The Las Vegas Raiders have completed several coaching and roster changes this offseason, with the hopes that they will see improved results. The arrival of Pete Carroll as the team's head coach has been the most significant change.
The Raiders still have plenty of work to do and many other changes to implement. However, Raiders Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham noted other changes for the Silver and Black.
"Well, it starts with our effort. If one thing I've learned from Coach [Carroll], it's to make sure to simplify the message and just keep giving it to them. Just keep giving it to them. So, it doesn't have to be 20 buzz words, or some big paragraph or anything. We've got to play with great effort. We're building the foundation for being a physical team," Graham said.
"We've got to play smart. So, those are the things in terms of what we want the defense to look like, and then make the offense earn it. No easy plays, we've got to take away seams, got to take away posts. Can't let them run the ball around the edge. Again, it's not real football in terms of the running yet, but we have to have an understanding of that's what we're trying not to give up."
There were times last season where the Raiders' effort was questioned, especially after injuries began piling up and things started to go downhill for the Silver and Black. That should not be a problem this upcoming season.
After the completion of Organized Team Activities, Carroll also noted how important the Raiders' effort and work ethic are. He believes the Raiders' work ethic is what improved the most during minicamp and hopes to continue building upon that success.
"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 minicamp," Carroll said.
"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."
