Articles by Ed Graney

How the Raiders performed in a 19-17 loss to the Chiefs:
Offense: C-
The Raiders may deserve a worse grade given how the game ended, but they looked improved from previous weeks. They ran the ball successfully, gaining 116 yards on 25 rushing attempts. Running back Sincere McCormick had a team-best 64 yards on 12 carries. But then a snap hit quarterback Aidan O’Connell when he wasn’t looking in the fourth quarter and the Chiefs recovered the fumble to end the game. O’Connell took the blame for the play, saying he was clapping for rookie center Jackson Powers-Johnson to snap the ball. Powers-Johnson said it was on him. Either way, it was a disastrous ending. O’Connell, in his first start since fracturing his right thumb Week 7, completed 23 of his 35 passes for 340 yards and two touchdowns. He also took a horrible sack in the third quarter that forced kicker Daniel Carlson to attempt a longer field goal, which he missed. Rookie tight end Brock Bowers had a team-high 10 catches for 140 yards and a touchdown.
Defense: B
The Raiders’ defense allowed just one touchdown and held Kansas City to 63 rushing yards. The team brought pressure all afternoon, sacking Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes four times. The Raiders also hit Mahomes 12 times and recorded five tackles for loss. Defensive end K’Lavon Chaisson had a fine game, finishing with 1½ sacks, three quarterback hits and a tackle for loss. Linebacker Robert Spillane had a team-high nine tackles and defensive end Maxx Crosby had a sack, four quarterback hits and two tackles for loss. The Raiders’ defense played well enough to win.
Special teams: D
Carlson is almost always automatic, but he wasn’t Friday. He missed on tries from 56, 55 and 58 yards. This grade would be an easy “F” if not for running back Ameer Abdullah. He had an 18-yard punt return and a 68-yard kickoff return. The latter set up the Raiders’ first touchdown.
Coaching: C
Coaches can’t be blamed for an ill-advised snap. That’s on the offense. Players have to execute. But coaches can be blamed for calling a play there that was designed to just waste time before a potential game-winning field-goal attempt. Antonio Pierce’s team did a lot of good things, but it again made critical mistakes at the worst times.
— Ed Graney/Review-Journal […]

Jordan Meredith was signed by the Rams as an undrafted free agent in May of 2021.
Since then, he has been waived five times by three different teams, including the Raiders.
But persistence often pays off. It has for Meredith.
The 6-foot-2, 300-pound guard out of Western Kentucky has worked himself into a prominent role with the Raiders this season.
The Review-Journal sat down with Meredith this week to learn a little more about him:
RJ: How easy or difficult has it been to have patience during your NFL journey thus far?
Meredith: “I think it’s all about seeing what’s in front of you, right? Realizing there is an opportunity and when your chance comes, taking advantage of it. Making the most of it. There’s no specific moment when it’s going to happen. But when it does, you want to be ready.”
RJ: Heard you had a wrestling background, but you’re saying no. Any chance you wrestled for fun?
Meredith: “For sure. I didn’t wrestle for school or as a sport, but I did wrestle with my buddies all during high school. Had a buddy who was a big-time wrestler, so I would do it with him back-and-forth.”
RJ: Can other sports help with what you’re able to do as an offensive lineman?
Meredith: “I think all sports outside of football have helped. Especially at a young age, learning different techniques, being agile in different ways. Combining all of that and then specializing in football will help get you to the highest level.”
RJ: What has pushed you most to make it in the NFL?
Meredith: “I’m going to go with not letting my teammates down. Everybody knows the name on the back of the jersey. I think when you get into the locker room and you’re with the guys, you don’t want to fail them.”
RJ: Do you get nervous before games?
Meredith: “Yes. I get the butterflies, sure. I think it shows that you care.”
RJ: How important is it to be versatile in what you do?
Meredith: “It’s really important. They only carry so many guys on the offensive line. A few guys go down and you have to be ready to play all positions. It also just makes you more valuable.”
RJ: How tough is it to stay in the NFL?
Meredith: “You’re only as good as your last play. You have to continue to improve each day. You have to show up and show improvement on the field. Day-to-day, year-to-year, you have to continue to improve. The second you become stagnant, (that’s) the second the clock starts ticking.”
RJ: You were born in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and attended Western Kentucky, which is in the same town. How cool was that?
Meredith: “That buddy I wrestled with ended up going to Western Kentucky as well. His dad was a coach there, so I already had connections inside the school. My mom was a teacher there. My sister went there. Being around it, it was the best fit for me. It was nice being able to stay in the hometown and compete and have the familiar faces.”
RJ: Best thing about Western Kentucky?
Meredith: “The (mascot), Big Red! It has to be Big Red. He’s sweet, man.”
RJ: Raiders coach Antonio Pierce has said how well you have played this season is not talked about enough. What does that mean to you?
Meredith: “It’s always nice to have support. But at the end of the day, it’s about taking advantage of the opportunity, having that next-man-up mentality. And when your name is called, just going after it and not letting anybody down and helping us play a good offensive game.”
RJ: Best thing about Las Vegas?
Meredith: “Oh, man. My goodness. There’s plenty. The weather is always nice here. It’s always sunny. The food is really good. This is like a true city and where I’m from is a lot smaller. So there is a lot more to do here. There is so much going on at all times. You can always find something to do.”
Contact Ed Graney at egraney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @edgraney on X. […]

Something that might knock your socks off (or not): The Raiders last won a division championship in 2002.
Maybe it doesn’t surprise you. Not with how bad the Raiders have been for 20 years.
How bad they continue to be.
Six games remain in this dreadful season. Six more opportunities to either win games and really mess up an opportunity at a high draft pick or continue to lose and put themselves in position to select their quarterback of the future.
I don’t have to tell you which is the best path for growth. And it’s not by winning.
The Raiders dropped an AFC West game to the Broncos 29-19 on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium. It more than brought this reality into focus: The Raiders are looking up at three divisional teams and it might be awhile before they’re close to any of them.
“I’m not in that locker room, but they have a heck of a team,” Raiders center Jackson Powers-Johnson said of the Broncos. “If they continue to do what they’re doing, they’ll have success.”
An improved Nix
Powers-Johnson played college ball at Oregon with Denver rookie quarterback Bo Nix, who had little trouble making the plays he needed to defeat the Raiders. Nix has improved dramatically during the season and has the Broncos in a playoff position.
Think about it: Quarterbacks in the AFC West are Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs, Justin Herbert of the Chargers, Nix and whoever the Raiders might throw out there in a given week.
We know it won’t be Gardner Minshew again this season. He broke his left collarbone late in Sunday’s game and was replaced by Desmond Ridder. Second-year pro Aidan O’Connell is eligible to come off injured reserve this week after suffering a broken thumb in Week 7 against the Rams.
The Raiders play at Kansas City on a short week Friday. That should be something.
The difference in quarterbacks between the top three teams and the Raiders is startling. It more than shows the importance of drafting one in April. It more than defines how far behind the Raiders are at the game’s most important position.
The same might be said for head coach.
Andy Reid. Jim Harbaugh. Sean Payton. The Chiefs, Chargers and Broncos have proven winners roaming the sidelines. Payton might have looked as if he lost a bit of his fastball last season when maneuvering through the Russell Wilson experiment, but his work with Nix shows that isn’t the case.
The Raiders, meanwhile, are led by Antonio Pierce, who assumed the full-time position this season after serving in an interim role for nine games in 2023. Pierce has been one of the NFL’s most conservative coaches since taking over. He has struggled with game management decisions. Not his fault, but he isn’t in the same breath as those other three.
It’s a truth the Raiders must face.
Just not as good
They had beaten the Broncos eight straight times before losing both games this season. Denver won in Allegiant Stadium for the first time Sunday, when bright orange could be seen across thousands and thousands of seats.
It’s simple: The other three teams — all in a playoff position — are much better at those areas you must be good at to have any chance at success.
Might be this way for a long time. The Raiders aren’t just a quarterback away from competing for an AFC West title.
But, man, would that make things a whole lot better.
“Just keep showing up and working,” defensive end Maxx Crosby said. “Keep improving. We did some better things as a team this week. That’s all we can do.”
It wasn’t enough again. And it likely won’t be within the division for some time.
The Raiders continue to look up. It’s not a good thing in the life of NFL standings.
Ed Graney, a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing, can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on X. […]

How the Raiders performed in a 29-19 loss to the Broncos on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium:
Offense: C
Things were average at best, mostly before quarterback Gardner Minshew was lost for the season with a broken left collarbone late in the game. He completed 25 of 42 passes for 230 yards with a touchdown and interception before going down. Problem: Among Minshew, backup Desmond Ridder (5 of 10 for 64 yards) and even punter AJ Cole (1 of 1), the Raiders threw 53 passes. That’s way too many for most teams, but it again brings into focus a team that has no rushing game. The Raiders ran for 69 yards on 16 carries. They played without their top two backs in Alexander Mattison and Zamir White. They were 4 of 14 on third downs. Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers had a fine afternoon with 10 receptions on 15 targets for 121 yards.
Defense: C
Not much different from the offense. With injuries prominent across the defense, the Raiders had a difficult time finding much consistency against the Broncos and rookie quarterback Bo Nix (25 of 42 for 273 yards and two touchdowns). Denver was 6 of 15 on third downs. The Raiders limited Denver to 63 yards rushing, but Nix made them pay often with timely throws. Maxx Crosby had three tackles for loss and a quarterback hit for the Raiders. Decamerion Richardson led the team in tackles with eight.
Special teams: A+
On a day in which special teams coordinator Tom McMahon missed the game with a medical issue, the Raiders had their best game of the season. Daniel Carlson made field goals of 34, 34, 53 and 22 yards. Cole averaged 47.5 yards on four punts, with two downed inside the 10-yard line. He also completed a 34-yard pass on a fake punt that led to a Carlson field goal. Rookie Dylan Laube had a 59-yard kick return in his first action since Oct. 13.
Coaching: D
The loss was the Raiders’ seventh straight, and this one was reminiscent of the first six. Can’t run. A key turnover. Can’t get the needed stops. Can’t finish drives with touchdowns. A broken record. But the Raiders competed with the Broncos and even outplayed Denver in the first half.
Ed Graney, a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing, can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on X. […]

Desmond Ridder, the Raiders’ newest quarterback, was signed off Arizona’s practice squad Oct. 22 after Aidan O’Connell suffered a broken thumb in the team’s loss to the Rams.
Ridder isn’t new to the NFL, however. He’s in his third season after being drafted by the Falcons in the third round of the 2022 draft out of Cincinnati.

The 25-year-old started 17 games for Atlanta in his first two years in the NFL, throwing for 3,544 yards and 14 touchdowns while also rushing for five scores.
The Review-Journal sat down with Ridder this week to learn a little more about him.
RJ: You were born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, and played college ball at Cincinnati. How cool was it to be that close to home?
Ridder: “It was very cool. Throughout high school and the recruiting process, my mom joked around and said, ‘Hey, make sure you keep it within six hours for me.’ Putting it at an hour-and-a-half, she was really happy. It was cool being able to drive home whenever I wanted. Didn’t make it home that much — you know, college — but it was great having family come up almost every weekend.”
RJ: You could have gone pro following your junior season at Cincinnati. How important was it to stay for your senior year?
Ridder: “It was huge. Had a decision to make. Not only with myself, but with my family. During that time period, my daughter was about to be born. So it was a sense of security of knowing where the nearest hospital was. Knowing where Target was to go get diapers and that stuff. Just little things a lot of people don’t think about. But for the playing career, to get another year under your belt, to get another 1,000 plays or so, it was great.”
RJ: How proud were you that Cincinnati was the first Group of Five team to make the then four-team College Football Playoff?
Ridder: “Looking back on it, it was a huge deal. The smaller schools never got that shot. Nowadays, you look at it and it’s like, ‘What the heck?’ We could have gotten there almost three years in a row. It was great for us and the university and the city of Cincinnati because during that time, the Bengals were going well and making the Super Bowl. It was great for the entire city.”
RJ: What did your time with the Falcons teach you most about life in the NFL?
Ridder: “Really how to be a pro, how to go about your daily business. Just true work and not wasting any time. Just being able to go out there and learn an offense and pick things up quickly and execute it.”
RJ: What’s the toughest part about having to move during the middle of a season?
Ridder: “Just being away from my family. That and trying to figure out the logistics of everything. Where you’re going to stay. Where you’re going to put your head at night. It’s closer to the end of the season, so I really feel for those who get traded or move in Week 2 or 3. It can be a long stretch from there. New offense, new teammates, new faces. The anxiety is pretty high that first week, so you figure out ways to calm down and just be comfortable with where you’re at.”
RJ: Best thing about the University of Cincinnati?
Ridder: “I would say the culture. Everyone there doesn’t necessarily come from a lot of money. Just hard-working people all around, no matter where you are.”
RJ: What has surprised you most about being an NFL player?
Ridder: “It’s known, but just the turnaround. The revolving door. Seeing people coming in and out. How quickly things and a team can change.”
RJ: If you weren’t an NFL player, what would you be?
Ridder: “Construction. There’s no telling. I grew up where all my Halloween costumes were NFL players. It has been sports since Day 1. Always heard don’t make a Plan B. Stick with Plan A. That’s what I’ve done.”
RJ: Best thing about Las Vegas?
Ridder: “The food. Found a good spot with some of the offensive linemen. Just the variety of it. Haven’t been able to see much of the town with the season going on. I’m locked into that.”
Contact Ed Graney at egraney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @edgraney on X. […]

Carnell Williams is right. The Raiders have no choice. They have to roll up their sleeves and prepare for each Sunday. They have to continue chopping wood and put their heads down and work.
No matter how dire things are.
They can’t run the ball at historic levels. Last in the NFL. Have been all season. It all goes together, an offensive line that hasn’t performed to any sort of memorable level and running backs who haven’t in any manner made a difference.
“I take ownership,” said Williams, the team’s running backs coach. “I’ve fallen short. Whenever you’re 2-8 as a team, it’s a combination of everybody. We have to be much better. I have to be better.
“I think what has really held us back is consistency, being consistent every single day. Details matter in the run game. The more we can bring clarity to these guys where they truly understand the game plan, the better we’ll be for the Raiders.”
Forty-three pass attempts?
The game plan hasn’t worked to the point that Luke Getsy was fired as offensive coordinator. Scott Turner took over in an interim role, but it’s not as if the Raiders discovered their run game in a 34-19 loss to the Dolphins on Sunday.
So they threw the ball 43 times with quarterback Gardner Minshew. It’s not close to being a recipe for success. Not with this team.
The Raiders average about 75 yards rushing.
They had 60 in Miami.
Yes. Injuries up front and in the backfield have played a part. So, too, has youth across the offensive line. There are reasons for why the Raiders are so inept running the ball.
But 10 games later — including six straight losses — there hasn’t been any level of production that makes you think steady improvement is around the corner. There hasn’t been many Sundays when you believe running the ball might become a strength. Or even make the slightest difference.
What makes matters worse: Coach Antonio Pierce has preached all season about the importance of being defined by a physical run game. That the Raiders wouldn’t relent on this part. It seems they have with those 43 pass attempts against the Dolphins.
Maybe they’re not going to continue banging their heads against a wall with the run game. Still, you can’t overstate its importance to any scheme. Can’t run, can’t win.
Joe Philbin, the team’s interim offensive line coach, sees incremental steps being made. Who understands that when you have rookies manning important positions, such as Jackson Powers-Johnson at center, communication isn’t always going to be as smooth as coaches would prefer.
“Things don’t happen overnight,” Philbin said. “We have a long ways to go. We certainly have to do a better job in the run game. We have to have efficiency and production. If we don’t get it right on the practice field, there’s no chance of getting it right on Sunday. So you have to have faith in the things you’re doing during the week.”
Not quitting
I’m not sure how they can given the results. Whether it’s scheme or a lack of talent or coaching, there is far too much uncertainty from all points of the ledger.
I’m also not sure how much better things can get this far into the season.
But it shouldn’t be this bad.
“We have a lot to improve on and a lot of work to do and a lot of football left,” Williams said. “We’re hopeful over these next seven games that we can put them in position where they can go out and perform at a high level.
“They’re not quitting. They continue to play hard. Once we’re all on the same page of what we want to see, the results will come.”
Time is running out. Merely competent would do at this point.
Ed Graney, a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing, can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on X.

Up next
Who: Broncos at Raiders
When: 1:05 p.m. Sunday
Where: Allegiant Stadium
TV: CBS
Radio: KRLV-AM (920), KOMP-FM (92.3)
Line: Broncos -5½; total 41½ […]

How the Raiders performed in a 34-19 loss to the Dolphins:
Offense: C-
There were some good individual performances in interim offensive coordinator Scott Turner’s first game calling plays. Rookie tight end Brock Bowers was terrific and caught 13 passes for 126 yards with one touchdown. Miami couldn’t defend him. Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, who had four catches for 28 yards, was the only other Raiders player that finished with more than three receptions. Quarterback Gardner Minshew was solid for the most part. He completed 30 of his 43 passes for 282 yards and two touchdowns. He did throw a key fourth-quarter interception when the Raiders were down 31-19 and trying to rally. The team still couldn’t run the ball, finishing with 60 yards on 16 attempts. The Raiders also couldn’t finish drives in the end zone. They had a first-and-goal from the 10-yard line in the first quarter and a first-and-goal from the 8-yard line in the second quarter and kicked field goals both times.
Defense: F
This is the easiest grade of the season. The Raiders couldn’t get the Dolphins off the field. Miami scored on six of its seven drives and didn’t punt all game. Two of those possessions lasted longer than eight minutes and another lasted more than seven. The Dolphins controlled the ball for 33:12. The Raiders extended some of those drives with penalties. Then they made a critical mistake in the fourth quarter trailing 24-19, as quarterback Tua Tagovailoa found a wide open tight end Jonnu Smith for a 57-yard touchdown with 3:19 remaining. Tagovailoa finished with 288 passing yards and three touchdowns to help Miami score more than 27 points for the first time this season. The Raiders’ defense continues to be far worse than anyone could have imagined when the season kicked off.
Special teams: B
Kicker Daniel Carlson made both his field-goal attempts but also made a huge mistake on a third-quarter kickoff when the ball fell short of the landing zone, giving the Dolphins the ball at their own 40-yard line. Miami then went 60 yards in 10 plays to take a 24-12 lead with 10:37 left in the fourth quarter. AJ Cole had one punt for 54 yards.
Coaching: F
Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham needs to take some serious blame here. His side of the ball hasn’t gotten things done for some time now. The blown coverage on Smith’s touchdown in the fourth quarter was just brutal. Turner’s play-calling didn’t lead to many explosive pass plays and the run game was still poor. Coach Antonio Pierce’s team is now 2-8 and has lost six straight.
— Ed Graney/Review-Journal […]

Charles Snowden’s journey to a roster spot with the Raiders has hardly been smooth.
He played just six NFL snaps in three seasons before this year. He has spent the majority of his time as a professional football player on practice squads.
Snowden was given an opportunity by the Raiders this year when fellow defensive end Malcolm Koonce went down with a season-ending knee injury.
Snowden took advantage, as his fourth-quarter sack of Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson clinched a 20-16 victory at Allegiant Stadium on Sept. 29.

The 26-year-old, who was undrafted in 2021 out of the University of Virginia, studied political science in college. The 6-foot-7, 245-pound lineman was also an accomplished basketball player in high school at St. Albans School in Washington, D.C.
The Review-Journal sat down with Snowden this week to learn a little more about him:
RJ: Why was it so important for you to be involved in the political process with the recent presidential election? You were interviewed on both CNN and local television stations.
Snowden: “I just think it’s important to express your voice. It’s our responsibility in our democracy to take part in it. A lot of people throughout the course of history that looked like me went through a lot to ensure we had a voice. It’s important to exercise it.”
RJ: How much did your faith in yourself throughout the journey help your pursuit of an NFL roster spot?
Snowden: “A lot. You have to believe in yourself. There are always going to be talented guys and so you have to maintain your confidence. Other guys are going to make plays and you’re not always going to be perfect. But always believe and get better every day.”
RJ: Where does your positive attitude come from?
Snowden: “Honestly, I just have so many great people in my life, from my family to my friends. I just have such a great circle around me. I genuinely believe I can do anything to be successful. People have always believed in me and supported me. Just working hard every day and seeing the results.”
RJ: Are you playing the best football of your life right now?
Snowden: “Definitely. It’s the most consistent I’ve played in the NFL. Just having coaches and teammates that believe in me. I just continue to improve every day. Being intentional, getting one percent better every day of my career is paying off.”
RJ: The best thing about the University of Virginia?
Snowden: “Where do I start? It has to be the people. It’s a special group. Everyone is caring, fun, smart. I’m biased. A highly intelligent school. The best university in the country.”
RJ: You also had scholarship offers for basketball coming out of high school. Why football?
Snowden: “All my offers for basketball were at pretty small schools and so I remember saying to my dad, ‘I’d rather play football in front of 60,000 people instead of basketball in front of 2,000.’”
RJ: How did basketball help you become a great football player?
Snowden: “I think basketball helped me a lot being this size. Being able to move in space and having that lateral quickness and ability to jump and run. Just that hand-eye coordination. My college football coach who was recruiting me said, ‘Charles, there are thousands of players like you playing basketball. There are not many guys like you playing football.’ So I sat back with that one and the decision became pretty easy.”
RJ: What has your NFL journey taught you the most?
Snowden: “To be persistent. One thing it has really taught me is that hard work doesn’t really guarantee success, but if you work hard and do things the right way, you’ll be able to live with the results when all things shake themselves out.”
RJ: Best thing about Las Vegas?
Snowden: “Oh, boy. Let’s see. I would say the best thing is that — hot take here — I don’t like the rain. And it doesn’t rain much here. At least I haven’t seen much of it. Not at all.”
Contact Ed Graney at egraney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @edgraney on X. […]

You never know what might be troubling a person. What might cause them to seek a reset.
Michael Mayer did so and is now back with the Raiders. The second-year tight end is glad for it.
Mayer missed the past six games for personal reasons. He didn’t elaborate much Wednesday as to the specifics for his departure, but said he needed to “figure some things out.”
We forget sometimes that these rough and tough NFL players deal with many of the same issues as everyday people. We see such athletes as invincible sorts who play and exceed at a violent game.
That they couldn’t possibly experience the same ups and downs as others. But they can and do.
No matter what the keyboard warriors want you to believe.
Feels great
Mayer is just 23, still so young and who has obviously been dealing with something that needed his attention and that of those closest to him. Good news is, he had a support group that reached from Las Vegas to his family’s home in the Northern Kentucky-Cincinnati area.
He began by thanking Raiders owner Mark Davis, general manager Tom Telesco, coach Antonio Pierce and the entire organization. He thanked his family and friends. Said he also received help from the NFL Players Association. He thanked all those in his corner.
“I think the No. 1 important rule is that football is not bigger than life,” Mayer said. “It never has been for me, at least. I’m on my feet again. I feel great. I’m sleeping well and doing all the things I need to set myself up for success and to help the team.
“I’m great. I’m good. It’s good to be back in Vegas, good to see the boys. Man, it’s just good to be in meetings and walk around the building and see everybody. I couldn’t ask for a better organization and support system. Me and my family handled this behind closed doors.”
The team designated Mayer to return to practice Tuesday, which cleared a path for him to again see game action.
How it works: Mayer, who has been on the NFL’s nonfootball injury list since Oct. 11, can practice the next 21 days and still not count against the 53-man roster limit. But he also can be activated at any time in those 21 days.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if Mayer, who has four receptions for 21 yards in three games this season, suited up at Miami on Sunday. The bye week afforded time to climb his way back into football shape, to be around his teammates, to feel a part of things again.
About business
“It was good to see big Mike back,” Pierce said. “He looked good, had a little tan, so I don’t know where he was at, but he was hanging out somewhere good. But he looked good, man. He’s in shape. He stayed out here this entire bye week working out.
“And then, obviously, when we got together (Tuesday), everybody’s excited. You heard a lot of knocking. But in the end, it’s just business as usual. That’s what Mike’s about. Business.”
It was difficult, Mayer said, watching.
Watching as the Raiders fell to 2-7 with five straight losses.
Really difficult watching the defeat in Cincinnati, in a stadium where Mayer grew up attending games.
But he’s back now, back on the field with talented rookie tight end Brock Bowers, back to a team that in his absence fired offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and promoted Scott Turner to the position.
Back trying to make a difference.
“Whatever they ask me to do, I’m going to do for them,” Mayer said. “It is what it is, man. Life goes on. God has a plan for me, and I have a plan for myself, so things are going to work out.”
You never know what might be troubling a person.
What might cause them to seek a reset.
Ed Graney, a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing, can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on X. […]

CINCINNATI — Last Halloween, almost exactly one year ago, Raiders owner Mark Davis fired coach Josh McDaniels.
Antonio Pierce was promoted to interim coach before earning the job full-time in January.
One year later, what are the Raiders better at now as opposed to then?
Nothing.
“Well,” Pierce said Sunday, “the record tells you it’s (not any better).”
Pierce was speaking after the Raiders’ latest debacle. They were shellacked 41-24 by the Bengals at Paycor Stadium for their fifth straight loss. The Raiders are 2-7 entering their bye week and going nowhere.
Race for first
They’re not any better on offense. There is no run game to speak of, and their quarterbacks have been inconsistent.
They’re certainly not better on defense. They showed promise on that side of the ball after Pierce took over last season, but that’s disappeared.
The Raiders are a bad team in a serious race for first place. Or last. It depends on how you look at things.
The Raiders — barring an unforeseen turnaround — will be in play for a high draft pick in April. That’s the good news. At least it should be considered good news at this point.
Players and coaches never think about tanking. It’s too hard a game. There is too much pride involved. This is their livelihood. It’s not part of their DNA to worry about where the team will pick in the first round.
But the Raiders right now are tied for the fewest wins in the NFL. They need a lot of help at a lot of spots. They need that high pick.
They need so many things to have a chance at being competitive. They need new starters at spots all over both sides of the ball. This isn’t a one-draft fix. General manager Tom Telesco isn’t looking at an overnight turnaround. You saw that again Sunday.
“Today wasn’t a good day at the office,” Pierce said. “It wasn’t a good enough effort, obviously, and the score will tell you that. We have to reset. It’s a group effort. It’s a team effort. We all have to find a way to get better. … We can all do a much better job.”
Pierce needs to use this bye week wisely. He needs to break down every facet of his team, beginning with the coaching staff. He needs to determine if the offense would improve with someone other than offensive coordinator Luke Getsy calling plays.
Things have hardly been a success under Getsy, but the team’s results aren’t all his fault. The Raiders have one of the NFL’s poorest quarterback rooms. Their offensive line, while injured in spots, hasn’t been consistent at all. Their skill players outside of rookie tight end Brock Bowers aren’t difference makers.
Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham’s unit hasn’t been a fearsome one, either.
Control the controllable
The Raiders can’t fix all of their issues in one week. That would be impossible. But they can try and make decisions that might improve things some over the next eight games. Because what’s happening now isn’t working. At all.
“Everybody’s got to look in the mirror,” defensive end Maxx Crosby said. “Everyone has to improve. It starts with me.”
The Raiders made a coaching change a year ago.
They aren’t any better now than they were then. At anything.
Their record shows it. They’re in a race to first. Or last.
Depends on how you look at things.
Ed Graney, a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing, can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on X. […]