Josh McDaniels likes Raiders’ response to higher standard

It isn’t often that anything significant happens during an organized team activity red-zone period. Certainly not in late May, when NFL teams are outfitted in shorts and helmets.

And, to be fair, what unfolded last Thursday on a blisteringly hot day in Henderson doesn’t guarantee that the Raiders are on the path to a division championship. But the sequence did offer evidence that there is a higher level of expectation among this group.

And, more important, a self-imposed mandate not to deviate from the new standard that has resulted.

The decree filters throughout the building, but the player-driven directive on display was proof of an all-important buy-in. Certainly, it’s something worth monitoring as the Raiders enter the final stage of OTAs this week, then conclude their offseason with a mandatory minicamp next week.

All of which was impossible not to notice when an uneven segment of practice was punctuated when quarterback Derek Carr pulled up from center simultaneously to wide receiver Hunter Renfrow going in motion along the line of scrimmage. Carr, realizing something was off-kilter, killed the play. But rather than huddle up his teammates and give it another go, the offense took off running on a long lap around the practice field.

It was a scene right out of “Friday Night Lights” when the high school coach angrily penalizes his players for their errors by making them run.

But as everyone later discovered, this wasn’t at the behest of Raiders coach Josh McDaniels.

“I’m not going to be out there cracking a whip on that,” said McDaniels, cognizant of the inevitable learning curve of players learning a new offense.

The penalty instead was levied by the players. Unhappy with a practice period that had grown untidy, and unwilling to use the excuse of the calendar or the challenge of implementing a new playbook and verbiage, they said enough is enough and took off running.

“They were probably just as responsible for that and wanting to do that because it wasn’t a good period,” McDaniels said.

That it occurred during a red-zone segment was particularly telling. That area of the field has been a long-standing problem for the Raiders, who far too often settle for field goals or no points rather than touchdowns.

Last season, the Raiders ranked 29th in red-zone touchdown percentage in the NFL, converting 49.23 percent. They were 23rd in 2020 and 22nd in 2019.

There’s plenty of reasons for the inefficiency, but costly penalties and imprecise execution rank high on the list.

In last week’s case, both issues were part of the sloppiness McDaniels pointed to. But rather than settle for an easy excuse and carry on with practice, the Raiders policed themselves.

“If we’re not doing the right things in a football game, there’s going to be some consequences,” McDaniels said. “And usually, they’re negative. So I think they understand the whole concept of that. We don’t play well, we don’t practice well, and ultimately that’s going to lead to bad results.”

The players’ response was exactly what a coach in his first season with a team wants to see.

“That’s what you want ultimately, when they understand what the standard is and realize that they’re not living up to it,” McDaniels said.

It’s worth noting that the Raiders finished the period on a crisp, high note. That includes second-year right tackle Alex Leatherwood, who was guilty of a false start during the same sequence but rallied to impressively conclude the workout.

Message sent. Message heeded.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on Twitter.