Dating back to his hiring in January, Carroll has been clear in his plan for improving the Raiders. Having finished 4-13 in 2024, the past isn’t any of his concern. All focus remains on the present and the future of the team and the values he’s trying to implement.
“You either have a philosophy or you don’t, and we’ve got one,” Carroll said adamantly. “We’ve got beliefs and principals that guide us. I’m not altering those much. I’m staying true to what we know and what’s been successful for us. 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 it.”
Taking a look at the roster heading, Carroll and GM John Spytek strategically brought in an array of established veterans with winning backgrounds to compete alongside young players entering their first or second year in the league. The head coach noted that he’s looking forward to seeing how his new offensive weapons complement quarterback Geno Smith, citing rookies Ashton Jeanty, Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton Jr. as a few examples.
He’s also “anxious” to see how the linebacking corps comes together and how they gel with the defensive line and a “really athletic” and “really fast” secondary.
But the main rule of thumb he emphasized Tuesday morning is that momentum and progress from OTAs isn’t halted. It will only be ramped up and intensified in training camp, and Carroll doesn’t have patience for any setbacks.
“We’re building a whole mentality here, and our expectations, like I said before, are really high that the guys are all in, and they’re tapping in every day to the work that we’re doing. That means that when they step on that practice field, they’re going to give us everything they got every step of the way until they’re off the practice field. … It ain’t easy what we’re asking them to do.
“They can go through practice, they’re in good enough shape, they can run up and down the field and all that kind of stuff. That’s not what’s crucial. What’s crucial is how much they really buy in and how big a part of this team they’re willing to be, and what they’ll do to prove that. That’s what being a great teammate is all about.”