‘We need to be a playoff team this year,’ Mayock says of Raiders

It took Raiders wide manager Mike Mayock 20 minutes to marque his main constituent connected Wednesday erstwhile helium met with the media for the archetypal clip since past April.

With the Raiders’ 53-man roster acceptable for the clip being and the 16-player signifier squad adjacent to completion, Mayock could yet publically measure the roster helium and caput manager Jon Gruden person built implicit the past 3 years.

“We deliberation we’re going to beryllium a beauteous bully shot team,” Mayock began. He was conscionable warming up.

“We’re not hiding from expectations. Jon and I volition some archer you that we consciousness similar we request to beryllium a playoff squad this year. I don’t deliberation there’s immoderate uncertainty astir that. That’s what the anticipation is. We deliberation we’ve done the infrastructure enactment indispensable to enactment america successful position.”

It volition instrumentality overmuch much than content and condemnation for that to travel to fruition. Health ever plays a role. Good luck is ever a consideration. Coming disconnected 2 consecutive collapses successful the 2nd fractional of seasons, the Raiders request to fig retired a mode to play amended from opening to end.

But for the archetypal clip since the Gruden/Mayock tandem was formed successful 2019, they judge they person the endowment to scope the playoffs for the archetypal clip since the 2016 play and conscionable the 2nd clip successful the past 19 years.

That, coupled with a instrumentality to normalcy aft dealing with each the havoc COVID-19 wreaked past year, leaves Mayock champing astatine the spot to statesman the caller season.

“I’m fired up,” Mayock said. “It’s portion of, A, being backmost to normal, but, B, conscionable much the accumulation of 3 years.”

The main crushed for Mayock’s assurance — beyond the information that Derek Carr is going into his 4th play nether Gruden and the discourtesy is coming disconnected a top-10 decorativeness successful 2020 — is the maturation of the 2019 draught and undrafted escaped cause people that has evolved arsenic the backbone of the Raiders’ roster.

The radical consists of Josh Jacobs, Hunter Renfrow, Maxx Crosby, Alec Ingold, Foster Moreau, Trayvon Mullen, Cle Ferrell, Andre James, AJ Cole and Johnathan Abram.

“From a draught prime perspective, it’s benignant of been amusive for Year Three for maine to benignant of look backmost astatine ‘19 and spot who’s go leaders connected this team,” Mayock said. “Guys similar Maxx Crosby, Foster Moreau, Hunter Renfrow, each 3 of them are leaders now. Along with Cle, Josh. Jon’s been truly good. Trayvon. That people is benignant of increasing up. For me, that’s fun.”

Mayock besides spoke highly of however members of the 2020 draught class, galore of whom struggled with injuries and making the modulation to the NFL successful the mediate of a pandemic, person embraced a instrumentality to a much mean offseason and grooming camp. Most notably helium mentioned wide receivers Henry Ruggs and Bryan Edwards and antiaircraft backmost Damon Arnette.

“Ruggs came successful a small spot of a antithetic guy,” Mayock said. “You tin consciousness his velocity much than past year. Arnette, I similar the mode he’s approached this camp. Bryan Edwards, everyone is excited about.”

The cardinal volition beryllium however rapidly a rebuilt violative enactment comes together, whether Ruggs and Edwards are acceptable to lend alongside Waller, Jacobs and choky extremity Darren Waller and however overmuch amended the Raiders’ defence tin beryllium aft surrendering 29.9 points per crippled past year, third-most successful the NFL.

For the defence to beryllium importantly better, the Raiders’ rebuilt antiaircraft enactment needs to go a strength. Mayock has a hunch that things volition enactment retired connected the antiaircraft line, but helium is taking a wait-and-see approach.

“I consciousness similar the reply to that question is simply a fewer weeks away,” Mayock said, pointing to the play opener against the Baltimore Ravens followed by a travel to Pittsburgh to play the Steelers.

“I’m conscionable being honorable with you,” Mayock continued. “I played for Bills Parcells. He ever said imaginable means you ain’t done a damned happening yet. I’m a large believer successful that. It doesn’t mean that these guys with america haven’t done it individually successful the league. We conscionable haven’t done it collectively arsenic a Raiders defence yet.”

Contact Vincent Bonsignore astatine vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore connected Twitter.