The Las Vegas Raiders are 3-1 and are coming off a close game in which they fell to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 4. As a result, the Silver and Black are looking for a bounce-back win against the New England Patriots.
Nonetheless, a 3-1 start almost a month into the season is an ideal start for the Raiders as they are into this new era under head coach Klint Kubiak. While it’s only been a few games, there’s a belief from the national media that there’s a culture shift in Las Vegas.
Former Raider and FOX NFL analyst Howie Long shared his thoughts on the change that he’s seeing with the Silver and Black, with Kubiak leading the team and a firm structure from top to bottom.
“[Kubiak] is a culture changer,” Long said during an Oct. 7 appearance on “Schein Time.” ” He’s obviously a guy who understands X’s and O’s and understands what kind of identity they want to have. They want to run the football. They want to be physical. One of the first things they needed to do was get the offensive line changed and get it stabilized.
“… Is it where they want it to be? Probably not, but it’s three-quarters of the way there. I think they’ve made all the right moves, and I think it’s a grown-up organization. It’s being run the right way.”
Howie Long Believes Raiders Are Finally Being Run Well
Moreover, Long put a spotlight on the behind-the-scenes, as it appears everyone within the Raiders organization knows their role, and one party isn’t looking to meddle in another area.
“That’s the thing: They’re a competent, functioning team that is going to improve every day, every week, and there’s a level of expectation,” Long added. “It’s a culture. It’s an identity, and I think it’s headed in the right direction… I think it’s coaching, culture, and understanding the system. There’s an expectation every day. Listen, if I got hooked once or twice, I didn’t want to go into the film room the next day. You have to hold yourself to a bigger standard…
“I think we’ve had the stadium, we’ve had the practice facility, and now we have a football team that I think is moving in the right direction, and it’s only going to get better and better and better. When you talk about that organizational structure, it’s been a minute now, where you have Mark Davis, Tom Brady, John Spytek, Klint Kubiak, the assistants – everyone’s on the same page, and that’s big.”
Patriots OC Josh McDaniels on Las Vegas’ Defense
One person who was part of the Raiders’ dysfunction in recent years was New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. On Oct. 8, McDaniels spoke with the media and shared his thoughts on facing the Raiders’ defense, who will be looking to get back to their ways of generating takeaways after not recording any in the Week 4 loss.
“Leading the league in takeaways starts with their front and how disruptive they’ve been up front,” McDaniels told reporters. “They’ve got some really impactful players on the defensive line. We obviously know Maxx Crosby, but you have [Kwity] Paye and [Adam] Butler. There’s a bunch of them there. [Malcolm] Koonce is in there and does a lot of things for them. They’re very disruptive up front. The linebackers are really good [and] they’re veteran guys; they’re obviously new to their team, but they make a lot of plays.
“They disrupt a lot of things on third down with pressures. They’re both good blitzers. I think what you’ve seen from the secondary is a lot of eyes on the quarterback. When the front creates problems in the pocket, the secondary is very opportunistic, and they see all the mistakes because their eyes are back there in his own. It’s mostly a zone scheme.”
Howie Long Gives Candid Thoughts on Raiders Amid 3-1 Start