Carroll's Excitement About One Position Group Continues to Increase

Carroll's Excitement

Following cutdown day, Pete Carrol not only expressed confidence in his team, he specifically noted his confidence in the team's defensive secondary. Carroll's praise for the unit is noticeable as it is not the fist time he has acknowledged the group in a positive manner.

Carroll's words are also noticeable, as the Raiders' defensive backfield is unquestionably the defense's biggest weakness at the moment.

"I'm excited about this group now. We're athletic and really fast, everybody's attentive and tuned in. Nobody has any big agendas there. This is a group that's really wired well, and there's a lot to teach and a lot to learn, particularly when you have real young corners,” Carroll said.  

“There's a lot for them to pick up in a short amount of time. So, there's a challenge to that. And so, we're going to try to take care of them and help them in the ways they need so that they can get off to a good start and we can build their confidence as we go. 

“It's hard to be confident until you've really gone through it, so that's the problem with playing rookies. I've never had an issue with that. I've always played young guys and helped them make it through it, and we'll do much of the same with our guys now. 

Although the Raiders have a lot of youth in their defensive backfield, Carroll is confident in what he has seen from the unit's veterans. He believes they will help guide the younger players on the unit.

"I think Eric Stokes has done a really good solid job of jumping in and owning his spot. Jeremy [Chinn] has given us real stability, and really, Isaiah [Pola-Mao] has done a fine job of just picking up and taking this next step in his career,” Carroll said. 

“He's had a lot of opportunity to be in a leadership position on the back end and making calls and all of that, and he's done really well. We've got really good competition over there on the other side, and we'll see how that works out by the end of the week, but we'll keep it going. A number of guys will play in the game. You'll see a lot of guys will be rolling through there."

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