Multiple things about the 2025 Las Vegas Raiders are up in the air and, in particular, questionable.
Our latest Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast episode features part two of a five-part series on the facts surrounding the Silver and Black.
Pete Carroll’s presence with the franchise has been a monstrous blessing for Raider Nation, as his steady leadership looks to redirect the Silver and Black onto the right track.
Coach Carroll spoke after the final mandatory minicamp practice and delivered some incredibly insightful information.
You can read a partial transcript of all he said below.
Head Coach Pete Carroll
Q: You mentioned asking these guys to do certain things. Jakorian Bennett told us that you're all about the ball. See ball, get ball. How do you instill that into those defensive guys?
Coach Carroll: "Every day, every day. The first thing I said to them in the first football meeting that we had was, it's all about the ball. And today I started this last meeting that we had, it's all about the ball. It's about how you emphasize it. And it's not just that you emphasize it, it's how well you can emphasize it in creative manners. It's like when, if you're a teacher and you give this great lecture, you think everybody should learn what you wanted them to learn. If you don't keep coming back to the same messaging and the same teachings, it's likely that you didn't hit home with everybody. So, it's the way that we emphasize it, and the way we're consistently coming about it as creatively as we can, and whatever it takes to get the message across. Our guys, right from the start from day one, we had some big lessons about taking care of the football on offense and how they're going to tuck it and lock it and all those things. And the guys have just done a really nice job. On the other side of the ball, in a mode in this off season where you can't be physical, you can't hit guys, you can't tackle anybody, you have to use your imagination. And so that's a sight in the football when you're attacking it and showing that you sight it and the gestures that you make to show us that you had a shot to punch at the football or take a shot at it, all of those things are the things we value really highly. And so, I think we reported today that it was 2,300 times during these last 10 days that we took a shot at the football. And so, that's the kind of emphasis that we need, but it never ends. I mean, they never get it, they can stay with you. We have a real clear passage to getting that done, and we'll see what happens. It'll really be a key to our season."
Q: Where do you feel like the team made the most progress over the last three days?
Coach Carroll: "I think work ethic, really. I think the consistency in our work ethic. We came out of the OTA phase two when you can only go so far, you can only do so much. Then in phase three, we get to do a lot more against each other and work offense versus defense. And so they got to transfer the phase one, phase two, to the final phase into this mini camp. But even with that, there's so much restraint on them. It's really hard to do this right, because like I said, you've got to use your imagination, because you can't make the plays. So, sometimes we go a little bit too far. The league is aware of how we practice, because they know, and we had to stay within the guidelines, which we got done in good fashion."
Q: One of the guys we've heard, at least on the offensive line, credited with bringing the energy and working so hard during the offseason is your center, Jackson Powers-Johnson. What about his mentality matches with what you're trying to instill and what's it been like getting to work with him?
Coach Carroll: "He's easy. He's easy to get to. He loves to be jacked up and fired up. And he's just got that kind of energy about him. It's in his makeup, it's nothing we gave him. He brings that to us. When we have guys like that, we play off them. We try to put them in positions so others can see what it's like. Caleb Rogers was a really interesting kid, first time around, but he has big energy and kind of an excitement about the way he approaches the game that's unique. And so, I said this maybe to you guys before, but we're looking for the unique qualities that they bring, and we're celebrating the unique qualities by putting them in positions to exhibit the way they are so the guys can see it and they can affect other people. And JPJ, he really does have a lot of juice."
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