Josh McDaniels understood Davante Adams’ frustrations

On Sunday, after another blown big lead and another loss, new Las Vegas Raiders’ star wide receiver Davante Adams expressed frustration after a 27-20 defeat at the Jacksonville Jaguars, who came into the game with five straight losses.

Adams said it came down to a lack of execution and said he also, respectfully, wondered why the team’s coaching staff went away from the passing game in the second half as the Jaguars charged back.

Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, who reportedly huddled with Adams in the locker room after the latest disappointing defeat, said he didn’t want to get too deep into his thoughts with the media, but said that some conversations needed to be had. On Monday, first-year Las Vegas head coach Josh McDaniels, who calls the plays, addressed the frustration and he said he understood them.

“I always think there’s areas that I could do better in. I’ve stood up here before and said I’ve never called a perfect game, and I probably never will. I think there’s a lot of things that go into that,” Adams said. “I know what [Adams] meant when he said that, and I don’t take any of those things personally. The reality is, we have opportunities and we’ve got to come through with them.

“And I have to do a good job of trying to make sure that we continue to try to present opportunities for our team,” McDaniels continued. “It’s really a two-way street in that regard where you got to keep probing as a coaching staff and as a play caller to find opportunities for your best players to get involved and produce in the game. Then when we have those opportunities, we’re going to need to come through.

“I thought one of the things that was really interesting as the game wore on yesterday – and it is what it is – but you end up throwing it really well in the first half and producing a lot of yards and points with very little success in a running game, and when you look at it – and I’ve looked at it many times because I’ve called a lot of different games – is that a sustainable model to keep playing where you’re going to throw it for 450 (yards) and not run it for any. So, it’s a tough thing to think you’re going to be able to just do it that way ... Obviously, the execution at the end of the day is what’s important and we didn’t put enough points on the board to win the game.”

Until the Raiders find consistency on offense, these types of frustrations may continue to surface.