Raiders feeding off Pete Carroll's positive energy as training camp opens

New York Times

23-07-2025

HENDERSON, Nev. — When setting expectations for the Las Vegas Raiders going into training camp, coach Pete Carroll didn't pull any punches.
'Oh, we are going to win a ton,' Carroll said Tuesday. 'I can't even imagine anything else. I've been winning 10 games a year for 20 years or something, you know? I mean, what are my expectations? We are going to win a bunch, and I don't care who hears that.'
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Carroll's confidence is understandable given his resume, but the Raiders have won 10 games just five times this century. He and general manager John Spytek have a lot of work to do to make that the norm in Las Vegas.
In the first team meeting of training camp on Tuesday, Carroll had both coaches and players get up in front of the room and speak. The aim was to set the tone that winning will take a collaborative effort.
'It was full of energy, man,' receiver Jakobi Meyers said Wednesday. 'It's contagious. I don't know how he finds that energy or where it's coming from, but just the little burst that he has pushes us all. You can't come in here and have less energy than him.'
Carroll is looking to quarterback Geno Smith and defensive end Maxx Crosby to be the primary leaders and carry his message throughout the roster. Although Smith has only been with the team for a few months, he has embraced that responsibility. Rather than doing it through a lot of talking, he prefers to speak via his actions.
'Every day is about proving yourself,' Smith said Wednesday. 'Not only to your guys, but to the rest of the league and to yourself. When you're coming into a new team, you've got to set the standard and set the example. It's through hard work. … For me, I think leadership is a natural thing. I'm not a big talker. I want guys to follow me through example. I just try to push myself, push the guys, and I let the rest handle itself.'
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It's business as usual for Crosby, who has been the face of the franchise for several years. Although he plays defense, his presence is felt by players on both sides of the ball. He's more vocal than Smith — his voice is a constant at every practice — and provides a different style of leadership.
'Being a leader is just a part of who I am,' Crosby said Wednesday. 'I'll push myself just like I push my teammates. I never ask somebody to do something I wouldn't do. … Coach Carroll has done it at the highest level. He's won a national championship. He's won a Super Bowl. … It's been an awesome experience so far. I'm just soaking up information and just trying to learn from him and relaying that message to the guys.'
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Crosby experienced just one winning season in his first five years with the Raiders. He understands the doubts about this team, but that hasn't shaken his resolve.
'There's always going to be negativity until you win,' Crosby said. 'I can't do it by myself. Geno can't do it by himself. Pete can't do it by himself. It's got to be all of us. We've got to be delusional enough to believe in what we can truly do. That's the only way you can go out there and win. …
'I know everyone is bought in on winning. I'm not sitting here to make a bunch of big predictions or none of that (expletive). We've got to go do it and go win, but I fully expect to win. There's no doubt about that.'
The Raiders held their first practice of training camp Wednesday. Here are some observations from their opening session.
• Defensive tackle Christian Wilkins (foot/physically unable to perform list) and offensive tackle Thayer Munford (undisclosed) were the only players who didn't practice Wednesday. Linebacker Germaine Pratt, safety Jamal Adams and four other veterans the Raiders signed Tuesday practiced for the first time Wednesday.
The newcomers were mostly limited to individual drills, which isn't a surprise given they're still early in the integration process. During team drills, the Raiders largely stuck to players who've been around since OTAs.
• Team drills were evenly matched between the offense and defense in what was a pretty uneventful practice. The offense focused on quick-hitting passes. That didn't give the defense many opportunities to make plays on the ball, but it also made it tough for the offense to make big plays downfield.
The lone touchdown of practice came when Smith found tight end Ian Thomas on a deep shot down the middle during seven-on-seven drills. Cornerback Sam Webb nearly picked off Smith when he jumped a short pass during 11-on-11 drills, but he dropped it.
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• Perhaps the most important position battle of training camp is at cornerback. While it's an open competition, Darien Porter and Eric Stokes have taken most of the first-team reps since OTAs. That was the case again during practice Wednesday, but keep an eye on Jakorian Bennett as training camp progresses.
Nickelback is another spot to watch. Jeremy Chinn rotated down into the slot often, which he also did during OTAs. When he wasn't there, the Raiders favored lineups with five defensive linemen on the field. Chinn will line up all over the field.
'The guys really help me a lot as far as just communicating,' Chinn said Wednesday. 'When you have different rotations and different defenses coming in, I may be in a completely different spot, whether it be a position or just an area of the field. … It's really a testament to everyone I'm playing with because they definitely make my job a lot easier.'
Cornerback Darnay Holmes seems to be the secondary option at nickelback, but there's room for someone else to emerge. Safeties Jamal Adams and Thomas Harper and cornerback JT Woods are players who it could make sense for the Raiders to try out in that spot.
• The Raiders' starting offensive line remained unchanged from OTAs: left tackle Kolton Miller, left guard Dylan Parham, center Jackson Powers-Johnson, right guard Alex Cappa and right tackle DJ Glaze. Things also remained the same at receiver with Dont'e Thornton and Tre Tucker working outside and Meyers taking most of his snaps in the slot.
• Receivers Tommy Mellott, Alex Bachman, Kyle Phillips, Tucker and Meyers and running backs Ashton Jeanty and Dylan Laube made up the group of players who fielded kickoffs. Special teams coordinator Tom McMahon is casting a wide net to see who'll be best suited for that role. With touchbacks getting moved up to the 30-yard line, kickoff returns should occur more often this year, increasing the importance of finding a quality returner.
• Without Wilkins on the field, younger defensive tackles such as Jonah Laulu, Tonka Hemingway and JJ Pegues could get more reps down the line. Thus far, though, it has mostly been veterans Adam Butler, Zach Carter, Leki Fotu and Tyree Wilson working on the interior. Outside of Butler, that group is lacking a history of notable production. But Crosby still feels optimistic about the group.
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'They've been great. Jonah's a special talent. Dude can play — and he doesn't even know it yet — but he's going to be a hell of a player. Tonka, JJ, you've got Tyree getting reps inside. … We've got a ton of talent. I trust those guys. … They're young, but we need them if we want a chance to win, and I know they're going to step up.'
Crosby also made sure to shout out defensive end Malcolm Koonce, who missed all of last season with a torn ACL. He was limited during OTAs but was a full go to start training camp.
'Having Malcolm back on the other end, people haven't talked about that at all, and I feel like it's crazy because he was just coming off the best year of his career. … Having him back is going to be huge for us.'
• The Raiders didn't practice in pads Wednesday. They have to hold five practices before they're allowed to, according to NFL rules. They'll practice again Thursday, Friday and Sunday, so pads won't come on until next week.
(Photo of Pete Carroll and Geno Smith: Ethan Miller / Getty Images)