Raiders special teams coordinator Tom McMahon has never seen what one rookie has done in that area of the game
The group of rookies that the Las Vegas Raiders brought in has the potential to be a very special unit. These are guys who played big-time football in college, won some big-time games, are talented in their craft, and have experience. Sure, everyone talks about the "Pete Carroll" type of players, guys that are big, […]
The group of rookies that the Las Vegas Raiders brought in has the potential to be a very special unit. These are guys who played big-time football in college, won some big-time games, are talented in their craft, and have experience.
Sure, everyone talks about the "Pete Carroll" type of players, guys that are big, fast, and have long arms — you know, the kinds of players we saw with him with the Seattle Seahawks. But this group has that, and guys with IQ, because of the things they have seen while in college. That is one of the reasons why they have the potential to be a rookie class that can genuinely help out in year one.
One of these rookies has something that his coach has never seen before, and it has everything to do with experience.
"Practice. And I'm going to be honest with you, experience. 999 reps of special teams. I've never, ever seen that many in my career, personally. So, when you've played six years in college and you have that many reps, it's practice. And he plays fast now. He's a big player who plays really, really fast. He's detailed, and he's got a lot of we can't teach what he can do."
Everyone talks about the size and speed that Porter has. And, they should, because he is a freak athlete. But, there is much more to him than the Raiders love. The Raiders are going to greatly value that experience that he has on special teams, and get this: He used to be a wide receiver in college until this last year when he made the switch to cornerback, so he knows both sides of it on special teams.
The Raiders' special teams haven't been that great over the last few years, and with this unit and the pieces they drafted, it can be really good in 2025. I know there is this idea out there by casual fans that special teams aren't as important, but man, it's one of the most important things in football. You can win or lose football games solely based on your special teams.
Hopefully, in 2025, we will see the Raiders win some games because of it.
Darien Porter isn’t scared of doing for the Raiders what many have as a knock on his game
The Raiders need that from him.
