When Mike Mayock was named the Raiders general manager, it was a bitter sweet day for me. I loved watching Mayock do the combine and Senior Bowl over the years. He was really good at his job. I missed him this year. Instead, we were stuck with clueless dope Charles Davis and guy who thinks he’s smart but really isn’t, Daniel Jeremiah. Mayock was great. He created fan friendly terms such as “Dancing Bear” and really knew what he was talking about on the draft. Whether I agreed or disagreed with his view on a prospect, his insight was always intelligent and well researched.
Instead, we got guy who thinks he’s smart but really isn’t, Daniel Jeremiah. He was too busy doing stuff like this while not having a single clue.
Roemer didn’t get drafted and didn’t make a roster.
At the same time, I was excited to see Mayock get his chance with the big boys. Was Mayock actually smart or did he have good sourcing and a quality research team? I think we forget a lot of the guys on TV have 30 if not more staff members to help watch film. Mayock deserved his shot with the Raiders and I wanted him to succeed.
So far, I couldn’t be less impressed with Mayock. The Raiders put together an egregious 2019 NFL Draft class. They picked Clellin Ferrell with the 4th pick in the Draft. A total JOKE… They passed on Ed Oliver, Josh Allen, and or Devin White to pick a slightly better Kevin Dodd. Okay, let’s say he’s Vic Beasley. It was still a crazy reach. Mayock also drafted Josh Jacobs in the first round who had no business going in the first round. He picked Jonathan Abram, a box safety who can’t cover in a passing league in the first round while Karl Joseph is already on the roster. The early impression I have on Mayock is that he’s not smart.
What I didn’t know is that Mike Mayock not only isn’t smart. He’s also a big pussy. Trading for Antonio Brown never made any sense for the Raiders. A rebuilding team is going to give up two draft picks for an aging receiver who is a total headache without any culture in place. Made ZERO sense. In predictable fashion, the Raiders have not handled the Antonio Brown situation well. SHOCKER!
Everyone knows the story by now. Here is a quick recap. Mayock fined Brown for not showing up to practice. The letter warned Brown the next act would be considered conduct detrimental to the team. Brown posted it on social media and then blew up at practice. Brown called Mayock a “cracker” and threatened to punch him in the face. The funniest part is Vontaze Burfict help AB back.
Look, Mayock knew what he was signing up for. Brown is a lunatic. It was also clear that he was getting buyers remorse. He had a chance to start over. The Raiders told Brown not to show up for work and were going to suspend and or cut Brown. Oakland had a chance to avoid what will be an awful contract. Again, I thought Mayock was on the right track. Instead, Mayock was neutered and put into a corner like the pussy that he is.
During the spat with AB, Mayock basically walked away and didn’t defend himself:
“[Mayock] was like, ‘I’m cool, I understand your displeasure,'” the source said. “[Mayock] sort of just like … just walked away because he saw it escalate.”
Nah. Nope. Not okay. There’s only one way to handle this. Somebody has to put Antonio Brown in his place. This is a guy that needs serious help. He doesn’t even make sense when he speaks. Mayock should have attacked back or at least pretended like he was going to. Antonio Brown should have never been allowed back in that building after disrespecting the GM that way. This never happens to a real GM. Instead, Mayock walked away and had a chat with Jon Gruden.
I can pretty much confirm without knowing this is how the meeting went.
Mayock: “I’m done. I”m not doing this anymore. Antonio Brown is out of here”
Gruden: “Let’s take 24 hours to think about it and let it digest. Tell AB not to come to practice tomorrow and talk more when cooler heads prevail”
Mayock: “Fine”
THE NEXT DAY
Gruden: “Antonio Brown is playing for the Raiders on Monday. We need him. Knock on wood if you’re with me”
Mayock: “Yes Sir”
This is embarrassing for Mayock. The man has been neutered. Mayock got his balls chopped off. Notice how after AB apologized, Gruden spoke to the media, not Mayock. A general manager is supposed to have control over the organization. The GM is supposed to have personnel power. The GM is supposed to have the power to fire the coach. He answers only to the owner. No Mayock. He’s been neutered. Not only is he Antonio Brown’s bitch. He’s also Gruden’s. It’s obvious Gruden wears the pants here. Just embarrassing.
I guess the biggest lesson we learned here today is the Raiders are going to let Antonio Brown do whatever he wants and that’s why they’re the Raiders.
