'Christmas came early': Raiders fans react with glee to firings of McDaniels, Ziegler

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — It was difficult to find anyone with something negative to say about news of a major shakeup in the Las Vegas Raiders staff.

Late Tuesday night, the Raiders released a statement announcing the firings of head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler.

Wednesday morning brought more news: the Silver and Black let go their offensive coach Mike Lombardi. And, per the NFL, they're benching starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.

For weeks, fans bemoaned the Raiders' pitiful offensive showing this season. McDaniels took much of the blame as Raider Nation levied accusations of spineless play-calling and a pitiful offensive line — accusations that were hard to argue when you look at the numbers.

While leading the Silver And Black, McDaniels went 9-16 as the head coach, which is worse than his record as head coach of the Denver Broncos, where he went 11-17. Some of the memorable Raiders' losses include blowing a 20-0 lead against the Arizona Cardinals, losing to the Indianapolis Colts in football analyst Jeff Saturday's head coaching debut, and a loss to the Rams in Baker Mayfield's first week as quarterback.

Through the first eight weeks of the season, the Raiders ranked last in the league in rushing yards per game (70.0), 29th overall in points per game (15.8), 27th in yards per play, and the third-down conversion rate was ranked 30th. Las Vegas also had only two wins when facing teams with winning records.

The Raiders have been criticized for signing Jimmy Garoppolo this past off-season. So far, he has missed several games due to a concussion and back injury. When Garoppolo is on the field, as of Wednesday morning, he leads the league in interceptions, throwing nine on 168 pass attempts. He also has a 35.2 QBR, which ranks 31st out of 32 starting quarterbacks.

Many fans reacted positively to the news that McDaniels and Ziegler had been fired. "Christmas came early," some fans said, while others said the news had re-united a divided and disgruntled Raider Nation.

According to the Raiders, Champ Kelley will serve as the interim general manager.

This season marked his second with the Raiders as assistant general manager. Prior to that, he spent seven seasons in personnel and scouting with the Chicago Bears and eight seasons with the Denver Broncos.

The team also announced that Antonio Pierce will serve as the interim head coach.

He is in his second season with the Raiders as a linebackers coach. Prior to that, he spent five seasons at Arizona State as a linebackers coach as well as associate head coach and defensive coordinator. He also spent nine years playing in the NFL: four seasons with the Washington Commanders and five seasons with the New York Giants. He won a Super Bowl with the Giants in 2007.