RB Devontae Booker: The Backup That is More Than a Backup
This past Sunday, a few underdog players stood out as stand-out players for the Las Vegas Raiders.
In this new mini-series, I’ll be highlighting three underdog players who played the previous week and how they could turn out to be one of the keys to a successful post-season run for the Raiders.
Today, we’re talking about running back Devontae Booker.
Running Back Devontae Booker: The Backup That is More Than a Backup
Running back Devontae Booker is no ordinary running back.
Booker went from running the football twice in 2019 to 49 carries this year with 304 yards.
He’s rushed for three touchdowns this season, two of them coming last weekend against the Broncos.
Booker has effectively transitioned himself from a bench warmer in Denver to an active back-up running back for the Raiders.
The basis of his plays started back during the off-season after he was signed by the Raiders to a one-year, veteran-minimum deal.
During a nonconventional off-season due to COVID-19, Booker was forced to get a little creative to learn the Las Vegas playbook.
“In a non-offseason, he learned the offense on YouTube,” Head coach Jon Gruden said. “He learned the offense on Zoom meetings and he won the job at training camp and beat out a really good draft choice. It’s really good to see him have success, especially against your old team.”
Learning a brand-new playbook alone is hard enough. Not being able to work with teammates and coaches in-person is even harder.
Yet Booker did his due diligence and proved to be a player the Broncos were under-utilizing during his tenure there.
But take a moment and forget about the two touchdowns, 16 carries and 81 yards he ran against his former team on Sunday.
What Booker is valuable to the team is his mindset.
The Denver game against his former team was, “just another game.” He reiterated this after the contest on Sunday.
“Like I said, it was just another game,” Booker said. “A lot of the old teammates talking to me on the field as I’m in the backfield, but like I said this is just another game to me. I just had to take it to them. Couldn’t do it without my teammates and the O-Line, credits to them. We just came out and executed it in the second half and got the dub.”
Notice how:
A. He doesn’t treat a rival game against his former team any differently than a typical week in the office
B. He gives credits to the offensive line, who made the necessary blocks so he could execute a solid game
Having a mindset that builds team chemistry and one who approaches any game, big or small with the same mindset, that’s how Booker will help bring the Raiders to a playoff berth.
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