The Las Vegas Raiders hired Pete Carroll with the expectation that the veteran head coach would change the culture of the franchise, which has been among the worst in the NFL for over 20 years. That has not been the case, as the dysfunction and losing have both continued amid their 2-5 start.
One of the few bright spots for Las Vegas has been rookie running back Ashton Jeanty. Despite playing behind an awful offensive line, he has shown flashes of greatness and is on pace for nearly 1,300 yards from scrimmage and 12 total touchdowns.
After the worst game of his career in Week 7, where he had just seven total touches in the Raiders' 31-0 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Jeanty noted that the franchise has had a losing culture for a long time.
Derek Carr challenges Ashton Jeanty to change Raiders culture
Former Raiders quarterback Derek Carr issued a challenge to Jeanty following those postgame comments on his Home Grown podcast, encouraging the rookie running back to be a part of the solution in Las Vegas.
"He's new to it... Yes, it has been hard there for a long time. It has been hard there for a long time. Trust me. No one knows more than me, big dog, but the only people that can fix it are the ones in the building," Carr said. "You got to set the culture. You got to set the standard. We went to the playoffs two times and it hadn't happened in 20 years, so I know how hard it is. But instead of dwelling on it, I'm excited to see the young bat go run more violently than he's ever ran, pick up blitzes more violently with his hands than he ever has, to push the team forward, to propel the football team forward because I believe in the Raiders, man. I still believe in them."
It is easy to see where Jeanty's comments are coming from, as the franchise has had just a handful winning seasons during his entire lifetime. The last few years, especially, have been incredibly difficult for the Silver and Black.
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While Carr remains optimistic, and is not wrong that the culture change begins with the players in the building, it is understandable that the rookie felt dejected after failing to contribute much in a shutout loss to a division rival.
It is clear that the Raiders have plenty of work to do in order to improve the culture and produce wins on the field. The offseason will be pivotal for that, as it is imperative that the team finds its quarterback of the future and improves in the trenches.
If they continue to fail to address their needs, however, it is unlikely that things will change. But setting a culture does not always have to do with wins and losses, and Jeanty needs to continue being a leader through these tough times.