Tuesday was the first day in pads for the Raiders. Had it not been, it would have felt like a serious deja vu moment when linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski stepped up and picked off a Marcus Mariota pass over the middle. Because it was the second day in a row he had done it. And both of the picks looked identical.
The interceptions were so easy and out of place, Jon Gruden is not so sure something else might be going on.
“That’s the only two interceptions we’ve thrown here and I think Marcus and Nick are roommates, I don’t know what the deal is,” Gruden said with a twinkle in his eye.
“Mariota was off to a great start yesterday and, he looks like the Galloping Ghost out there. And then today he throws four incredible passes. I think he and Nick are probably having a beer down at Caesar’s Palace right now. I don’t know what the hell that’s all about.
“Nick is a good player. You’re in zone coverage, you’re reading the quarterback, and he telegraphed both of those throws. It’s really kept him away from having one hell of a camp. And he is having a good camp, but he could be having an outstanding camp had it not been for a couple interceptions.”
Kwiatkoski denied any kind of conspiracy was going on between him and Mariota. But, then again, he would deny it.
“I don’t know what he meant by that,” Kwiatkoski said of Gruden’s comment about them being roommates. “But I think Marcus is a little bit mad at me right now. I mess with him after practice, but it’s all in fun.”
Nick went on to joke that he and Mariota “Might have to think about that for next week and make a plan.”
In all seriousness, Mariota has had some great days in this year’s camp, as I had covered after Saturday’s practice. And Gruden is putting in plays specially for the ‘Flyin’ Hawaiian’.
Meanwhile, Kwiatkoski has been splitting time between first and second-team reps with Nicholas Morrow, though both are expected to play key roles in the linebacking corps this season. Morrow is seen as a better coverage linebacker, but Kwiatkoski can clearly hold his own in that arena.
“The league’s changing,” Kwiatkoski said of the importance of being good in coverage. “You have tight ends, running backs who are all receivers now, so being able to cover running backs, cover receivers, dropping back in pass coverage and being a factor in the pass game, it adds a lot to your game.”
For what it’s worth, Kwiatkoski has two career interceptions, one in each of the past two seasons. Mariota would be wise not to stare down his receivers and become blind to Nick’s presence over the middle. Or find a new roommate.