What the Raiders' Coaching Staff Wants to See vs. Patriots

The Las Vegas Raiders' Week 1 against the New England Patriots is the start of a new era for the Silver and Black.

What the Raiders' Coaching Staff Wants to See

Raiders Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham made it known what he wants to see from his defense. Although the unit has several new players, Graham knows his unit will take after the traits he instills in them. He wants physicality to be one of those traits.

"I think a lot of times they take the shape of their coach or the mold, how the coach is molding them. And then for us with the secondary, you have Pete [Carroll] heavily involved, you have Joe [Woods] and M-Rob [Marcus Robertson] heavily involved. The thing I'm looking forward to is to see a level of toughness because the men that are leading them, there's a level of toughness. So I'm looking forward to that,” Graham said.

“And you know with Josh's [McDaniels] offense, they're going to run the ball and we're going to have to tackle. So we'll find out. But again, the feeling, I'm trying not to do this based on feelings. It's based on how they're performing in practice because practice is everything," Graham said.

"But I want to see a level of toughness, get off of blocks, tackle their ball carriers, tackle the receivers. That's what we're looking for. That's a signature of all the defenses Coach [Pete Carroll] has had in his career. So that's what I'm looking for."

nfl — Aug 23, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Graham noted that his defense has the players to match the physicality he expects to see from the Patriots on Sunday. Graham is looking to his veteran linebacker Devin White and veteran safety Jeremy Chinn to lead the way.

"Physicality, speed, intelligence, and I gained the information on the intelligence when I met them, but they're two guys that I've used as teach tapes over my career, in terms of showing good linebacker play with Devin [White], in terms of [Jeremy] Chinn showing versatility because he's been moved around all over the place and understanding that. So with those guys, everything that I thought about them, they've shown, and I'm looking forward to seeing it come to fruition on Sunday," Graham said.

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