PODCAST: 10 Issues Facing the Raiders Training Camp No. 10

It is finally officially the 2025 NFL Football season. Today, the season begins for the Las Vegas Raiders.

Our latest Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast episode concludes a ten-part series on the issues facing the 2025 Silver and Black, and we finish today by discussing the intangibles that each NFL team faces, including the legacy of Mr. Murphy.

You can watch the entire podcast below:

The futility of the Raider Nation’s offense as of late is not the fault of newly hired OC Chip Kelly, but it also doesn’t mean the cupboard is bare of talent at the team’s Henderson headquarters.

Kelly spoke recently after practice about the Raider Nation and his thoughts on the state of the franchise.

You can read a partial transcript of all he said below.

Offensive Coordinator Chip Kelly

Q: Ashton Jeanty made a lot of headlines when he said you asked him to change his stance... Coach Kelly: "Let's get that clarified. Deland McCullough, our running back coach, is in charge of stances, steps, alignments, assignments and techniques. So he talked to him about that. I gave him an analogy of an athlete being in a bent knee position to make a play, and that that kind of got blown into. I haven't told anybody on this team to be in any stances because I don't coach a position. But it's a bent knee game. Baseball is, if you look at the before the ball snapped in baseball, or the pitcher throwing the baseball, everybody's got their knees bent. In any athletic sport you're playing, you've got to bend your knees. And if you've got to run a flat route on Fred Warner, you'd better be in a position to run, because that dude can f ly. So, all we're trying to do is put guys in positions to make plays. And he's adapted really well from going from here to here, so it literally is about three inches. So, I really don't think it's that big a deal. But he's awesome, and he's such a coachable guy that you can do a lot of things with him. I think he can play in the slot, he can play in the back field, he can do a lot of different things. So, he's special."

Las Vegas Raiders TE Brock Bowers from Training Camp — Las Vegas Raiders TE Brock Bowers | Darrell Craig Harris, Sports Illustrated

Q: How important is it to have a player like Brock Bowers and to watch his growth and ascension? Coach Kelly: "Yeah, it was neat because Brock [Bowers] wasn't here for the beginning of phase two, because he was back at Georgia getting his degree, which is awesome. So, he finished school up and then came here. So, he missed the first two or three weeks of phase two, so we didn't see him when we were all first here when we got to see everybody at first glance. But when he came in here, he was as advertised, and unbelievable work ethic, unbelievable attention to detail. All the things you're looking for in a player, along with just a unique skill set, to have a guy that big and that athletic and moves in that way is kind of special. So, we're really excited about what he can bring for us."

Q: Do you have someone you want to be the identity of your offense? Coach Kelly: "JWB. Just Win Baby. There was a legendary person in this organization, and it's the truth. There are games you're going to win 9-6, and there are games you're going to have to win 38-37 and do enough on each side of the ball in phases to contribute to winning. Because winning in this league is hard. The last team that went undefeated in this league was the '72 Dolphins. So, it's been a long, long time. Everybody that's been in this league or spent any time in this league knows how hard it is to win, and it really is Just Win, Baby. And how do you do that each week? Your game plan has to understand who's available, who you're playing against, and can we score enough points that we score one more than our opponent? And that's really, hopefully, what our identity is, is that we do enough on our side to help our defense and help our special teams beat whoever we're playing on any given Sunday."

Q: With the offensive line, obviously, there's no pads, but how do you evaluate those guys at this point? Coach Kelly: "It's the most difficult because there are no pads and it's how are they picking up schemes, how are they working together. Are they making the right calls, are they identifying the defense in the proper manner so that we're on the right people? But it's almost like you're looking at their first two steps, and then after that, they're pulling out of it. And the D-line's, pulling out of it too. There's times where Maxx [Crosby] will take two and then take a step and then just stop, because we're not in full pads, and you have to learn to practice in this format, because you're going to have to practice this way during the season also. You're not going to be in pads every day during the season. So, I think they're doing a good job from that standpoint, but you still can't get a full evaluation of them until you get a chance to see them in practice opportunities; whether it's against other teams, or in preseason games or when we get the opportunity in the offseason. This off season, we can't, but when we get back in late July and August, you'll be able to put pads on, and then we'll be able to see a little bit more on those guys."

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