Silver And Black Pride
Did the Las Vegas Raiders engage in live-action tackling drills when they were allowed to put on full pads and get physical during training camp practices?
That’s a legit question after what the Silver & Black put on film during the team’s preseason opener on Thursday. While the final score may have been a 23-all tie, what Pete Carroll’s Raiders showcased against his old Seattle Seahawks left many feeling the exhibition tilt was the first time Las Vegas was given an opportunity to get physical and hit.
It was whiff city for a large portion of the preseason opener. Carroll football teams are renowned for being fundamentally sound and on Thursday, the Raiders were fundamentally awful in terms of tackling. Defensive backs and linebackers were suspect in that department and Las Vegas’ defensive line was bullied in the trenches. Ditto for the Silver & Black offensive line getting manhandled.
“We started really poorly,” Carroll said after the game. “We had a really hard time. … It was a miserable-looking first quarter. We didn’t run the ball very well in the first half. We really didn’t do much of anything very well. But we stayed close.”
New regime, same issues?
In 2024, the Raiders ranked second in missed tackles with 134, according to Pro Football Reference. The only team worse than Las Vegas: The Indianapolis Colts who whiffed 157 times. There’s plenty of teach tape stemming from the preseason opener and we’re almost assured that form tackling and fundamentals will be harped on as the Raiders proceed through camp and preseason tilts.
Let’s hit the quick slants as fast as Seahawks running back George Holani scampered around the edge for a 24-yard first-quarter touchdown run:
—Raiders starting quarterback Geno Smith only threw three passes (one completion for 15 yards) while backup Aidan O’Connell went 18 of 30 for 205 yards with one touchdown and two glaringly awful interceptions. The third-year pro had a dying duck of an underthrow that was picked and his second arrived as he stared down his target.
—Prized sixth-overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft Ashton Jeanty wasn’t given much room to operate by the Raiders offensive line. He had three carries for negative one yard in the preseason opener. Deep reserves Chris Collier (nine carries for 42 yards) and Dylan Laube (five carries for 34 yards) paced the run game.
—Sixth-round rookie quarterback Cam Miller had the highlight of the night when he hooked up with Shedrick Jackson for a 41-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. Miller’s pump fake along with Jackson’s sluggo (slant and go route) torched Seattle’s defense and Las Vegas’ signal caller delivered a perfect pass to Jackson for the score.
—Safety Isaiah Pola-Mao snared the Raiders’ lone takeaway by picking off Seattle quarterback Drew Lock on the Seahawks’ first drive of the night. The fourth-year defender is slated to be a starter for Las Vegas and it’ll be vital for him to create turnovers when games count.
—Veteran linebacker Jamal Adams showed...
