Pete’s Nuggets, Big Plays & Raiders Camp Buzz

Pete Carroll Keeps It Real: Key Takeaways from Sunday’s Press Conference

I get the sense Pete won’t offer up a ton for us directly after the games. He mentions a lot that he needs to go back and watch the film. I get that, and respect that. Once he has had a chance to watch the film, it’s clear he’s willing to offer up some interesting insight. So with that in mind, let’s dive into some of his quotes from Sunday’s press conference.

RAIDERS STEP UP VS. THE RUN

The tackling in the first preseason game was not good. The Raiders starters didn’t set the edge, and the Seahawks ran wild. Pete mentioned they had some issues with their run fits and blitzes in that game, but that wasn’t the case against the 49ers. First off, the defensive line deserves its props. The first two units were on it against the 49ers, and because of that, the linebackers were able to get into the backfield in a hurry. Jamal Adams also stood out to me, again. He set the edge on Elandon Roberts’ TFL that forced the run inside and opened the door for that play to happen. That’s complimentary football from the front seven. Tyree Wilson also looked really good. He blew up a guard on third down to force the initial field goal and also set the edge well on one of Maxx’s TFLs, too. One of many nice plays from him in Saturday’s game.

YOUNG CORNERS CONTINUE TO BATTLE

There’s a lot to unpack in there, but I want to concentrate on Darien Porter and Kyu Blu Kelly.

The play that stuck out most to me in the game for Darien was on special teams. Around the eight-minute mark of the game on a Raiders punt, Darien was the gunner and blew past the two defenders off the snap and ran down to make the tackle. He made it look too easy. Porter played nearly 1,000 snaps on special teams in college. He’s going to make a big impact for this team in that area of the game. I also expect he’ll ultimately lock down the starting spot opposite Eric Stokes, too, but that special teams tackle stuck with me. If you recorded the game, go back and give it a look.

I know we’re supposed to be talking about the coverage as it pertains to the corners, but I’m about to bring up another tackling performance, this time from Kyu Blu Kelly. They only credited him with one tackle on the box score, but after going back and watching things again, he was involved in a pair of tackles in his 19 snaps. On the goal line in particular, he fought through a block and stopped the running back short of the endzone. Plays like that jump off the tape to coaches. Pete’s talked him up a ton, and we’ve seen him step up a lot in practice, too. I mentioned above that I think Darien wins the job eventually, but I’m having a really hard time counting Kyu out.

Having said all that about the tackling. After the game, I talked a lot about the coverage not being the greatest. Purdy threw for 66 yards on that opening drive. On second look, I don’t think it was as bad as I initially thought. As Pete noted, they’re going to play a ton of zone. Aside from a drag route with Stokes in coverage, it looked like Purdy and his receivers played the zone pretty well, settling down in holes and throwing it between defenders well. Over the years, we’ve seen some soft zone from the Raiders’ defense. A lot of times, it looked like they were trying to play a bend but don’t break game. I’m curious to see how their length plays a factor in all that this year.

ASHTON ARRIVES

You guys saw what Ashton did on Saturday. I’m not going to beat this one to death. I’ve said it multiple times, the kid’s passed the eye test from the start. He just showed the world that on Saturday. The offensive line came through for him in a big way in this game. If they can do that consistently, watch out; if not, it could be a long season.

Speaking of the running backs, with every passing day of practice or preseason game, I’m convinced more and more that Dylan Laube is going to play his way onto this 53-man roster. He’s shown up in the games and keeps making plays on special teams.

AIDAN’S PRESEASON STRUGGLES

Aidan is not playing like a third-year quarterback in the preseason games. Plain and simple. I’ve said it on the podcast many times, he’s having a hell of a camp, and I know you guys are tired of hearing about practice (I’ve seen all the Allen Iverson references LOL). Having said that, the contrast between what we’ve seen in practice compared to the games from him is baffling. It feels like he’s pressing in the games, but he has nothing to lose right now. Cam Miller isn’t and shouldn’t be a threat to take his job as the second team QB. I know you guys may disagree with that, and that’s fair. God forbid Geno goes down for the long term. I think there’s an argument to be had about who goes into the game, but that’s not a discussion we’re going to get into right now. In the meantime, we need to see a better outing from Aidan in the preseason finale. To be fair, he also needs some better blocking in front of him, especially in the interior of that second team offensive line.

MISS ANYTHING?

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WANT MORE ON THE 49ERS VS. RAIDERS PRESEASON GAME?

Want the full story from the Raiders–49ers preseason clash? Our postgame podcast from Allegiant Stadium has you covered — from the biggest takeaways to who shined, who struggled, and what it all means for the Silver & Black moving forward.

WHAT’S NEXT?

The Raiders are off today, but they’ll be back out on the field on Tuesday morning, so keep an eye out for the next episode of the Silver & Black Sports Network Podcast dropping after practice that afternoon.

Catch ya next time,