Raiders Have a lot of Optimism Coming From Training Camp

The Las Vegas Raiders organization displayed glimpses of something special when head coach Antonio Pierce took over last season.
There was a different culture, attitude and mindset once Pierce took over. None of that has changed from the time Pierce took over until now.
Our Hondo S. Carpenter Sr. talked about the impact the organization sees from Pierce and General Manager Tom Telesco on a recent episode of the "Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast,".
"I want to talk about management and the feeling inside the building. This is the closest football I have cover," Carpenter said. "I want to give a lot of credit to Tom Telesco. A lot of praise on something. Tom Telesco, had nothing to do with Champ Kelly not getting this job. Tom Telesco, who I have several friends that are friends with him, and they all told me what a man of integrity he was. He has been incredible. And him and Champ Kelly have a wonderful relationship. And Champ is one of the nicest people in the world. I am very proud to say to you that Champ Kelly is a very good friend of mine. ... And I admire Tom Telesco coming in not feeling nervous about Champ. He relies on Champ and listens to Champ. And even people in the building that felt bad for Champ, all love Tom. I think that is really cool. There is a lot of love in that building for Tom. In just the way he knows everybody. He knows janitors, he knows people that work on stuff, that usually the GM would never have taken the time to talk to.
"I am just going to tell you there are a lot of negativities floating around this team, but I cannot tell you how many people in the building have said to me: 'Hondo, you are the only one that picked 10 wins. '... There is an optimism on the Raiders team that, in five years of covering this team, I have never seen."
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Michael Canel is a breaking news beat writer for various team sites across the On SI platform, focusing on both college and professional sports. A graduate of Fresno State University, he has transformed his passion for sports into a career, covering the latest breaking news with years of expertise and the enthusiasm of a devoted fan.