Raiders MLB Robert Spillane From Training Camp

HENDERSON, Nev.--The Las Vegas Raiders have opened their 2023 NFL Training Camp, and middle linebacker Robert Spillane took to the podium to address the media.

You can watch his entire comments below., and read the transcript:

Linebacker Robert Spillane

Q: How have the first couple of days gone? What have you seen from the defense in terms of coming all together and learning everything?

Robert Spillane: "Yeah, I think we're off to a great start. We just finished practice four here. The defense is coming together in terms of communication, effort, discipline, the things that we want to really focus and improve on in the offseason. So, just from day one to day four, our effort to the ball, our effort attacking the ball at the finish has been already -- we're raising that standard. So, we've just got to keep holding each other accountable and good things will happen."

Q: I know it's going to take 17 games to kind of define what this defense is all about. But as you sit here today, what do you want the characteristics of this defense to be about?

Spillane: "Yeah, I love a blue-collar, gritty defense that's stingy, always attacking the ball, making plays, making turnovers. At the end of the day, there's not much difference between a two and a four-yard gain, but when you make those splash turnover plays, those really affect the outcome of games. So, how can I get my hand on a ball? How can I punch this ball out? How can I get in the passing window and maybe make that quarterback throw a few feet higher in the air, so I give my secondary time to make a play on the ball? Good defenses get PBUs, make tackles, great defenses turn the ball over and score a touchdown, so that's what we're looking to do."

Q: I saw a punch-out on Davante Adams, I think you were on the field when that happened, Is that kind of what you’re talking about?

Spillane: "Yeah, always hungry for the ball. I mean, we're not going just to bring the guy to the ground. We want to rip that ball from the body, so any chance that we can get to do that, that goes into effort and having a conscious decision that we're always attacking the football."

Q: What's stood out or impressed you about playing next to Divine Diablo?

Spillane: "Divine is a great communicator. He's a great leader. He knows this defense in and out. He's been in the system, his second year. So, he's really taken great steps, and he's a great football player. At the end of the day you want to surround yourself on defense with [11] hungry players, who will do anything to get that ball. So, I love playing with him."

Q: Obviously, when you were in Pittsburgh there were a lot of great veteran guys around you and now you come to a situation where you are the veteran guy. How do you physically but also mentally prepare yourself throughout the offseason to take on a bigger workload?

Spillane: "Yeah, I mean it comes down to leadership, showing guys what we want to be as a defense. And not just by talking in the meetings, going out there and practicing every day, showing that effort, showing the attack on the football. I'm going to keep reiterating that because that's the main point of emphasis for me and I want the guys around me ball hungry. I mean, good players make 100 tackles, they might get a contract the next year, they might not. You are a linebacker with five-plus turnovers, you're going to be in this league a long time. So, I'm telling the guys find ways to get that ball out and make plays."

Q: How much of that message comes from linebacker coach Antonio Pierce who did it highest level obviously?

Spillane: "Yeah, I love working with Antonio [Pierce]. Coach Pierce has obviously done it for a long time in the league. When you've got somebody like that in your meeting room as the leader of our room, you listen and you want to soak in all that information. He's been to the game that we want to play, and he's won those big-time games being the green dot leader of the defense. So, he has so many great ideas and coaching points, and I just want to soak up everything he can give me."

Q: A UDFA from last year, Luke Masterson, had a really good rookie season. What do you see from him? He reminds a lot of people of you.

Spillane: "He is a hungry, athletic, strong kid who's willing to do whatever it takes to be a champion. He comes in with that championship mindset every day looking to get better, looking to be a good teammate. So there's nothing more I could ask from him."

Q: And then following up there's a UDFA to this year, Drake [Thomas], who they like, that they're optimistic about. What have you seen so far from him?

Spillane: "Very similar in that mindset. Looking for that winning edge is what I call it. 'What can I do a little bit different?' And he comes and seeks advice and opinions, and I love seeing that from young players. Going into year six when I can get around even other veteran guys trying to find their winning edge. You've always got to search for it because the moment you stop searching for that winning edge is the moment you're out of this league. So, we all are here trying to refine our craft, get better every day and be a good teammate."

Q: You use the word mindset right about eight times here. Do you feel like playing defense, forcing turnovers can be a mindset, something that you think about and make it happen?

Spillane: It doesn't happen by accident, I always say, 'You don't accidentally become an NFL linebacker, undrafted player, going on year six. It doesn't happen by accident.' So, it is that intentional mindset. It's something that you think about during practice, after practice. When you're at home, first thing you wake up in the morning. So, you kind of live that life, you're consumed by it, and that's something that brings you to the next level."

Q: It sounds like your personal messaging is about forcing turnovers, getting to the ball. How much of that comes from the team, obviously it's been an issue the last couple years, they haven't been able to do that. So, how much of that comes from the top and how much of that is you bringing that to them?

Spillane: "Oh yeah, I mean, everybody, every position coach is talking about it on the defensive side of the ball. Every position coach on the offense is talking about taking care of the ball. Football is the name of the game, that ball is gold, and I always say when you're running with it, you're running with the hopes and dreams of the team. When you get a chance to get an interception, you're changing the outcome of the game. So, we're always looking to do that."

Q: Did it seem like it was going to start to be a little more ramped up at the end of practice today especially. Are you guys looking forward to getting the pads on later?

Spillane: "Yeah, I mean, you can only go so hard in helmets. It's football -- like, it's not football. It's drills, it's refining your craft, but at the end of the day, it's not football. When the pads come on and the lights come on and it's Sunday at noon, that's go time. But for right now, we're just trying to get better."

Q: Obviously, you weren't here last year, you can't comment on that, but they made a concerted effort to upgrade at speed. When you look around what do you think of the speed of this defense?

Spillane: "Yeah, I think it's more than that. It's having 11 hungry football players who are on the same page, who are running the same defenses, who are communicating with each other, who are flying to the ball. Everyone's fast in this league, everyone knows how to run, everybody's got fast players; but it's those teams that don't have to turn and run and think: 'Oh, should I run to that ball.' No, it's turn and haul ass, we're getting this guy to the ground and we're trying to steal that ball from him at all costs. So, it's more of a mindset than it is a speed thing."

Q: In Pittsburgh, you played with guys like Cam Heyward, Stephon Tuitt, DeMarvin Leal and Chris Wormley. Can you talk about the transition moving on from those defense linemen and the defense linemen that you have here?

Spillane: "Yeah, like I said, we're still in the stages of helmets only, so we can only do so much in terms of team run, in terms of running pass rush games, five-man blitzes. And so, it’s always about that conversation that you have with the D-linemen, especially being a player who stands behind them. I always like to tell my linemen: 'Maybe you're a B gap player, maybe you're an A gap player, I don't care. Go eat. We're going make you right, the coaches will fix you up, go make plays and we are behind you to make you right'. So, at the end of the day, I just want them to feel free to go play their games."

Q: How much different is this heat in Vegas compared to other places you’ve played in?

Spillane: "Like I said, weather doesn't really dictate our behavior, it's a circumstance. And at the end of the day, I'm very grateful to be here, very grateful that I get to put on my helmet every day and go out there and practice, whether it's 115 degrees, whether it's negative five, like we played last year. It's a blessing. So, you never take those reps for granted. Every time you go on that field, that could be the last time you ever step on football field."

Q: How has it been interacting with Raider Nation during your time in Las Vegas so far?

Spillane: "Yeah, I really look forward to getting in the community, getting to know Raider Nation. And not from these podium talks, I want them to see me for my play, for seeing who I am as a person in the community. So, this is just the prelims and I want them to know me for the right reasons.

Q: Speaking of community, what's your impressions of the Las Vegas market/city?

Spillane: "Yeah, I love the city. I'm a local now. I bought a house here in Vegas. I look forward to getting to know the communities. Great food, great weather, beautiful views. I've been loving the mountain views. In the summer, I spent a lot of time at Red Rock. I like getting outdoors in the nature.”

Q: Training camp is grueling, so I know you're excited to get the pads on. But having been through so many camps, is it like: ‘Hey, I'm going to enjoy that there's no physicality right now?’

Spillane: "That's kind of a hard question to say. It's part of the process. As an NFL player, you need these days to get prepared for the days with the pads, so it's just about getting our legs back under us, refining those crafts. So when the pads do come on, you're not thinking, you're just going out there and playing football."

Q: With such an emphasis on takeaways. What does adding a guy who not only has 32 career interceptions but also has a certain edge at cornerback in Marcus Peters. What can he add to this defense?

Spillane: "I think he can add so much and having a guy with that type of history, the ball searching history. He's lived that life. It doesn't happen by accident that he gets his hand on the ball so many times. You watch his film, every single time he can he's going for that strip out, he's going for that punch out, he's looking for ways in coverage to come off his receiver even though he might be covering man-to-man and go make a play. And you need guys like that, especially to help the young guys grow to see that it's possible to do two jobs at once. Yeah, I'm going to take care of mine, but now I'm going to go help my brother out. He's a great leader. Playing against them for so many years, I've seen it in person, I've seen his craft, and he does a great job and he's been great with the young players so far."

The Silver and Black open the preseason by hosting the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Aug. 13, at 4 p.m. EDT/1 p.m. PDT.

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