Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll shed light on what “Competition Wednesday” is as Las Vegas gets set for training camp.
The Silver and Black haven’t been able to figure out the coaching situation since Jon Gruden’s resignation a few years ago. While we could argue that the team was on an upward trajectory, that was hardly the case after he left. Josh McDaniels made an unsuccessful attempt to implement the “Patriot Way.” Then we have Antonio Pierce, who won over the locker room as interim coach only to prove to be a disaster once that temporary tag was removed.
Rather than seeking a new direction, Raiders fans welcomed Carroll this offseason, a true (but rare) asset. Carroll’s picture would likely appear in any definition of a proven winner. He has achieved success at every level, even winning a Super Bowl. What’s even more impressive is that he accomplished this success relatively quickly after taking over each team. For instance, at USC, he finished with a .500 record in 2001, but by his second year, the Trojans boasted an 11-2 record. From that point on, he never experienced a losing season again.
Once he returned to the NFL, he had similar success. In his second season with the Seattle Seahawks, Carroll’s team finished with a record of 10-6. Raider Nation is hopeful that this success will be replicated with the Raiders. Carroll is implementing the strategies that have worked for him in the past—intense competition during training camp—to help ensure that happens.
No Nonsense: Pete Carroll Sets the Tone at Raiders Training Camp
“You either have a philosophy or you don’t, and we got one. We got beliefs and principles that guide us. And so I’m not altering those much. I’m staying true to what we know and what’s been successful for us,” Carroll stated on Tuesday. As the Raiders seek to turn things around in 2025, it all starts with a strong camp.
Whether it’s Las Vegas, Seattle, or Los Angeles, Carroll’s approach is the same. “Everything is always moving and adapting to some extent, and the people make it different, but the expectations and the standards that we’re setting are going to be as high as we can make them, and that’s how we’ve always done that. And so we’re going to take it as far as we can as quickly as we can, and we’ll see what that means,” added Carroll.
It’s going to be an intriguing few weeks as camp and preseason kick off. For the first time in a long while, the Raiders appear, or at least sound, like a true professional football team again.
Related: Raiders Coach Offers Updates On Key Players
*Top Photo: Getty Images