Raiders’ trust in the process gets boost by win in Denver
Derek Carr hearkened back this week to something owner Mark Davis said recently when asked about the job Josh McDaniels was doing in his first season as head coach of the Raiders.
“Our owner came out and said, ‘Trust the process,’ or however he wants to say that,” Carr said after the 22-16 overtime victory that marked the team’s first victory in a one-score game this season and snapped a three-game losing streak. “So I always think about that. Just trust the process. … Hopefully we are taking steps in the right direction so that there are not new players and coaches every two or three years. We are trying to sustain something here.”
While Carr and his teammates insist they have not lost belief in the direction McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler are taking the franchise despite the losses, sometimes what seems like a relatively meaningless victory from the outside can be vital in terms of keeping the faith.
“Hopefully guys see that when we do those things right that it leads to victories and feeling that way,” Carr said of the joy in the locker room. “I think it is something that guys are learning that if they just do what they are asked every week we have a chance to win. … Take a breath. The situation does not matter. What matters is that you do your job.”
Those positive results just haven’t been there consistently enough this season. While the Raiders have been competitive nearly every week, they have lacked an ability to find a way to win in the final stages of the game.
That has led to them being closer to securing the top pick in the draft than a playoff berth, but that didn’t dampen the celebration in Denver or the enthusiasm the players brought to work at the team facility this week.
Despite the 3-7 record, there has been a bounce in their collective steps in the locker room this week.
“It reiterates that when we do things the right way, we have enough to have success,” McDaniels said.
There were certain elements to the victory that offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi found particularly helpful to solidifying the belief in what the Raiders are trying to accomplish.
The Broncos are the first AFC West opponent this year’s team has played for a second time. Winning on the road against a divisional opponent you’ve already beaten once this season while successfully adjusting and countering their potential adjustments adds to the achievement.
“So, there are some new challenges that come into play there, and it’s on the road with crowd noise in a hostile environment,” Lombardi said. “It obviously meant a lot to not only the players, but just to everybody seeing that their hard work paid off.”
Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham didn’t want to speculate on how much each individual player needed to see a victory to validate their belief in the process. But he knows it’s really the only measuring stick that matters for a team in the NFL.
“The most important thing in this league is week to week, when you get that win, it’s a chance and an opportunity for the guys to see the reward for their hard work,” he said. “Nothing solidifies that more in terms of trusting the process than wins.”
Carr said that’s exactly what he hopes will happen. He insists nobody is going to look at the victory as some sort of end game. Instead, it will fuel even more work with the knowledge they are on the right track.
“We are a few plays here or a few plays there away. I think our guys learned how hard it is,” he said. “This is the kind of effort and strain it takes. I think that we all found a way to play better and to do our job at a high level. It will not be perfect. We will turn the film on and everybody will be corrected. I think that is the culture that we want to believe in.”
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.