Latest news with #PeteCarroll


New York Times
3 hours 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)


San Francisco Chronicle
a day ago
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
On eve of training camp, new coach Pete Carroll says Raiders will win a bunch of games
HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Pete Carroll was excited because, well, he's Pete Carroll. He was in the Raiders' media room Tuesday answering reporters' coaches, but much of his mind was on a team meeting just more than an hour away. 'I can't wait to kick this thing off and get rolling,' Carroll said. This is familiar territory for Carroll, something he missed after a year off from coaching. Now in Las Vegas, he will try to revive a Raiders franchise still striving to return to its former glory before it came to a sudden halt after appearing in the Super Bowl in the 2002 season. That effort begins in earnest Wednesday morning when the Raiders open training camp, and Carroll isn't lowering the bar for a team coming off a 4-13 season. 'We are going to win a bunch of games,' Carroll said. 'I can't even imagine anything else. I've been winning 10 games a year for 20 years or something. I mean, what are my expectations? We are going to win a bunch, and I don't care who hears that. "It ain't about what anybody hears. It's about what we do, and so that's why expectations are really high. The standards need to be so that the expectations can be met. We'll see what happens.' Carroll hopes to follow the gameplan he took to Seattle in 2010. The Seahawks finished 7-9 in each of Carroll's first two seasons before recording double-digit wins eight of the following nine years. That run included back-to-back Super Bowl appearances — a 35-point rout of Denver and a memorable and heartbreaking oh-so-close loss to New England. Before that, Carroll turned USC into one of the nation's dominant programs that included the 2003 and 2004 national championships, the first shared with LSU. 'You either have a philosophy or you don't, and we got one," Carroll said. "We got beliefs and principles that guide us, so I'm not altering those much. I'm staying true to what we know and what's been successful for us.' Part of Carroll's confidence can be traced to last year when he was off the sidelines after the Seahawks forced him out. 'The last year was really valuable to me,' Carroll said. 'The perspective that you have when you're in the middle of it is different than when you can step away. The opportunity for clarity ... was so obvious to me, so I saw things differently, and I felt like I learned a lot of things and took in a lot and have altered my expectations of what we're able to do and how we need to go about getting better and doing things more proficiently in all areas.' He could be enjoying retirement, but jumped at the chance to coach again when the Raiders called. Carroll turns 74 on Sept. 15, and the NFL's oldest active coach doesn't look ready to slow down. A 1 p.m. team meeting isn't something just to get through, but in typical Carroll fashion to attack with gusto. 'We've got to find ourselves,' Carroll said. "We got to figure out who we are, and that needs to be guided well. So it starts with me, and then the coordinators through the position coaches have to do a tremendous job of figuring out what they can bring us with the players that we have. It's a big process. It might sound kind of loosey goosey on that thought, but this is a specific science to me. "It's a fascinating process, it really is. I'm really pumped about getting in the middle of it.' Raiders sign Adams, other free agents The Raiders signed safety Jamal Adams, who played in five games and started three last season with Tennessee and Detroit. He made first- or second-team AP All-Pro from 2018-20. Adams has started 83 of 85 career games, making 50 tackles, 21 1/2 sacks, 50 tackles for loss, four interceptions and 36 passes defended. Four others also signed — wide receiver Phillip Dorsett II, guard Atonio Mafi, wide receiver Seth Williams and safety JT Woods. No timetable for Wilkins Carroll said he didn't know when defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, placed on the physically unable to perform list because of a difficult recovery from a broken foot, will return to practice. He can be activated at any time in preseason off the PUP list once medically cleared. 'We have to sort of wait out,' Carroll said. 'We're going to look after him, make sure that we do it right and breaking him in, but he's ready to go,' Carroll said. ___ AP NFL:


Fox Sports
a day ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
On eve of training camp, new coach Pete Carroll says Raiders will win a bunch of games
Associated Press HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Pete Carroll was excited because, well, he's Pete Carroll. He was in the Raiders' media room Tuesday answering reporters' coaches, but much of his mind was on a team meeting just more than an hour away. 'I can't wait to kick this thing off and get rolling,' Carroll said. This is familiar territory for Carroll, something he missed after a year off from coaching. Now in Las Vegas, he will try to revive a Raiders franchise still striving to return to its former glory before it came to a sudden halt after appearing in the Super Bowl in the 2002 season. That effort begins in earnest Wednesday morning when the Raiders open training camp, and Carroll isn't lowering the bar for a team coming off a 4-13 season. 'We are going to win a bunch of games,' Carroll said. 'I can't even imagine anything else. I've been winning 10 games a year for 20 years or something. I mean, what are my expectations? We are going to win a bunch, and I don't care who hears that. "It ain't about what anybody hears. It's about what we do, and so that's why expectations are really high. The standards need to be so that the expectations can be met. We'll see what happens.' Carroll hopes to follow the gameplan he took to Seattle in 2010. The Seahawks finished 7-9 in each of Carroll's first two seasons before recording double-digit wins eight of the following nine years. That run included back-to-back Super Bowl appearances — a 35-point rout of Denver and a memorable and heartbreaking oh-so-close loss to New England. Before that, Carroll turned USC into one of the nation's dominant programs that included the 2003 and 2004 national championships, the first shared with LSU. 'You either have a philosophy or you don't, and we got one," Carroll said. "We got beliefs and principles that guide us, so I'm not altering those much. I'm staying true to what we know and what's been successful for us.' Part of Carroll's confidence can be traced to last year when he was off the sidelines after the Seahawks forced him out. 'The last year was really valuable to me,' Carroll said. 'The perspective that you have when you're in the middle of it is different than when you can step away. The opportunity for clarity ... was so obvious to me, so I saw things differently, and I felt like I learned a lot of things and took in a lot and have altered my expectations of what we're able to do and how we need to go about getting better and doing things more proficiently in all areas.' He could be enjoying retirement, but jumped at the chance to coach again when the Raiders called. Carroll turns 74 on Sept. 15, and the NFL's oldest active coach doesn't look ready to slow down. A 1 p.m. team meeting isn't something just to get through, but in typical Carroll fashion to attack with gusto. 'We've got to find ourselves,' Carroll said. "We got to figure out who we are, and that needs to be guided well. So it starts with me, and then the coordinators through the position coaches have to do a tremendous job of figuring out what they can bring us with the players that we have. It's a big process. It might sound kind of loosey goosey on that thought, but this is a specific science to me. "It's a fascinating process, it really is. I'm really pumped about getting in the middle of it.' Raiders sign Adams, other free agents The Raiders signed safety Jamal Adams, who played in five games and started three last season with Tennessee and Detroit. He made first- or second-team AP All-Pro from 2018-20. Adams has started 83 of 85 career games, making 50 tackles, 21 1/2 sacks, 50 tackles for loss, four interceptions and 36 passes defended. Four others also signed — wide receiver Phillip Dorsett II, guard Atonio Mafi, wide receiver Seth Williams and safety JT Woods. No timetable for Wilkins Carroll said he didn't know when defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, placed on the physically unable to perform list because of a difficult recovery from a broken foot, will return to practice. He can be activated at any time in preseason off the PUP list once medically cleared. 'We have to sort of wait out,' Carroll said. Defensive end Malcolm Koonce is back after missing all of last season because of a torn ACL. 'We're going to look after him, make sure that we do it right and breaking him in, but he's ready to go,' Carroll said. ___ AP NFL: recommended Item 1 of 3


Al Arabiya
a day ago
- Sport
- Al Arabiya
On eve of training camp, new coach Pete Carroll says Raiders will win a bunch of games
HENDERSON, Nev. Pete Carroll was excited because, well, he's Pete Carroll. He was in the Raiders media room Tuesday answering reporters, coaches, but much of his mind was on a team meeting just more than an hour away. 'I can't wait to kick this thing off and get rolling,' Carroll said. This is familiar territory for Carroll, something he missed after a year off from coaching. Now in Las Vegas, he will try to revive a Raiders franchise still striving to return to its former glory before it came to a sudden halt after appearing in the Super Bowl in the 2002 season. That effort begins in earnest Wednesday morning when the Raiders open training camp and Carroll isn't lowering the bar for a team coming off a 4-13 season. 'We are going to win a bunch of games,' Carroll said. 'I can't even imagine anything else. I've been winning 10 games a year for 20 years or something. I mean what are my expectations? We are going to win a bunch and I don't care who hears that. It ain't about what anybody hears. It's about what we do and so that's why expectations are really high. The standards need to be so that the expectations can be met. We'll see what happens.' Carroll hopes to follow the gameplan he took to Seattle in 2010. The Seahawks finished 7-9 in each of Carroll's first two seasons before recording double-digit wins eight of the following nine years. That run included back-to-back Super Bowl appearances – a 35-point rout of Denver and a memorable and heartbreaking oh-so-close loss to New England. Before that, Carroll turned USC into one of the nation's dominant programs that included the 2003 and 2004 national championships, the first shared with LSU. 'You either have a philosophy or you don't and we got one,' Carroll said. 'We got beliefs and principles that guide us so I'm not altering those much. I'm staying true to what we know and what's been successful for us.' Part of Carroll's confidence can be traced to last year when he was off the sidelines after the Seahawks forced him out. 'The last year was really valuable to me,' Carroll said. 'The perspective that you have when you're in the middle of it is different than when you can step away. The opportunity for clarity … was so obvious to me so I saw things differently and I felt like I learned a lot of things and took in a lot and have altered my expectations of what we're able to do and how we need to go about getting better and doing things more proficiently in all areas.' He could be enjoying retirement but jumped at the chance to coach again when the Raiders called. Carroll turns 74 on Sept. 15 and the NFL's oldest active coach doesn't look ready to slow down. A 1 p.m. team meeting isn't something just to get through but in typical Carroll fashion to attack with gusto. 'We've got to find ourselves,' Carroll said. 'We got to figure out who we are and that needs to be guided well. So it starts with me and then the coordinators through the position coaches have to do a tremendous job of figuring out what they can bring us with the players that we have. It's a big process. It might sound kind of loosey goosey on that thought but this is a specific science to me. It's a fascinating process it really is. I'm really pumped about getting in the middle of it.' Raiders sign Adams, other free agents. The Raiders signed safety Jamal Adams, who played in five games and started three last season with Tennessee and Detroit. He made first- or second-team AP All-Pro from 2018-20. Adams has started 83 of 85 career games making 50 tackles, 21 1/2 sacks, 50 tackles for loss, four interceptions and 36 passes defended. Four others also signed – wide receiver Phillip Dorsett II, guard Atonio Mafi, wide receiver Seth Williams and safety JT Woods. No timetable for Wilkins. Carroll said he didn't know when defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, placed on the physically unable to perform list because of a difficult recovery from a broken foot, will return to practice. He can be activated at any time in preseason off the PUP list once medically cleared. 'We have to sort of wait out,' Carroll said. Defensive end Malcolm Koonce is back after missing all of last season because of a torn ACL. 'We're going to look after him, make sure that we do it right and breaking him in but he's ready to go,' Carroll said.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
On eve of training camp, new coach Pete Carroll says Raiders will win a bunch of games
HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Pete Carroll was excited because, well, he's Pete Carroll. He was in the Raiders' media room Tuesday answering reporters' coaches, but much of his mind was on a team meeting just more than an hour away. 'I can't wait to kick this thing off and get rolling,' Carroll said. This is familiar territory for Carroll, something he missed after a year off from coaching. Now in Las Vegas, he will try to revive a Raiders franchise still striving to return to its former glory before it came to a sudden halt after appearing in the Super Bowl in the 2002 season. That effort begins in earnest Wednesday morning when the Raiders open training camp, and Carroll isn't lowering the bar for a team coming off a 4-13 season. 'We are going to win a bunch of games,' Carroll said. 'I can't even imagine anything else. I've been winning 10 games a year for 20 years or something. I mean, what are my expectations? We are going to win a bunch, and I don't care who hears that. "It ain't about what anybody hears. It's about what we do, and so that's why expectations are really high. The standards need to be so that the expectations can be met. We'll see what happens.' Carroll hopes to follow the gameplan he took to Seattle in 2010. The Seahawks finished 7-9 in each of Carroll's first two seasons before recording double-digit wins eight of the following nine years. That run included back-to-back Super Bowl appearances — a 35-point rout of Denver and a memorable and heartbreaking oh-so-close loss to New England. Before that, Carroll turned USC into one of the nation's dominant programs that included the 2003 and 2004 national championships, the first shared with LSU. 'You either have a philosophy or you don't, and we got one," Carroll said. "We got beliefs and principles that guide us, so I'm not altering those much. I'm staying true to what we know and what's been successful for us.' Part of Carroll's confidence can be traced to last year when he was off the sidelines after the Seahawks forced him out. 'The last year was really valuable to me,' Carroll said. 'The perspective that you have when you're in the middle of it is different than when you can step away. The opportunity for clarity ... was so obvious to me, so I saw things differently, and I felt like I learned a lot of things and took in a lot and have altered my expectations of what we're able to do and how we need to go about getting better and doing things more proficiently in all areas.' He could be enjoying retirement, but jumped at the chance to coach again when the Raiders called. Carroll turns 74 on Sept. 15, and the NFL's oldest active coach doesn't look ready to slow down. A 1 p.m. team meeting isn't something just to get through, but in typical Carroll fashion to attack with gusto. 'We've got to find ourselves,' Carroll said. "We got to figure out who we are, and that needs to be guided well. So it starts with me, and then the coordinators through the position coaches have to do a tremendous job of figuring out what they can bring us with the players that we have. It's a big process. It might sound kind of loosey goosey on that thought, but this is a specific science to me. "It's a fascinating process, it really is. I'm really pumped about getting in the middle of it.' Raiders sign Adams, other free agents The Raiders signed safety Jamal Adams, who played in five games and started three last season with Tennessee and Detroit. He made first- or second-team AP All-Pro from 2018-20. Adams has started 83 of 85 career games, making 50 tackles, 21 1/2 sacks, 50 tackles for loss, four interceptions and 36 passes defended. Four others also signed — wide receiver Phillip Dorsett II, guard Atonio Mafi, wide receiver Seth Williams and safety JT Woods. No timetable for Wilkins Carroll said he didn't know when defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, placed on the physically unable to perform list because of a difficult recovery from a broken foot, will return to practice. He can be activated at any time in preseason off the PUP list once medically cleared. 'We have to sort of wait out,' Carroll said. Defensive end Malcolm Koonce is back after missing all of last season because of a torn ACL. 'We're going to look after him, make sure that we do it right and breaking him in, but he's ready to go,' Carroll said. ___ AP NFL: