Raiders Defense is Okay with Flying Under the Radar

The Las Vegas Raiders defense entered last season aiming to prove they had improved from the prior season. Las Vegas’ defense ranked near the bottom half in most statistical categories the season before last, and were determined not to let that happen again last season.

After a productive first half of last season, the Raiders defense had to carry one of the highest-paid offenses in the National Football League every week. The defense went from wanting to prove they had made strides to being the unit the team depended on weekly to have a chance to win on game days.

Years of futility on defense and the lack of many household names on the defensive roster led to the unit not receiving much attention on the national level last season. That was to be expected early on last season, as the unit was still technically one of the worst in the league.

However, even after Josh McDaniels' firing and the improvements the Raiders’ defense made after Coach Antonio Pierce took over, the defense still didn’t receive much attention nationally. Even after returning every starter except one from a defense that finished ninth in scoring defense last season, the Raiders defense hasn’t gotten much attention nationally this offseason either. The Raiders even signed former Miami Dolphins defensive lineman Christian Wilkins this offseason, and they still have yet to garner additional national attention.

Raiders Cornerbacks Coach Ricky Manning Jr. says the he and the Raiders defense are perfectly fine with flying under the radar as they enter the season. He believes the lack of attention will not change until the defense plays well enough for it to.

“If we fly under the radar, perfect,” Manning Jr. said. “That's exactly where I want us to be. Nobody talking about us, perfect. Cool. We got to show up every day, and we got to show what we can be. And that's it, that's what the defense did last year. They showed up.

“When AP [Antonio Pierce] took over, they bought in and just the sense of urgency toward the end of that season to make it happen. Was it perfect? No. But there's some good things that we can use as momentum going into this offseason. Guys have trust and belief that they can, and that's a huge part of it, believing in yourself. And trust comes from seeing and doing.”

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