Raiders' Tom Telesco reveals philosophy behind team building

On Wednesday, the Las Vegas Raiders introduced their new general manager and new full-time head coach, rather than interim head coach Antonio Pierce. Tom Telesco, the former Los Angeles Chargers GM, won over the crowd today as he told everyone how he felt about the future and his decision to accept the position.

Both Pierce and Telesco got into a lot of things on Wednesday. They talked about what it means to be a Raider, work for the Raiders, and have that shield on your blazer or jersey. They talked about why they took the job and what it meant to them. However, one of the more important things discussed that most f ans have been waiting to hear was the philosophy that Telesco will approach the Raiders with in terms of him building the roster.

Telesco's answer is one that some fans may find interesting.

"As far as building the roster, you're working through the vision of the head coach," Telesco said. "How does he want to play on offense, how does he want to play on defense, how does he want to play on special teams, and you build it that way. There's a lot of discussions; you work through things. We're going to be able to bounce ideas off each other.

"As far as roster construction, there's no one specific way to build a team. I do believe in the draft, and everybody always says that anyway, but I do believe in the draft. But you also have to supplement that with free agency. You have to supplement that with trades. You have to use every possible avenue you can under the constraints of the salary cap."

One of the things Raiders fans are worried about is Telesco getting the right roster for Pierce to coach. But, if you look at his days in Los Angeles, he never put out a bad product in terms of the names that were on the Chargers' roster.

He was good at getting talent to the Chargers, whether it be Justin Herbert , Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack, Rashawn Slater, or Derwin James. But he is also responsible for contracts like the atrocious J.C. Jackson contract. He ruined the Chargers cap situation.

His answer also helps when you factor in how this same exact situation was handled last regime. We never knew who was actually calling all of the shots for the Raiders - Dave Ziegler or Josh McDaniels. Telesco let everyone know quickly that they have a partnership.