LAS VEGAS, NV.-- The Las Vegas Raiders added lineman Laki Tasi to their roster as the former rugby player's sheer size and athleticism give the Raiders hope they can mold him into a contributor. Tasi is new to the game of football, which gives Pete Carroll and his coaching staff a blank slate to work with.
Tasi spoke following training camp.
Following training camp this month, Raiders wide receiver Collin Johnson spoke to the media. We have a partial transcript below.
Q: How have you evaluated the way this camp has gone for you personally?
Collin Johnson: "So far, I feel like it's went well. Just doing my best every day to get better. It's always been my motto. I'm very process oriented. I try to focus on the day to day, but overall, I feel like it's been going well?
Q: What do you feel like you bring maybe unique to the receiver room?
Johnson: "I feel like my size. I feel like even if a DB is in quote, unquote, 'good position,' I always feel like I'm open. That's always how it's been. So go balls, stop routes, so on and so forth, getting to the sticks and maybe making a big conversion. Also, I love playing special teams. So you can put me anywhere in the interior on special teams on punt. I've played gunner before. I played all four phases. So pretty much anywhere they need me, I'm more than happy to be a resource for this team and just do my best to help the Raiders win games."
Q: You mentioned special teams. You made a tackle on special teams today, how much you think that you take pride in that kind of being part of your ticket to making the roster?
Johnson: "Yeah, I love special teams. There's three phases of the game, right? Offense, defense and special teams. So it's huge. It's a third of this game of football. So it's very important. It's something I'm very passionate about. I'm on year six now. I've played a bit in my NFL career. Last year, I feel like I really took a jump with playing in nine games and having five or six special teams tackles with the opportunities that presented itself. So it's something I know I can do. I love the new kickoff rule, because I feel like it really fits the skill set of a receiver, a big receiver like myself. So I'm really looking forward to growing and continuing to grow what I did last year and even be better. So I know it's definitely I guess a big role for me into making the team and continue to contribute towards winning games."
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