At this time last year, Las Vegas Raiders fans were talking themselves into a 73-year-old Pete Carroll being the answer. Two years ago, we convinced ourselves that Antonio Pierce was bringing back "The Raider Way." Three years ago, fans started to be skeptical of Josh McDaniels and "The Patriot Way."
Doesn't it just feel so much better to be cautiously optimistic about the Klint Kubiak era? Not expecting too much from a first-time head coach, but getting excited about what he can be, coming from a great coaching family and all, and bringing with him to Las Vegas a strong pedigree?
To me, it does. And apparently, I am not alone. When speaking to the media during training camp, several of the Raiders' team leaders, including Ashton Jeanty, Tre Tucker and A.J. Cole, quite literally said the quiet part out loud about how much better life is under Kubiak than it was in past regimes.
Kubiak's no-nonsense, all-about-the-work mentality is ingratiating him with the players on the roster.
Las Vegas Raiders leaders feel like it's night and day between Klint Kubiak and coaches past
Rarely do NFL players throw shade at former coaches or speak ill of other men who came through the building. Obviously, it happens, but at least in Las Vegas, the Raiders have been solid about honoring that code of conduct and just focusing on the present and future.
But in the past few days, it feels like that dam has broken, as numerous players are commenting on just how much brighter the skies are under Kubiak than they were under Carroll, among others. When asked about the team's buy-in this season, Tucker went on a bit of a tangent to make a comparison.
"1,000%. 1,000%. That's everyone in the building, from strength staff to nutrition to athletic training, second floor, third floor. Everybody has 100% buy-in," Tucker told reporters. "And that's what you want, and that's going to help us win games. This whole building is one. Everybody operates as one. And this is the first year that I felt that it's completely like that. And hats off to all those people that have put it together."
This is the first year that Tucker has felt like everyone is bought in and operating as one?
Eek.
That would explain the team's four head coaches, three general managers and 15-36 record since Tucker's arrival in 2023. And it sounds like things are no different in the eyes of Cole, the All-Pro punter who has been with the Silver and Black since their final season in Oakland in 2019.
"It's been a different feeling every single year, and I think to the credit of the guys that have been in this locker room, I really do think we've bought in every single time, and I think we're bought in again," Cole explained to the media. "And so, I don't want to disparage anybody that's previously been here or any other cultures or staff that we've had, but it does seem to feel different this time. And it does seem to feel like we have a really cohesive vision, a really collective buy-in, and I think that the number of people swimming in the same direction is definitely at an all-time high."
An all-time high. Considering the Raiders have enjoyed exactly one winning season during Cole's seven-year tenure in Oakland and Las Vegas, that bodes very well for Kubiak's unit. But even the guys who joined last year with Carroll are seeing a noticeable difference this training camp with Kubiak.
“There's a different energy, urgency in the building," Jeanty said last week. "I truly believe that starts from the top down. I love what I'm seeing so far from everybody, and it's only going to continue to grow and get better as the days go on.”
Jeremy Chinn also somewhat hesitatingly admitted to the press after the first day of padded practices that things are night and day compared to last year.
"Yeah, it does [feel like a different organization]," Chinn conceded. "We watched some clips from practice yesterday in the team meeting, and it's like, 'Wow.' Almost like, not embarrassing in a way, but we're so much better now when looking at certain things from last year."
The vibe around the Silver and Black just feels different this year. And while The Autumn Wind always feels like it's going to blow, it rarely has in recent seasons. But if the players in the building are feeling this drastic change coming on, perhaps Raider Nation should, too.
From the outside looking in, Kubiak should be light-years better than any other leader the team has employed in the last few decades, or at least in recent memory. And the leaders inside the building aren't mincing words about that very fact in the early going.
Add us as a preferred source on Google