Gamesmanship. NFL teams take every possible advantage they can to try and outmaneuver their opponent. The Raiders’ next opponent? The Ravens. The team with whom new Raiders receiver Willie Snead suited up the past three seasons.
“It’s going to be surreal. The last team I played for was the Ravens and the first team I play with the Raiders will be the Ravens,” Snead said after Sunday’s practice.
“I’m excited. I have nothing but the utmost respect for [John] Harbaugh and that group of coaches over there and those players, they have a great core over there. And just to be able to go against them, I’ve been going against them for the past three years in practice and to be able to put it all together on Monday Night Football is going to be an amazing feeling.”
The offensive coordinator in Baltimore is Greg Roman, who has held that position the past two seasons in which Snead was the team’s primary slot receiver. Making him just the person the Raiders’ defensive coaches want to speak with.
“We’ve already had conversations,” Snead said with a bit of a laugh, speaking of Gus Bradley and the defensive coaches. “But, yeah, absolutely, that’s the start of the season and I’ve been there for three seasons. But Gus has been on it, he’s played against the Ravens before when he was with the Chargers and he knows what they like to do. I think it’s just me giving them a little bit more insight into what they want to do game plan wise. I’m at his disposal at the end of the day, so whatever he Gus needs, I’m there.”
Snead is a resource. One the Raiders coaches would be foolish not to take advantage of. He probably knows a few things about the Ravens defense for that matter, having faced them in practice every day.