Carroll culture ever-present in Raiders training camp

But how long will the good vibes with Pete Carroll at the helm of the Las Vegas Raiders last?

With age comes wisdom. And at 73 years old, Pete Carroll brings plenty of that as the Las Vegas Raiders head coach.

With boundless energy that is surprising coming from a coach of his age, Carroll’s energy is abundantly clear as the Silver & Black embark on an integral offseason. From OTAs, mandatory minicamp, and currently in training camp, Carroll is showing no signs of slowing down.

But more importantly than that, we’re seeing tangible evidence of the Carroll culture infusing itself into everything Raider. The energy is amplifying the culture change, so much so, the difference in past vibes to the current one is staggering.

“The culture has been great, the positivity, the uplifting, the teaching has come from a place of love, a place of, ‘This is what we need you to do. This is kind of where we’re taking things,’ and it’s all about relationships also,” Raiders tight end Michael Mayer said when asked about how this training camp feels different to the two previous versions. “I’ve got Steck (tight end coach Luke Steckel) who is in the tight end room, just like I had last year, and he’s awesome, he’s great. But in terms of relationship based, starting with Pete, starting with (general manager John) Spytek, and then all the way down, even defensive coaches.

“I’m talking to defensive coaches, eating breakfast with them, hanging out, talking about where I’m from, stuff like that. And some of that stuff you just didn’t really have before. So, I’m really excited about that.”

Other Raiders coaches and players have called out Carroll’s uncanny ability to build relationships. Being able to develop and sustain long-term intrapersonal relationships is an elusive task for head coaches.

The two previous regimes in Las Vegas failed to do so, and while some may label Carroll as a “rah-rah” guy, the former Seattle Seahawks head coach landed the gig in the desert in large part to being able to rally a team with his energy and culture building. And we’re hearing and seeing Raiders who take the podium to field questions on media availability speak highly of the new regime.

“There’s a lot of just great team camaraderie, team community, and I think that’s the first step in kind of winning games, it really is,” Mayer expanded. “You’ve got to be together. You’ve got to be on the same page all the time. You’ve got to be eating breakfast, talking together. You’ve got to be in the meetings all day together, like you have to talk, you have to communicate.

“And it’s not really my way or the highway, that’s not what we’re doing here. We want to win games, and we’re trying to do kind of the best way possible. What’s the best way we can do this? Not this is the way it’s going to be. What’s the best way to win games, to score points and help our team.”

That last part, “not really my way or the highway, that’s not what we’re doing here” stands out like a sore thumb. This was one of the knocks on former Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels who has a history of being rigid and locked into his system. The results spoke for themselves.

Then came Antonio Pierce. A neophyte head coach that galvanized the team when he became interim head coach and then lost the group in his lone season as the lead man.

While some may be dismissive of Mayer, a third-year player who was drafted in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft (35th overall), due to him missing several weeks last season due to a personal issue — this led to him being placed on the reserve/non-football illness list. But the 24-year-old is all-in with the new regime looking for a career resurgence of sorts.

And it’s Carroll that’s become the guiding light for the 6-foot-5 and 2650-pound tight end.

“Oh, he’s awesome. He’s awesome. He’s very relationship based, which is definitely something that I enjoy in a head coach,” Mayer said of Carroll. “I want to walk past the head coach in the hall and say what up and say how was your night and stuff like that. I want to smile. I want to laugh with him. I want to joke with him. And that’s somebody you want to win games for. That’s somebody I’m going to put my body on the line for every single day when I get out there, and I’ve got nothing but positive things to say about him.”

But how long will the good vibes last in Las Vegas?

As the old adage goes: Winning cures everything. And if the Raiders live up to Carroll’s lofty expectations, the good times will be plentiful. But we’ll get to see how the Carroll culture holds up if/when the Raiders struggle to win games.

Either way, don’t expect Carroll’s style to remain static — like past head coaches. He’s a big believer in adjustment. That too isn’t quite a Raider trait.

“Yeah, I was taught a long time ago that you either have a philosophy or you don’t, and we have one. But the philosophy is affected by the people and how they adapt to it, and how they make it come to life and all that,” Carroll said when asked about a chance to reset the Raiders. “And that’s what this process — so my challenge, biggest challenge — is to give them the ways that we believe we can play our football, but then let it become theirs. And so, it’s really a fun challenge, and it’s why I’m so charged up. I’ve been a little bit fired up since I’ve been here, I know you might have seen that, but each practice is an opportunity for us. Each day is a statement of who we are and what we’re all about. Are we there again? Are we consistent? Are we battling? So, it’s a coach’s dream to have an opportunity like this, really.”