Defensive End Khali Mack
After the Oakland Raiders wrapped up their ninth Organized Team Activity [OTA] Wednesday afternoon, defensive end Khalil Mack spoke to the media.
Here are the highlights from his time at the podium.
Mack is starting to get antsy to put the pads on.
"Yeah. Very antsy, man, very antsy. Can't go all the way there. We're looking forward to training camp, but we're grinding right now."
In the offseason, it's all about getting better for the season ahead.
"Obviously, we want to get better. We want to start off strong and finish strong. You can say it's going to be different because we added different pieces, but at the end of the day, it's all about getting better and improving what we did last year."
**Mack shared his early thoughts about linebacker Shilique Calhoun and defensive lineman Jihad Ward.
**
"The early impressions of those guys, Shilique and Jihad and all the other rookie guys, especially on the defensive side of the ball, [I'm] very impressed. Seeing the guys work with their hands and seeing the hustle and the pursuit that they have to the ball. Just knowing all those different things that [defensive coordinator] Ken Norton, [Jr.] preaches. They came in and have been doing it immediately. That's great to see."
Although they may have different personalities, Mack sees Bruce Irvin as a good fit on the defense.
"Bruce is a funny dude. He's not afraid to say what's on his mind at any point of time. It's good to have him in the room to have that different kind of mentality and different mindset."
He also spoke about the passing of boxing legend Muhammad Ali.
"It's very touching and very, very, very sad moment for the sports world, period, and the world in general knowing the affect that he had on a lot of different people. He will be missed."
