There are many varieties of incompetence, none of them good. There's the perilous mix of evil and buffoonery we find in today's White House, which is crippling our country. Then there's just plain stupidity. Witness the Las Vegas Raiders.
With the recent firing of Head Coach Pete Carroll, a seemingly good guy and once-great coach many of us knew Las Vegas should not hire, the Raiders are paying tens of millions of dollars to four fired head coaches - Carroll, Josh McDaniels, Antonio Pierce, and the very capable Jon Gruden. They'll actually be paying five head coaches once they name their new leader in coming weeks. It's as astonishing as it is ridiculous.
This problem starts with Raiders owner Mark Davis, who inherited the team from his legendary father Al Davis. Davis is a hands-on guy, which is too bad since he always seems to be in over his head. This is also the case with Woody Johnson, owner of the completely inept New York Jets, as well as Jerry Jones the megalomaniac-owner of the Dallas Cowboys who have hardly been a winning franchise in 30 years. These owners are imprisoned by their own egos while their teams and fans continue to pay the price. They won't let go of the reins and, as a result, constantly make blunder after blunder in their decisions about executive, coaching, and football talent.
In Davis' case, will paying tens of millions in dead money to former coaches help the Raiders step back and find wisdom? Don't count on it, even with Tom Brady's help. Incompetency ingrains itself throughout an organization when the big boss is among its chief perpetrators.