Thanks to new head coach Pete Carroll, the Las Vegas Raiders might finally be able to say that the Dark Age is behind them.
Every new coach that has called the Silver and Black their own has brought a renewed spirit and energy. That’s certainly true this century, the only exception might be the Dennis Allen hiring which everyone and their grandmother knew wouldn’t work. You might even throw Lane Kiffin in there too. Nonetheless, Carroll, unlike those two, is an established name, a winning commodity that has gotten it done everywhere he’s been. Up next for the former USC shot caller is the Raiders.
These “Dark Ages” that we speak of have been extensively covered, I mean how many times can you write about the Tuck Rule, JaMarcus Russell, Derek Carr’s 2016 injury, and even Jon Gruden 2.0? The biggest issue though has been the lack of continuity, a lot of that falls on ownership. This offseason was different, Mark Davis finally succeeded in bringing Tom Brady. That was followed by Carroll’s hiring while also introducing John Spytek as general manager. His familiarity with Brady is remarkable; from their days at Michigan all the way to being the underboss with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as Brady led them to a Super Bowl. The common denominator in all of this is simple; lots of winning and a championship culture.
It should then not come as a surprise how much energy and jubilance can be found during the Raiders’ offseason activities thus far.
The energy is palpable under Raiders HC Pete Carroll…
While training camp has yet to take place, the direction of this team is already trending upward. That’s not just conjecture or fandom talking, the players themselves have echoed it. All-Pro punter AJ Cole himself shed light into all of this, he’s no stranger to all of the turnover that’s hounded the Raiders.
“The last couple of years have had some pretty dark moments, and it’s been rough. We’ve lost a lot of games, more than we feel like we should have, and so I’m really optimistic about the future of this organization and the leadership that’s in place. And I feel good about the way we’re headed, and I didn’t want to miss that.”
We all know that the offseason is when optimism is abound. Raiders fans are all too familiar with that concept, right? Even so, this regime might be the one to finally get it right. The NFL draft was a prime example this year for Las Vegas. Spytek and Carroll also smartly navigated free agency. The duo avoided the pitfalls of overpaying talent that would otherwise be average. This thing will take time but maybe the Raiders are now in good hands.
*Top Photo: Courtesy of NFL.com