Raiders Executive Explains Open-Minded Approach to Improvement

Raiders' Info Gathering Process

The Raiders' new front office had a productive offseason, adding talent at many position groups on both sides of the ball. The Raiders have shown that continually improving is at the top of their priority list. They continue to add talent to their roster, even as the regular season approaches.

As Las Vegas remains intent on creating a more competitive team, Assistant General Manager Brian Stark noted that the Raiders front office is open to any and all ideas to improve.

"I coached for a while, and analytics wasn't as big of a part of it then when I was doing that. So naturally, I was always kind of an eye-test guy, but there's so much information available, and it's so much more efficiently evaluated. The applications for it are almost endless, like we've got a great team upstairs. They go through so much information that it would take us days to do, and they do it in minutes and then really refine the presentation," Stark said.

"So I think the analytics stuff, one, it's great for maybe identifying people that maybe are over-or undervalued. It's also great for - it is a collaborative process here, there's a lot of conversation about players.

"It also is great about creating conversations on players that maybe we go over too quickly, and identifying targets that maybe we're not focusing on enough. So, it's just another piece of that puzzle. I would say that that's something in the last several years that I've really grown to appreciate, and it can be a valuable tool absolutely."

Stark noted how much each team uses analytics varies by team. Some teams are better than others, but Stark realizes the impact analytics can have. Although analytics has not always been a part of his skillset, he has gradually come around to its benefits.

"That's probably more of a personal preference, organization to organization or department to department. I just feel like, like we were saying earlier, the more information, the better. And if it's out there, why not utilize it? Now, I think some teams are better than others as far as not just collecting the information, but then how do we disseminate it, organize it, and present it in a certain way? But I think, to me, the way the world is now and the way it's probably always been, you've got to have that constant growth mindset of looking to take advantage of whatever can be there," Stark said.

"I've learned a lot about analytics in the last few years, to where it wasn't something I was exposed to. And the value of it is commensurate with how much effort you want to put into it and learn about it. Like you can get a lot of value from it, for sure. So I think it's probably more of a preference, but I think you've got to be at the forefront of it, or you're going to fall behind."

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