The Las Vegas Raiders fell to 2-7 in the first season of the Pete Carroll era, but the longtime Seattle Seahawks head coach wasn’t dismayed about his team’s 10-7 loss to the Denver Broncos.
“I’m so fired up about the way we played in general,” Carroll told reporters following the loss. “To fight against these guys all night long, and then to have a chance to tie it up, and what would have happened there? I don’t know, I think we would win. There’s a lot of in-between things to talk about.
“But the way that they competed is just what we’re hoping for, just what we’re looking for. Could we not clip a guy? Could we not hold a guy? Yeah. There are so many things we could get better at. But the fight is in this dog now. But I couldn’t wait to tell them how proud I was. We are going to do something.”
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While he’s staying positive about the future, Carroll admitted the Raiders rookies need to clean up their mistakes or they won’t be part of the team moving forward. Star running back Ashton Jeanty was among those who made mistakes on Thursday night, dropping a pass from quarterback Geno Smith that ended in an interception.
“This isn’t gonna be forever – this is what is right now,” Carroll said before admitting the errors from the Raiders rookies wouldn’t be making such mistakes if they were veteran players. “Guys that have been around, that wouldn’t have happened to. We’ll overcome that. If they don’t, they won’t get better and they won’t be here. But they’ll improve on those things.”
Jeanty finished the game with 60 rushing yards and a touchdown on 19 carries while adding three yards through the air on three receptions.
Las Vegas will get an extended break before playing against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 11 on Monday Night Football.
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