The Position Group Raiders' Pete Carroll Is Raving About

The Raiders' Plan Moving Forward

The Raiders entered the offseason with questions at linebacker, after the unit was ravaged by free agency. The Raiders' group of linebackers quickly went from one of the defense's strengths to a weakness, only for John Spytek and Pete Carroll to completly overhaul the unit.

Sunday against the New England Patriots, the Raiders' new-look group of linebackers were a vital part of the team's victory. Before Thursday's practice, Raiders Head Coach Pete Carroll raved about the unit. It is not the first time he has done so, but Sunday's game was different.

"Since this came together and we saw the guys that we were able to put together, I've been really excited to see them eventually play together and show us what they could do because they're all tough guys, and they all have an attitude about making things happen," Carroll said.

"They attack very well, from Jamal [Adams] and all across the board, those guys are all looking to make a play, and they're coming downhill. So, if we can continue to hit the line of scrimmage right and give them a chance to do that, then it's going to be a force in our defense if we're able to keep  that going." 

"They worked really hard at it. I thought [Joe] Alt was really good moving over to the other side when you kind of maybe hope to have a little adjustment time in there. But he jumped right at it and did a nice job. They're communicating well," Carroll said.

"Both teams had some good force and pressure on both sides. But it is a newer group, the new right tackle and all that. They'll get way better, so hopefully it takes them a couple weeks to do that."

Las Vegas' defense played with the confidence it had not shown in some time. A portion of that confidence likely came from knowing their offense could eventually figure things out. However, another portion of the confidence likely came from their success on the field in Week 1.

The Raders must play complementary football if they hope to beat the Chargers. Monday night is a chance for the Raiders to prove themselves as a cohesive unit. It is also a chance for their defense to prove they are legitimate.