Raiders' Champ Kelly and His NFL Journey
Las Vegas Raiders Assistant General Manager Champ Kelly might be new to Silver and Black, but he is certainly familiar with the culture of the NFL.
Eddie Paskal of Raiders.com caught up with Kelly to discuss his new position and his history in the league.
The assistant general manager spoke highly of legendary Raiders owner Al Davis and the legacy with the franchise.
"Just being a part of this legacy franchise is an absolutely amazing opportunity for me and my family," Kelly said. "When I think about the Raiders and I think about Mr. Davis, we're in a period of really trying to have good diversity, equity, and inclusion in this league, but Mr. Davis was doing that before all this took place -- hiring the first black head coach, drafting the first black quarterback in the first round."
Kelly isn't a stranger to Raider Nation. He knows all too well about what the organization and fan base stands for after observing it for so many years.
"I started my career in the NFL in the AFC West," Kelly said. "I was out in Denver. I would have to travel to each event, scout the Raiders, and I saw that fan base, and I saw the alumni come back and their love for this franchise and wanting to be a part of this family. Having this opportunity to be with two awesome men -- not just football men -- but two awesome men like Josh McDaniels and David Ziegler, it's just a great opportunity for me."
Throughout his scouting experience, Kelly has been successful at considering options outside of traditional platforms.
"All of us will say this -- Dave, Josh, and myself -- we wanna live in the details," Kelly said. "And so, as we're looking for players, it's not just going to the cliché places where you go to find players, the combine, going to the major colleges. No, we wanna turn over every stone and think outside of the box to find the players that fit our particular system.
"They might not be the guy who runs the fastest or the guy who's the biggest, but it may be the person who has the highest football intellect, the best character, who's the right fit for what we're looking for."
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