Why the Raiders' Process Must Pay Dividends in Week 1

The Raiders Continue to Trust the Process

The Raiders will depend on many rookies and young players this season, including rookie wide reciever Dont'e Thornton who has become a integral part of the Raiders' offense. Following practice, Pete Carroll noted how the process is coming along for Thornton.

"It's just been ongoing. It's just been growing together, and he's worked hard enough from the very start that he's taking advantage of the opportunities that we've given him. He seems to be more comfortable than ever, and we're just getting started,” Carroll said.

“We're a long ways away from what the finished product will be, but we certainly can see his play making ability. We see his speed, his ability to get off the ground, to catch the football. All of that is there. So we're just trying to get him started well, and just do what he's been doing in practice, and we'll take it from there."

Following practice this week, Raiders Offensive Coordinator Chip Kelly elaborated on Thornton's strengths and why the Raiders selected him in the draft. Kelly explained that Thornton's physical attributes make him desirable for quarterbacks and offensive coordinators alike.

"Yeah, I think he was a good product coming in, and obviously, our personnel department and really, Pete [Carroll]. Pete was the guy that kind of fell in love with him watching the tape, and we felt the same thing. As I said earlier, there aren't many people that tall and long that are that fast, but I've seen him really embrace every day and just, I don't think he was thinking about starting or anything,” Kelly said. 

“He was just thinking about coming in here every day, he got in the building is, 'Can I be a little bit better today than I was yesterday?' And you saw him grow on a daily basis. Now, obviously, the next jump is he's played in three preseason games. But the preseason games and the regular season games are different.

"But I expect, and I think he expects, I think everybody here expects for him to play really well on Sunday because we always believe that you're going to play on Sunday the way you train. And I think he trains at a really high level right now."