Why Carroll Believes the Raiders Found What They Were Searching For

LAS VEGAS, Nev.-- The Las Vegas Raiders were able to take car of business on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans. The Raiders looked like a complete team for the first time in over a month. Raiders Head Coach Pete Carroll hopes the win is the start of his team turning things around.

Carroll has been tasked with getting the Raiders going in the right direction after years of various struggles. Sunday may have been a step forward.

Watch below to hear what Carroll had to say on Monday.

Below is a partial transcript of Carroll's comments.

Q: Did you feel like you kind of found that balance between the run and the pass game that you've been looking for?

Head Coach Pete Carroll: "I think we found the balance team wise, more so than just offensively. We weren't as effective as we like to be in the running game, but we but we did it. 32 carries; that's a real statement, and it played right into the compliments of what the special teams guys did to give up no big plays, create a little bit.

Las Vegas Raiders Pete Carroll, QB Geno Smith at practice this week preparing to take on the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

“Defense played great and did a lot of great things for us. So, it was complimentary football around. That's kind of how we've won over the years, and it doesn't have to be as productive. It just needs to be really solid, and you keep the ball away from the other guys, and you get a chance to win the turnover thing, and all that happened."

Q: Was there anything that, after watching the film, stood out to you that maybe you didn't notice from field level and talk about after the game?

Coach Carroll: "Yeah, a couple things. The first thing was the pursuit on defense and the perimeter play that we had, guys coming out of the stack. Jonah [Laulu] had a couple terrific pursuit plays, and Kyu Blu [Kelly] had a couple great containments on the edge when they're trying to get the ball around us, and it showed the intensity of the guys flying.

“I think Jeremy [Chinn] had a really good play too on a perimeter play. When you can discourage those, and, okay, you eliminate part of the game, and we did it just with effort. I think the other side of it, too, was, I thought Ashton [Jeanty] ran really hard again. He's a physical presence when you're playing him. He's going to break tackles. He's going to bounce off of you. Is he breaking more tackles than anybody?

Las Vegas Raiders Pete Carroll, IsaIah Pola-Mao | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

“Is that stat still there? Yeah, well, that's a statement, and it's a style that we want to stand for. And it's pretty clear, you can go back and you can see this is something that we've always tried to develop in our guys and our team. And so, that jumped out at me. I thought Ashton, in the running game, the attitude was there, and then what happened on the other side effort-wise was really good on defense."

Q: There was more of Jack Bech yesterday as opposed to Dont'e Thornton Jr. Dont'e's usage -- was that kind of more what the game plan was against that particular team?

Coach Carroll: "Yes, obviously it was. That's what we did, and Jack [Bech] didn't get many balls, but he played a bunch of plays, and we ran the ball a lot, and he was involved in some of that. And it wasn't in any plan to keep Dont'e [Thornton Jr.] from not playing, it's just kind of the way the rotation went."

Las Vegas Raiders Pete Carroll | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

Q: Talking about running the ball, I noticed that Ashton Jeanty had a lot of really good runs on the outside or going to the right side with Jackson Powers-Johnson and DJ Glaze. Can you just talk about how much you've seen them grow on that right side and what you like from them?

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

Coach Carroll: "Yeah, we did get the ball out on the perimeter pretty well, and you can see how it's kind of easy for Ashton [Jeanty] when he gets out there to make eight, 10 yards. He can get it almost with every opportunity. Not always does the guy just miss the tackle, but it's hard to get him down, and those guys getting him out and making the edge for him, and the receivers block , and they help us out. All of that took place."

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