Las Vegas Raiders new GM John Spytek and head coach Pete Carroll’s introductory press conference recap and quotes
The Las Vegas Raiders have made it official with the hirings of new GM John Spytek and head coach Pete Carroll, and the introductory press conference was electric. Both of them made it very clear that they have a vision, and that vision is to win now. Neither of them see this as a “Rebuild”. They both see this as an opportunity to come in and compete and win games immediately. Right away, they answered questions calm, energized and smart. Let’s take a look at some of the top quotes from today’s introductory press conference.
• Pete Carroll Says Raiders Will 'Lean' on Tom Brady During Search for QB.
"It's our mission to build this football team up around the quarterback position.” Carroll said.
He added “We happen to have the greatest of all time (Tom Brady) To help us, and we're going to lean on him as much as we possibly can for his insights because nobody has the insights that he has. He's that unique."
• John Spytek gave an opening statement on getting his first job as a general manager:
“When I dreamed of having a job like this, I always wanted it to be with an iconic franchise like the Raiders.”
Spytek seemed very cool, calm, collected and energized all in one. He was very smart and confident in his abilities.
• Carroll: We are starting right now, going for it immediately.”
As I said earlier, it doesn’t sound like they are viewing this as a rebuild. They are looking to compete and win games immediately, right away.
• Carroll: “Maxx (Crosby), Send the message, man. We're coming after you. We're going to come find you guys, and get this thing rolling as soon as possible. With the highest of expectations and with a mentality that will drive high performance in a way that hopefully, everyone's going to hear us. And they're going to know us."
Sounds like music to Raiders’ fans (And Raiders superstar Maxx Crosby’s ears.)
• Pete Carroll on turning around the Raiders franchise: “I feel like I’ve been here before and I’m going to bank on that. I’m going to follow my instincts.”
• Spytek on quarterback situation: "We are certainly going to look everywhere possible to find a quarterback and build around them, we all know how important that position is. If we can support Aidan (O’Connell) A little bit better, maybe he can even play at a higher level that could help us win. Or maybe there’s an older guy we can bring in or even a rookie, there’s a lot of ways to do it but either way the team has to be built to support said quarterback as well.”
• Spytek: “My job for the past nine years has been to see the NFL in it's entirety. I’ve seen the roster, what does it mean to be a Raider, what does it stand for, what are the qualities? I take that very personally. Our character will be our fate. We are looking for people who want to compete or there just won't be a place for you here."
• Spytek: "Yes, we want to draft and develop, but if a time comes to sign a veteran or free agents, or even big names we might have to trade for when the time comes, just whatever we gotta do, we will absolutely do it if needed.”
• Pete Carroll also made it clear that him and GM John Spytek will be building the Raiders’ roster and working as a partnership along with splitting the decision-making.
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