- 21 hours ago
ESPN Raiders Insider Ryan McFadden joined the show to preview the matchup with the Patriots this Sunday. He also talked about Tom Brady’s role with the team and shared some stories about owner Mark Davis.
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00:00Are the Patriots really the team that we saw against the Bills?
00:03And do the Raiders really deserve to be 3-1?
00:06There's questions in the air for both of them.
00:07And is it personal between Vrabel and Brady?
00:10Well, that's one of my favorite storylines,
00:12is just how much does Brady want this win as partial owner of the Raiders?
00:16And we have right now on the phone with us Ryan McFadden from ESPN.
00:20He covers the Raiders.
00:22He's the Mike Reese of the Raiders, as I like to say,
00:24which is the ultimate compliment there, Ryan,
00:26because we love Mike Reese as well.
00:28Ryan, thanks for coming on the show with us.
00:29We really appreciate it.
00:31Thanks so much for having me.
00:33Okay, so let's just start with the Brady factor.
00:35How much behind the scenes does Brady help with this team?
00:39And do you think that he is someone that will be able to speak to the coaching staff
00:45to what kind of plays Josh McDaniels is going to drop?
00:48Because no one knows Josh McDaniels better than Tom Brady.
00:52Yeah, I think Tom Brady has a very heavy influence here.
00:55You know, coaches and even players say he's like a resource to them.
01:00So head coach Clint Kubiak has talked about multiple times where he might text or call Brady
01:06to, you know, go back and forth with certain ideas.
01:09Fernando Mendoza, this guy who looked up to Tom Brady,
01:14he's been looking up to Tom Brady since he was a kid.
01:16And, you know, Brady's taking him under his wing as sort of a mentor,
01:20or, you know, providing feedback to them.
01:22And I remember Kirk Cousins had an interesting comment he made about Tom Brady,
01:26his influence, weeks ago, where he said they were all in the quarterback room, right?
01:30And they were trying to figure out, oh, what should we do here?
01:34And they said, why don't we just call Tom Brady?
01:36So it's, and, you know, that's what they do.
01:37They'll text Tom Brady and they would bring that scenario and say,
01:42this is how I would do it playing a quarterback.
01:45And at the same time, he's also, when it does come to like certain decisions for agency-wise,
01:49you know, owner Mark Davis gave, you know,
01:52John Spicek control of all football operations with close collaboration with Tom Brady.
01:58So, yeah, he's, he's involved a fair amount,
02:01even though he probably doesn't, you know, try to show it publicly.
02:06But he, he does have a very, very strong influence in the building.
02:10Hey, I'm curious, Ryan, uh, after this botched kind of trade with the Max Crosby trade,
02:16I mean, Max was very critical of the organization, uh, before that trade.
02:21And then it turns out he has to go back and play for the Raiders.
02:25What made him come back with a more positive attitude towards the team?
02:31I think the way Max Crosby describes it is,
02:37it's like one of those scenarios where it's like a sign,
02:40like it's like a sign from, it's just like one,
02:42it's just one of those signs like, yeah,
02:44maybe I do deserve to be here and try to play it out.
02:46Whether, you know, a sign from God or whoever you believe in,
02:49it's just, I think that's how Max Crosby views it.
02:52It was like, there's a reason why I need to be here.
02:55Because for a moment, you really thought he was a Baltimore Raven.
03:00And the Raiders just added to their draft capital to push this rebuild even further.
03:06And all of a sudden he comes back.
03:07And I think in his heart, and he mentioned it too,
03:10it was like, as he was watching the Raiders make moves,
03:12he's like, man, like, there's a part of me that wanted to be a part of it.
03:15So I, at the end of the day,
03:17you might look at the whole Bosch trade as it played out well for both sides.
03:22I think it's still early to tell that,
03:24but like you add Max Crosby to, you know,
03:26Quay Walker to Kobe Dean.
03:29And so far, like the results have been pretty promising.
03:32And then you have the Ravens.
03:34They still kept their two first round picks and got Trey Hendrickson.
03:38So we'll see how, it'll be nice to look back moving forward
03:41to see who really won that Bosch trade.
03:44But I think at the end, we're probably going to look back and say,
03:45you know, both sides won it,
03:47especially Max Crosby, who came back with a,
03:50with a very, you know, more motivated
03:53and even deep stripping to his love for the Raiders.
03:56How's the city, Ryan, responding to this year's version of the Raiders?
03:59They've had a couple of down years,
04:00but obviously one of the surprises of the league
04:02and obviously saw the crowd this week.
04:04There are a lot of Chiefs fans.
04:05A lot of Chiefs fans.
04:06But, you know, they travel well.
04:08How's the city reacting?
04:11They're loving it.
04:12I would say this, that was the last,
04:14I would say being in a stadium and look 50-50,
04:18because on camera, it looked like there was a lot of Chiefs fans,
04:20and there were.
04:21But overall, because like, it seemed like 50-50.
04:25The best way to describe that atmosphere was like a college bowl game.
04:28You ever watch a college bowl game?
04:29It's like one side, it's one school fan,
04:32the other side is the other school fan.
04:33That's what it looked like.
04:34So you look on the left side,
04:35it was all Chiefs.
04:37You know, where the press box is located below us,
04:40you saw nothing but black.
04:42I'm like, oh, this is free.
04:43It was the loudest allegiance has ever been since I've been on the beat.
04:46I've, you know, talked to people who've been, you know,
04:48here longer than that, and they said it's been longer.
04:50It's been one of the loudest crowds they had since moving to Vegas.
04:54And, you know, the numbers show for it.
04:58One is one of the most views CBS broadcasts for that game.
05:01So the numbers are showing it.
05:04People are buying it.
05:05I think it's something about, you know, having a good underdog,
05:10where it's like, and that's what the Raiders are.
05:11They're a solid team.
05:13Like, I think Kubiak is running a playoff type of operation.
05:17If they get the run game going,
05:18they're going to be competitive anybody they face.
05:21Kirk Cousins leads the lead in touchdown passes.
05:25He's playing at an extremely high level right now.
05:27And you got Brock Bowers,
05:29one of the better pass catchers at the tight end position.
05:31Defense has been pretty solid.
05:33They get that run game going.
05:35I think they can make some noise and add more context.
05:39The Broncos are 2-2.
05:40Chargers are 0-4, two teams that going into the season
05:43will be, you know, competing for a playoff spot.
05:46I think when fans, when you add all that context,
05:50fans are like, maybe we don't have to wait a year, right?
05:53Maybe we don't have to wait until they win for an end of it.
05:56Maybe we can take advantage of this opportunity now.
05:59I think a lot of fans are buying into that.
06:02And it's re-energized the fan base.
06:05It's just a matter of, can they continue?
06:08Do you believe in what you saw from Drake May this past week,
06:11or do you think he's closer to what we were seeing the first three weeks?
06:17Ooh, I think it'd be somewhere in the middle.
06:21I think the one thing I'm interested to see is, can he protect the ball?
06:25Can he continue protecting the ball and not throwing the interceptions?
06:28Because that's something the Raiders have been pretty good at.
06:31They're among the league leaders in turnovers.
06:33And I think if the Raiders want to be able to pull and win out there this Sunday,
06:38I think it's going to come with them forcing turnovers
06:46and making Drake May as comfortable as possible
06:48so that what we saw in the first couple of weeks of the season
06:52where he was throwing those interceptions,
06:54that he can do that again against the Raiders.
06:56But to me, I think it's somewhere in the middle.
06:58I thought he had a really good game against the Bills.
07:00But right now, I still think it's too early to tell if that's going to be the guy
07:03we're going to see for the rest of the year.
07:06Hey, Ryan, what can you tell us about the Raiders' defense?
07:08What's their strengths or style, or what is their trading card on defense,
07:12would you say?
07:14I'll say their trading card is versatility.
07:16They have a lot of moving pieces.
07:18You look like Woody Paye is the guy who they signed from the Colts.
07:23He lines up on the edge.
07:25He lines up on three techniques.
07:28They have a lot of guys that do that.
07:30Quay Walker, their off-ball linebacker.
07:32He might line up next to N'Kobe Dean,
07:34and then all of a sudden, you see him on the edge opposite of Max Crossy,
07:37and they will bring in Tommy Ockenberg, their backup linebacker,
07:41out there with the starters.
07:44So it's a lot of the – I think that's the name of the game.
07:46They're versatile.
07:48They're aggressive.
07:51N'Kobe Dean is playing at an all-pro level.
07:56They play freely.
07:58I think one thing about Rob Leonard, he talks about how he doesn't –
08:01like he wants his players to play freely.
08:04Yeah, of course, there's a scheme, but he wants those guys to go out there
08:07and just play with their hair on fire, and that's the personality of their D.C.
08:10So they really take – they're really basing their play off their personality
08:15of the defensive coordinator.
08:16And I think they so far have been solid.
08:18And like I said, they're very versatile, so you kind of don't know –
08:21it's hard to judge them because they've got so many guys
08:24on that defensive side of the ball that can go anywhere on the field.
08:27But, yeah, I've been completely surprised –
08:31I've been pretty surprised about the way Rob Leonard has stepped in,
08:35especially the first-time play Corolla.
08:37And his defense is pretty solid thus far.
08:41Ryan, has Vegas changed Mark Davis,
08:43or is he still the guy that holds business meetings at the P.F. Chang's
08:46and goes to Hooters every Thursday night for all-he-can-eat wings?
08:49Have you seen his house?
08:51Oh, my God.
08:52The house is crazy.
08:54I think it's changed a bit.
08:56I think Mark Davis is in a position where –
08:59I know he's trying to take a step back from the football side of things.
09:04He's still involved, don't get me wrong, but he's really like –
09:07he's said it multiple times where it's more of like,
09:13hey, let John Spice and Tom Brady run the show on the football side.
09:18I'm not even talking about the – I'm not talking about the football stuff.
09:20I'm talking about – does he still rock a 2003 Nokia phone
09:24and drive a conversion van?
09:26Yeah.
09:27No, no, no, no.
09:29It's a different – I would say it's a different –
09:30it's a little bit different swag, man.
09:32It's a little bit – it's a much different swag.
09:34I would say that.
09:35Vegas got – like, you see his car at the game.
09:39It's like a tinted Cadillac.
09:42What about his house, Ryan?
09:43Matted black.
09:44His house is pretty sweet, man.
09:46Yeah, it is.
09:47It is.
09:48Yeah, but he's chill out here, man.
09:51Like, Mark Davis, he's chill.
09:52Like, he's like, you know, I'm just going to do my thing.
09:56And I got enough people in place, football and business-wise,
09:59to kind of like – they trust to run their thing.
10:01But he's chilling out here.
10:02I just see him spending time at the Excalibur,
10:05going to the Medieval Times restaurant, and dressing as a knight.
10:10No, you – I'll tell you, you see him mostly –
10:14you see him a lot at the Aces games.
10:16I'll tell you that.
10:17He – that's – and he won't be at the Excalibur.
10:21I'll tell you right now, he will be core-side at every Aces game.
10:24Is Brady around?
10:25Do you see him, like, walking on the stripper?
10:26Yeah, yeah.
10:27How often is he there?
10:28Yeah.
10:29Oh, man.
10:30Like, I've probably seen Tom Brady.
10:34I've only seen Tom – like, I can't speak on –
10:36because I know he's been here for, like, team meetings sometimes.
10:39Like, let's say during training camp, and they have a meeting,
10:42he will speak to the guys.
10:43I think he did that before the start of the season, like, gave him a talk.
10:47You know, he will come to a few training camp practices every now and day.
10:50But I think during this time of the year, you don't –
10:52they don't see him around the facility as much just because he has the broadcast gig.
10:56So, that kind of, like – that kind of, like, hinders his availability here.
11:02And a lot when team, players, personnel, all those guys talk about Brady,
11:07it's more like, you know, he's got a song if we need him.
11:10Like, if we got a question or something, like, we can just call him.
11:13But he's not like – I've never seen, like, you know, I'm walking to –
11:16I'm walking to the facility and, boom, Tom Brady's walking down the stairs
11:19with Mark Davis.
11:20It's not like –
11:21Yeah, like Brady and Mark Davis aren't cruising this trip like Crockett and Tubbs,
11:25you know, from Miami Vice.
11:27There's the top down, you know.
11:28Okay.
11:29That's something I would die to see to be quite –
11:31that's a TV show that needs to be made.
11:34Oh, yeah, most definitely.
11:35I would love to see that, too.
11:37That's what – when I first came here, that was kind of my initial impression.
11:40But, you know, I think Brady's like – like, he helps from afar.
11:46He helps from afar because he visits the facility in the offseason
11:49when he has more availability.
11:51But I think, you know, he's – and then he's kicking it back in Florida
11:55and doing his – and working for Fox.
11:57So that's the Tom Brady life.
11:58Oh, absolutely.
11:59All right.
11:59Well, this is going to be a great game to watch.
12:01As I said, it's going to say a lot about both teams, you know,
12:04and we're going to learn whether or not, you know,
12:06the Patriots can continue this amazing game, you know,
12:08a two-game streak, you know, after this book of the Bills game.
12:11And we can find out whether or not the Raiders are truly what we're seeing
12:15out of this 3-1 team because nobody expected this.
12:18So it's going to be a really good game to watch.
12:20And thanks for coming on with us.
12:22We really appreciate it.
12:22Thanks a bunch.
12:24Thanks, sir.
12:25Thanks so much for having me, guys.