Multiple Rookies SHINE During Day 2 Of Raiders Camp

I want to start this off talking about an interesting story, and then we've got a lot to read, to watch, to react to, breakdowns of more big developments from day two of training camp. But there was a story that flopped upon my desk, didn't love how I said that, but we'll move on from it, about Ashton Gentee giving up sugar. He quit sugar completely because he felt like he wasn't in the best shape for rookie minicamp last year. And there's multiple things I want to say about that. Firstly, I appreciate that Ashton Gentee seems to have the mindset of, I refuse to let the haters of, you can't draft a running back that high, you can't take a running back that small in the first round get to him, and he wants to prove them wrong. I really appreciate that, and I love the mentality that he has, that if I need to do this thing, which is giving up sugar, giving up something that's probably been in your life forever is not easy. So the fact that he's willing to do that speaks volumes to the kind of player that he is. But also, I'll say this, Ashton Gentee, you looked pretty good to me last year. Maybe you weren't nearly as explosive as you were at Boise State, but it's probably not that easy when you're getting hit behind the line of scrimmage 85% of the time you touch the football. So I love that you're being hard on yourself, and I love that he wants to make sure he's taking every possible precaution and step forward, and maybe this is Tom Brady rubbing off on another young star that we have. But Ashton Gentee, you broke Marcus Allen's Raiders rookie all-purpose record, and you really developed as a pass catcher and a blocker during the season. So while I like that you're going to be hard on yourself, I'm not going to share that same sentiment. I thought he was really good last year for the situation that he was put into, and when we react to the presser here, he's going to talk a little bit more about that, which I'm assuming is coming up in a little bit. So, we have our boy Ryan McFadden on Twitter, but before that we're going to hop into just kind of the timeline here. We got Jesse from Silver Bowl Black Sports Network. A couple takeaways, he said Mike Washington Jr. stands out, Hezekiah Masters will get a real shot to compete at the cornerback position opposite Stokes. Rough day for the wide receivers, what else is new? Trey Zun continues to do it a lot, so let's hear what he has to say. Raider Nation, what's good? Jesse Merrick here, coming to you from outside Raiders HQ. Just wrapped up day two of Raiders training camp. Look, Mike Washington, to me, is a guy that has popped a handful of times. I found myself talking to a lot of folks about him today, a little bit yesterday as well, so we'll be talking about him on the podcast. Fernando Mendoza, some inconsistencies in his footwork, we'll dive into that. Also too, along the offensive line, Trey Zun continues moving around a bunch. Got a lot of work at center with the twos today, taking snaps with Fernando Mendoza. Also to the point of Mendoza too, he was putting in extra work after practice, working on his snaps, the footwork, all those different things. Also too, the Hezekiah Massas experiment there at corner, looks like it's already emerging very early on to be a storyline in camp. It seems like that kid's going to get a real shot to compete. Obviously, the big question there is going to be once the pads come on, what do things look like for him? Also too, a rough day for the receivers, lots of drops on air, which is a problem. We'll be diving into that, and not a ton of plays from him either, so we've got to talk a little bit about the receiving core and what needs to be shown as the days kind of move on. Okay, so, I want to pay attention to what he said. Mike Washington Jr., Hezekiah Massas, Trey Zun. We'll get into the wide receivers in a second, and we'll read the rest of the timeline stuff, but this is huge, not only for the team, obviously, that needs these rookies to perform, but for John Spitek. The idea that Trey Zun, so far, has been able to show that versatility that got him drafted, it was a guy that they said, if you're going to make it in this league as a day two or day three pick in the NFL Draft, you need to be able to play multiple positions if you're not going to play left or right tackle, and it seems like he's bouncing all the way around there. Mendoza, still working on his footwork, putting time in after practice, but Mike Washington Jr. and Hezekiah Massas were both day three picks, and the last draft class that we had, not this year, but the year before, it's kind of up in the air as to did we hit on certain players, did we hit on other players. A lot of that has to do with the coaching last year, but Spitek needs a win in a couple big time areas. He was always going to take Fernando Mendoza, we think Trayden Stoops is going to be a stud, but some of these day three guys, if Jermond McCoy is healthy, if Hezekiah Massas is taking legitimate first team reps, that's, you know, there's two sides to that coin, right? The first side is, hey, late round draft pick pushing the starting cornerback spot, that's pretty good. The other side is, the Raiders don't have a lot of great talent at cornerback, so who else is it going to be? But he's beating out people like Darian Porter, who were drafted higher than him, like Jermond McCoy so far, who has more talent than him, although I think they're just being a little cautious with him, and, you know, there's other veterans on this roster that he seems to be already better than, which is huge, and then Mike Washington Jr., like I said, we need someone to take the load off of Ashton Gentee, especially if this offensive line still isn't perfect yet, and the idea that Mike Washington Jr. is popping is huge. Look, he was the third running back on a lot of people's boards. It was Jeremiah Love, it was Jadarian Price, and then it was Mike Washington Jr. for a lot of people, so that is a good thing. Okay, this is Alexa Belcastro, she talked a little bit about Fernando, no, she talked about the offensive line yesterday, so let's see what she has to say a little bit about Mendoza. Yes, Kirk Cousins was named as the starter for now, but I have to say, you saw the growth in Fernando Mendoza since day one of rookie camp. He was asked about the biggest adjustments from college to the NFL, and he just said how little there is room for error at this level, especially with how he looked today, you can just see he understands that a whole lot more. He gets this scheme more, he was accurate, he got the ball out of his hands quick, he was the loudest voice in the huddle by far today, but Mendoza says the biggest difference for him personally since mini-camp is his confidence, without a doubt. He actually said quarterback coach Mike Sullivan had him watch all of his plays from OTAs and detail the problems that each play had. Look, I love that what we were saying is kind of coming to fruition. The only way he's able to push Kirk Cousins is to show massive growth under center, and I think it's extremely impressive that it seems like he's already taking reps with the backups and that he's past Aidan O'Connell, which is huge. Okay, let's see if people are kind of bouncing off and saying the same thing here. Day two, Jarin, or maybe Heron, he says Cousins was once again first string, Mendoza second string. Mendoza completed a 25-yard pass, a newly signed free agent in Devin Tompkins, and another impressive throw to Brandon Johnson. Gente making plays with the first team, no surprise there, Loughby getting snaps with the second team. Interesting. Tucker, Besch, Naylor, Thornton, Benson all had reps with the ones. This seems like the likely 53-man roster group, so let's go through that again. Tucker, Besch, Naylor, Thornton, Benson. The fact that they all had reps with the ones, we'll get back to that in a second. Tonka Hemingway is getting reps with the first team, thought that would be the case. Masses a full go, being disruptive in the backfield. Zeke Masses is splitting reps with Darion Porter. And I really, I liked what I saw from DP last year. So the fact that, again, Hezekiah Masses is pushing him is huge. Tucker, Besch, Thornton, Naylor, Benson, all getting reps with the ones. To me, that, look, it's a tactic to push people and to breed competition. It's not a great sign, in my opinion. I need someone to step up and be like, I'm the guy. I think it's going to be Jalen Naylor and Trey Tucker. I like giving the young guys the opportunity, but it seems like they had a rough go of it today, all of them. So, you know, we'll see. Only time will tell. Let's look at a little Fernando Mendoza footwork here. I mean, he looks like, looks pretty comfortable under center, no? That was the only play? Let's see again. Looks good to me. I mean, I'm not an expert on all this stuff. And then Ryan McFadden. So we'll look at Ryan McFadden here. This is the guy that I go to for the most detailed kind of wrap-up of what's going on here with the Raiders training camp-wise. Fernando Mendoza, Kirk Cousins, Rasol, Mendoza completed, we read that, blah, blah, blah. Cousins avoided pressure from Crosby before completing a play-action throw to Brock Bowers? I don't know what that means. Ashen Gente bounced to the outside before sprinting down the sideline for a bit again. Zeke Massa splits with Darian Porter, Tom Kamigway started, Raiders continue to rotate wide receivers. Tucker, Besh, Naylor, Thornton, and Benson all had reps with the 1s. And then Sanjit said, Malik Benson getting reps with the 1st team according to Ryan McFadden is something to keep an eye on during training camp. Maybe. You know, to me, the wide receiver room could be an issue. It really all depends on the run game and Brock Bowers' ability to stay healthy. Because I believe in Clint Kubiak's ability to scheme people up. To scheme people open. To put people in the best position to succeed. But the fact that we're two days into training camp, we'll see what happens when the pads come on. That they're just rotating the guys. To me, I know you want to create that competition, like I said before, I don't love what that means, but, you know, only time will tell. So that's the first part of this video. We're going to react to the press conference right now, but I just want to let you know. About 50% of you are not yet subscribed, if you could hit that subscribe button, it does help tremendously. We're trying to get to 17,000 before the New League year. I actually think we can do it, but we've got to push. We've got to push. And you guys will help me get there. So we've got Ashton Gentee, Fernando, Clay Walker, and Robbie Lander. We're not going to listen to the whole thing, but we're going to jump around and see what sticks out to us. Let's start with Robbie. Robbie, I know you didn't get to see him in the spring much, but Jermon McCoy, you've got to love that athleticism. Of course. Like I said, I think he's a pretty glaring individual, his natural talent, and it's fun to see him progress. He's working along. He's an exciting prospect. I believe that was Jermon McCoy he was talking about. I'm working with the ones a little bit too. Yeah, I mean, it truly is competitive from the ones, the twos, the threes. We're really trying to make it a fair competition, but he's controlling everything he can. He has that good balance right now of being humble as a rookie, but being confident enough, and what we're asking him to do, go out and execute. Not scared to make a play, but he's been doing a good job. I actually think of all the things that you need as a corner, mentally, I think the biggest thing is to not be afraid. And Darian Porter last year, he got cooked a couple times, but I think that means that he was like, you know what, I'm just going to go out there, balls to the wall, I'm going to make plays, I'm going to rely on my athleticism and my film study, and we're going to see what happens. And him saying that Zeke Mast is just kind of that same kind of guy, he's just not afraid to go make a play and look stupid, that's what you kind of need as a corner. So I like hearing that out of him so far. He's so steady, I'm like, Max is Max. You know what I mean? He loves football. Max is Max, baby. I just think in terms of what Coach is talking about with team first approach and him embracing that, and really connecting with everybody, and talking about all the things behind the scenes, like talking to a player one-on-one he's been very intentional about, and being a leader. I'm going to tell you right now, there's no way Max Crosby gets traded. He's a Raider for life, unless he demands it himself. You mentioned in an OTA as a mandatory minicamp, if you're going to make a mistake, make it fast. Have you seen those guys reciprocate that and understand that? I have for the most part. It's like, you know, you want them to coach, you want them to feel comfortable, this is the time for mistakes. And we talk about, you know, in the offseason was a lot of what I would call lecture, of like, these are our techniques, and this is exactly what we're asking for, but now I'm trying to press, you know, player-led defense. I want them to have control, confidence, to get in and out of whatever we're doing out there, and make a decision. And we'll talk about, as you learn, the strengths and weaknesses of the decision you made. You know, why we're trying to do that. I think the why is a big thing that we're emphasizing right now. You know, I'm sure there's going to be some crossover between the Patrick Graham defense and the Robbie Leonard defense, and then Kuviak's going to bring some Mike McDonald as well, but I just like having a new, fresh voice with the defense. I thought Patrick Graham did okay for, you know, what he had and what he was dealing with. But it's just exciting to know that there's somebody else there calling the plays, and there's a different energy to Robbie Leonard that I appreciate. I love Patrick Graham, and I appreciate everything that he did, but there is something about Robbie that I gravitate toward, and you can see the players love him. So that's a big positive. Obviously, you're still finding the identity of the defense, but when people look at it at the end of camp, what do you want them to see? I said it in the spring. I'll say it again. It's style of play. That's the red blinking meter. No scheme will save you in this league. If you're having MEs, if you're not playing hard, if you're not taking the ball away, those are like the red blinking meter that something's not right. You're doing too much, or guys can't do what you're asking. And so as long as the execution and— And by the way, last year we saw players just completely give up in the middle of games, which is not something that I think Kuviak and Robbie Leonard are going to let happen this year. I would imagine. When the effort and the fundamentals are right, then you know you're headed in the right direction. But, you know, that's kind of home base for me. So it's style of play. You know, I said style of play over all else. It's not really—I mean, that's the truth. Robbie, how big of a safety blanket is it to have a weapon like Kway Walker who can just attack from anywhere on the field? Kway's great. That little Georgia Bulldog group between him and the Kobe and Stokes. Between Stokes and Stukes and Keehan and Keeron, I keep messing that up. But, you know, Kway's been awesome. He's been awesome. He loves to be pushed. They light up when they talk about Kway Walker. We haven't had good linebackers in a long time, which maybe is the key to every good defense, which is why we've never had a good defense. He loves to be coached hard. I really enjoy coaching. Spillane was good, but you know what I mean. What's stood out about getting Kobe out there in the last few days now? Command, you know, confidence. Robbie, get out of my huddle. I got it. You know, I want to get up in there and start up, but that's not reality of how the game's played. You know, just leadership, and it feels good to have that at the Mike linebacker. I appreciate that. Last year we were kind of missing that once Spillane was gone. Let's pop over to Fernando a little bit. Let's see our franchise guy. Look at him. My son was sitting right next to me. Oh, really? Eyes on the sky. You know, it didn't feel three hours. Wait, they're talking about the Odyssey? Hold on, hold on. I think they were. I loved it. Yeah, I saw the Odyssey. My son was sitting right next to you. Oh, really? Oh, yeah, because somebody said on Reddit I was sitting right next to Fernando. Eyes on the sky. You know, it didn't feel three hours. It was a great movie. Fernando, you just showed your first training camp practice, but even today just seemed improved even from day one. Did it feel that way? Just more comfortable, maybe birds? Yeah, I was telling some of the other quarterbacks this. When it was rookie minicamp and OTAs, it happens very quick. However, now in training camp, I truly feel like a member of the team rather than a new rookie on the scene, especially I feel like a lot of rookies feel that way too. Having the summer to digest the playbook, extra meeting time, and every day it's more and more reps that I get. I feel like the entire team improves. This is going to be stupid to say, but how can you not love this guy? I've been saying this for a long time. If he's not good, it's our fault. We did something wrong in the development, and he'll leave us and go to another team and be really good. There's nothing about him that would tell you, God forbid an injury or something, that he's not going to be a great quarterback in this league. He has all the physicals, and he has the mental, which the mental is what people lack to be a great quarterback in this league. You can just tell. You can watch the way he speaks. You know you have something here. The entire team improves every single rep we get, so the more experience we put out there on the field, the more beneficial for everybody. What specifically did you take from those practices that helped you this week? Coach Sullivan had me do a great exercise where he had me watch every single play of my OTAs, detail it on what were the problems of that play, and kind of rate my timing, accuracy, footwork, progression, and through that I was able to see some common themes and common mishaps I would have on certain concepts, so I was able to... I think Coach Sullivan was David and Derek Carter's quarterback coach at different times in their career, correct me if I'm wrong, but I know they were talking about that on their podcast. Reflect on them throughout the summer, walk through them, and then now when I'm here in training camp, I'm able to, when I feel those urges come up, I'm able to kill them and make the right play, whether that's take a calculated shot down the field, whether that's taking a check down, or whether that's throwing the ball away. Yesterday, Andrew Junoko said that your biggest place of improvement was your command of the offense. Where do you see that you have improved the most? I believe with comfortability and with also not just knowing the scheme, but also knowing the guys better and creating a better relationship with them, the command goes... it levels up. And the command comes from the offensive line telling me, hey, you need to be louder in the huddle, we need to hear a better cadence. And I'm learning a lot from those guys, whether it's the offensive line... You can tell by how excited he is that he feels like he is progressing. I think you can answer a question a certain way, but the body language doctor in me is seeing someone who had a lot on his shoulders coming into this season and coming into training camp, and it seems like he's taking a bit of a sigh of relief, like, oh, okay, I got better from minicamp to training camp, I got better from day one to day two, I'm more vocal, they're trusting me, I know the guys now, they like me. And there seems like a weight that's lifted off of him. Do you feel that way? I feel that way as well. Tight ends or receivers, those veteran guys who are year two and beyond, them giving me feedback, and then we're all coming together and they're helping my command, but I'm really taking part of their command. You seem like you played super confident today. What's changed for you mentally since rookie minicamp? Yeah, I believe that when you have a better understanding of the schematics and the scheme of... That feels like it was the same question, but we'll go with it. Why you're calling the play what the play is, you're able to be more comfortable and calm. Especially in OTAs, all the rookies are doing their best to learn the playbook, but when we have this big summer break to actually dive in the playbook and understand the ins and outs of it, it gives you more chance to actually read the defense. And when you're able to read the defense and know the plays like the back of your hand, you're able to be more calm, comfortable, you know where your hot routes are. I still need to improve on my protection intelligence and my checks there, but creating a larger and better understanding of the schematics has helped me calm down, know where my outs are, and just be more confident in general. I love him. I love him. What else can he say? I mean, I absolutely love this guy. Let's get a little action. Second day of training camp. How's everything going for you? It's going good. I mean, I'm excited. It's just great to be back out here with everybody. He's going to have such a big year. I cannot wait for how big of a year he's about to have. Can you really take anything when you're not in pads from what you're seeing from the offensive line about their development, or do you have to wait until they get into pads at this point? No, I think right now it's perfect. We're building chemistry, seeing how everybody blocks, how they move. So we're all kind of building that right now and growing with each other. And then when the pads come on, it'll be a lot easier. You really emerged as trying to grow in your own leadership role. You said it was great to see. What has that looked like for you? Are you more vocal, or are you just showing more on the field? Yeah, I think being more vocal, for sure. I mean, it's always tough being in your first year trying to figure out so much stuff. But this year, there's a lot of expectations for me. And I think I've got to make a big jump, but I think that starts with helping my teammates as well and just being a better teammate. So I think that starts with leadership. If you help the people around you get better, then you will have an easier time getting better. Pretty simple stuff. I think I'm good right there for the press conference. It gets a little like, you know, what's the vibe like in the locker room? 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