Raiders Making Major Progress Ahead of Second Preseason Game

The Las Vegas Raiders are taking things day by day, as they look more improved each time they take the practice field. Las Vegas completed their second day of practice following their first preseason matchup of the year against the Arizona Cardinals.

Since the exhibition loss to the Cardinals, Las Vegas looks like a team that gained valuable practice, bringing their offseason additions even closer. They aim to have even better results after conducting their first joint practice under first-time head coach Klint Kubiak against another team.

Las Vegas followed up Sunday's practice, which was arguably the best all-around practice they have had under Kubiak, with another day of fine-tuning on Monday morning. The Raiders are working on the finest of details as they embark on a turnaround that will take much longer than just this season.

Monday was yet another productive practice for Kubiak and company. Below are a few notes from the Raiders' final practice before traveling to Texas for a practice and preseason game against the Houston Texans.

Taking Strides in the Right Direction

Monday witnessed the Raiders offense continue to take steps in the right direction. Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins was on a roll during red zone drills. Fernando Mendoza continues to display confidence, poise, and accuracy beyond that of most rookie quarterbacks.

Veteran quarterback Aidan O'Connell had several nice throws as well, some of which he likely would not have completed in prior years. On Monday, the Raiders' offense worked on attacking any and every level of an opponent's defense, showing the potential they have this upcoming season.

The Raiders have made no secret of their plans on offense this season. They plan to attack defenses in obvious and not-so-obvious ways. On any given pass play, Las Vegas' offense should have at least one of two favorable matchups, as well as adjustments that can be run off those plays.

Monday's practice was more proof that the Raiders' approach to building out their offense is well thought out and has the potential to put Las Vegas further ahead in their development than some outside the building may realize at the moment. Yet, that is only if the Raiders win games.

Las Vegas is hard at work installing the bread and butter of their offense, and unlike past seasons, they are doing so against a defense with multiple players who rank near the top or in the top half of the league at their respective positions. The Raiders are truly improving.

However, as Kubiak knows, that improvement must translate to the regular season, when and where it matters most. Kubiak recently shared his thoughts on where the Raiders currently stand, just days away from their preseason matchup against the Texans on Thursday.

"Just as a team, we've got to improve. There's a lot of improvement, offense, defense, special teams. There's things that I liked, there's things where we've got to get better. We put a lot of time into that yesterday, and we all know again it is our fourth week of training camp. We are a team that's still gelling together,” Kubiak said following training camp.

Noticeable Areas of Improvement

Monday's practice confirmed many of the positives that Las Vegas displayed against the Cardinals, but stronger. The Raiders' offense has cut down on false starts and many of the small but damaging mistakes that were prevalent throughout camp and Thursday's loss to the Cardinals.

The turnovers have been minimal. The Raiders' offense looks like a group of players beginning to grasp what Kubiak and offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko want to do. Las Vegas has a long way to go, but the foundation is being carefully and efficiently added to daily.

As they inch closer to their first meaningful game of the Kubiak era, he has made it very clear that clean, sound football will be a significant part of the foundation that he and his coaching staff are laying in Las Vegas.

"I think I'd rather be known for being fundamentally sound. That's things that we stress offensively, and as you put more and more film on tape, you get more and more predictable," Kubiak said.

"So, you've got to keep finding ways to evolve. But as a coach, I'd rather be much more about the basics and being great at the fundamentals so that's what we're going to harp on."

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