Process, detailed-driven Raiders report to training camp
Before the start of his fourth NFL training camp Tuesday night, Maxx Crosby continued what has become a tradition for him.
Just as he’s done the last two years, he keyed up “The Last Dance” documentary on Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls and then sat back and got lost in one of the great dynasties in sports history.
“Trying to get my mind to a different place,” Crosby said on Wednesday.
And just like that, the switch was turned back on. “Once you start training camp, you’ve got to be in a different place mentally,” Crosby said.
That’s true his year more than ever as Crosby and a star-studded Raiders team begin one of their most anticipated journeys in years.
The buzz in Henderson has been palpable ever since the Raiders plucked Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler from New England as their new coach and general manager and paid the necessary price in assets and money to reel in star wide receiver Davante Adams and game-changing edge rusher Chandler Jones.
The full group was on hand when veterans officially reported to camp, and even for grizzled veterans like Denzel Perryman it resulted in an elevated heartbeat.
“It’s like the first day of school all over again,” Perryman said.
For fellow holdovers like Crosby, Hunter Renfrow, Derek Carr and Darren Waller, the ambitious offseason was as strong a sign as ever that this franchise is prepared to move to a new level.
The Raiders overcame all sorts of adversity last year to reach the playoffs for just the second time since 2001, and that postseason drive convinced the Raiders the time was now to invest in players capable of pushing things even higher.
“Making a commitment to us” is how Renfrow put it.
The excitement it created is matched only by an increased sense of responsibility.
“We as a team have to reward them by giving the same commitment every day and getting better every single day,” Renfrow said.
The commitment included lucrative new contracts for Crosby, Carr and Renfrow — with Waller likely to get a new deal as well at some point — which only fueled the buy-in factor even more.
And as the Raiders worked their way through their offseason program and minicamp ahead of training camp, what they discovered was a coaching staff and front office powered by teaching, accountability and adherence to process. Decisions and moves are made with a purpose.
“Definitely journey driven, definitely detailed driven,” Renfrow said. “They want us to do it their way.”
Not out of arrogance, but conviction.
“Because it’s proven time and time again,” said Renfrow, alluding to the success McDaniels and Ziegler had in New England.
It’s a bit of deja vu for Renfrow, who was part of a similar approach during his college days at Clemson, where he was a part of two national championship teams under Dabo Swinney.
“I’ve had a lot of fun over the last six months, with this staff, just seeing the parallels between them and my time at Clemson with coach Swinney,” Renfrow said. “Very detailed oriented.”
That isn’t a knock on the previous Raiders coaching staff, but things clearly are different under McDaniels.
“There’s a whole lot of accountability,” said left guard John Simpson. “I think that’s a great thing. I went to Clemson, and it was nothing but accountability.”
Where it leads the Raiders this year remains to be seen. But as they prepare to take the field for their first official practice Thursday, it is obvious there is a completely different vibe in Henderson. Cashing in on those positive feelings starts immediately.
“It’s here now,” Crosby said.
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on Twitter.
