Raiders HC Pete Carroll Elaborates on Critical Week 1 Decision

"Well, he's had really good work. We got to make sure that he's okay. So Darien [Porter] is ready to go too. We make sure that he [Kelly] makes it through the week because he [Kelly] had a hamstring that we just want to make sure it's all right. But what he has done is he's been very active," Carroll said.

"He's demonstrated a really good general awareness of playing the position, and that's not just covering people, that's run game, containment, all of those kinds of things that come from experience. And he showed some good things. He gave us some confidence that he would be ready to play. So I love playing young guys, and our young guys will play. But we'll see what happens by the end of the week, how that works out." 

Still, Carroll noted that Porter is relatively healthy heading into the season and that the rookie corner made significant progress during training camp. Carroll knows Porter will be a player the Raiders call on sooner rather than later. Still, Carroll noted that the players must depend on each other.

"He's as ready as he can get right now. We got a couple more days to fill in here, but he's had a marvelous camp for us, and has come a tremendous distance. So I'm excited about him playing. I can't wait to see him on the game field," Carroll said.

"They need to lean on the guys around them and don't think that they're the whole show. And all I've ever asked of our guys is to be the best they can be. And so there's that pressure. It doesn't have to do with outside expectations and all that. And I think that allows them to be more calm and more composed, and more focused in the moments. That's what we're trying to get done with everybody on the football team, but for the young guys, it's really important too."