Outsider’s Edge: Keen Klint Kubiak Key

Folks are quickly realizing what many have known when Klint Kubiak steps up to the podium for media sessions: Sometimes, it can be like pulling teeth when asking him questions.

And now that Kubiak is the Las Vegas Raiders head coach, his blunt and serious tendencies are on full display, and that is simply his stoic and low-key personality.

Case in point: His response to a very pointed question regarding tight end Michael Mayer during media availability after the Raiders’ practice this past Friday.

“I see a leader emerging on offense. I’ll put it that way, simple as that,” Kubiak said when asked whether Mayer has the talent to be a No. 1 tight end, even though that’s not the situation in Las Vegas with Brock Bowers ahead of him. The question sought specifics on how Mayer has embraced a team-first mentality despite playing behind an elite tight end and how he’s helping the team as a result.

Naturally, that required a follow-up question: In what way?

“A standard-bearer in all things. I want to keep it short because that’s the easiest way for that one. He’s doing great.”

Some may find that obtuse. But for many, not only accustomed to Kubiak’s ways but also aware of his background as the son of longtime NFL coach Gary Kubiak, the younger Kubiak is known as a classic football lifer who much prefers his team’s actions to provide more emphatic evidence than his words ever can.

But that’s not to say Kubiak doesn’t drop dimes sometimes. His post-training camp practice media session last Monday produced quite the quote when he was asked if anything had pleasantly surprised him or if the team was further along than he expected.

“I think we just have a professional group of players. They care about getting better. We don’t have any turds,” he said. “We’ve got guys that want to be here, that want to win, that want to change this place, and so I’m really happy with that.”

We got to see some of this philosophy in action just recently, in fact.

Elite edge rusher Maxx Crosby, well renowned for his antagonistic ways with quarterbacks, opposing players and even teammates, imparted that upon starting quarterback Kirk Cousins during this past Friday’s practice. After tipping one of Cousins’ passes and making physical contact with him, the frenetic pass rusher struck the signal-caller’s arm a second time, and Cousins confronted Crosby. The standard for training camp practices is to leave the quarterback clean, with no contact, and these instances were outside that scope.

“Yeah, that’s training camp,” Kubiak said of the incident. “Those are two leaders of our team going at it, so that is part of camp. Obviously, if you fight in the game, you throw a punch in the game, especially if you’re out of the game. So, we got to be smart and treat it like a game.”

As a consequence for the incident, both Crosby and Cousins were held out of team sessions during this past Saturday’s practice and were only allowed to stretch and participate in individual drills. That gave Kubiak and his coaching staff a good look at prized rookie quarterback and No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza in Cousins’ absence.

The Raiders coach is definitely having fun though…

Oh, and another Crosby tidbit that brought out a humorous response from Kubiak: The pass rusher appeared on the Ball in the Family podcast recently and shared a story that after the trade that would have sent him to the Baltimore Ravens was rescinded, Kubiak called him, and the coaching staff went out to celebrate keeping Crosby on the roster.

Of course, Kubiak was asked about that, and the coach expertly mixed humor and denial.

“Tell him he is in big trouble for revealing that. We did not go out that night. We really haven’t gone out a bunch as a staff. We’ve been grinding,” Kubiak said. “We probably need to do that more and have some more camaraderie. But the message is we were excited to celebrate that we had one of the best pass rushers in the game.”

Crosby’s continued presence in Silver and Black certainly helps the team. Long a standard-bearer for the Raiders, a healthy and motivated Crosby can light a flame under everyone on the roster.

A keenness to win is a classic Kubiak trait as well, and we’re going to see his resolve thoroughly tested during his tenure as the Raiders’ lead man. While owner Mark Davis hates to use the term “rebuild”—he prefers “taking it to the next level”—this is very much where his team finds itself.

Now, this isn’t to say the team doesn’t have intriguing talent.

Far from it…

From Bowers to Crosby, big-ticket free-agent additions like center Tyler Linderbaum and linebackers Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker, to Mendoza, there are certainly intriguing names on the roster. Yet there still remain holes on the Raiders roster that John Spytek’s two initial seasons as the Silver and Black’s general manager haven’t been able to fill.

Filling out the roster is something that remains on tap this season and next. Roster building is a never-ending process. To put Kubiak in the best possible position to succeed, Spytek and his personnel staff continue to evaluate the roster in both current and future terms.

“I think just making a decision to come here and being familiar with Spy and our scouting staff, that’s no surprise. Those guys are very professional and they’re turning over every rock to try to make the bottom of our roster better at all times,” Kubiak said. “And it’s a collaborative effort; we work together. Really blessed to work with him.”

We’ve already seen an extremely guarded Kubiak, yet one who doesn’t shy away from a good rib when it’s his turn at the podium during media availability as a Raider. We even saw glimpses of rarer emotion when he was the offensive coordinator during the Seattle Seahawks’ Super Bowl run this past season. Those arrived after big wins, namely the team’s 29-13 victory in Super Bowl LX over the New England Patriots.

Remember when Klint Kubiak made his announcement?

Everyone wanted to know if Kubiak was indeed going to become the Raiders head coach, to which he replied, “Hell yeah, I’m going,” when NFL Network’s Stacy Dales asked him directly immediately after the Seahawks’ championship victory.

I for one, can’t wait for Kubiak’s presser after a big Raiders win, be it regular season or—gasp!—postseason. That response may get censored because the words will have the power of a resurgent Raider Nation behind Kubiak.

And how long has that rabid fan base sought a consistent winner?