Our latest episode of the Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast discusses what we want to see tonight versus the Los Angeles Chargers.
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00:00 Hi everybody, this is Hondo Carpenter from Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation Las Vegas
00:06 Raiders Insider Podcast.
00:08 It's great to be with you this morning.
00:10 Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to all of you.
00:13 It's game day, super early in the morning.
00:15 I have no idea what time it is, but so I say good morning and you can be watching this
00:20 at any point.
00:21 Thank you for joining us.
00:23 Very big game today.
00:26 We know, I have not mathematically done it, but people have told me and I believe those
00:32 people, if the Raiders win out, they got a better than 50% chance of making the playoffs.
00:39 So they're still alive for that.
00:40 I don't think they're going to win all five, but that's still on the board and that's still
00:45 something that's completely viable.
00:48 And this is a big day.
00:50 I want to talk today about a couple of things.
00:53 In particular, what Max yesterday in the locker room, if you did not watch my video that I
00:58 posted, I really encourage you to go watch it.
01:03 He was very forthright, which is Max.
01:09 He was very straightforward.
01:12 He called it BS.
01:14 Anybody that wants him to tank, I thought that was a very strong message that he sent.
01:21 And it kind of reiterated what I've been telling you about tanking and why that's not the Raider
01:26 way.
01:27 But let's talk about tonight's game because there are five things that I'm really looking
01:33 for analytically.
01:37 Number one, I want to see the offense bounce back.
01:42 I want to see them get over 20 points.
01:45 The Chargers are a very good team.
01:48 They have a very, very bad coach, but they're a very good team.
01:52 Herbert's out.
01:54 And I want to see them get to 20 points, get to 21 points, three touchdowns, whatever.
01:59 I don't care how you get there.
02:00 It can be two touchdowns, two field goals and a safety.
02:07 I just want to see them get over 20.
02:09 I think it's important for them to bounce back.
02:13 We know that there are the weapons on this team to do that.
02:19 Very clear.
02:20 Very, very clear.
02:22 Now they need to do it.
02:24 I want to see Aiden to do it.
02:27 Whether his future is here or with another team, I know he has a future and I want him
02:32 to do well.
02:33 I want other teams.
02:34 I want to see players respond with joy again.
02:38 That's the first thing I'm looking for is the offense to bounce back.
02:45 We know that Josh Jacobs is banged up and that's going to be, if he goes, what percentage
02:53 does he go?
02:54 Who steps in and plays?
02:57 Who steps up when Josh is in 100?
03:02 What about Zemir?
03:03 I think it's very fair to say I want to see Zemir step forward.
03:11 This was a kid that was picked and it was highly sought after kid out of Georgia.
03:15 He's a wonderful kid, but his career hasn't really done a lot.
03:20 Now is his chance.
03:22 I love what AP said yesterday.
03:24 If you didn't watch AP's video yesterday, make sure you go do.
03:27 He says, let's be clear.
03:28 This is the Josh Jacobs show.
03:29 And he's right.
03:31 But if when Josh can't go 100, then you want to see other people step up, fulfill those
03:41 roles, play in those roles and do well in those roles.
03:47 So to me, it's a big one for the offense.
03:49 I don't care about how many touches Josh gets because we know he's injured.
03:54 I don't care about how many touches Devontae has.
03:58 It's not about Devontae.
03:59 It's about the team.
04:01 But I want to see this offense respond.
04:05 I think it's very critical for them to do it.
04:09 Now you guys know, I always tell you this, I root for good people.
04:15 That is how I was raised and I'm grateful for that.
04:19 I'm grateful for that.
04:21 And I want to see, you know, Bo Hardegre is a good guy, a really good guy.
04:27 Has he done enough right now to show me he's ready to be an OC full time?
04:33 No.
04:35 Has he done enough to show me that he has that ability to eventually down the line?
04:40 Absolutely.
04:41 So I'm going to root for him.
04:45 Aiden, same way.
04:47 AP, he's done a lot to show me that he can do it right now.
04:53 That's why it's a little bit different between AP and AO4, Aiden O'Connell and Bo Hardegre.
05:03 But I want to see that.
05:04 I want to see them say, okay, you know what?
05:07 Everybody has a bad day.
05:08 I'm a writer.
05:09 I do this for a living.
05:12 And there are still days that I'll make a spelling error and think, how did I miss that?
05:16 Well it's because everybody makes mistakes.
05:19 It's part of what we do in life as humans.
05:23 And whatever you do, if you're a pipe fitter, I'm sure there are times that you make a mistake
05:26 on a piece of pipe or if you are a accountant or whatever.
05:32 So anyways, that is where, that's number one for me.
05:37 I want to see the offense respond.
05:39 Number two, I love what Patrick Graham has done as a defensive coordinator.
05:45 Absolutely love it.
05:47 And I think he has been outstanding, absolutely outstanding.
05:55 I liked last week when we started to see there were times that they had, you know, Tyree
06:00 on the inside and, you know, the multiple defensive ends and some things they did to
06:06 get past pressure.
06:09 And I think it paid off and they're going to come after the rook or after the young
06:14 guy and make him have to make some tough decisions.
06:18 I like that.
06:19 I do.
06:21 So I want to see the defense continue to be dominant.
06:29 Third thing I'm looking for, I'm watching for coaching.
06:34 This is really super important.
06:36 I believe AP, whether it's here or somewhere else, is auditioning for his next opportunity.
06:45 Did you notice that?
06:49 Opportunity.
06:50 Sorry, I'm working on it, guys.
06:54 And I get your emails, "Hondo, careful, you got to change how you say word."
06:57 I'm trying.
06:58 Opportunity.
06:59 But I know that that's what he's doing.
07:03 And so I want to see him continue to progress.
07:08 I want to see him continue, not just him, but other guys.
07:12 I want to see coaching adjustments.
07:14 Okay.
07:15 Now, you may say, "Well, this is part of the offense.
07:18 This is part of the defense."
07:19 No.
07:20 This is as a whole.
07:21 This is not player involved.
07:22 I want to see, sometimes you can see some schematic changes and maybe the players don't
07:27 execute it, but you see what the coaches are doing.
07:29 I'm looking for that.
07:32 These people on this staff are all auditioning for a place on this staff next year, whether
07:38 it's AP or someone else as the coach, or Champ or someone else as the coach.
07:43 I want to see some twerks.
07:44 All right.
07:45 I want to see Thayer Mumford.
07:48 What does he do to step up and continue to progress?
07:52 Okay.
07:53 That's on Carmen Brasso.
07:54 I'm going to be watching Thayer very, very closely.
07:59 I'm going to be watching how Tom McMahon does some adjustments with AJ Cole, where literally
08:06 there are times he outkicks his coverage.
08:08 The first thing was offense.
08:10 Second thing was defense.
08:11 Third thing was I'm looking at the coaches.
08:15 I'm going to be watching very closely.
08:18 Sometimes when you watch only as a fan, you just look at the final score and, "Oh, they
08:23 sucked.
08:24 They were terrible," whatever.
08:26 But when you watch analytically, sometimes you can see, "Okay, I see what the coaches
08:29 were trying to do.
08:30 The players didn't execute it really well, but I see what..."
08:33 And then sometimes you see, "Wow, the players executed the play that was called.
08:38 The play was just a bad play.
08:39 That's on the coach."
08:40 So, I'm looking at the coaching adjustments.
08:41 I think that's really a big...
08:45 Fourth, and I think this is one that's very important.
08:53 I'm going to get into some detail why.
08:57 I want to see Hunter bounce back.
09:03 That fumble was a big mistake.
09:07 I want to see him get back to where he was.
09:15 That mistake was really tough.
09:18 So I'm going to watch him, not because he's a guy who's down.
09:21 That's not Hunter.
09:24 But I just want to watch him bounce back.
09:26 I want to see him get involved early, make some plays.
09:35 I think he has potential being a big-time force, especially...
09:39 Remember I talked before about matchups?
09:43 Chargers are going to bring a lot of heat, and they're going to put a double team on
09:48 Devontae.
09:50 So that means there's going to be some room in the intermediate area, in the flats, across
09:55 the middle, and that's Hunter Renfro's territory.
09:58 He owns it.
10:00 And with that big fumble, I want to see him respond that way.
10:02 That's my fourth thing.
10:03 Here's the fifth thing I want to see.
10:07 I want to watch the crowd.
10:10 I am different than most people.
10:15 And let me explain.
10:18 I'm a guy that when people boo because the product's bad, I don't have an issue with
10:24 that.
10:25 For years, I covered Qualidge.
10:28 And you'd go to some places, and the fans would boo, and you'd hear people say, "That's
10:33 so wrong to boo."
10:36 No.
10:38 The moment you ask me for money, it becomes a business.
10:42 I remember years ago when I was in school, you know how they have school fundraisers.
10:49 And I think it was popcorn or something, but I sold something, and my dad bought it.
10:56 The quality was terrible.
10:57 So my dad went to the school and said, "Listen, I know that I bought this to support the fundraiser
11:05 for the school, as if my taxes don't support it, but quality's terrible."
11:12 So my dad had bought several to give to some of his employees for Christmas presents.
11:19 So I think it was like gourmet popcorn or something.
11:22 But I'm not going to give this.
11:23 It's junk.
11:24 And the guy goes, "Well, it was raising money for the school."
11:28 I said, "Yep, it was.
11:30 But the moment you take my money, it now becomes a business transaction."
11:34 And if I didn't know it was bad, I maybe would have bought one.
11:38 But I bought 12 or 13 because it said gourmet and all of this.
11:47 Same principle.
11:48 I don't have a problem when fans boo.
11:50 I don't have a problem when fans sell their tickets.
11:54 It's a business deal.
11:55 The Raiders didn't have a problem moving here away from Oakland when it didn't work out
12:01 for them.
12:02 And it was the best decision for them.
12:04 But they made a business decision.
12:07 I mean, there were a ton of fans for the Chiefs, which I understood because a lot of those
12:17 tickets had been sold before the regime change.
12:20 There was a lot of Vikings fans here.
12:23 I'd probably say 60-40, maybe 55-45, but I think 60-40.
12:33 But again, a lot of people bought tickets before the regime change.
12:38 And Minnesota in the middle of the winter, it's not even the middle yet, it's still December,
12:44 mid-December, but still, December is winter weather.
12:49 So they came out here.
12:51 I get that.
12:52 This is the Chargers and they're 10 fans.
12:56 So I want Raider Nation to be there.
12:59 I'm going to watch how the crowd responds.
13:03 And I want to watch how they participate.
13:09 Nobody in the world loves their team like Raider fans.
13:12 I shared this story with you once before, I'll share it again.
13:22 Raider fan, I'll go back and say it this way.
13:27 So I'm born in Michigan.
13:28 I'm a native Michiganian.
13:30 Some of you like to correct me when I say that and say, "Oh yeah, it's Michigander."
13:33 No, actually the word Michigander came as a slur to people from Michigan.
13:39 The original name was Michiganian.
13:43 I don't care, I like them both, but just telling you.
13:46 So I'm a Michiganian.
13:48 And when you grow up in Michigan, you always expect the Lions are going to stink and they're
13:56 terrible.
13:57 There's no expectations.
13:59 You learn to love the Lions because they're losers.
14:04 Just like you remember years ago, some of you kids will not remember this, but for decades,
14:08 the Cubs were terrible and they were lovable and popular nationally because they were the
14:16 loser Cubs.
14:17 It was kind of funny.
14:19 I literally remember in my lifetime, hundreds, if not thousands of times that people say,
14:25 "Thank God the Lions play on Thanksgiving.
14:27 They're so lousy, it helps your turkey settle."
14:30 That was just the expectation.
14:33 Even this year when they started to do better, and they are better, people are like, "Well,
14:37 they'll find a way to screw it up.
14:39 It's our Lions."
14:41 And Lion fan shows up and whatever.
14:46 This is the first time I think ever they sold out this year in season tickets.
14:52 It's just the Lions.
14:53 Everyone knows you can get a ticket whenever you want a ticket.
14:55 You just love them.
14:56 You care for them because they're your home team.
14:58 That's how it was.
14:59 I'm not a fan of them either.
15:01 I'm just telling you how it was.
15:04 That's not how Raider Nation is.
15:07 You're terrible.
15:08 We're still showing up.
15:11 We're screaming.
15:12 We're yelling.
15:13 We're consuming all of the information we can on the team.
15:18 I would bet you half of Lions fans couldn't tell you who the starting running back is.
15:37 But they still love the Lions.
15:40 That's the Lions.
15:42 Raider fans?
15:44 They can tell you, "Oh yeah, Josh Jacobs, Amir White, Amir Abdullah."
15:50 They can go right down the line.
15:52 Brandon Bolden.
15:53 Oh yeah, Jacob Johnson's are full.
15:57 They're going to tell you all that.
15:59 Why?
16:01 Because they know it.
16:04 That's just the way Raider fan is.
16:06 They're a different type of fan.
16:08 They are the informed, smart ones.
16:13 This is why when the organization sells Raider fan on Just Win Baby, they have that expectation.
16:21 Raider fans are super smart.
16:24 I want to watch, are they there?
16:28 Or have they just said, "Okay, we're moving on."
16:32 I think they're going to be there.
16:34 I know they care.
16:36 I know they care.
16:37 I'm going to tell you something.
16:38 If the Raiders offense does anything, the Legion Stadium tonight is going to erupt because
16:44 these fans are low.
16:47 They're going to be there for them.
16:50 I want to watch that synergy again.
16:53 I want Mark Davis to hear it, to see it.
16:59 I think that's really important and vital.
17:03 I guess the last thing is, and I know this will be six and I told you there would only
17:07 be five, so consider this an extra point.
17:12 I hate the smell of cigars, but I want to smell cigars tonight.
17:18 I want for these guys, for these fans.
17:21 I told you guys one time, I think it was after the Jets game.
17:25 I'm down in the bowels of Allegiant Stadium.
17:28 I mean bowels of Allegiant Stadium.
17:33 It was way down there, field level, concrete everywhere.
17:40 You could still hear the Raider fans.
17:43 Raiders.
17:44 The players.
17:45 I mean, I'm sitting in the press conference room, which is quite a distance from the locker
17:57 room.
17:58 You could smell the cigar smell.
18:01 These are good people.
18:02 The fans are good people.
18:03 The players are good people.
18:04 I want them to be able to celebrate something.
18:07 I want them to be able to go in.
18:10 They've got a long week now.
18:12 They've got an extra three days.
18:14 They've got 10 days until they play again.
18:17 I want them to be able to enjoy it and to experience it.
18:21 Now, there's a lot of things that are going on around the team.
18:26 Just to be able to put that, not one player on this team, not one fan, and not one media
18:31 member can control the future of this team.
18:36 That's the reality.
18:37 So you enjoy the moments that you have.
18:41 You enjoy that.
18:42 You have fun with it.
18:44 I remember I was a little boy and this would have been the Blizzard of '78.
18:51 If you go back and Google it, you can find it.
18:53 Blizzard of '77, '78 happened right after the new year.
18:59 My dad was going deer hunting.
19:02 And I said, "Dad, I want to go."
19:03 I remember this like it was yesterday.
19:04 I was just a little, little boy.
19:07 And he said, "Son, don't rush growing up.
19:11 Enjoy the moment.
19:13 You can't go right now."
19:14 And I said, "Well, I can ride on your back."
19:16 He said, "No, the snow is too deep, but you'll get your chance."
19:23 But I'll never forget him telling me, that was one thing he always told us.
19:26 My dad's father died when he was young.
19:30 And so he just cherished every moment with his kids.
19:34 And so you can't control.
19:38 I wish you could see all the email I get.
19:40 By the way, I have a question answer email article coming out later today.
19:43 So whenever you see this, it's either out or coming out.
19:48 But he was always about enjoy your moment.
19:50 But I wish you could see the emails of people.
19:54 One of them, a lady saying, "I can't sleep about what's next."
19:59 And just enjoy this moment.
20:02 Enjoy the moment.
20:04 Enjoy watching Max Crosby, a generational talent.
20:08 He's going to give you everything he has.
20:12 And if Max goes out and gets 10 sacks or gets none, it's not going to have a bearing on
20:17 the future of this team.
20:19 Meaning who the new coach is or general manager or whatever.
20:23 So I'm going to challenge you to enjoy the moment.
20:28 And there's a lot to like about this team.
20:31 There's a lot of really good young players.
20:35 There's some generational talent.
20:39 And I want to watch how the team responds.
20:41 I want to see you guys get something to be excited about.
20:46 I'm sorry, I've gotten to know so many of you.
20:50 So many of you.
20:51 I was emailing with a few of you yesterday.
20:54 And just new emails.
20:57 "Hey, how do I?"
20:58 I'm a new emailer or whatever.
21:00 And I just appreciate the way that you all love your team.
21:06 I'll just tell you this real quickly.
21:10 I was on a conference call recently with a bunch of other media and the conversation
21:17 was about fans.
21:18 And in this conversation, I made the comment, I said, "It is impossible to not love Raider
21:24 fans."
21:25 It's just impossible.
21:26 It's just the way you guys are.
21:30 You love the team, you care about it.
21:32 And I've seen that before in other sports, but it's very rare in the NFL.
21:39 And I think so for you guys tonight, I want to hear the celebration.
21:46 I want to look on Twitter and just see Raiders.
21:49 I want you guys to have something going into Christmas.
21:54 And I want you to be able to say, "Okay, you know what?
21:56 For right now, we don't know what the future holds.
21:58 But for right now, this very moment, we got to win."
22:05 So those are some things I'm looking for tonight, analytically.
22:09 I'm really excited about the Complete Recap podcast.
22:11 If you don't know, I do a podcast after each game.
22:15 I love doing those.
22:18 Absolutely love doing those.
22:21 And just sharing things that I accumulate analytically.
22:25 I shoot it after I come out of the locker room.
22:27 So I've talked to players, I've talked to coaches, just really getting some information.
22:32 Those are five things I'm looking for tonight.
22:35 And AP isn't going to win the job tonight.
22:41 Nothing is going to happen tonight, you know, in a, obviously, a major injury or a catastrophe.
22:49 I'm not talking about that.
22:51 That's going to change the world.
22:54 But what's going to happen tonight is memories.
22:58 I want to read you an email.
23:05 Was it going to do this?
23:08 What I'm going to do it.
23:11 This comes from Manuel.
23:17 "Dear Mr. Carpenter, I wanted to send you a very quick email thanking you for your last podcast.
23:24 When you talked about the players caring about the family that saves up their money to come to a game.
23:32 I'm a dad, a single dad, and I have two children."
23:39 Sorry, this chokes me up.
23:40 I love people who are good dads.
23:45 "I'm raising my children by myself, and I have given to them some things.
23:51 I don't have a lot of money, but I've given them my love of being a Raider.
23:56 I'm so excited at what you said.
23:59 We are coming to the game against the Chargers because this is my kids' Christmas present.
24:09 I asked them if they wanted presents, but they said they wanted to go to a Raider game.
24:14 It's very, very expensive.
24:18 And when the team started to not do well, I was concerned that they would not play certain players.
24:27 We love the Raiders.
24:30 So excited that they're going to be playing if they can.
24:34 Thank you for saying that, Manuel."
24:37 That's you guys.
24:40 That's why I thank you guys all the time that I get to cover this team for you.
24:45 That's the kind of people that you are.
24:48 You're single parents who save up your money to come to see your team.
24:54 Your team can be losing, and you're out there screaming, "Raiders."
25:01 It's just the way that you people are.
25:06 I'm going to say this to you, Raider Nation.
25:09 I not only get to cover your team for you, but you've earned my respect.
25:15 I respect Raider Nation.
25:18 And so, yeah, I want to see you guys have something to celebrate.
25:23 I can't wait.
25:26 I can't imagine what covering this team is going to be like.
25:29 If you win a Super Bowl.
25:33 And so, I'm not a fan of the Raiders, but I root for good people.
25:40 That's you, Raider Nation.
25:44 And I had somebody take what I thought was a cheap shot at me, which I'm fine with.
25:49 I don't know who you're trying to motivate.
25:51 I'm not trying to motivate anybody.
25:53 That's not my job.
25:55 It's called being sincere.
25:57 And so, when we have these podcasts every day, I'm going to thank you for watching.
26:02 And I'm going to report to you with the best ability that I have, and I'm going to share with you what am I looking for.
26:13 And I want to see.
26:15 Here's another one I'm looking for.
26:17 As we come down this home stretch, there are some people that have one year left on their deal, a couple with maybe two.
26:25 I want to see guys who are giving maximum effort because they're saying, "I want to be here.
26:32 It isn't about me."
26:35 I want to see guys continue to get better.
26:37 I'd love Thayer Mumford to go out and have a great game at left tackle.
26:44 I want to see.
26:45 I think he has that ability.
26:47 I covered him some at Ohio State.
26:49 So, I want to see that happen.
26:52 I want to watch those things progress.
26:55 I think Dylan Parham is a building block for this team.
26:58 I think he's a really, really good player.
27:00 I think some people just forget about Dylan because he's young and because he's been a starter from day one.
27:07 I want to continue to watch Dylan Parham accelerate.
27:10 Again, another good guy.
27:14 I'm watching Tyree Wilson, who's not 100%.
27:20 Just continue to get better.
27:22 The kid's been battling even though he's been injured.
27:24 He has every right to be down and depressed if he reads things, and I know he does, that people say about him.
27:30 The team knew he wasn't going to be 100% until next year.
27:33 He knew it, but he still battled, still battled.
27:38 And so, those are things that I'm watching for.
27:42 There is a lot to play for.
27:44 I've seen some people say, "You know, there's not a lot to play for in this game."
27:48 Yes, there is.
27:49 There's a ton to play for.
27:53 If you're a Raider, you already know what there's to play for.
27:59 But if you're somebody wondering what is there to play for, we're losing a draft pick.
28:07 Manuel, you.
28:11 There's a lot to play for.
28:13 This is a big football game.
28:15 You are still in the hunt for the playoffs.
28:17 Still in the hunt.
28:21 Make it happen.
28:23 Battle. Fight.
28:24 And that's what I love about these guys on this team.
28:27 They're going to do that.
28:30 Max Crosby's probably 75%, maybe 70, somewhere in there.
28:35 No excuses from him.
28:38 Nah, my knee's fine.
28:39 Don't want to talk about it.
28:40 Why? Because I'm not looking for an excuse.
28:43 Do you know how many players would be like, "Well, I'm going to go out and play, but I'm only at 70%"?
28:49 No, not Max.
28:50 Not Max.
28:53 I'm going to -- I was on a national show the other day.
28:56 I'm going to be on another one this afternoon.
28:58 Again, depending on when you see this, I'm going to be on Serious Fantasy today, this afternoon.
29:04 In fact, I'll tell you what time I'm going to be on.
29:08 I am going to be on that show today at 210 Eastern, 1110 Pacific.
29:16 And one of the things I'm going to talk about is I think that Max Crosby is an elite player.
29:23 And do you remember when Jordan played sick as a dog?
29:28 Because that's what elite players do.
29:31 And what's he doing?
29:34 Yeah, I'm at 70%.
29:35 Still playing.
29:36 And I don't want to talk about it because I'm not looking for your sympathy.
29:38 And if we lose, don't come say, "Oh, poor, pitiful Max."
29:41 No, Max don't want that.
29:45 It's either a win or pissed.
29:47 I'm going to tell you guys something.
29:48 I know a lot of you don't know Max like I do, and that's fine.
29:52 But I'm telling you, if Max has 10 sacks tonight and they lose, he's going to be pissed.
29:58 And if he has no sacks and they win, he'll be handing out the cigars.
30:05 Because he's about team.
30:06 He's about Raiders.
30:08 And he's one of you.
30:11 He's one of you in a uniform.
30:13 He loves the team like you guys do.
30:15 He cares about it.
30:16 And he's going to give his all.
30:17 So that's kind of what I'm looking for tonight.
30:19 That's where my thought process is, and it's where I'm thinking.
30:24 So from all of us at Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation, Las Vegas Raiders, Insider Podcast,
30:28 part of the Fans First Sports Network, thank you for watching.
30:32 You remember you can follow me on Twitter @HondoCarpenter, H-O-N-D-O-C-A-R-P-E-N-T-E-R.
30:38 On Instagram, HondoSR, HondoSR stands for senior.
30:44 And then lastly, we also offer all of our podcasts as audio only when you go to Spotify or Apple.
30:54 But at Spotify and Apple where we do our audio only, I do a second podcast every day.
31:00 It's five to ten minutes called Riding with Hondo.
31:03 You may want to check that out too.
31:05 So from all of us here to you, again, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah.
31:08 God bless you all. Have a great day.