Pete Carroll was pleasantly surprised by a decision made at mandatory minicamp that he didn't know about
This team, even with the new regime already in place, has begun to build a special culture, which is no easy feat. But the Las Vegas Raiders have found a way to do it, and that starts with hiring former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll. Carroll won a Super Bowl over the Denver Broncos […]
This team, even with the new regime already in place, has begun to build a special culture, which is no easy feat. But the Las Vegas Raiders have found a way to do it, and that starts with hiring former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll.
Carroll won a Super Bowl over the Denver Broncos while losing another one to the New England Patriots. GM John Spytek won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the Kansas City Chiefs. So they are putting people in this new regime who know what it takes to win and know what it takes to build a winning culture.
And, while we all know that it requires hard work, seriousness, and a ton of other things to become a good team with a winning culture, you also have to have some fun. And, the Raiders did that on the last day of training camp. You may have seen a staff member in a giant bubble hamster ball, and no, that wasn't AI; that was real.
They were having fun, and Carroll was a bit surprised by it.
"Yeah, I can't speak for the bubble thing, they were trying to surprise me with that one, I guess, I don't know," Carroll said. "I didn't know that was happening. But they're taking part in it, obviously. What we're asking these guys to do is to play as well as anybody who plays this game. We're not setting expectations, trying to win a few games, and making some progress. That's not what we're doing here. We're trying to take this as far as you can possibly take it and see the only perspective that they have heard from me, and that's the only one I can even imagine.
"I can't think any way else, and so that means we have to just continue to maximize all of the moments. And so that means I need to keep their attention and keep their focus and keep them going and keep them guessing, and whatever it takes. I was a little concerned because this is kind of like the last day of school, kids get a little crazy, and they do some crazy things and stuff because they know they are getting out. I was a little concerned, so we addressed that, and they brought all their love and energy today to this effort that we had."
The Raiders need to have a bit of fun every now and then because sometimes that is how you build the actual chemistry aspect of it all. It can't be anything but work 24/7; there has to be a break for some fun and other things. And, this team needs that.
But, you like to hear Carroll wring it in with the players — tell them that 'hey, this isn't the last day of school', because, while he does want them to have some fun, he doesn't want them to lose focus of the goal and task at hand. That's what getting a head coach like Pete Carroll can do for your franchise.
‘There’s a million things’ – Raiders’ Pete Carroll used mandatory minicamp to learn the things he needed to learn about his new team
The Raiders are getting some things done that they need done.
