Las Vegas Raiders offensive coordinator Greg Olson recently held his first press conference of training camp. He discussed the offensive line and what he believes will need to be improved upon in terms of scoring.
New faces and improvements to be made
The first thing that Olson discussed was his newly rebuilt offensive line. When asked about the groups’ chemistry in a recent presser, he said ‘The only way to get better and to get that group of players better is to play together.’Â He cited this as a big reason why training camp will be crucial for the Raiders offense as a whole.
Of course, the most intriguing of the new starters is first-rounder Alex Leatherwood. While he was quick to mention the players were only in shirts and shorts, he had high praise for the rookie. ‘You have a conversation with him about football and you realize this guy is an intelligent football player… he’s looked very athletic as well. We’re excited about his start.’
When it came to eventual improvements upon the 2020 offense, Olson didn’t mince words. ‘Goal to go scoring is really the biggest issue… when we had the ball on a first and goal we did not score enough touchdowns,’ Olson said. Raiders fans certainly share this sentiment as red-zone issues plagued the team down the stretch last season. In addition to getting better in short areas, Olson wants to stretch the field more in 2021. ‘Explosive plays down the field is something we will look to improve upon. It’s a mindset.‘ The veteran coach made sure to mention that he believes Carr is capable of doing this and he feels he will do so successfully.
Eager to return
Although training camp just started, Olson could not hide the excitement for Week 1. While being in Allegiant Stadium is nothing new for him, 2021 will be the first time fans are allowed entry. ‘The entire team is looking forward to having the stadium full.‘ He believes not only will the fans help the offense play with energy, but it will also help the defense get opposing teams off the field. At the end of the day, the return of Raider Nation will only help Las Vegas in the 2021 campaign.
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*Top Photo: Steven Senne/Associated Press