By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
It’s 8:40 AM and the horn sounded at the Las Vegas Raiders practice fields, the signal ending a practice period and allowing the media to start videotaping and photographing for 30 minutes.
Raiders receivers like Hunter Renfrow practiced their pass running routes, hauling in spiraling footballs. It was awfully hot out there and practice ended mid-morning before players hit the weights.
There’s a new regime in the Raiders Henderson HQ, with the John Carroll/New England Patriots combo of General Manager Dave Ziegler and head coach Josh McDaniels running the Silver & Black’s football operations and new team president Sandra Douglass Morgan heading the front office.
Even with a year of turmoil and upheaval in 2021, the Raiders managed to massage a 10-7 record on the field during a season peppered with heart-thumping overtime wins and losses to teams of lesser talent. The Raiders were the top-seeded wild card team (fifth seed overall after the four division winners) and nearly defeated the eventual AFC champion Bengals in Cincinnati in the first round of the NFL playoffs.
The Raiders piled up $119 million in ticket revenue in 2021 — tops in the 32-team NFL. Even with those impressive home ticket sales, Raiders owner Mark Davis told LVSportsBiz.com that the team “probably underpriced our tickets.”
Season ticketholders were back today watching the Raiders practice. The think Bermuda grass is like the grass the Raiders play on inside domed Allegiant Stadium.
The players were scheduled to visit the media room at 11 am after practice to offer a few quips.
New Raiders receiver Davante Adams said the transition from Green Bay to Las Vegas has been smooth.
“The team has opened me with open arms,” Adams told the media.
He remembers this type of heat from his Fresno State days. “It’s hot, it’s hot,” Adams said after today’s practice. “I have to power through like everyone else.”
Adams ended the media session explaining his quote on social media: “Any time you change QBs from hall-of-famer to hall-of-famer . . . it’s going to be a little bit of an adjustment.”
“Derek’s career is Hall of Fame worthy,” Adams told the media after he was asked about the quote. “I’m not retracting the statement at all.”
Adams mentioned he didn’t deliver the message as clearly as he could.
Here’s the complete statement:
Next up was receiver Mack Hollins, considered a funny guy.
“I guess I’m quick-witted,” Hollins said. He noted he will save his impressions for a later occasions.
Jakob Johnson, a Raiders fullback who hopes to be the lead blocker for the team’s running attack, was also pretty funny, offering food quips that amused the media.