Silver And Black Pride
2nd-year talent is literal center of attention in Las Vegas’ trenches
Sometimes, you’ve got to take what you want. No sitting one one’s laurels and taking things as they come — carpe diem. Seize the day.
That’s not an easy thing to do for a rookie in the NFL.
But for the Las Vegas Raiders neophyte Jackson Powers-Johnson, taking command wasn’t just the proper thing to do, it was the only thing to do. The University of Oregon product’s — the Raiders second-round pick (44th overall) n the 2024 NFL Draft ability and willingness to step forward and forge his own path at the pivot and claim the job as his improved the Silver & Black’s offensive line.
“I went up to AP (then-head coach Antonio Pierce) and I was like ‘Coach, respectfully, like I’m gonna (expletive) play center. I won the (Dave) Rimington (Award), like I can I can do this and like I don’t care what you say. I’m gonna go play center,’” Powers-Johnson told teammate Maxx Crosby on The Rush Podcast earlier this week. “That’s kind of the first time I took ownership and he was kind of like surprised he’s like “All right (expletive) it, go.”
Apparently, there’s nothing lame about this particular breed of Duck.
With former starting pivot Andre James no longer with the Raiders — he was released and since signed with AFC West division rival Los Angeles Chargers — Powers-Johnson is at the center of attention on Las Vegas offensive line.
And to think, the 2023 Dave Rimington Trophy recipient — bestowed to the most outstanding center in Division I football — wasn’t even considered to be an option at the pivot by the former coaching staff speaks to the volume of incompetence the Raiders navigated in a tumultuous 2024 season that plain as day showed the warts of having a first-time full-time head coach at the helm.
“ I was a pretty good guard but like I think of myself as a like a damn good center,” Powers-Johnson expanded on Crosby’s podcast. “Like I’m gonna be a little cocky for a little bit like I think of I feel like I’m a damn good center. like I did my (expletive) in college. I won the Rimington and all that kind of fun stuff and doing guard definitely made me appreciate me playing center because I wasn’t really even supposed to play center.
“Like this is kind of a funny story that I’ve told a couple people but we’re playing the Chiefs — I think it’s the first time ... week I don’t know what week we’re in, I think it was like week five or six — and Andre (James) ended up going down. And they were going to put someone in else in at center who hadn’t gotten snaps all week at it and I was just I was irate — I was pissed. So, they’re trying to find someone to like start those snap to...
