This new Raiders team is built on selflessness
After the win over the Baltimore Ravens, Khalil Mack dubbed Derek Carr “The Chosen One.” Mack was coming off of his best game of the season but was hailing Carr for his performance. This kind of adulation is often shared between the two young leaders of this Oakland Raiders team. You will frequently hear Derek Carr joke with Mack saying things like “I see why they took you before me!”
The two have been seen poking fun at each other during press conferences and generally showing a light hearted friendship that is not in any way impacted by their respective draft positions.
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Sure, Carr has said that he has a chip on his shoulder from not being taken in the first round, but that in no way changes how he views Mack, as someone deserving of being taken before him. And sure, Mack could feel high and mighty because of his draft position, many people taken where he was let it get to their heads. But not Mack, a somewhat reserved leader who would rather sing the praises of his teammates than himself.
This is what the new Raiders team is built on: Selflessness. A cult of belief in the team rather than the individual.
We’ve all seen it in how this team has been built. Some players like Nate Allen, Neiko Thorpe and Matt McCants exhibit this devotion to something greater by taking a pay cut to try and stay with the Raiders. Others like Tyvon Branch and Carson Palmer were not interested in sacrificing for the greater good and so they were cut.
It’s this selflessness that has built a Raiders team that picks eachother up. When one side of the ball doesn’t play well, we don’t see guys pointing fingers or calling out teammates, you see guys stepping up to try and pick up the slack. It’s a team that has clearly built a tight bond behind guys like Derek Carr and Khalil Mack who lead with humility rather than aggression.
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