Ten Facts We Know After Four Weeks of Raiders Training Camp

After covering every day of the Las Vegas Raiders' four weeks of training camp, we know ten facts.

Las Vegas Raiders Antonio Pierce and Mark Davis / Darrell Craig Harris, Sports Illustrated

HENDERSON, Nev.—The Las Vegas Raiders came into the 2024 NFL Training Camp with plenty of questions under new head coach Antonio Pierce and GM Tom Telesco.

After four weeks and covering this team every step of the way, here are ten facts we know about the 2024 Silver and Black.

1. Mark Davis. While this might surprise some, Mark Davis is a wildcard who continues his fantastic metamorphosis as an NFL owner. When Davis first took over for his Iconic father, it took him time to find his balance.  On the business side, he has set the Raiders up for success for decades.  Now, growing into his role, to his credit, Davis has spent tens of millions that he didn’t have to with the sole goal of winning.  As he ages in the owner’s chair, his patience is acutely focused on winning and winning right now.  Mark is still Al’s son, and I can attest that his burn to win and win big grows with each passing day.  I have an article on Davis coming before the season, and in my opinion, he is the most misunderstood Raider of all time, and I hope to enlighten you about him.  Davis is NOT a liability; he is an asset.

2.  DE Maxx Crosby looks faster and better after multiple offseason surgeries than last year. Now healthy, the best defensive player in the National Football League is somehow better than ever before. Amazingly, he still searches the most minor details for ways to improve.  This is 100% his team.  His teammates follow his lead.  He leads from the front, and his will to win rivals Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Earvin “Magic” Johnson.  You want your best player to be exactly what he is.  Look up the term Franchise Player in the dictionary, and it says, “See Maxx Crosby.”

3.  Antonio Pierce.  The Raiders head coach earned this job.  He wasn’t the first choice and may not have been the most applauded pick, but who cares about the reception?  It is all about the results.  Pierce has always been counted out.  Nothing has ever come easy to him in his life.  He is comfortable being uncomfortable, but that doesn’t make him a lightweight.  Pierce has savvy. At the same time, you will undoubtedly notice his larger-than-life personality.  Like Mark Davis and Crosby, everything to Pierce is about winning.  You may be able to argue or disagree with decisions, but you never question Pierce’s commitment.  A great football player, he is equally a good man, and I expect him to become a great coach.

4.  The Raiders' quarterback situation remains volatile despite Pierce naming Gardner Minshew the starting quarterback and his words about that decision, “…we're going to have to make a decision and live with it, and support whoever that quarterback is going forward, that's the decision.“ Raider Nation still has trepidation.  This is the opportunity that Minshew wanted, but make no mistake, this team is in a win-now mindset, and if he doesn’t, his dream can become a nightmare quickly.

5.  Win now.  Pierce went from never having been a coordinator to being a head coach promoted by his players.  Please make no mistake, I supported that decision, but along with Luke Getsy, who had a highly successful career before his OC stint in Chicago and failed miserably, and Tom Telesco, fired from arch-rival Los Angeles Chargers, none of these men are sitting here on a solid foundation with a quick triggered owner who isn’t afraid to move on with a commitment to winning that doesn’t come with much patience.  I am not questioning the men; I am stating the obvious.  Realism dictates that this isn’t a Super Bowl team; it also dictates that the roster has multiple good players, and this team can’t take a step back.  These three men must demonstrate improvement and progress.  This isn’t a Super Bowl team; everyone knows that, but going backward is not an option. 

6.  P AJ Cole has done nothing but solidify his hold on the best punter position in the National Football League. His leg launches the football like an ICBM missile rather than a pigskin-covered ellipsoid. Cole is a game-changing weapon, and as important as any player on this team. When your offense is not a juggernaut, you need an AJ Cole, and the Raiders can sleep well at night knowing they have the best in the National Football League.

7.  Like AJ Cole, Daniel Carlson is also the best kicker in the NFL. There are very few things that you can count on when it comes to special teams; Carlson is the rare unicorn. He is accurate, consistent, and a security blanket on a team that will crave and covet every point.

8.  WR Jakobi Meyers is a silent, rising star.  Everyone around the Raiders organization knows that Jakobi Meyers is a star except him.   The selfless WR has a work ethic that drives him to greatness and a humility that makes him devoid of arrogance.  Meyers is the man who simply wants to Just Win Baby and is quick to help his younger teammates on both sides of the ball.  You build outstanding teams with players like Jakobi Meyers, and with the rising cost of WRs, the Raiders are fortunate to have him.

9.  MLB Robert Spillane.  I had a front-row seat to his career in college, and now I have one for his pro career.  Like Crosby, he is a devoted man.  He doesn’t know how to function at any other level than elite.  Underrated, Spillane is a star who makes others around him better.  Like Meyers, he has zero desire to be recognized off the field, and when he crosses the white lines that outline the gridiron, he transforms like Clark Kent into Superman.  A gentleman off of the field, Spillane is a possessed terminator on it, who methodically quarterbacks the defense which makes everyone around him better.

10.                 DC Patrick Graham.  An elite coach, Patrick Graham, is a football savant.  The addition of Marvin Lewis was crucial for Antonio Pierce.  I am NOT minimizing the addition, but underrated is the fact that Pierce has an elite coach on his staff who lives at the level of a football savant.  Some NFL team should have given him the reins for their franchise, as he earned it.  In every room Graham walks into, he is the most brilliant man, but he doesn’t have to try to prove it. He is egoless. Graham's players love him, and to his credit, they respect him. He has earned their trust and would do anything for him.

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