The Las Vegas Raiders are working to establish a winning culture in the desert, something the franchise has lacked since moving from Oakland, California. This season, they welcomed the most decorated quarterback of all time, Tom Brady, into their ownership group. Brady contributed his experience and expertise during the hiring process for the team’s next head coach, following Antonio Pierce’s dismissal.
As a result, the Raiders brought in legendary coach Pete Carroll as their new head coach. In his introductory press conference on Monday, Carroll emphasized the importance of Brady’s insights for the future of the franchise. “It’s our mission to build this football team up around the quarterback position. This isn’t the only spot,” Carroll stated. “We happen to have the greatest of all time to help us, and to see clearly, and we’re going to lean on Tom as much as we possibly can for his insights because nobody has the insights that he has. He’s that unique.”
Carroll also noted, “The quarterback position is just one of the components of the team, and we need to ensure everything fits together well. I’ve had success with quarterbacks in the past—dating back to my college days—and they have all become extraordinary members of our club. Embracing the challenge that the quarterback faces involves the entire football team.” He added, “We need to support our guy and do everything we can to make that work. It’s truly about building a great football team around the quarterback position. Coach [Bill] Walsh taught me long ago that it’s the hardest position in professional sports to play, so we must make it as easy as possible.”
Carroll concluded by explaining their approach: “We’ll achieve this by running the football, protecting him, taking care of the ball, playing great defense, and executing special teams when necessary. There’s a lot that goes into this, but to consider how fortunate we are to have Tom Brady with us—it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” With all this in mind, it will be fascinating to see how quickly Carroll and Brady can turn things around in one of the league’s toughest divisions.
