It was a very Pete Carroll-y day in Las Vegas on Monday. Not only was the team introducing Carroll as their new head coach, but his introductory press conference was full of the ... enthusiasm ... and energy that he's known for. It seems like the Raiders are in for the true Pete Carroll experience, even if he is almost 75 years old.
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One of the more notable moments of Carroll's enthusiasm came at the end of his introductory speech, when he quite literally spoke directly to Raiders' defensive end Maxx Crosby, who was in the crowd watching.
After another miserable season (wins-wise, that is) that saw the Raiders' other main star bolt for another team, Crosby's future in Las Vegas was as cloudy as it's ever been. But after Carroll's message to Crosby, it seems like maybe, just maybe, Raiders fans don't have to stress about that too much after all.
It sure sounds like Maxx Crosby's still in Pete Carroll's plans for the Raiders
"Maxx, send the message, man" Carroll said towards the end of his press conference on Monday afternoon. "We're coming after you. We're going to come find you guys, and get this thing rolling as soon as possible. With the highest of expectations and with a mentality that will drive high performance in a way that, hopefully, everyone's going to hear us. And they're going to know us."
This is a good thing, right? It sounds like a good thing, but also kind of like a threat? It's going to take some time to figure out what Carroll actually means through all the enthusiastic coach speak, but it's not like there's important Raiders football happening in the next seven months, so we all have time.
Also, I imagine if Crosby still wants out, he'll get his wish – especially now that the team's committed to a soft reboot with Carroll and new GM John Spytek at the wheel. Carroll made it clear that there's no longterm rebuild plan in place, and that the Raiders want to compete for AFC West titles immediately, but the fastest way to build a team that could do that may still involve trading Crosby.
Either way, it never hurts to see a new coach and a team's star player embrace each other the way it seemed like Carroll and Crosby did on Monday, and considering how bad the vibes have been lately, any refreshing change of pace is a welcome one.