Twitter Raiders General Manager Mike Mayock spoke with the media on Tuesday and, as usual, he was impressive in his delivery. He also offered some meaningful information.
A few observations to chew on before the hot rumors start stealing the show later in the week.
1 – Mayock may not have ruled out trading Derek Carr, but he said he is looking to “get better” at every position, every year. By the way, which free agent quarterbacks are definitely an upgrade over Carr?
Tom Brady would be, but probably not at age 43. Much less 44, 45, and all those other big numbers that come after 43.
2 – Mayock really isn’t happy with the Raider defense. It has been well over a decade since the Raiders fielded an above average roster on the defensive side of the ball and Mayock seems determined to end the tradition.
Given how skeptical he sounds about drafting a first-round receiver, is it possible Mayock takes defensive players with both first-round picks?
Nah. Gruden is a nice guy, but not that nice.
3 – Mayock had a little edge to him when talking about Antonio Brown. The words AB hurled at Mayock in their training camp incident were said to be incredibly vile. Mayock hasn’t quickly forgotten.
No one is going to say it, but the Raiders felt like they had a 9 or 10 win team if Brown hadn’t gone off the reservation. Mayock isn’t the only one in the building holding onto a grudge against AB.
4 – Mayock called out defensive tackle P.J. Hall pretty hard on Tuesday.
“[P.J. Hall has] got a challenge. We have a new defensive line coach coming in, and trust me, Rod Marinelli doesn’t put up with anything but 100 percent hustle. Nothing but.”
Did former defensive line coach Brentson Buckner put up with less than 100 percent? Definitely not, but it sounds like Mayock is issuing a strong warning to Hall going into the last couple months of the offseason.
Also interesting… Hall was one of Pro Football Focus’s highest graded players on the Raider defense. Mayock seemingly might not agree.
5 – Mayock sounds like a guy who really likes Clemson’s Isaiah Simmons.
“I think more and more defenses around the league are saying, who are the guys that you don’t necessarily put a label on that are dynamic football players? Isaiah Simmons has played on the back end. He’s played at linebacker. He’s come off the edge. And really I think the only limitations on him are what the defensive coordinator puts on him.”
No chance the Raiders try to trade up for him, right?
Nope. Definitely not.
twitter: @raidersbeat
Stopped with all this carr bullshit get a defense and #1 receiver and I bet things will change concentrate on those issues first and raider nation will be ok
I’ve been saying from the beginning of this offseason, Carr is the best option for the Raiders in 2020. I can’t see Carr not leading this team to the playoffs if they get him a real legit WR either in the draft or free agency and Mayock improves the defense to good or great status! Carr 2020
These idiotic talking heads don’t know when they are being played, keep blowing the smoke you are being fed… did they go to a college? do they understand english?