Inside Pete Carroll’s Strategy to Motivate the Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders must turn things around immediately, as a loss to the Tennessee Titans would be disheartening.

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

The Las Vegas Raiders hired Pete Carroll to help expedite mass change after multiple losing seasons. Instability at head coach has led what is very much a broken roster in need of guidance. Las Vegas' season will hinge on Carroll's ability to stop the current free fall they are on as the losses pile up.

Taking a Closer Look

Prior to the Raiders' weekly practices, Carroll noted that there are ways the Raiders coaching staff can help Smith become more successful. Geno Smith has struggled mightily through the season, but he has also been failed in many different ways.

Las Vegas Raiders Pete Carroll | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

"Yeah, we got to run the football better, more, and we're going to continue to work at it and see if we can continue to bring it to life. The running game has looked well in order right now. We needed to get more of them. That's part of it. That's just mixing football,” Carroll said. 

“That's how you go, you do it. We don't want to ever rely on the quarterback having to do the whole show and sitting in a shotgun, throw the football. I never coached that way. And so, we have to mix our stuff so that we can use our play action game and make sure that we're perimetering the game with all the ways that you can, which we have. And I was pleased with how we saw Ashton [Jeanty] come to life on the edge. 

Smith's struggles are there for all to see, but Carroll took time to credit Smith with finding success in other, less notable ways. Carroll praised Smith's preparation, which was on display during several of the Raiders' offensive snaps in Week 5.

“He made some nice plays and just stretched the defense and put some threat in them with that. And then we got to make sure that we're calling all the best stuff in the situations. I mean, he's not calling the plays. We got to call them, and we got to make sure and get him in the right spots and give him the best chance to stay out of harm's way. And part of that is really controlling the game with what we do up front in the running game, Carroll said.

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