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New York Times
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Raiders feeding off Pete Carroll's positive energy as training camp opens
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.' Advertisement 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.' Here to run the table.#RaiderNation — Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) July 23, 2025 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.' Advertisement 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. Advertisement • 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. Advertisement '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)
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Raiders' Brock Bowers makes history in ESPN poll
The post Raiders' Brock Bowers makes history in ESPN poll appeared first on ClutchPoints. There's no doubt Las Vegas Raiders star Maxx Crosby is good at his job. And he can compare himself to another famous player. However, teammate Brock Bowers is the one who made history in an ESPN poll. Bowers became the first player to rank No. 1 at his position so early in his career, according to 'He's the first player to rank No. 1 at his position after his rookie year,' Jeremy Fowler wrote. 'From Joe Burrow to Justin Jefferson and Sauce Gardner, many came close but couldn't quite pull off the feat. Bowers, however, narrowly outdistanced (George) Kittle in the polls after earning more than 50% of the first-place votes.' Raiders have a special one in TE Brock Bowers Bowers didn't go in the top 10 of the 2024 NFL Draft. But there's a reason, other than talent, that he dropped into the Raiders' lap. 'He was the highest-graded overall player in the 2024 draft in the eyes of some NFL scouts,' Folwer wrote. 'But the position he plays, coupled with a strong quarterback draft, dropped him to the No. 13 pick. Sure, the Raiders needed a quarterback in the worst way. But there's no way they regret the selection of Bowers, who met expectations, then smashed them.' Bowers didn't really have a rookie year, in some respects, according to 'He looks like a vet out there. He has that presence too,' quarterback Aidan O'Connell said. 'That's just kind of how he is. He's calm, he's chill. It's hard to get him to raise his voice over a couple decibels.' And Bowers goes about his business, playing the game. 'He doesn't change up too much,' said teammate Chris Smith II. 'He's a grit and grind guy. A meat-and-potatoes kind of guy. That's what we would say a lot of times at UGA, and I feel he embodies that. He doesn't talk muc,h but when he does, it's something real meaningful behind it. He just goes to work every day.' TE Brock Bowers doesn't crave the spotlight He said he's always been like that. 'It's not my favorite thing, going up and talking to people and all that kind of stuff,' Bowers said. 'I enjoy the football side of it. I go and do (interviews). But I have no promises it's going to go well or I'm going to talk well. 'It is what it is, people can think what they want, but I'm just going to go in there and say what I'm going to say. I just don't enjoy talking a ton. I say what I say and do what I do, and whatever happens, happens.' On the field, Bowers said he flips the switch. He blocks everything out, the noise, the distractions. And he focuses on the simple task at hand. 'Seeing the person across from me and being like, 'Man, I need to beat this guy,' Bowers said. 'It's just that competitive streak and wanting to win.' Related: 10 greatest Raiders teams of all time Related: Raiders' Ashton Jeanty pick tagged as 'bad' in ESPN's offseason grades
Fox News
7 days ago
- Sport
- Fox News
Raiders' Christian Wilkins on PUP List After Latest Setback From Foot Injury
The Las Vegas Raiders have placed defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, who suffered a significant setback earlier this year in his recovery from a broken foot, on the physically unable to perform list Friday. Wilkins will miss at least the beginning of training camp, which begins Wednesday. Because he was placed on the PUP list before practices began, the Raiders can activate Wilkins at any time during camp once medically cleared. Wilkins suffered the season-ending injury in Week 5 last season. He then experienced some sort of setback in his recovery, which caused him to miss all of organized team activities and minicamp. "It's been a difficult recovery and he's done everything he needs to do," coach Pete Carroll said in May. "He's been here every day. He's here early working hard. He's not ready to get back out. We're in the midst of a long, challenging process." Wilkins, 29, was the Raiders' marquee free-agent signing last year, agreeing to a four-year, $110 million contract with $82.75 million guaranteed. He was expected to bolster a defensive line led by pass rushers Maxx Crosby and Malcolm Koonce after making a career-high nine sacks in 2023 with Miami to go with his elite run-stopping ability. All three linemen, however, suffered season-ending injuries. Wilkins had two sacks and 17 tackles in five games before injuring his foot, which required surgery. He suffered a Jones fracture — a break of the bone that connects the pinkie toe to the base of the foot. Reporting by The Associated Press. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
NFL star Maxx Crosby praises Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg
After being drafted No. 1 overall, Cooper Flagg was one player many anxiously awaited to see in action during Summer League. Though his time on the court was brief, it was still enough for the touted prospect to get a shoutout from a fellow pro athlete. With the festivities taking place in Las Vegas, there is an array of notable names floating around Summer League. Many are some of the game's top stars popping up to support some of their younger teammates. Ahead of NFL training camp, Las Vegas Raiders star Maxx Crosby was another notable name in attendance. While soaking in the action, Crosby had the chance to link up with Flagg. He ended up posting a picture of the two of them on social media while praising the NBA's next big prospect. Though he struggled from the field, Flagg managed to put together an all-around performance in his Summer League debut against the LA Lakers. He posted a stat line of 10 points, six rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Flagg would bounce back in a big way in his next outing against the San Antonio Spurs, erupting for 31 points, four rebounds, and one assist. Following this outing, the Mavericks decided they'd seen more than enough from Flagg and decided to shut him down for the remainder of Summer League. Looking ahead, Flagg will now begin preparing for his first NBA training camp in a couple of months. He finds himself with a tall task as a No. 1 pick, as he'll attempt to help a Mavericks team with championship aspirations in the Western Conference.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Raiders place DT Christian Wilkins on PUP list as he still recovers from broken foot
HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — The Las Vegas Raiders placed defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, who experienced a significant setback earlier this year in his recovery from a broken foot, on the physically unable to perform list Friday. That means Wilkins will miss at least the beginning of training camp, which opens Wednesday. Because he was placed on the PUP list before practices began, the Raiders can activate Wilkins at any time during camp once medically cleared. Wilkins suffered the season-ending injury in Week 5 last season. He then experienced some sort of setback in his recovery, which caused him to miss all of organized team activities and minicamp. 'It's been a difficult recovery and he's done everything he needs to do,' coach Pete Carroll said in May. 'He's been here every day. He's here early working hard. He's not ready to get back out. We're in the midst of a long, challenging process.' Wilkins, 29, was the Raiders' marquee free-agent signing last year, agreeing to a four-year, $110 million contract with $82.75 million guaranteed. He was expected to bolster a defensive line led by pass rushers Maxx Crosby and Malcolm Koonce after making a career-high nine sacks in 2023 with Miami to go with his elite run-stopping ability. All three linemen, however, suffered season-ending injuries. Wilkins had two sacks and 17 tackles in five games before injuring his foot, which required surgery. He suffered a Jones fracture — a break of the bone that connects the pinkie toe to the base of the foot. ___ AP NFL:
