Be Smart, Baby: Raiders GM Dave Ziegler Has ‘Football Intelligence’ Atop His Must-Haves Lists When It Comes To Prospects, Players

Man, Ziegler sounds like OG Kurt Angle and the “three Is,” which are intensity, integrity, and intelligence.

Why didn’t Dave Ziegler fix it this past season?

Self-awareness is an integral thing for a personnel person, and it’s refreshing to see Ziegler call a spade a spade. Las Vegas’ football intelligence in the most critical of situations was amiss and needs fixing. Of course, the reaction can be, “Why didn’t Ziegler fix it this past season?” In fairness, you can’t really see how someone will react to a high-pressure, high-stress environment unless they’re in it; practice can’t simulate it. And even when Ziegler and crew realized the football IQ of the roster was lacking, all they could do was elevate practice squad talent and sign street free agents in-season as the issue mounted, along with injuries wiping out the roster too.

It’s an ongoing evaluation that isn’t going to be settled.

What do I mean by that?

Even if you find football smart and controlled players and get them on the roster, it’s an ongoing thing. You don’t stop when you stock up on that type of talent. You keep bringing in that type of player year after year. Because such is life in the NFL, where one injury or one misstep can wreck your roster. Plus, Ziegler can bring players in and out all day long, but it’s up to head coach Josh McDaniels and his coaching staff to develop players.

“And so, I think to do that, we have to continue to find the pieces in the different rooms, whether it’s the linebacker room, whether it’s the defensive back room, the receiver room, whatever, find players that embody that and can do that in those critical moments,” Ziegler said. “And I think if we can do that, eventually we’ll end up turning the tides on those close games, and those close games will be the ones that we’ll win.”

The Raiders GM isn’t showing his hand…

Winning is key, of course. The Raiders’ time-honored motto is “Just Win, Baby,” and many folks who were not inspired by Ziegler’s candid conversation on the podcast are likely seeing it as “Just Win, Maybe?” now. Dave Ziegler isn’t going to show his hand, even though a loyal and rabid Raider Nation fan base wants to see it.

If there’s an encouraging item from Ziegler’s chat with The Boys, it’s that he’s steadfast in his approach. He’s of the “scared money doesn’t make money” school of thought made famous by Florida Gators coach Billy Napier.

Dude…

“I tell myself a lot, ‘Dude, you’re the GM of the Raiders. You were a guidance counselor. Keep things in perspective, keep it level and enjoy the moment’. Because of that mindset, my decisions aren’t driven by just trying to stay alive. The fact that I got to this position, and I have this job is kind of wild to think, compared to where we were in 2008, so I don’t let fear of failure or of being fired drive decisions,” Dave Ziegler noted.

“We’re going to swing, and we also have a vision of how we want to do things. We’re just going to go, and I believe it’s going to work. That’s why I’m going to do things the way I do them. I believe we’re going to win here. I believe we’re going to build something that’s going to compete for championships and ultimately, get us to where we want to go.

“But I’m not going to do anything and divert for that because I’m like, scared of something,” or ‘I’m going to buy two more years’ if we do this or that. That’s not how I’m wired. I’m not going to go down like that.”