Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast takes you inside the locker room as we analyze the potential of a definitive statement in Kansas City,
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00:00 Hey everybody and welcome back to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast.
00:07 I am your beat writer Hondo Carpenter.
00:09 This guy next to me is our assistant beat writer and what a good one he is.
00:14 The great Zeke Trezevant.
00:16 Zeke, Merry Christmas to you, Jazz, and the kids.
00:18 How you doing buddy?
00:19 Doing well, Hondo.
00:20 Same to you and the family.
00:21 Merry Christmas, happy holidays.
00:23 I'm excited to be here.
00:25 You know, I thought Antonio Pierce on Wednesday was phenomenal.
00:31 Absolutely phenomenal.
00:33 I thought Devante and Aiden were just...
00:38 Help me with the term, Zeke.
00:40 I just said...
00:42 You like to use the term chill.
00:45 They were just chill.
00:46 Just like, "All right."
00:48 I mean, this team, no arrogance, but they are exuding confidence.
00:55 Yes, cool, calm, and collected.
00:58 I think a lot of it, the way they're looking at it is none of the pressure is really on
01:02 them.
01:03 They just have to go out there and keep doing what they're doing.
01:05 They're not necessarily leading the division right now.
01:07 The pressure is really all on Kansas City.
01:09 The mood in the locker room right now is just very relaxed, very chill, very just matter
01:13 of fact, ready to go.
01:16 For you, Zeke, what has been the biggest change in this team since the last Kansas City game,
01:23 which wasn't that long ago?
01:25 Surprisingly, I would say, A, well, literally A, defense and offense, really both sides
01:31 of the ball if you think about it.
01:33 Aiden had a...
01:34 I think he led the NFL in terms of quarterback rating against Kansas City.
01:38 I think there, there's really not much that needs to be changed.
01:41 I think they really just need to execute on third downs better.
01:44 The first time against Kansas City, the offense stalled out on multiple drives right before
01:48 halftime and they were never able to recover.
01:50 Then on defense, I think if you look at the couple of games since they played Kansas City,
01:55 they've been all but locked down.
01:57 They didn't win every game, obviously, but they've been locked down in terms of defense
02:00 specifically.
02:01 So I think what their attitude last time was, let's try to outscore or let's keep up with
02:07 Kansas City in terms of points.
02:09 This time, I think they're looking at it defensive minded and saying, hey, let's go stop them
02:14 and let our offense do...
02:15 Basically, let our defense do what it's been doing and then our offense can go from there.
02:20 Obviously, you're younger than me, but I have never seen a team and I've been around a lot
02:25 of them that so quickly took on the appearance of their head coach.
02:34 Whether you want Antonio Pierce here long term or you don't want Antonio Pierce here
02:38 long term, talking about the fans or whatever, there is no denying he has impacted this franchise.
02:44 Would you agree?
02:45 I agree.
02:46 And again, it doesn't necessarily always mean wins or more wins, but what it does mean is
02:52 more effort.
02:53 It does mean more pride and you can lose and still have pride.
02:57 And I think that shows in terms of underneath Antonio Pierce.
03:00 That's something that wasn't there before.
03:02 So you talk about how immediate it was.
03:04 It was so immediate.
03:05 Again, I didn't know if it was real or not.
03:07 The week that McDaniels was fired and the guys kind of got hyped up, I was like, let's
03:11 pump the brakes a little bit.
03:13 But they've shown week in and week out ever since that it is real.
03:15 It's very genuine and that they're playing hard for their coach.
03:19 For you, Zeke, if the Raiders were to go and get the upset win and make no mistake, it
03:25 would be an upset in Arrowhead.
03:29 Who's the biggest player we're going to be talking about come the 26th?
03:35 If they go, it's going to be somebody on the defensive side of the ball.
03:37 I think it's going to be a Malcolm Coons.
03:39 I think it's going to be a Robert Spillane, maybe even a defensive back because obviously
03:43 Kansas City passes a lot.
03:45 I think it's going to be on the defensive side of the ball in terms of who would be
03:50 the person we talk about the most.
03:51 But you're going to have a lot of options to choose from for sure.
03:56 Let's flip it around then.
03:58 Give me an offensive player that you think is going to have to be talked about on the
04:03 26th if they get the upset.
04:05 I think it's going to be Aiden.
04:06 I think it all starts and ends with Aiden.
04:09 And then secondly, it's going to be an offensive lineman.
04:12 Which one?
04:13 I'm not sure.
04:14 I think it's going to come down to how well they protect him and how well Aiden makes
04:17 his reads and connects in terms of execution.
04:19 So I think offensively, I don't want to say it's easy, but it's going to be a little bit
04:23 more easier to pinpoint that one person.
04:25 For me, it would be Aiden.
04:27 If they go to Kansas City and get the win, do you see any scenario in which Mark Davis
04:34 doesn't name Antonio Pierce at some point the head coach?
04:38 I can't imagine it.
04:39 I cannot imagine that happening.
04:42 So the quick answer is no.
04:44 How do you go about finding someone else that can connect with this team after the way Antonio
04:50 Pierce did it, after everything they've gone through, and after they win in Kansas City?
04:54 Who do you hire?
04:55 Leave AP and hire who?
04:57 So I would say, in my mind, there's no way that they win in Kansas City and AP doesn't
05:01 get the job, whether it's now, end of the season, whenever it may be.
05:06 I agree with you.
05:07 Let's talk about the emergence of young players.
05:11 We're looking at Tyree Wilson, who is emerging.
05:15 Let's just start right there.
05:19 We have talked ad nauseum about him, us liking him personally, respecting his work ethic,
05:26 not being 100%, but he just keeps grinding.
05:30 I'm impressed with the young rookie.
05:32 How about you?
05:33 I like the way he keeps his head down.
05:34 He took a lot of flack early in the season.
05:39 Some rightfully so, most of it was not fair to him, if you consider the injury, the time
05:44 that he did not have in terms of his ramp-up period.
05:47 But then you look at, again, his progression over the last few weeks, and he's been taking
05:50 the steps week by week, but I think what's being mixed in now is his own confidence in
05:55 himself.
05:56 I'm not sure if it was when it happened in terms of him getting moved into the inside
06:00 that the confidence really started to grow, but I think what happened was, step by step,
06:04 week by week, he was getting better.
06:06 Now in his mind, he's seeing and he's feeling the progress, and success just brings on more
06:12 success, and I think that's where Tyree is right now.
06:13 All right, let's talk about Michael Mayer.
06:16 What do you think of his emergence?
06:18 Hey, listen, so when you asked me who we were going to talk about the most, Aiden was my
06:22 number one, Michael Mayer was my number two in my mind.
06:25 But you know how it can get a little tricky with pass catchers, though, right?
06:28 Because so many different things come into play in terms of how effective they can be
06:31 in a game.
06:32 But Michael, I mean, he's growing into what they thought he could be when they traded
06:35 up for him in the second round.
06:37 So he, you know, in terms of how he started off, it wasn't necessarily the best as they
06:40 got him better as a blocker, as they kind of tried to figure out how to work him into
06:44 the playbook.
06:45 But as they've gone on through the season, and he's definitely starting to take those
06:47 next steps.
06:49 You just said something that I thought was very important, and that a lot of people are
06:55 not giving AP and his staff credit for.
06:59 They are developing these young guys, they are turning them into something.
07:05 You look at Malcolm Koontz is a guy I was very high on when they drafted him.
07:11 Beginning of this year, I said he's a third year guy, this has to be his year, this is
07:14 the money season.
07:16 And you make some changes at head coach and bam, look at his development.
07:20 If anything has impressed me, and I've been impressed with a lot from Antonio Pierce,
07:27 it's the way he and the staff develop young players.
07:30 Has that impressed you?
07:32 It almost seems like that's, I don't want to say as important as winning and losing,
07:36 but it seems like it's higher of a priority now than what it was before.
07:38 Don't get me wrong, Josh McDaniels, they made it a, it's something that they really want
07:42 to do in terms of developing players.
07:44 But you're actually seeing the development underneath AP.
07:47 It's not just coach speak, it's not something they're just talking about.
07:50 It's something that you can see on the field.
07:52 And I think, like they say, the proof is in the pudding.
07:54 The coach can talk about it during every press conference, but if it's not translated to
07:58 the field, it does not matter.
07:59 And what the difference is, is that AP is getting these players to play the correct
08:02 way on the field.
08:03 And that speaks volumes to him, about him as a coach.
08:06 I want to talk to you about Hunter Renfro.
08:09 I know that you and I both personally like him.
08:11 He's a very likable human being.
08:14 We know that he's had the big numbers, he earned the big contract.
08:18 You know, he's been to a Pro Bowl, but he's not a first year guy, a second year guy, or
08:25 a third year guy.
08:26 He's a vet.
08:27 He can't be making some of these mistakes, drops, fumbles.
08:31 I mean, he can't do it, period.
08:34 He just can't.
08:35 And up in Kansas City, the way that their defense is going to attack the offense, there's
08:41 going to be some spot in the flats, cross the middle, some short stuff with blitzes
08:46 coming.
08:47 To me, he's an X factor in this game.
08:49 He has to perform at the level we know he can, not at the level that he's been with
08:56 the one big mistake a game.
08:59 Am I being fair to Hunter?
09:03 If I'm being unbiased, because again, I like Hunter.
09:07 We've all watched Hunter from college on up.
09:10 He's always been a great player.
09:11 So if I'm being unbiased, I think that you're being very fair.
09:14 But again, if I'm being biased because I like him, I think it's a little harsh.
09:17 But when you look at the total picture, it is fair because for the whole season, it's
09:21 been, "Hey, what's wrong with Hunter?
09:23 Why hasn't Hunter been involved in the offense?"
09:24 And then he starts to get involved in the offense and the mistakes happen.
09:28 And a coaching staff looks at that kind of side-eyed.
09:31 So it's twofold.
09:33 He has to play better.
09:35 But in terms of all things considered, I think it's a production of what he's gone through
09:39 this season.
09:40 He hasn't gotten the targets.
09:41 He hasn't gotten the catches.
09:42 So by the time he gets that ball in his hands, he's like, "Let's go get it."
09:46 He's very excited because he hasn't had as many opportunities as in the past.
09:49 So I see where he's coming from.
09:51 But at the same time, as fans, as coaches, as people who watch the game, you got to eliminate
09:56 the mistakes.
09:57 There's no way around it.
09:58 Yeah.
09:59 And you know, the thing that sticks out to me is trust.
10:02 Players want the ball more.
10:05 So when they give it to you, they got to be able to trust you with it.
10:10 They've got to be able to say, "You know, that was one thing with Tom Brady watching
10:14 him in his prime.
10:16 You knew who he trusted and who he didn't."
10:21 And I think that's a lot.
10:22 A lot of people don't discuss that part, that you want the staff and the quarterback to
10:27 trust you, but you got to be trustworthy.
10:29 100%.
10:30 You know, you got to do your part, right, basically.
10:34 And put yourself in a quarterback's shoes, especially a young quarterback's shoes, like
10:37 Aiden, right?
10:38 You know, he's on a complete opposite end of time.
10:40 So he's trying to figure out who he can trust, right?
10:43 So you know, that's very, very important.
10:45 Especially if you are someone who is not necessarily demanding the ball, because I
10:49 don't think Hunter's necessarily demanding the ball.
10:51 But if you're looking for more touches, you got to do your end as well.
10:55 All right.
10:56 Admit this, though, because I can admit this.
10:58 It has been fun watching the rookie grip it and rip it.
11:02 I mean, it's been watching Aiden O'Connell's confidence has been a lot of fun to watch,
11:09 hasn't it?
11:10 It feels like we've been on the roller coaster ride with him to a certain degree.
11:13 Obviously, we're not strapping the helmet over, not behind the offensive line, but it
11:16 does feel like every, you know, every game day, it's like, OK, what is he going to do
11:20 today?
11:21 And more times than not, it's usually pretty positive.
11:22 So it's been it's been fun to watch, you know, even from his first starting in Los Angeles.
11:27 He's come such a long way, you know, since then.
11:30 So it's been pretty interesting for sure.
11:32 He's a good kid.
11:34 I just think it's funny how the team loves him.
11:38 Yeah, yeah.
11:39 I mean, the way everybody rallies around him.
11:43 Right.
11:44 When he's draw, it doesn't really matter how bad or good he does.
11:46 The team still sticks behind him.
11:48 You know, it's not it's not fake.
11:49 Right.
11:50 They really support the guy.
11:52 So, yeah, the way he is around the team, the way the team is around him, it's one of a
11:57 kind.
11:58 I always laugh when we talk about the team believes in him.
12:01 Oh, what do you what do you want him to say?
12:03 They don't.
12:04 Well, if you were in the locker room, you would know it's you know, he's like everybody's
12:08 little brother.
12:09 Yeah, 100 percent.
12:10 And, you know, you know, you know, we we you know, you see it go both ways.
12:15 Right.
12:16 When the when the locker room does, you know, support their quarterback and when they don't
12:19 necessarily support their quarterback.
12:20 So I'm sure you've seen that with a couple of teams as well.
12:23 So there is a vast difference.
12:24 And of course, they're never going to come out and publicly say we don't support the
12:27 guy.
12:28 But you can tell in the locker room, you can tell by actions and things that are said and
12:31 things that are not said.
12:32 And Aiden's on the complete opposite side of that.
12:34 They love him.
12:35 They support him.
12:36 They stand behind him.
12:37 But I think one of his qualities and you tell me what you think is he's very humble.
12:42 He isn't ha ha.
12:43 I'm the starting quarterback.
12:45 He is.
12:46 You know, he'll do I'll take the rookie hazing.
12:49 He'll he just has a great attitude.
12:52 He's a hard worker.
12:53 I mean, he's endeared himself to them.
12:56 Do you think that's a fair assessment?
12:58 It is.
12:59 And, you know, he's I think the word for me that kind of comes about is that he's almost
13:04 unassuming.
13:05 Right.
13:06 And you saw even after he got, you know, determined as a starter, you didn't see any
13:10 change in him.
13:11 There was no difference in his step.
13:12 There's no difference in how he walked around the locker room, how he held himself.
13:15 You know, it was always the same guy.
13:16 And I think the locker room, the guys, they pick up on that quickly, whether it's a coach
13:20 or there's a player.
13:21 They see how, you know, a person acts when they're the third string and when now they're
13:24 the starter and they pick up on that very quickly.
13:26 And Aiden's been the same guy.
13:29 And I think and this is no slam.
13:33 He's not built like granite.
13:35 I mean, it's not like he's Denzel Berman or Max Crosby walking through there.
13:42 He looks like a guy that if you didn't know he was the quarterback, you'd think he was
13:45 a maintenance guy.
13:46 You know, I was going to say, like, you would not know he was a starting quarterback.
13:50 That's for sure.
13:53 Trey Tucker, I thought AP said it best the other day.
13:58 I mean, we know what Devante can do.
14:00 We know what big Mike Merrick can do, Jacoby.
14:04 But for two speed is for two speed.
14:06 Now, I let me just say something.
14:08 I couldn't go for two in a Lamborghini at my size.
14:11 OK, so I get it.
14:15 So God, I mean, this young man, I love to see his emergence, first of all, because he's
14:23 such a great kid, just terrific kid.
14:28 But I love to see his emergence.
14:30 I love to see the relationship he has with Aiden.
14:33 And it's special.
14:35 And I think this kid, I mean, this is a team, you know, we know what Tyreek Hill can do.
14:42 We know what Henry Ruggs could do before.
14:45 The tragedy that he caused.
14:48 This is a kid that has the potential to be a game changer.
14:51 Z.
14:52 Listen, he said the thing about Trey Tucker is it's obviously what he can do.
14:56 And then there's what he does for the offense.
14:58 Right.
14:59 And he's got a great speed.
15:00 He literally is the guy you got.
15:01 I mean, imagine trying to guard Devontae Jacoby, Michael Mayer.
15:04 If you got four or two speed, Trey Tucker coming out of nowhere, you don't know which
15:07 direction he's going, how long or how short he's going.
15:11 You know, what he does is that he keeps a defense honest in the very first, what, six
15:15 to eight games of the season.
15:16 One of the biggest problems the Raiders had on offense was that they couldn't stretch
15:20 the field.
15:21 They had no real deep threat.
15:22 Right.
15:23 And you don't necessarily have to connect on every pass that you throw deep, but at
15:26 least has to be a threat for the defense to respect all of your options.
15:30 Now that they've kind of figured out how to track, how to use Trey Tucker, you got to
15:34 respect him and he, whether he's getting the ball or not, he's still helping out the office
15:38 significantly.
15:39 So again, you, you double team Devontae all you want to, and you know, good luck putting,
15:43 you know, your third, fourth, you know, best cornerback on Trey Tucker.
15:47 It's probably not going to work out too well.
15:50 Zeke.
15:52 They're headed to KC for Christmas day.
15:56 Leading champion and I will be there in the press box.
15:58 And by the time the game kicks off, you'll probably be just opening presents with the
16:03 kiddos in Jasmine.
16:04 I'm so happy for you that you get to be there at Christmas.
16:08 But I'm going to make my prediction.
16:11 As you know, when I predict a game, there are 10 components that I look at.
16:19 And so if it's six, four, seven, three, I make my prediction.
16:28 If it's tied, then it always goes to the home team.
16:35 Okay.
16:37 I'm going to go against up here because football is a game of instinct.
16:47 Football is a game of violence.
16:49 It's a game of, it's not precision.
16:53 It's just a game of emotion.
16:58 When you watch those chiefs, they don't look like a team having fun.
17:04 They look like a team that's almost relieved to win.
17:09 They've lost a little bit.
17:10 I don't know if it's just frustration with the receivers.
17:13 I don't know what it is.
17:15 But I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
17:18 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
17:21 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
17:24 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
17:27 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
17:30 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
17:33 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
17:36 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
17:39 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
17:42 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
17:45 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
17:48 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
17:51 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
17:54 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
17:57 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
18:00 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
18:03 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
18:06 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
18:09 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
18:12 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
18:15 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
18:18 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
18:21 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
18:24 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
18:27 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
18:30 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
18:33 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
18:36 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
18:39 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
18:42 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
18:45 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
18:48 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
18:51 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
18:54 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
18:57 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
19:00 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
19:03 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
19:06 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
19:09 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
19:12 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
19:15 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
19:18 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
19:21 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
19:24 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
19:27 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
19:30 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
19:33 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
19:36 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
19:39 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
19:42 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
19:45 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
19:48 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
19:51 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
19:54 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
19:57 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
20:00 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
20:03 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
20:06 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
20:09 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
20:12 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
20:15 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
20:18 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
20:21 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
20:24 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
20:27 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
20:30 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
20:33 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
20:36 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
20:39 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
20:42 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
20:45 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
20:48 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
20:51 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
20:54 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
20:57 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
21:00 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.
21:03 I'm going to go against the Chiefs.