ALAMEDA — It’d be unfair to say that there’s a new sheriff in Raider Nation.
Jon Gruden, with his 10-year contract and special relationship with owner Mark Davis, is still the man with the ultimate say when it comes to football matters for the Silver and Black.
But it’s evident now that new general manager Mike Mayock is no flack. In fact, the’s providing a necessary and effective foil to Gruden.
It had been discussed in NFL circles since before the Combine that things had changed at 1220 Harbor Bay Parkway: Mayock was, indeed, the man to call if you wanted to do football business — something that was not the case when Reggie McKenzie was the team’s general manager and he and Gruden operated effectively separate front offices.