Notes: Raiders held ‘cathartic’ meeting to air grievances ahead of MNF

Never a bad idea to keep an eye on your enemies. In this case, you’ll find them in a room hashing out the frustrations from the past seven games.

NFL.com reported Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels gave his team the chance to get it all out on the table ahead of their matchup with the Detroit Lions on “Monday Night Football.” The team addressed a variety of issues, “at times in a very passionate fashion,” and apparently nothing was off limits. Stars Davante Adams, Josh Jacobs, and Maxx Crosby were reportedly among those voicing concerns.

“Sources familiar with the meeting say players roundly viewed it as cathartic — a much-needed opportunity to get things off their chest and reset emotionally before the team travels to Detroit for a big Monday night game against the Lions,” writes NFL Insider Tom Pelissero.

Some of those frustrations may include a surprising 30-12 loss to the Chicago Bears last week. The 3-4 Raiders also rank near-last in the league in giveaways at 15. Receiver Davante Adams has been pretty public about his concerns. In a press conference following a victory over the Green Bay Packers, he expressed was unhappy with how the game went, despite the win.

“My benchmark is not wins and losses, it’s greatness. So when I go out there, I expect to be able to have that ability to put that on tape and have that influence on the game. Like I say every week, that’s my purpose for being here — I’m not here just to hang out ... I came here to win and to do it the right way. If it doesn’t look like it’s supposed to look, I’m going to be frustrated if I’m not part of that plan. I have the opportunity to go and change that and make it look like a much better picture out there,” Adams said.

That was before the Raiders lost to rookie Tyson Bagent, making his NFL debut in place of Justin Fields. I’m sure that didn’t help.

This all happening as the Lions are doing their own mental gymnastics to wrap their heads around what happened in the 38-6 loss to Baltimore last week. There’s certainly a reason to study the tape to find out, but perhaps more of a reason to burn it and move on. Players and coaches alike have been answering questions all week long about how one re-focuses and re-centers to right the ship.

“It’s a roller coaster outside of our building at times, for every team in the league,” said quarterback Jared Goff, per Mike O’Hara. “It’s no different for us, but in here (the locker room), it’s steady Eddie and ready to respond this week.”

Was the group vent session enough to get the Raiders on the same page as a team? Have the Lions shook off the stench of defeat, having shifted all sights on proving the Ravens blowout was a fluke? In a game so largely influenced by not just physical, but mental and emotional states, both teams are coming from interesting places.

And onto the rest of your notes.

• Dan Campbell is ready for an unreal atmosphere at Ford Field.

• Some predictions about what will go down on MNF from the crew over at The Detroit News. ($)

• Jameson Williams and Brad Holmes attended the Pistons’ home opener over the weekend.

• For those attending the game, the Lions put together some info on what you can expect, including LED wristbands on your seats so you can be part of the Lions Light Show throughout the game.

• A reminder you can also expect to see the debut of the blue alternate helmets.

• Apparently C.J. Gardner-Johnson is legally changing his name to his alter-ego Ceedy Duce. Apparently this won’t be the first time he’s legally changed his name.