Klint Kubiak Breaks the Mold in His First Raiders Press Conference

HENDERSON, Nev.—There is a soft, fresh wind sweeping across the desert here in the Las Vegas Valley, perhaps a harbinger of what is going on at the Las Vegas Raiders team headquarters.

Normally, scorching hot and uncomfortable are words that people use for the majority of the year when describing the weather in the desert, but not today, and the comfort on the outside mirrored the mood inside.

It Means More

Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

This is my seventh season covering the Las Vegas Raiders On SI, and each offseason brings more uncertainty, bravado, and memories of the glory once held by this franchise, along with glamorous statements that throw raw meat to a fan base malnourished like a lion on the plains of Africa.

This was nothing like that.

Klint Kubiak said it best, “I love earning people's trust, and I've got to earn these guys' trust.”

This Felt Different

Feelings, by their very nature, are deceptive, and I certainly cede that to any critic, but I am not a fan. I am a journalist who covers the intricacies of one of, if not the most influential, franchises that has fundamentally changed professional sports worldwide.

But Al Davis isn’t walking back through the door, and John Madden isn’t alive to coach the team again. Marcus Allen isn't coming back to run the ball, and the reality is that it has been decades since the Raiders were relevant.

That is hard to type, and I am not even a fan. But it is truthful.

Today was nothing like the other press conferences I have covered here, the sixth head coach in my seven years.

Mark Davis stayed in the shadows, and rather than the proverbial red meat for the franchise that the new head coach threw out, it was an honest assessment and a show of candor.

There was no attempt to win a press conference.

Kubiak was exactly what we told you he was when we broke the story of Pete Carroll being fired, and he being the frontrunner for the job.

A blue-collar work ethic, with a dry blue-collar style. It couldn’t have fit better.

Raiders Owner Mark Davis | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

Raider Nation is tired of the pep rallies. They are tired of promises and bravado. They just want to have some glimmer of legitimate hope from their beloved franchise, and they saw a glimpse of it.

Kubiak’s refreshing honesty and candor shone, “I got all these notes prepared, and I've never been really good at that. The main thing is this is no ordinary job. This is the Silver and Black. This is the Raiders. This is a historic franchise. So, when the opportunity came up to stay in Seattle and continue there or to have a chance to come here and compete with this organization, it was a no-brainer. “

Don’t Mistake Confidence for Arrogance

Allegiant Stadium is praised as a football cathedral of no match in the NFL, but often, the crowds are far from a home-field advantage. Kubiak didn’t implore the fans or shame the fans to fill the seats. He spoke the truth.

"Yeah, I'll just tell Raider Nation that like I said earlier, we have to earn your trust. We've got to earn those seats in the stands by putting a great product on the field. Words will not do it, it's our actions."

When trying to explain what he wants his team to look like, Kubiak sounded like a Maytag repairman. No glitz, no glamour, but a blue-collar football coach, leading a blue-collar franchise.

“It's really important to me that we're a gritty team that the way that they were back in the old days. And how do we do that? Well, it's our silent tape. It's nothing that we say. It's what we do on the field, and it's what the silent tape speaks about our team, how physical we are, our effort, all the little things that win that have nothing to do with scheme.”

For A Dejectedd Fan Base, Kubiak Breaks the Mold

The Las Vegas Raiders' John Spytek, Mark Davis, and Pete Carroll | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

Kubiak stared at the crowd assembled to hear him speak. His eyes panned from right to left, and back again. Players to his left, media in front of him, and various others scattered around.

You could tell he wasn’t comfortable. Not that he felt bigger than the moment, just that this wasn’t what he was about. He didn’t care about winning a press conference. He wanted to roll up his sleeves and get to work.

Kubiak said as much when he bluntly said, “There's plenty of other things to say, but this is not a day to go out and cash checks. This is a day to help say hello and get to know everybody.”

Las Vegas Raiders Owner Mark Davis | Darrell Craig Harris On SI

Kubiak didn’t want to win the press conference like many of his predecessors did.

Klint Kubiak achieved the impossible: the unthinkable. He broke the mold. He won the press conference without even trying. But here's the brutal truth—Raider Nation's hope hinges entirely on what happens next. Will this golden moment prove real, or just another mirage? It felt different, but feelings lie, but not always.

No one knows if this will work, but it’s been a long time since the bright light at the end of the tunnel was hope, and not an oncoming train.

By being himself, by being genuine, and by being humble, Klint Kubiak did what he has always done. What he has always done just won him a Super Bowl.

The Raiders' motto is, “Just Win, Baby.”

Curt Cignetti, the national champion-winning coach of the Indiana Hoosiers, said it best at his press conference when he declared, “I win, Google me.”

Klint Kubiak would never say that. Not because Cignetti was wrong, and he wasn’t being disingenuous. But it wouldn’t have been Kubiak.

Welcome your new coach, Raider Nation. Google him. You will see him holding the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

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