Josh McDaniels has funny take on tuck rule

Some players on the Las Vegas Raiders may not be too thrilled that Josh McDaniels was hired as head coach in favor of interim Rich Bisaccia. But the new coach of the Raiders certainly had the right words to appease his new boss, as well as any fans lingering from the franchise’s days in Oakland.

Anyone who’s ever been through one knows that job interviews can be intimidating. But McDaniels knew exactly what to say to get on the good side of Raiders owner Mark Davis.

Davis said first thing that McDaniels told him was “it was a fumble.” #Raiders

— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) January 31, 2022

If you’ve been around a Raiders fan at any point of the last 20 years, you know how smart this was on McDaniels’ part, particularly given his past with the New England Patriots.

McDaniels was a first-year assistant for New England in 2001. That season, his Patriots met the then Oakland Raiders in the Divisional playoffs. Late in the fourth quarter, it appeared as though New England had lost that game when, with the Raiders up 13-10 late in the fourth quarter, Charles Woodson sacked Tom Brady and forced what appeared to be a game-clinching fumble. Minutes later, however, the fumble was overturned, ruled an incomplete pass due to the now-famous (or infamous) Tuck Rule.

Get your popcorn ready 🍿 @30for30

Settle the debate: #ItWasAFumble or #ItWasIncomplete 🤔

"The Tuck Rule" premieres February 6. pic.twitter.com/aEBKFLqh8y

— ESPN (@espn) January 19, 2022

The Patriots went on to win that game and the Super Bowl that year. The two franchises have had drastically different fortunes in the subsequent two decades.

In McDaniels’ now-former stomping grounds of New England, the response when talking about that play is, “Say what you want about the rule but it was called correct.” But now that he’s in Raider Nation, McDaniels is wise to change his tone on that controversial play.

Around the Raiders and their fans, “It was a fumble” is the safe response. The best response is, “It was a fumble,” with an expletive or two thrown in for good measure.

[Vic Tafur]