The Las Vegas Raiders opened voluntary veteran minicamp on Monday without decals on their helmets, as head coach Klint Kubiak attempts to establish a new culture with a franchise that has made the playoffs just twice since 2003.
It’s not uncommon for coaches at the college level to have newcomers “earn” their place on the team, with schools like Ohio State placing a black stripe on their helmets and removing it once they’ve proven they’re ready to contribute.
But it’ll be interesting to see if these tactics carry the same weight with professional athletes with multimillion-dollar contracts as they do with teenagers just hoping to get on the field as a true freshman. If they buy in, though, we’ll wonder why teams didn’t try it sooner.
Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins, who the Raiders signed earlier this month to mentor presumptive No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza, seems to think Kubiak has the franchise on the right path after they previously found success together with the Minnesota Vikings.
“A phrase he used in the team meeting yesterday was to ‘ride for the brand,’ meaning that you’re kind of doing whatever it takes to help our organization move forward in the right direction,” Cousins said during his introductory press conference on April 8.
“That was really what he led with yesterday, the importance of being a team, playing together and then playing with ‘shocking’ effort. That’s something that will be coached as long as he’s here. (They’re) going to be coached every day.”
According to team columnist Paul Gutierrez, the last time the Raiders did not wear a shield on their helmet during minicamp was 2010 under then-head coach Tom Cable. They finished that season at 8-8 overall, their first non-losing record since 2002, when they reached Super Bowl XXXVII.
Photos courtesy of @Raiders on X/Twitter.