What Week 1 Will Reveal About Raiders' Habits

The Raiders' matchup against the New England Patriots will be the Raiders' first game that counts under Pete Carroll. Following practice, Raiders Offensive Coordinator Chip Kelly explained that the Raiders will be ready because of the way they have prepared.

"Well, it's not much different the way Pete [Carroll] runs this. So, every day we have a situation, whether it be red zone, coming out, third down, something that's central to the theme of that day in training. So, we've been game planning,” Kelly said.

“Obviously, we've been going against our defense in those situations, and now it's an opportunity to go against Vrabes [Mike Vrabel] and what he's going to do. So, that part's different, but we've been preparing for scenarios that are going to occur in the game since we got here; OTAs were based on the same exact thing. But it is a different opponent, and it counts. So, that's the biggest thing that we're excited about." 

Kelly noted that Smith and the rest of the Raiders' offense are learning his offense well. Kelly is known for having a complex offensive scheme. It becomes even more complicated for a team with as many new parts as the Raiders.

Still, after several seasons of subpar performances on offense, Kelly, and the roster changes the Raiders made this offseason gives them a chance to change the narrative that has surrounded the unit in recent seasons.

"They're doing great. I think part of it leads from Geno [Smith], because Geno's been around. He's played for a lot of coaches, and he's been in league for a while. There's been a lot of collaboration with him. He's got a great point of view in terms of the game of football. He the smartest guy I've ever been around playing the game. So, really excited about what he feels comfortable in,” Kelly said.

“And that's what this deal is, when we're going in these games, is, what do our players feel comfortable in? Because it really doesn't matter what we know, because we're not playing the game. It's really, 'How does Geno feel in terms of game plan', and he has a lot of input on it. And so we'll kind of roll from there."