The Las Vegas Raiders are heading in a good direction. I know some fans find that hard to believe because it feels like they have missed out on a quarterback so many times now, but they are indeed getting better. It helps that they got rid of the one thing holding them back and hired Antonio Pierce as the new head coach.
Under Pierce's leadership, the Raiders have undergone a dramatic transformation. The team now exudes a palpable sense of urgency, even in the offseason. This heightened level of competitiveness, a stark contrast to the era under Josh McDaniels, is a source of excitement for fans.
Guys like Maxx Crosby and Davante Adams also echoed that sentiment. But when Adams said that the Raiders are more competitive inside their building than the Green Bay Packers were, it kind of blew my mind. But he was 100% serious.
"I don't have any expectations, but I do have a standard that we have to live up to regardless," Adams said on Crosby's podcast "The Rush." "We set that. We control that with whoever comes through this building and all the people there. One thing I'll say about the Raiders is that the moment I stepped through this building, it was way more competitive than we were in Green Bay. In Green Bay we had great teams and we found a way to win, but when you talk about the competitive nature."
When Adams was in Green Bay with Aaron Rodgers, the two were competing for trips to Super Bowls every single season. They could never get over the hump that was the NFC Championship, but Adams has more career playoff wins in Green Bay than the Las Vegas Raiders do in 20 years.
So, to hear him say that was surprising. But it shows that they are doing all the right things so far when it comes to trying to get back to the mountaintop they were once at a long, long time ago. The Raiders aren't far off, and they may surprise a lot of people this year.
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