Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio and linebacker Khalil Mack echoed a message of responsibility and accountability ending Raiders camp.
Players leave Raiders camp with words of wisdom
As the Oakland Raiders leave for their break after the offseason program, the team was left with words of wisdom by team captain Khalil Mack and its head coach Jack Del Rio in the form of accountability as the team is under heavy expectations to deliver a Super Bowl.
The fact that there are temptations and distractions all around players is nothing new as every team that has certain presumptions must deal with this. However and in the Raiders case, it’s especially important to address it as Del Rio and Mack did. The team is one of the youngest in the league and thus, they must tread carefully.
Jose Dubow of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch recently shared some of those words from Raiders camp:
“When you think about it you have a lottery ticket in your hand,” Mack said. “I tell all the defensive guys that. You have a lottery ticket in your hand. You can’t trick it off on doing something stupid in the town messing with this and that. It’s all about being focused and remembering that lottery ticket that you got in your hand is that opportunity that you have to play and do great things and represent your last name.”
-Mack addresing the team at the conclusion of the offseason program
Unfortunately, NFL players getting into trouble’s a sad reality as the urges that can be cast by things such as drugs is omnipresent, even getting into a fight on a “boys night out” can have serious repercussions in the Goodell-era league.
As Dubow reported, “Del Rio sent them away with a message to take care of their bodies so they arrive in camp ready to work and to stay out of trouble and make good decisions in what sometimes has been a troublesome time for NFL players between the offseason program and camp.”
Other than Aldon Smith’s off-field issues the Del Rio-era hasn’t seen too many affairs arise from said problems that can sometimes tempt young players so with the continued example and attitude of players such as Mack and of course, that of quarterback Derek Carr, these Raiders should remain on the right path; a path that Raider Nation’s hoping leads to U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
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