Why the Raiders' Time Is Now

Carroll is Ready for the Regular Season

Week 1 will be Carroll's first game back as a head coach in the National Football League. Things will be much different for Carroll this time around. He noted his excitement for what is to come.

"I don't know how to measure how excited I am, but this has just been so much fun, really, to get into this with this club and this ownership. With all the challenges that go along with that, to be able to create our own roster with all that freedom that we got. Johnny [John Spytek] and I really feel great about the process that we've gone through," Caroll said.

"We continue to compete, to add to it, but it's worked out really well, and it represents the hard work that we put in. It represents the time. It represents the culture and philosophy that we're standing for. We added a lot of really physical, tough guys, tough-minded guys, really competitive people, and that's only going to make you better. So, it's really been fun. We got a couple days and then we're ready to rock and roll with the game plan, so it's really good."

There was a week between the Raiders' final preseason game and the start of Week 1, giving the Raiders a total of two weeks between their final preseason game and the first game of the regular season. This gave the Raiders valuable time before they hit the road to face the New England Patriots.

"Yeah, this is a bonus week for us, and we wanted to make it through it healthy, which we did, so that we can take a break with a really clear mind that we're ready to go. It feels like that. We'll come back and kick it into high gear," Carroll said.

"We won't be changing anything because we already try to practice as hard as we can every day and with all the effort that we can muster and the intensity that we can generate. Nothing's really going to change, but it feels great to be at this point because we're trying to get to these games, and it's finally here."

Find us on X (formerly Twitter) @HondoCarpenter and @EZTrez_SI and weigh in.

While here, check out our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE to discuss this take.