The Raiders made the splash hire of the offseason, bringing coach Jon Gruden out of retirement to coach again.
And while quarterback Derek Carr believes the team is close to being a contender, he suggested a new approach will be helpful.
During an interview on SiriusXM Friday, Carr said he thinks the Raiders are close.
“We know what we’re capable of,” Carr said, via Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area. “We have so much talent on our team, but talent only gets you so far. We have to come together as a team like we never have. We have to hit a reset button after the emotional highs and lows we’ve been through. If you think about it, the last 24 months have been a roller coaster for us. We were so high winning 12 games [in 2016], and then I break my ankle and everyone goes down. Then we come back and start 2-0 [in 2017], and then it turns into a weird season.
“We have to hit a reset button. We know what we’re capable of. We know what it takes to win now. We’ve changed the culture. Coach [Jack] Del Rio came in and helped us do that along with our leadership. Anyone we add will be welcomed to the team and told, ‘Hey, this is how we do things.’ I don’t think we need to completely change things.”
Of course, Gruden’s going to bring a different style from Del Rio, and a different perspective from his first stint on the sidelines. And while they have a stable base of personnel, the Raiders clearly underperformed last year and needed a fresh voice.