LAS VEGAS, Nev.—The Las Vegas Raiders improved their preseason record to 1-1 today with a XX-XX victory over their former cross-bay neighbor, the San Francisco 49ers.
In our latest episode of the Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast, we offer you a complete recap of today’s tilt with the San Francisco 49ers
Pete Carroll’s performance since taking the helm of the Silver and Black ship has been nothing short of stellar.
His mastery of motivation, free of manipulation, once again demonstrates his ability to have won championships at his two previous stops.
Las Vegas Raiders Pete Carroll
Las Vegas Raiders Pete Carroll / Darrell Craig Harris, On SI
One of the brilliant things that Carroll did was quickly pivot to Geno Smith to lead the Silver and Black after a trade for Matthew Stafford fell apart.
Smith spoke after practice this week, and below is a partial
Las Vegas Raiders QB Geno Smith
Las Vegas Raiders QB Geno Smith / Darrell Craig Harris, On SI
Quarterback Geno Smith
Q: I saw a situation where you went over to Tre Tucker, might have been a miscommunication or whatever, dropped pass, and you went over to the sideline, talked to him for a second. Ultimately, right after that, two touchdown passes to him. Is that sort of what you're talking about in terms of the leadership and making sure guys know that you've got their back.
Las Vegas Raiders WR Tre Tucker
Las Vegas Raiders WR Tre Tucker / Darrell Craig Harris, On SI
Geno Smith: "For sure, there's going to be ups and downs in this game, you're never going to be perfect. We strive for perfection, but we're all human. So, the main thing whenever a guy makes a mistake, or anything happens out there that we don't want to happen, it's about showing that we have each other's back. And so, whenever you can go up to a guy and pat him on the back, or give him a word of encouragement, that's what we're here for, and they do it for me as well. So it's not just a one-way street, it's a two-way street. I just want to continue to breathe life into my guys, because we got some really, really good players, and they work extremely hard. So when they mess up, it's okay. We move on to the next play and keep going."
Las Vegas Raiders QB Geno Smith, RB Ashton Jeanty
Las Vegas Raiders QB Geno Smith, RB Ashton Jeanty / Darrell Craig Harris, On SI
Q: How good was it that you guys got the long touchdown pass - actually two touchdown passes. How good was it that that reward was there? Smith: "Man, it's great to score touchdowns, right? We want to score touchdowns. And I think obviously there's some things that we can improve on. There's a lot of things that we left out there, things that we have to get better at, but overall, man, I was very pleased with how we competed today. And I thought, again like you said man, we hit some long touchdowns, and we got some plays on their guys. We were all competing, and it felt really good to see that."
Las Vegas Raiders' Pete Carroll and Geno Smith
Las Vegas Raiders' Pete Carroll and Geno Smith / Darrell Craig Harris, On SI
Q: Everyone knew you were a good quarterback, that's a fact. But your leadership, every single time you've been on the field, from OTAs to minicamp to today has shown through. Do you think maybe that was an underrated part of your game that you're an exceptional leader? Smith: "Honestly, I don't know. I try to like do my best to not pay attention to the noise or the outside noise, but my goal is to be here for my guys. I don't really need the recognition or anything like that as long as I'm here for my guys and they know that I'm I got their back and that I'm going to go through with them. I'm not the guy who's just going to say, 'Hey, you guys need to be working hard.' No, I want to set the example and set the tone. So yeah, I mean, I don't know if I'm underrated or overrated. It doesn't really matter to me. I just focus on what I can control which is being there for my guys."
Las Vegas Raiders WR Dont'e Thornton
Las Vegas Raiders WR Dont'e Thornton / Darrell Craig Harris, On SI
Q: You've been pushing the ball down the field even starting training camp. Obviously sometimes you just have to take what the defense gives you, but what do you think about the big play potential of this offense? Smith: "I mean yeah, we want to strike. We want to be able to have a big-play offense, and we have the weapons to do so. But it's about, like you said, taking what the defense gives me, understanding situations. Every time isn't a chance to go for the long ball. There's situations in the game where you've got to just manage the game and check it down if you need to. But when we can strike and we can put points on the board, no matter if it's a 10-play drive or a one-play drive, it's about getting points on the board, and I want to push the envelope as much as I can. If they want to come up and give us deep shots, we've got the guys that will run past them. So, we've just got to make the right reads, make the right plays, and when we play right, we're a really good team."
Las Vegas Raiders RB Ashton Jeanty
Las Vegas Raiders RB Ashton Jeanty / Darrell Craig Harris, On SI
We'd appreciate it if you would follow us on X @HondoCarpenter and IG @HondoSr , and let’s talk about the Silver and Black’s training camp and Geno Smith’s comments.
Tell us what you think about the Silver and Black’s training camp and Geno Smith’s comments, when you visit our Facebook page, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE