Raiders Leaning on Their Veterans During Challenging Times

The Las Vegas Raiders are in the middle of one of the worst seasons and most trying times in franchise history. Few things have gone right for the Raiders this season, as what was once a promising season suffered a significant blow before the season started.

A few days before the Raiders’ first game, head coach Antonio Pierce announced that defensive end Malcolm Koonce had suffered an undisclosed injury. Within weeks, the Raiders defense would suffer injuries to many other starters on their defense.

The numerous injuries the Raiders have suffered on both sides of the ball, but especially on defense, have been a major reason for the team's struggles so far.

What was once a formidable Raiders defense is now a shell of itself, and multiple young players on the roster have had to be given additional playing time. This has been a valuable experience for those players, but there has understandably been a drop-off in performance from the starters to the reserves.

Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham noted that he has leaned on his veterans more than ever this season, as his defense has lost six of its 11 starters. 

“Spil [Robert Spillane] is my mouthpiece out there on the field,” Graham said. “Spil and I spend a lot of time together because, one, he's the green dot, and two, I really like hanging out with him. He's a good dude, and he's a great communicator, and he wants the information. I said, ‘I got a nugget. Do you want this?’ ‘Give me more. Give me more.’ Whatever he can handle. So, I rely on him heavily. 

“I rely on Maxx [Crosby] heavily in terms of, he's the leader of the team, and I talk a lot to Maxx. Again, I think I said this before: Maxx, again, having a great player is a challenge for a coach, any coach, position coach, or coordinator, because you hope that he challenges you to get better in terms of whether it's the schematics or your communication. So that's a big part of the role that Maxx has played in my life as the coordinator at the Raiders. He's helped me grow in my role, and I've said that before. He's helped me grow in the role, and he's able to communicate with everybody on the team, so that helps me if I need to get a point across."