Las Vegas Raiders Bilal Nichols talks Silver and Black D

HENDERSON, Nev.-The Las Vegas Raiders have extremely high expectations for their 2022 defense. One of the many reasons for that optimism is the addition of DT Bilal Nichols.

Nichols had a great camp and discussed the state of the Silver and Black defense.

You can watch the entire interview below, and read the entire transcript:

Defensive Tackle Bilal Nichols

Q: With less guys in practice what was the ‘feel’ out there today?

Nichols: “It’s always different around this time of the year, but it's a great opportunity for us as a team. It just feels good to be back out there on the field with your teammates, just running around, just knowing that we all have one common goal that we’re trying to reach.”

Q: You’ve missed a large chunk of training camp. Where are you at now? Do you feel 100 percent ready?

Nichols: “I'm good, just a steady progress. It feels good to be back out there with my teammates, and I'm ready to go.”

Q: Do you feel a little more fresh at this point in the year compared to years past where you went through a full training camp?

Nichols: “Oh yeah, definitely, naturally. Everybody knows the grind and the wear and tear that training camp takes on your body, so it definitely feels good to be fresh going into the season and just being back out there with my teammates.”

Q: From a veteran standpoint what advice have you given the younger defensive tackles going into the season?

Nichols: “Just to continue to keep their head down and keep grinding. I remember my rookie year like it was yesterday. There's going to be a lot of ups and downs, there's going to be a lot of days where you have to break through that wall. My constant advice to them is that I'm always here for them if they need me if they want to talk about anything on the field, off the field because I've been there. I've been in their shoes, and I know how it can be. So just offering them that guidance and that help that they've got a support system from somebody in the building that they can always come to.”

Q: What do you see your role being in this defense?

Nichols: “My job is to do whatever it takes to win. Wherever that is that the coaches want me to line up at, wherever that is that I’m placed, my job is to go out there and play as hard as I can every snap and give our team the best opportunity to win. If I go out there every play, no matter what it is, my job responsibility is, and I play to the best of my ability then that gives us opportunity to win.”

Q: You played in some good defenses in Chicago. When you look at this defense, do you see some similarities at all, and what do you feel like the ceiling is for this team?

Nichols: “I think we have a high ceiling. The most impressive thing about our defense is that we have a lot of guys who want to win, a lot of guys who want to get better. You don't have to stay on their back for them to do the right thing. They just do it because they want to win. That's something that you love to see, and that's something that picks everybody up. It picks the whole morale of the defense up. That's something that I love about our defense.”

Q: With Maxx [Crosby] and Chandler [Jones] on the defensive line, how have you been able to adjust to the way that they play and how do they benefit you?

Nichols: “Even though physically I haven't been out there, we keep up communication every day. They still keep me locked in, I still keep them locked in. We’re still learning each other and growing, and at the end of the day we know that chemistry for us is going to be a big thing. Since the first day I got here they welcomed me with warm arms, and we've been working on chemistry, and it's nothing different now.”

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