Raiders' Pierce Believes Team Chemistry is Developing Into 'Something Special'

The Las Vegas Raiders are making strides in regards to team bonding.

Las Vegas Raiders LT Kolton Miller, QB Aidan O'Connell / Darrell Craig Harris, Sports Illustrated

No team is ever going to get anywhere if it isn't close as a unit.

That's why, for the Las Vegas Raiders, building team chemistry is one of their main priorities.

Despite the coaching turnover and all the new faces in the building, the Raiders seem to be on the right track. In just their second week of training camp, Raiders coach Antonio Pierce feels his squad is developing quite the bond.

"I think we're building something really special," Pierce said at training camp on Tuesday. "It's a tight unit, not just with the players, but our staff, even our scouting department. We’ve got a lot of our college scouts here and they’ll be at practice again today. But just eating together, being in their meetings, all of us getting together and understanding what we're all trying to accomplish. And hearing it from myself and from [Tom] Telesco, and then that going down.

"I think the best part, a couple of days ago, we had Chef Guy [Fieri] here cook for our team. And I've never seen our team wait for a meal, but we had 91 players plus staff, over 150 people waiting to eat with Chef Guy and the celebrity chefs he brought down. And it was good to see everybody go into the team meeting room and just hang out and kind of bond and talk."

One of the main reasons the Raiders wanted to host training camp in Costa Mesa was to form that camaraderie.

"Obviously, we're away from a lot of what we're familiar with," said Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell when he addressed the media last week. "And so, we're in a hotel together, spend a lot of time together. And during the offseason, you don't see guys a lot; obviously, guys kind of go their separate ways, so it's good to get back together and spend some time."

Raiders All-Pro defensive end Maxx Crosby had similar views.

"It's just about being around each other," he said at training camp last week. "We have nothing else to do. AP said it very loud and clear: If you don't want to be here, if you got something else more important when you're out here, you just go to [Tom] Telesco and ask for your release. We're here to get better, get closer and just focus on improving every day."

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