Why Elandon Roberts Sees Winning Culture in Raiders

He joined the Silver and Black this offseason, as the Raiders sought a replacement for Robert Spillane. Roberts will take over as the starting middle linebacker. 

Roberts is already noticing patterns with this Raiders team that successful teams he has been on in the past have followed. Could the franchise be close to turning things around? 

Roberts talked about what he has seen from the Raiders early on with Maxx Crosby on the latest episode of his podcast, The Rush. 

His answer was simple.

“Situational football,” Roberts said. “Situational football. Everybody hones in on situational football like that. When I was in New England, that’s all we talked about. I’m not comparing us to New England; what I’m saying is, you can tell Pete [Carroll]’s leadership and the way he’s built it, him and [General Manager John Spytek], that they’re on a whole different spectrum. That’s all we used to talk about. 

Games in the NFL, it’s not that many people that’s going to get blown out. It’s just not. But a game is lost in situations. Teams are in it, you’re like, ‘Dang, what happened?’ because somebody jumped offsides, somebody didn’t get back on track, they might not have been good offensively or defensively. A lot of teams in this league, they can’t drive the ball. So, if you’re just a defense that’s consistent, you’re not going to win all the time just off field goals.”

Roberts explained that knowing the dos and don’ts of the league and paying attention to playcalling tendencies help teams win games. 

He credited Carroll for having the team practice in certain situations, saying it allows them to be prepared for whatever scenario they may face during the regular season. 

Roberts has big shoes to fill this season, as Spillane was one of the Raiders’ best players for the last two seasons. 

He has a chance to have a great season, and he has Carroll’s preparation to thank for it. 

You can watch the full podcast episode with Roberts and Crosby here.

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