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Gutierrez: Pete Carroll's all-in mentality sets lofty, but welcome, expectations for Raiders

Yes, you've heard it before. Many times before.

This feels different.

This feels legit.

This feels real.

The Raiders, under the new direction of grizzled veteran coach Pete Carroll and first-time general manager John Spytek, ushered in their first Silver and Black-infused training camp with the duo this week so, of course, it felt different.

But it also felt, gulp, legit.

From the opening whistle, camp resembled controlled chaos, taking on the frenetic personality of Carroll, the buzz on the field almost tangible. As one high-ranking Raiders official whispered to me during those high-energy warmups, "They look like they're ready to play a game right now."

Hey, hope springs eternal in the first minutes of camp and maybe, just maybe, the Raiders have found the right combination with Carroll at the controls.

Because for one of the few times in franchise history, the Raiders have a new-yet-established coach with pelts on the wall, championships (both in college and the NFL) on his resume and the respect of the roster to go along with the omnipresent attaboys and feel-good vibes.

And that's why this feels different.

"My expectations are about as high as they can get," Carroll said the day before camp began. "There's no limit. We're going for it."

Wait, what?

A franchise that has had just two winning seasons, to go with a mere two playoff appearances, since the start of the 2003 season, is, ahem, going for it?

But wait, there's more.

"Oh, we are going to win a ton," Carroll added. "We are going to win a bunch of games. I can't even imagine anything else. I've been winning 10 games a year for 20 years or something, you know?"

Kinda.

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Carroll, who had only one losing season in his last 12 years with the Seahawks, won at least 10 games eight times in his 14 seasons in Seattle. Before that, he had at least 10 wins in seven of nine seasons at USC.

Still, his point is made.

None of that means it will translate into victories in Year 1 with the Raiders, but it does give a blueprint, of sorts, to lean on.

"I mean, what are my expectations? We are going to win a bunch, and I don't care who hears that," Carroll continued. "It doesn't matter to me. It ain't about what anybody hears. It's about what we do. And so, that's why expectations are really high. The standards need to be, so that the expectations can be met. We'll see what happens.

"I wish I could guarantee it to you, but I can't even think of what else it could be, other than being really successful."

Of course, Antonio Pierce and Josh McDaniels had similar aspirations entering camps. And both brought certain qualities with them in those attempts to win games.

But again, this is, yes, different, and it all starts with Carroll's mindset. The key, then, is the players buying in.

Paging Maxx Crosby.

"I mean, if you don't believe, then you're wasting your time," said the four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher. "There's always going to be the negativity until you win."

Welp, the Raiders are a combined 43-57 since Crosby's rookie season of 2019.

"We haven't won much since I've been here," he said. "I made the playoffs one time, and that's not what I expect. Like, I expect perfection and excellence every day. But overall, I can't do it by myself. … It's got to be all of us.

"So we've got to be delusional enough to believe in what we can truly do. That's the only way you can go out there and win."

It's a mindset wrapped in a vibe inside a decidedly Silver and Black aura.

And it's transcending the early days of camp, while giving a knowing nod to the organization's DNA.

"As a great man once said, 'Just win baby,'" said new quarterback Geno Smith, who experienced a career rebirth under Carroll in Seattle.

"So that's what we're here to do – we're here to win. And again, it's about what we do every single day, [developing] winning habits, creating a winning mentality. That's something we're doing already."

If slow and steady wins the race, how soon can the Raiders, under the excitable Carroll, become legit contenders?

Especially in a brutal AFC West, where the Chiefs have gone to five of the last six Super Bowls and the Chargers and Broncos both went to the playoffs last season.

You've got to crawl before you can walk, walk before you can run, run before you can fly. But you can always dream. And work toward a goal.

Carroll authored a pair of 7-9 seasons in his first two years with the Seahawks, in 2010 and 2011, but did win a playoff game that first year (yes, Seattle won a depleted NFC West with a losing record and then upset the defending Super Bowl champion Saints in that epic "Beast Quake" game), before winning the Super Bowl in Year 4 and coming within a yard of repeating.

He went 6-6 in Year 1 at USC before returning the Trojans to national prominence.

"I want to see how far we can take our club, and we're going to do it one step at a time," Carroll said. "We're just going to see how good we can be … and there's a lot of information we have to gather, still. We haven't been in pads at all, so the game hasn't even begun yet.

"So that's why camp is so crucial, and particularly in a first-time camp – you've got to find out a lot of information about our guys."

Sound different yet?

The Raiders hit the field for the first day of 2025 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.

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