Who should sit on the Silver and Black iron throne?
Let’s be honest, we’ve reached the lull in the NFL schedule as it’s the dog days of summer when there isn’t a whole lot going on around the league. The Las Vegas Raiders are on a break with several weeks before the start of training camp, so let’s have some fun and find a cross-section between football and pop culture.
Season two of HBO’s House of the Dragon is currently airing and is one of the more popular television shows right now, and there are a few Raiders who draw some comparisons to some of the characters like Maxx Crosby and Daemon Targaryen.
[Spoiler alert: if you haven’t watched episode two which aired on Sunday, June 23, there are some spoilers below.]
Maxx Crosby: Daemon Targaryen
Daemon is a complicated character but there’s no denying that he’s one of, if not the best warrior in the Seven Kingdoms, similar to how Crosby has emerged as one of the best pass-rushers in the NFL. Perhaps the strongest correlation between the two came in season one of HOD when Daemon put his life on the line during the War of Stepstones to defeat the Crabfeeder. During this past NFL season, Crosby played through a knee injury that had a seven to 15 percent mortality rate, according to MEDspiration. Also, while Madd Maxx’s hair is more strawberry blonde nowadays, he used to resemble a Targaryen via his roster picture from Eastern Michigan.
Join the Maxx “Draco Malfoy” Crosby gang #NewProfilePic pic.twitter.com/NBnizCQbbF
— ЈГ (@CondorSZN) November 12, 2021
Antonio Pierce: Rhaenyra Targaryen
The storyline of the show is a big controversy over King Viserys Targaryen’s rightful heir to the Iron Thorne as it was promised to Rhaenyra before she was usurped by Alicent Hightower and Aegon Targaryen. So, viewers know that Rhaenyra should be officially crowned queen, but she has to fight off other candidates for it and the kingdom is divided about who the next ruler should be. That’s not all that different from how Pierce became the Raiders’ full-time head coach as many people in the fanbase felt he should be given the job while others wanted to see a more traditional candidate like Jim Harbaugh land the gig. Granted, the big difference between Rhaeynra and Pierce is the latter is currently the unquestioned leader while the former is still fighting for the crown.
Side note, don’t spoil this in the comments if you’ve read the books and know what happens to Rhaeynra!
Patrick Graham: Rhaenys Targaryen
On a similar note, Graham drew some interest as a head coaching candidate around the league this offseason but was ultimately passed up and serves in AP’s ‘council’, if you will, or as a high-ranking assistant coach. Meanwhile, Rhaenys is known as the ‘Queen Who Never Was’ as she was passed up as the ruler of the Seven Kingdoms in favor of Viserys back in the day. Since then, she’s accepted that she’ll never be queen and has become a trusted advisor to Rhaeynra. Now, Graham could end up landing a head coach job next offseason, but this works for now.
Aidan O’Connell: Jacaerys Valeryon
We still don’t know who the Raiders’ quarterback of the future is but O’Connell can be seen as the current favorite. Similarly, Jacaerys will be the heir to the Iron Throne if his mother, Rharnyra, officially becomes queen but that hasn’t happened yet. Also, O’Connell was brought in by the organization’s previous regime which could lead the organization’s current leaders to question his status as the future of the franchise. And it’s well-known that Jacaerys’ father is actually Harwin Strong and not Laenor Velaryon, which brings his legitimacy as heir into question.
Kolton Miller: Ser Erryk Cargyll
Miller has put his body on the line to protect the Raiders’ quarterbacks over the years and showed loyalty to the franchise by signing a contract extension before his rookie deal expired. Ser Erryk was a knight in the Queensguard who was willing to sacrifice anything to ensure Rhaeynra’s safety, including killing his twin brother in a fight when Arryk attempted to assassinate the Queen. Erryk showed loyalty to the crown up until his last breath.
Tom Telesco: Otto Hightower
Otto has spent most of the series trying to build up his grandson, Aegon, as the next King of the Seven Kingdoms. However, after decades of trying to groom Aegon, Hightower recognized that his efforts were futile and that his grandson was not fit to rule. That led to him speaking out against Aegon and his dismissal as Hand of the King. In a similar situation, Telesco was the Los Angeles Chargers’ general manager for 11 years before getting fired this past season after compiling an 84-95 record with only three playoff appearances. In other words, he helped build one of the Raiders’ biggest enemies before recognizing the error in his ways.
Jarrett Stidham: Ser Criston Cole
Ser Criston has quickly become one of the most hated characters on HOD, essentially because he went from protecting Rhaeynra to becoming one of her biggest enemies. That’s not all that different from Stidham, who was briefly the backup quarterback in Las Vegas before choosing to sign with one of the organization’s biggest rivals, the Denver Broncos.
Mike Shanahan: Alicent Hightower
In a similar situation, Shanahan was once the Raiders’ head coach, and Alicent used to be best friends with Rhaeynra. However, when those two felt betrayed, they quickly became enemies as Shanahan joined the Broncos’ coaching staff and Alicent assisted in Aegon usurping Rhaeynra.