Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast: State of the Team, Coaching Search, NFL Draft, and Free Agents
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00:00 Hi everybody, this is Hondo Carpenter from Sports Illustrated's FAN Nation Las Vegas
00:06 Raiders Insider Podcast.
00:07 I appreciate you joining us today for this podcast.
00:11 We have a lot to discuss, a lot that I want to disseminate and get to you.
00:16 So let's quickly get to the current state of the Raiders.
00:20 By the way, in case you haven't heard me, Happy New Year to all of you.
00:24 We have grown exponentially and all of the credit goes to you guys, not one bit of it
00:30 goes to me.
00:31 It's all you guys.
00:32 I appreciate you and I'm grateful for you.
00:35 So let's get right into the current state of the Raiders.
00:38 It was interesting to me yesterday.
00:40 And if you haven't seen it, we've posted it already, but Patrick Graham's press conference
00:48 yesterday, he was sitting maybe or standing maybe six feet, seven feet from me.
00:56 I sit in the front row and yes, first of all, I genuinely like Patrick Graham.
01:03 He is, I like genuine people.
01:07 I don't have to agree with people politically or agree with people on issues for me to like
01:12 them.
01:13 I always laugh at people and you see it all the time, especially when you get close to
01:18 an election.
01:19 If you disagree with me, unfollow me.
01:22 When I see people do that, even if I agree with them, I just unfollow them.
01:26 I can't stand people that are just so dogmatic that they can't even deal with other people
01:33 or they don't, whatever.
01:35 I just like genuine people.
01:36 If you're genuine, I don't care.
01:38 Someone said to me one time, why do you put emails on your question and answer articles
01:44 that are hate them?
01:45 Well, because I get them.
01:47 The media will not do that.
01:49 And then they give the air of, well, everybody always agrees with me.
01:51 That's not true.
01:52 And if somebody is willing to put their name on something and not cross a line, what do
01:59 I care?
02:00 I know you're fat.
02:01 I get on the scale every day.
02:03 I know what 256 pounds looks like.
02:07 Why do you think I showered the lights off?
02:09 But my point is I like genuine people.
02:15 I don't have to agree with you on everything or anything.
02:19 There's people that I really like who I don't agree with on anything.
02:26 And so let's just go to Patrick Graham.
02:28 He is just genuine.
02:30 He is what he is.
02:32 You're not going to see him out at dinner and have him act differently than he acts
02:37 in the building.
02:39 And I really not only like Patrick Graham as a man.
02:43 I respect him.
02:46 To me, that's a big deal.
02:48 I want to respect the people that I cover.
02:51 That has been one thing for me, not the whole season, but most of the season.
02:58 And it is the case right now.
03:00 There is nobody in this team or organization that I don't like.
03:05 And I like people like that.
03:10 If somebody's one way to your face and different behind your back, I like those people.
03:15 I'm one of those guys.
03:16 My dad taught me if somebody wants to gossip to you about someone, you need to make sure
03:21 you're not listening and push them away because when you're not around, they're gossiping
03:25 about you.
03:26 So I like genuine people.
03:28 That is Patrick Graham.
03:30 He is as genuine as they come.
03:32 He's extremely intelligent.
03:35 One of the smartest people that you'll ever meet.
03:37 I mean, he's a Yale guy.
03:41 He knows the game backwards and forwards.
03:44 He's very analytical.
03:47 He is super smart, but very relatable.
03:52 And so he got up yesterday and let's not pretend everybody knows what's going on here with
04:01 the Raiders.
04:04 Everybody understands what's happening with the Raiders.
04:08 They are going through an end of a season is coming.
04:14 Nobody knows if they have jobs.
04:17 Nobody knows what's coming.
04:20 And he stopped at one point.
04:22 I don't remember who asked him the question or I would give them credit.
04:29 I don't remember who it may have been.
04:31 Zeke could have been.
04:33 No, I think it was Adam Hill with the Las Vegas Review Journal.
04:37 But someone asked him about, you know, the season come to an end and he stopped and he
04:43 goes not going to get emotional.
04:46 Fought the tears.
04:49 This is special.
04:50 I went on later and asked him about this team and he said it's been the most enjoyable team
04:54 I've ever coached, ever.
04:57 The Raiders have something extremely special right now.
05:02 And so the current state of the Raiders is any guy that can play Sunday is going to play.
05:08 I mean, unless management holds them out.
05:12 Any guy that can play is going to play.
05:14 They want to play.
05:16 They want to get this win.
05:18 They believe in AP.
05:19 That's why AP and Patrick Graham are not similar in personality.
05:27 Similar in character, both very genuine.
05:32 But that's why they're close is everyone sum up Patrick Graham getting interviews for head
05:38 coaching jobs.
05:39 And if he doesn't, it's a sham.
05:44 But he's fighting to keep for AP to get the job.
05:49 And I believe if AP is retained as head coach, Patrick Graham will be back.
05:53 I do believe that.
05:57 And so the current state of the team is there's a lot of people that understand there's something
06:04 special here.
06:06 And we could lose it.
06:09 And they're emotional.
06:10 They care.
06:11 You know, when things don't go good, you'll always hear fans who will say things like,
06:16 well, they don't care.
06:17 It's all about the money to them.
06:19 And let me tell you, there are a lot of players.
06:21 It is all about the money and coaches and your job.
06:26 How many people do you work with?
06:27 Maybe even you who you go to work.
06:30 It's only because of the money.
06:31 You don't enjoy the job.
06:32 Now, I'm fortunate.
06:33 I obviously don't work for free, but I really enjoy my job.
06:38 I enjoy the people I work with.
06:39 I love you guys, the fans.
06:41 You guys have been great.
06:43 I have told anyone that will listen to me who is media or in other markets, if you knew
06:48 Raider Nation, you'd love them.
06:51 I'm glad more writers and journalists don't know how awesome you guys are.
06:55 There may be more people who want my job.
06:58 I know there are a lot.
06:59 I don't mean it that way.
07:00 Just you guys are great.
07:01 By the way, I'm going to be out in Lock J before the Broncos game this week, and I hope
07:06 to see you.
07:08 Anyways, so we come to a place where they know there's something special here, and they're
07:18 in danger of losing it.
07:20 And so I'd say the current state of the team right now is very deeply reflective.
07:28 I think they are very locked in, for sure locked in.
07:35 And I would go a step farther and say that they are very conscientious of where they
07:44 are.
07:46 They are very conscientious of where they find themselves.
07:52 And I think there's a hint of sadness that it could go away.
08:01 We'll get into that more later, but I think that's the current state of the team.
08:03 They are locked in.
08:04 It is all about being Denver.
08:09 I will tell you, and this is a statement of character, the Raider coaches have talked
08:17 about, "We don't know who's going to be here.
08:20 We don't know if we'll be here as coaches or you're going to be here, but put on film
08:24 what you want next year's people to see."
08:30 And there's a lot of that, a lot of emotion right now.
08:34 And for people that think that a lot of players don't care, and trust me, I think there are
08:42 some who don't care.
08:44 Doesn't make them bad people.
08:45 They just don't care.
08:46 There are some people that don't live life with any sense of purpose.
08:51 I'll give you a quick one.
08:54 When I see guys who are dads and they don't embrace it.
09:05 I met a guy recently who, I was just chit-chatting with him when I was in, where'd they just
09:15 play?
09:16 Indianapolis.
09:17 And we're at the hotel and he's a Raider fan.
09:22 And I'm sitting there with my family eating breakfast.
09:25 And so he just came up and visited for a couple of minutes.
09:27 He wasn't intrusive at all, very warm, knew who I was.
09:31 And so I just said, "Are you a dad?"
09:33 "Well, yeah."
09:34 He goes, "I got a kid who's 11."
09:38 He goes, "I don't really have much to do with them."
09:41 He goes, "We don't vibe."
09:43 I said, "What?"
09:47 "We don't vibe."
09:50 I said, "What does that mean?"
09:54 And we just don't click.
09:55 We don't have the same interests.
09:56 He doesn't like football.
09:58 He doesn't, I looked at him and go, "Brother, he's 11."
10:03 Now, I know there are some parents who keep kids from other parents.
10:09 Not even going to get into that, but that wasn't the case with this man.
10:13 I go, "He's your son.
10:17 It's your job to connect with him.
10:19 He's 11."
10:20 Now, if he's older, there are some people who just go through life with, they're passionless.
10:27 They'll stay in jobs that they hate rather than saying, "This is my life.
10:31 I spend a third of my life at work.
10:34 Maybe I should go find a job that I enjoy."
10:38 Before every football game, I put something out on social media where I just thank my
10:42 wife for being the most awesome, spectacular lady in the world.
10:47 And I've had people say, "Why do you do that?"
10:51 Because I'm passionate about my family.
10:52 I'm passionate about my wife.
10:55 I'm not a Raider fan, but I'm passionate about, I cover the greatest professional sports franchise
11:02 in the world.
11:04 Not in the NFL, in the world.
11:07 This franchise changed professional sports on every continent.
11:14 This franchise broke the rules, burst through ceilings, and has changed professional sports
11:23 and our country.
11:24 I go to work every day to cover a team with a bunch of really good guys, with coaches
11:33 that are, you know, commissioning.
11:35 I get to cover a team with an owner who, whether you want to be critical of decisions he made,
11:43 he cares.
11:46 This is a great organization.
11:48 I'm passionate about covering the Raiders.
11:52 And I am.
11:53 Okay, Denver's coming in here this weekend.
11:57 I have people that I'm friends with who are part of that organization.
12:03 They're good people.
12:04 Okay.
12:05 Do I want them to do well?
12:07 Sure I do.
12:08 I want the Raiders to do well.
12:10 Because I care about good people.
12:13 I'll meet people who are passionless.
12:15 Okay, that's not the Raiders.
12:19 This team is passionate about playing football.
12:25 This team as a whole is extremely passionate about getting AP the job.
12:32 This team cares.
12:34 And the current state of this team is they care, they're locked in, and I think that
12:38 they completely understand where they're at.
12:41 They're headed towards indecision.
12:42 Nobody wants indecision.
12:44 Can you imagine if you're a guy whose contract runs out this year and you're playing well,
12:50 but okay, what if the next, what if they hire a different regime and that regime doesn't
12:56 want me?
12:59 What if you're sitting here and you're a veteran who's under contract thinking, okay, what
13:02 if the new regime comes in and it's not AP, so it's going to be a rebuild?
13:07 Where do I get traded?
13:08 Do I get cut?
13:11 So there's a lot of that going through people's minds right now.
13:14 And I would tell you that the current state of the team is that they're reflective.
13:24 And I think that they are united, 100% united.
13:31 I don't think there's any disunity on this team.
13:35 And I think they're locked in.
13:37 And I think that's an interesting place where they're at.
13:39 Okay, the next thing I want to talk about is coaching.
13:45 This is a three horse race.
13:46 I don't believe there are any other candidates involved.
13:49 I think AP and Jim Harbaugh are right there.
13:54 The hiring of Jim Harbaugh, hiring Don Yee is a very big deal.
14:00 He's Tom Brady's agent.
14:02 Here to four, Harbaugh has not operated with one.
14:09 In NFL, he's already got a deal on the table with Michigan for 125 million for 10 years,
14:18 12.5 per arm.
14:22 I've told you all along that I have never heard that Jim doesn't want to be in the NFL.
14:29 Teams didn't want him last couple of years.
14:32 But I 100% believe he wants to come to the National Football League.
14:41 I've been asked by several people, do you think that changes if he wins a national title
14:45 that maybe he wants to stay?
14:46 No, I think he would like to go.
14:48 In fact, I think him winning a national title even further pushes that desire and dream
14:54 of his.
14:57 And AP has something that I've told you about the last 10 weeks.
15:03 He's in the building.
15:06 He's there.
15:08 And the players want him.
15:12 I think if the Raiders go out and win on Sunday, I think it will, I'm not saying it's not going
15:20 to happen, but I think it'd be very difficult for Mark Davis to make a change.
15:24 Doesn't mean he won't.
15:27 He's done difficult things in the past.
15:30 But you know, they let last week slip by.
15:34 They let a Viking game slip by.
15:36 There's some games that have slipped by that were gettable.
15:40 And here's where they're at right now.
15:44 But the coaching situation, I think it's a three horse race.
15:47 AP, Jim Harbaugh, John Gruden.
15:50 I don't think anyone else at this point has a rat's rear end opportunity of getting this
15:56 job.
15:57 I just don't think it's possible.
16:00 Another thing is, you got to remember, they named Josh McDaniels the head coach.
16:05 I think it was on January 31st.
16:09 And the combine comes from mid-February.
16:14 So I would think they would want to make a decision ASAP.
16:18 If you're interviewing Jim and you're interviewing Gruden, and I don't know that Gruden would
16:25 get an interview.
16:26 I think if Gruden got an interview, it's because he's getting the job.
16:29 He's close enough to Mark.
16:30 There doesn't have to be an interview.
16:32 But you interview AP, you interview Harbaugh, and then with the Rooney rule, which I'll
16:40 be talking more about coming up here soon, you go and interview a couple of other people.
16:47 You know, if you're waiting for them to get out of the Super Bowl, I think that's too
16:52 late.
16:53 I would think you're going to have a decision on a head coach anywhere after, I would say
17:05 the Wednesday, I think it's Wednesday the 24th through the 31st, somewhere in that window
17:12 is when I think the Raiders would announce their next head coach.
17:16 So you know, you're going to have a few weeks of some interesting wondering, but I think
17:27 those are the three guys.
17:31 I believe AP and Champ Kelly have done everything to earn this job.
17:38 If it were my decision, and it's not, and let me make it real clear, Mark doesn't care
17:42 what you think, and he doesn't care what I think.
17:45 But to me, they've already done enough.
17:50 When you look at what, you know, a hundred million dollar offense, a $40 million defense,
17:59 and the one constant has been the offense has struggled, and yet at times found ways
18:05 to be successful this season, setting a franchise record, that tells you there are some things
18:12 there to build with.
18:14 This is a no brainer to me.
18:15 It's AP and Champ.
18:19 But if you're Mark, and you want to make that big hire, you know, who's in his ear, then
18:28 that's his decision to make, and he deserves to make that decision.
18:31 He's the owner.
18:33 Would never try to pretend like the owner has to listen to me or should.
18:38 It's his call.
18:40 But man, I think he's going to make a mistake if he moves away from AP and Champ.
18:49 I think this is a legacy defining hire.
18:53 If he hires AP and AP fails, then the Raider Nation says, "Listen, you know what?
19:00 He was all Raider.
19:02 We get it.
19:04 Good job.
19:06 Go get us the next guy, Mark."
19:08 And nobody says a word.
19:11 If he doesn't hire them, and whomever he brings in fails, which is less than a Super Bowl,
19:20 and that's a super high standard, but welcome to the Raiders, then everyone's going to be
19:24 like, "The last two guys that your team wanted and you turned from failed.
19:31 Failed."
19:35 Forget you and I, because we don't count.
19:39 Mark's going to have to go look at a locker room and tell them, "Your opinion didn't matter
19:46 to me."
19:47 That's a big deal.
19:50 That is a very, very big deal.
19:55 Do I think he would do it?
19:56 Sure.
19:57 I don't think Mark's intimidated by people, but man, that would be a very difficult decision.
20:02 All right, next I want to talk to you about the draft.
20:08 Obviously the Raiders have the 11th spot.
20:10 I'm not going to talk about the draft per se between now and next Monday, but here is
20:18 what I am going to talk about.
20:21 I am so ingrained with the Raiders that I am not spending massive amount of time researching
20:32 the draft.
20:33 Now, after Monday, I will, and I'll be bringing out a bunch of guests on this podcast who
20:40 are draft experts.
20:43 We're going to be bringing out a guy who has a service where he rates quarterbacks and
20:50 then disseminates his scouting reports to NFL teams.
20:57 He's a Super Bowl winning quarterback, played in the elite for a dozen years.
21:03 He's going to join us and we're literally going to go over every draft eligible quarterback,
21:12 every single one.
21:15 That's probably going to be a couple of podcasts, but we're going to go over every single one.
21:20 We're going to bring experts on and talk about offensive linemen, interior offensive linemen,
21:26 interior defensive linemen.
21:28 In fact, I heard yesterday that there's really only one interior defensive lineman that a
21:35 particular scout has, and a very successful scout has with a first round grade.
21:44 So we're going to dig into all of that.
21:47 I put an Instagram out yesterday with a picture of Michael Penix.
21:51 What would you think of this guy in the draft?
21:53 Now, I need to explain a couple of things.
21:56 That wasn't me saying yay or nay on him.
22:00 I know because I covered the Big Ten before I came here four years ago.
22:06 I know that he had a ton of injury issues at Indiana and that scared teams.
22:13 I also know when he's not injured, he plays at a very high level with a cannon of an arm.
22:18 I don't know what the current thinking is right now.
22:21 So I'm being, I'm trying to be transparent with you because I had several people send
22:30 me messages.
22:31 Hey, what do you think of this guy?
22:32 What do you think of that guy?
22:34 My opinion is only peripheral because I watch college football very limited because I'm
22:43 so ingrained with Raiders and traveling and all of that.
22:47 So as soon as the season's over, we're going to begin bringing on experts.
22:51 Now there are several things that I do to bring you information.
22:56 You may remember I brought a coach on who was with Alex Leatherwood at Alabama and did
23:01 an interview with him and talked about Alex Leatherwood.
23:03 To the best of my knowledge, I was the only one talking about Alex Leatherwood in the
23:07 first round for the Raiders.
23:09 And it wasn't because I thought he was there.
23:12 It was because what I was hearing from scouts, you know, other team scouts, guys, I've
23:17 had lengthy, long time friendships with.
23:21 You know, throughout the year, a couple of times when people have asked me in my Q&A
23:25 article, if you had to pick today, who the Raiders pick?
23:27 Well, we don't know where they pick, but here are some guys I know that are getting a ton
23:31 of attention.
23:32 All right.
23:33 So let me give you an example.
23:35 I have a good idea, not fully, but I have a very good idea of who the Raiders have been
23:41 watching closely and what positions they've been watching closely.
23:48 Okay, so let's say that Mark Davis decides to blow it up.
23:52 He doesn't keep Champ.
23:54 He doesn't keep AP.
23:58 He brings in his own scouting people.
24:01 Okay.
24:02 Now, all of a sudden, it completely changes where the Raiders go.
24:05 What if they run a different system?
24:10 So getting into all of that right now is not really the most conducive of our time and
24:18 nor is valuable for you, because I want to give you the best information possible.
24:23 So as soon as the season ends for the Raiders, we'll begin looking at that.
24:30 But I'm going to begin, and I've already started putting some feelers out because of all the
24:35 bowl games and talking to some scouts.
24:37 We have pro days coming up.
24:40 I may go to a couple pro days, but we know now kind of what is going on, and we have
24:49 to see what direction Mark Davis takes the franchise because I want to give you the very
24:53 best information available.
24:56 So I'm just letting you know, we haven't got into all of that.
25:00 Okay.
25:02 If AP gets the job with Champ, we're going to see Aiden O'Connell return.
25:11 Then the decision has to make, do they go get a veteran?
25:17 Do they go get another rookie, let him compete with Aiden?
25:21 I think Aiden has made some humongous strides this year.
25:26 I don't believe that anyone who is being fair can look at Aiden O'Connell and say, "We 100%
25:35 know he's not a QB1."
25:38 Nor do I think anyone can look at Aiden O'Connell and say, "Oh, without a doubt, he's a QB1."
25:45 His progress, his protecting of the football has been exponentially better.
25:55 We know he's got a cannon of an arm.
25:57 We know that he has gotten better.
26:01 I think some of it, he's hurt by personnel around him.
26:06 Some of it, he's hurt by coaching, and some of it, he's hurt because he's a rookie.
26:10 And some of it, I think hurts him.
26:12 For example, he's not a guy that's going to use his legs.
26:17 No, it's been proven in the NFL, you don't have to be Patrick Mahomes with your legs.
26:21 It's also been proven that it is an advantage to be that.
26:26 So if AP is here and Champ is here, we expect Aiden to return.
26:33 If a new regime comes in, you never know.
26:36 Maybe they go draft a rookie and a veteran, bring a veteran in to lead while the rookie
26:41 develops.
26:42 Or maybe they come in and say, "Hey, we're rebuilding.
26:44 Let's throw the rookie in there right away."
26:47 Maybe the Raiders make the decision.
26:49 If they keep AP and Champ, "All right, we're not sure about Aiden.
26:52 Let's go get a rookie to let him compete."
26:53 Or "Let's go get a veteran on a team-friendly deal for two years and let the rookie and
27:02 Aiden battle it out."
27:03 But we just don't know all that.
27:05 There's going to be clarity.
27:08 And so I'm trying to be as transparent with you as I can of where I am in providing you
27:15 information.
27:16 So I would expect relatively soon after the Raiders season ends that we'll be doing the
27:23 podcast looking at all the quarterbacks because the Raiders are going to be adding quarterbacks
27:26 next year.
27:27 We'll discuss all of that.
27:29 We're going to look at interior linemen, exterior, I'm talking about outside tackles.
27:35 We're going to look at defensive linemen.
27:37 We're going to look at a lot.
27:38 Okay, the emergence of Malcolm Coons maybe changes that priority a little bit.
27:43 I think the Raiders have to invest, have to invest into the offensive line.
27:51 And I think there's some good ones there.
27:53 Look, Greg Van Roon has been tremendous.
27:58 He's also older.
27:59 So you've got to look at that.
28:03 But there are spots on this offensive line where they can upgrade and bring some competition
28:11 and some better depth.
28:14 You just don't know who the coach is, what they want.
28:18 If Gruden got the job, I think Aiden would stick around.
28:24 He's a Gruden type of guy, but you never know.
28:28 And so as things begin to take clarity with the franchise's direction, I'm going to be
28:33 able to provide you more information.
28:35 Then I'll start learning from scouts.
28:36 Okay, who are the new people looking at?
28:38 Who do the new people, who are their people watching?
28:41 And we'll be able to give you a ton of great information just like we did last year.
28:45 But I had several people yesterday wanting to know what I thought or draft or whatever.
28:52 And I felt like you deserved me to address it and tell you where we are with the draft.
28:57 This week, we're all in on the Raiders for the end of the season.
29:01 And then Monday, we'll be in on it.
29:03 And then we'll start looking for the new direction and then the draft.
29:06 And then last, I want to talk about free agents.
29:10 One of the things that I believe has given us the ability to always provide you with
29:15 terrific free agent information is a lot of things.
29:21 We know who the Raiders have liked.
29:25 So then when those guys become free agents down the road, and let's say there's a hole,
29:28 well, I know they really wanted to draft this guy four years ago.
29:32 They were really high on him.
29:34 I'll give you a great example.
29:37 Four years ago, I knew of a player, I was covering the Lions, Detroit Lions.
29:42 I knew of a player that the Raiders really, I mean, that the Lions really wanted.
29:46 Okay?
29:47 They didn't get him in the draft.
29:49 And Matt Millen had told me where he went.
29:53 I'm not sure he's going to get a lot of really good coaching at his particular position.
29:59 So when he comes up as a free agent, he may not have performed well, but with our coaching
30:04 staff, we think he'll perform well.
30:06 Now, Matt was gone before that player ever became a free agent, but those are always
30:10 things.
30:11 I'm constantly keeping a database of information and knowledge in my head to know who they
30:16 like, who didn't they like.
30:18 I'll give you another example.
30:19 I knew an NFL coach one time who had been a college coach who had really tried hard
30:25 recruiting a kid, loved him, told me in the recruiting process, I think that kid's all
30:30 pro.
30:32 So he gets to the NFL, the guy becomes available as a free agent.
30:36 And I call him.
30:37 I said, "Hey."
30:38 He goes, "Yeah, we want to get our hands on him."
30:44 And they did.
30:45 They ended up signing him as a free agent.
30:47 And the guy ended up being a three-year starter.
30:50 Four years, no, three-year starter.
30:54 So those are all when you pass on information.
30:57 Then it's going to be, well, if champ's not here and AP are not here, okay, the new regime.
31:07 Who are some guys that they like?
31:08 What are some certain intangibles they like?
31:11 I'll give you another one.
31:12 I knew an NFL head coach one time who had size and weight for each position.
31:20 If you weren't that size and weight, no matter how good you were, he wasn't going to sign
31:24 you.
31:27 So I remember I was covering a team and another person was reporting, this is a free agent
31:35 that they really need to target.
31:39 I never wrote about the guy.
31:40 The other guy continually wrote about it.
31:43 And so my Q&A, someone said, "What do you think about this guy?"
31:45 "Hmm, they're not going to sign him."
31:47 And they didn't.
31:48 Why?
31:49 Because I knew what the coach's parameters are.
31:51 So those are all things that I'll be addressing with you as we talk about free agency.
31:56 We're going to be at the combine.
31:57 I'm going to be there.
31:58 Zeke's going with me.
32:01 Aiden Champion, another one of our writers.
32:04 Braden Reedy, Carter Landis.
32:07 We're taking five, potentially six guys with us to the combine.
32:17 Nobody in the Raider Nation will cover the combine like we will.
32:20 Tons of information, interviewing players, asking them their thoughts on the Raiders.
32:24 Have you talked to the Raiders?
32:26 What do you think of the Raiders?
32:27 We're going to be getting you so much information from the combine.
32:32 And then that will certainly impact our writing as we start to hear things.
32:37 You also know that we like to write for you daily, scouting reports on players that we
32:45 know the Raiders have interest in.
32:50 And that's why last year, every draft pick we had previewed, and I believe that's been
32:57 the case.
32:59 I know it's been the case for two and I think three years in a row, every draft pick, every
33:07 single one we'd previewed for you.
33:10 So that's important.
33:11 And that's kind of how our coverage will continue to grow.
33:14 But we're going to be expanding podcasts, bringing coaches on, bringing some players
33:20 on, letting you get to know them a little bit.
33:25 We're going to be doing a lot of stuff that really gives you the reach and the direction
33:36 of the franchise, the reach and the direction, and covering every single second of you.
33:42 So I wanted today to just fill you in of where we're at, what's the current state of the
33:47 team?
33:49 What are my thoughts on the draft?
33:50 What are my thoughts on free agency?
33:56 What about the coaching situation?
33:58 That's the latest on where we are with the Raiders right now.
34:02 Again, I think the team is emotional in a good way, not out of control.
34:09 They want this for AP bad.
34:12 Their goal is to get this for AP and they want to send that message.
34:19 And that's where the Raiders find themselves today.
34:21 So remember, this is Hondo Carpenter from Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation Las Vegas
34:25 Raiders Insider Podcast, part of the Fans First Sports Network.
34:30 You can find me on Instagram @hondosr.
34:33 You can find me on X, formerly known as Twitter @hondocarpenter.
34:40 And remember, if you don't want to watch the video and who wants to look at my mug, I don't
34:43 blame you.
34:44 It's why I shower with the lights off.
34:47 But if you want to get our audio only, you can find us on Spotify.
34:53 You can find us on Apple.
34:56 Also on Spotify and on Apple, I do a second podcast every day.
35:01 It's just five to 10 minutes.
35:03 It's called Riding with Hondo and Dexter.
35:06 And it's literally just this morning's I shot at the facility, sit in the parking lot.
35:14 And it's just audio only, quick hit, just some insider information, stuff I think you'll
35:19 really, really like.
35:22 Maybe I just walked out of the locker room or just walked out of the building or just
35:25 got off the phone with somebody and I've got some interesting information.
35:28 And I just do just one of those a day.
35:30 But please hear me.
35:33 We have grown exponentially.
35:36 And I'm grateful because I understand that growth is attributed to all of you.
35:42 It is because of you.
35:44 It's not because of me.
35:45 It's because of you.
35:46 And so I really want you to hear me.
35:48 Thank you for that.
35:51 Please continue to like, share, subscribe.
35:54 Please tell your friends about it.
35:56 Everything's free.
35:58 We give you massive amounts and quantities of information, 100% free.
36:05 So I hope that you enjoy that.
36:06 I hope you continue to give it out, disseminate it, share it, like it, subscribe.
36:11 But from all of us to all of you, happy new year.
36:14 We're going to have all kinds of coverage today.
36:16 AP's going to talk today.
36:18 Aiden O'Connell is going to speak today.
36:20 Devonta Adams is going to speak.
36:22 Be in the locker room talking to players.
36:24 We're going to have a ton of information for you today, plus a ton of great articles at
36:28 si.com/NFL/Raiders.
36:32 Check us out.
36:33 We'll see you all there.
36:34 And however you listen to us, read us or watch us, remember, we appreciate you.
36:38 Have a great day, everybody.
36:39 God bless you.