there.
Coaches, especially the old school guys, will always like a guy like Carr.
It's the same reason Smith remained in demand.
If a coach can simply draw a play up and know that his QB is going to execute it if everyone else does, he's going to be confident enough in his own ability to believe he can outscheme his opponent.
Coaches love known quantities, especially guys that will just run the play as written and not throw wrinkles into their plans. A guy like Gruden, with his history and ego, is going to be more prone to that than anyone.
And if Gruden decides that this is the year to pick a quarterback - fantastic. I'm all-in on Gruden plowing resources into the position in what will likely be the most bizarre draft year in football history. [Reply]
