Tag: Mark Davis

Antonio Brown Posted a Call He Had With Jon Gruden, Asks for His Release After Raiders Void His Guaranteed Money

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This story just gets weirder and weirder man. When I first started writing this blog I was going to talk about California’s “two party consent” law and how AB could be in hot water for illegally recording and posting a phone call. Welp, threw that draft in the trash because in the last hour Antonio Brown has taken to the Gram to ask the Raiders for his RELEASE. It would seem the Raiders have now had enough of Antonio Brown’s shit.

You thought AB’s “emotional” apology in front of the team on Friday morning was the end of the story right?

Brown is in the 1% of the 1% of athletes in the world so he wants it his way all the time, but even top performers in any workplace can only push the boundaries so far before you get fired. And it seems like Antonio Brown is indeed about to get fired.

AB then thought it would be a neat idea to record a call he had with his coach, who basically is telling him to cut the shit, and turn it into some (very well produced) hype video. It looks like a Nike commercial, but it just makes AB sound like a moron. He’s trying to depict himself as a guy fighting against all the odds and all the haters to come out stronger on top when all he’s doing is shining a light on how petulant he’s been.

Gruden straight up asks Brown “do you want to be a Raider or not?” He’s been Brown’s biggest supporter through all the nonsense this offseason, but even Gruden pleads with him, “Please stop this shit and just play football.”

AB shot his way out of Pittsburgh, got PAID by Oakland, then injured himself, then threw a tantrum over a helmet, then aired his dirty laundry with his bosses over his fine, then called his boss a “cracker,” then posted a recorded phone call with his coach on YouTube and is now paying the consequences with his wallet. Not exactly a sympathetic figure here.

It seems like Gruden understands AB is an absolute lunatic but just does not care. Get the man on the field on Sundays and just laugh through all the rest.

And that is totally fine, I almost respect Gruden’s blinders in the sake of talent, but holy hell does it make the team look bad and it cannot have a great affect on that locker room culture.

A lot of people have started to become legitimately worried about Antonio Brown and where his head is at mentally. Rich Eisen literally asked Drew Rosenhaus if Antonio is alright. Even Michael Irvin is concerned and he played on the 90s Cowboys.

Some are saying he’s unraveling in front of our eyes stemming from the absolutely vicious hit he took from Vontaze Burfict a couple of years ago.

I don’t know, but it seems like AB is dead set on burning bridges and the Raiders may be ready to let that bridge go up in flames. All I know is I spent a 3rd round pick on Brown in my fantasy draft last week so I am taking this entire situation personally.

Deuce Gruden Joining His Dad, Jon Gruden, on the Raiders Coaching Staff

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Yahoo -Deuce Gruden is the son of Jon and the nephew of Jay, the coaches of the Oakland Raiders and Washington Redskins. He was part of the Redskins’ strength and conditioning staff. And even on an NFL sideline, Deuce Gruden stands out. He’s a powerlifting champion, and looks capable of bench pressing any player on his team. Even the linemen. Gruden was on the Redskins’ strength staff and it’s no surprise that he left Uncle Jay to go be on his dad’s new staff with the Raiders. Matt Schneidman of the Mercury News had the story.

Somebody get Ryan Seacrest on the line and get these two a reality show IMMEDIATELY. Can you imagine that? It would be A+, must see television. The only reason I think they don’t do it is because it would put the Kardashians ratings in the toilet. Hey, as Gary Vaynerchuk always says, you need to always be thinking of ways to put yourself out of business so somebody else doesn’t do it for you. Pull the trigger.

I’m just picturing the 5’5″ 300 pound Deuce hulking out on the sideline when some panzy can’t finish a tackle because he’s been slacking on his squats. Throw in Chucky and Mark Davis?

Holy hell, I’m getting excited now. What would you even call it?

Chucky and the Deuce: Road to Las Vegas.

Seacrest out.

The Raiders Just Gave Jon Gruden a 10 Year $100 Million Contract to Become Their New Head Coach

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ESPN.com – The Oakland Raiders will sign Jon Gruden to the longest coaching deal in NFL history — a 10-year contract likely approaching $100 million — when it is made official Tuesday, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Friday.

10 years and $100 MILLION DOLLARS for Jon Gruden to become the new coach of the Oakland Raiders!

I love Gruden, he is awesome in the booth and I look forward to seeing him back on the sidelines, but $100 Million for a guy that hasn’t coached since 2008? That is insane. I forget who tweeted it so I can’t give the proper credit, but I saw someone on Twitter mention that by the end of this deal Raiders team owner Mark Davis will have paid Gruden 1/5th of Mark Davis’ net worth. Because as far as NFL team owners go, Mark Davis is a broke bitch. He’s worth only $500 Million.

So unless there is some sneaky ownership stake in the team included (which Gruden has denied), then Davis is betting BIG on the move to Las Vegas being a rousing success. He has every reason to believe it will be too, especially since he snaked a deal that had him put up almost none of his own money.

Is anyone better suited to bring this team to Las Vegas than Jon Gruden? Well, maybe The Rock.

But this guy is going to be electric as the Raiders move to Sin City, both on the sidelines and in his press conferences. Now is being out of coaching for 10 years going to hurt? I would say probably, but all the ESPN (lackeys) are saying its actually good for him as he’s had a chance to study the evolution of offense in the NFL. Not to mention he’s been in practices and production meetings with just about every other team in the league over the past few years so that can’t hurt.

But it is always surprising to see a guy come back after being away from the game for so long. Just look at Bill Cowher.

He was another guy everyone thought would take a couple of years off and return to coaching, but after a few years of making beaucoup bucks to work 1/100th of the hours in a cushy TV job, its easy to understand why so many don’t go back to the grind of being an NFL head coach.

Good for Gruden, but goddamnit am I gonna miss his crazy ass in the booth. The guy was legit must watch TV in a spot where the league and the networks typically lean towards the mundane. Remember Jaws and Tony Kornheiser? Woof. For a guy that made football jargon like Spider 2 Y Banana a national catchphrase and starred in Hooters and Corona commercials in his off time, it will be hard to replace him.

No matter how much fame or money a person acquires though, we’re all the same at the end of the day and Jon Gruden reminded me of that on Saturday’s playoff broadcast. The guy has absolutely. checked. out.

You earned it my man.

Dolphins Owner Throws Shade at Raiders Mark Davis Who Responds By Grinding His Feet Into NFL’s Couch

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ESPN – The only owner to vote against the Raiders moving to Las Vegas, Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross told reporters here on Monday that he believes Raiders owner Mark Davis did not use all of his options to get a stadium deal done in Oakland.

So yesterday the NFL owners made official, almost unanimously, the relocation of the Raiders to Las Vegas. Almost unanimous because the vote was 31-1 with the Miami Dolphins being the only team to vote against the Las Vegas Raiders. So naturally I shit on Dolphins owner Stephen Ross for being the turd in the pool.

But then something happened. Stephen Ross made a really good point that threw me off. Mainly because I’ve never heard an owner be that transparent and blunt about why so many teams up and move their teams; stadium funding.

“There’s very little public money available for teams today. And if you own a team, you should have the deep pockets to deliver.”

Stephen Ross throwing SHADE at Mark Davis for moving his team because he couldn’t afford a new stadium in Oakland himself. Had to go slumming in Vegas for a $750 million handout. Super, super waspy quotes like a shoving match at the country club, but hilarious nonetheless. FOH with yo broke ass, Mark Davis.

Ross is also probably just sour grapes because he just ate $500 out of his own pocket to upgrade the Dolphins stadium. I got a feeling that Mark Davis, the guy who sports a bowl cut, has meetings at Hooters and drives a rape van, doesn’t really care what Stephen Ross has to say. In fact I bet he’s pretty happy to have swindled a $750 million check to move his operation down to the desert. Davis’ response? Fuck yo couch, Stephen Ross.

Live look at Mark Davis:

NFL Owners Approve Raiders Relocation to Las Vegas 31-1

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ESPN – The Oakland Raiders will move to Las Vegas after garnering enough votes from NFL owners on Monday to relocate to Southern Nevada. The Raiders received 31 of 32 votes to approve the move, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Twenty-four votes were needed. The Miami Dolphins were the only team to vote against the move, a source told Schefter.

Talk about a lot of drama for nothing; the NFL just approved this controversial move 31-1! With the Dolphins being the only team to say idk about this guys. So now after what feels like years of speculation, the Raiders are officially moving to Sin City. Get me a Las Vegas Raiders hat STAT!

Now the brand new stadium on the strip won’t be ready for another 2 seasons so ironically the Raiders will still be playing in Oakland for the next 2 seasons on the baseball diamond field. So that should be a fun fan experience as the Raiders prep to get the hell out of dodge. But, if you haven’t seen the artists renderings that Sports Illustrated posted today, this place is gonna be sick.

Eat your heart out Stank Kroenke, you can have LA, the Raiders are gonna continue to be the bad boys of the league in the most diabolical city in the country; Las Vegas.

The Stars Are Aligning to Make Las Vegas the Greatest Sports Town in America

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CBS Sports – “The Oakland Raiders are going to move to Las Vegas. I am finally convinced of it. After being a skeptic throughout this process and especially in the aftermath of owner Mark Davis’ deal with casino magnate Sheldon Adelson falling apart around the Super Bowl, there are too many people I trust telling me this has become basically a fait accompli for me to deny it any longer. By Monday night, Davis will be cracking open the bubbly and toasting to his future on the Strip, because with the NFL including a formal vote on Vegas on its official agenda for the annual spring meeting, there is almost no time for this to fall apart now.”

First there was the NHL, which sacked up with the Golden Knights who will be making their Las Vegas debut in the 2017-18 season. Now after all the rumors and speculation it seems like the Las Vegas Raiders might finally become a reality. We all know that the Raiders have basically been trying to get out of Oakland because their stadium is a shit hole. They play on a baseball field for christ’s sake.

And it seems like Oakland is all set on footing the $750 million bill for a brand new stadium. So lifelong fans and tradition be damned, Mark Davis is taking his ball and moving to Las Vegas.

Obviously this could go off the rails for any number of reasons, as it almost did recently when Goldman Sachs dropped out of the funding. But it seems like this is about as close to a done deal as you can get.

“This is going to happen,” said one well-connected league source who has been in close contact with many influential owners on this matter. “Enough people will hold their noses and pray for the best and vote this through. Oakland — and by Oakland I mean the government officials there — hasn’t stepped up nearly enough, and the league is ready to put this to a vote. And while there is some trepidation about this market, it is going to pass.”

So Vegas is obviously already the most debaucherous city in the world but now add in TWO professional sports teams? My god, the stars are aligning for this to be the greatest sports town in America. Picture this, flying in for a weekend gambling your balls off, then heading over to watch the Golden Knights, maybe place a (legal) bet 90 seconds before walking into the rink, then getting bombed at a hockey game in the desert and hitting the “casino” til 4 am afterwards. Sleep, wake up, grab some bloody Mary’s, head down the strip to see DA RAIDERRRRSS and day drink until you can’t feel feelings anymore. All after placing a few (legal) prop bets of course.

I heard someone mention this on 98.5 this morning and its 100% true. The Raiders are going to have the greatest home field advantage in the league. Just think about it, half of these guys can’t control themselves in shit holes like Atlanta and Jacksonville. Now you’re going to drop them in downtown Las Vegas? The ones who don’t get arrested for prostitution and cocaine are going to be hungover as balls on Sunday.

I demand a hockey/football/casino weekend the likes of a degenerate has never seen before.

Make it happen, NFL.

Las Vegas Raiders Dream is Still Alive!

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ESPN – Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis will attend a meeting with Nevada tourism officials Thursday in Las Vegas to discuss relocating to a proposed domed stadium there…The location for the proposed Las Vegas stadium is a 42-acre lot on Tropicana Avenue, a few blocks off the Strip.
This has to happen. Listen the Raiders want to move because Oakland is a dump and why move to LA just to be Stan Kroenke and the Rams little brother? You really wanna be the Clippers for the next 30 years?

Now would an NFL team in Vegas be a disaster? Probably. Best case scenario the Raiders spawn some kind of weird tourist fan base like Siegfried and Roy or when the Backstreet Boys set up shop in town for a few months. Worst case scenario is half the players can’t control themselves in Sin City with all the debauchery, drinking, drugs and gambling. In other words, exactly how Al Davis would have wanted it.

This immediately would become the top destination for any guys looking to catch a game out of town. Fly in on a Friday, destroy your body all weekend and then have a few Bloody Mary’s at the stadium Sunday afternoon watching the game that you 100% have bet your rent on. Sign me up.