The Las Vegas Raiders’ time in the California sun this summer is over, and head coach Antonio Pierce is pleased with where the team is at before their first preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday. The Raiders held their final training camp practice of the year in Costa Mesa on Thursday.
The Las Vegas Raiders defense has played well
If there has been a theme for the team at camp, the Raiders’ defense will be expected to carry the load in the regular season. The quarterback battle between Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell hasn’t been pretty so far.
While the quarterbacks are struggling, the defense has been playing spectacularly. Cornerback Jack Jones had two interceptions in one practice earlier this week. Star defensive tackle Maxx Crosby has been making life hard for the Raiders offensive line.
Antonio Pierce says the Raiders gave ‘grit’
According to Vic Tafur with The Athletic, Pierce said he likes the attitude of the 90 men he has on the roster:
“We have grit and we’re tough,” Pierce said. “We’ve had close to 800 team reps. These guys haven’t blinked, there’s been no complaining … we don’t have guys trying to get out of practice. We’ve got a mentally tough team and we’ve got a team that is pissed off and wants to prove a lot of people wrong.”
Pierce knows the Raiders need to prove people wrong. The national media isn’t buying stock in the Raiders this summer. Many in the media think the Raiders need to cut their losses and trade star receiver Davante Adams so they can add pieces for a rebuild next year.
The 2024 Raiders have ‘chemistry’
Pierce, who first-year general manager Tom Telesco didn’t hire, isn’t thinking about a rebuild in the offseason. Per Tafur, he said the chemistry of this year’s team is where he wants it to be:
Pierce said, the Raiders “set the tone, built our identity on defense, special teams and offense, played with physicality and, more importantly, the chemistry and the team bonding is what we wanted. And the competition has been at a high.”
The Raiders can show their competitive spirit when they play the Vikings this weekend.
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