Podcast: Final Observations from Raiders Final Minicamp Practice

The last day of NFL Mandatory Minicamp is over and all of the attention of the Las Vegas Raiders is focused on training camp coming up in six weeks.

Our latest episode of the Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast features On SI Beat Writers Hondo Carpenter and Zeke Trezevant, who offer their takes and observations from the final day of Pete Carroll's first minicamp in the desert.

You can watch the entire podcast below:

The Raiders are fortunate to have Tom McMahon coordinating the special teams. His mind works in so many ways, exploring so many ways to scheme and plan, which makes special teams fascinating.

Coach McMahon spoke after practice on a myriad of Raiders centric topics, and as usual was engaging, and educational.

You can read a partial transcript of all he said below.

Special Teams Coordinator Tom McMahon

Q: What's most important for you guys right now during this mandatory minicamp?

Coach McMahon: "Biggest thing is, is effort. We want to see effort. If you go fast, I can't teach fast. I can correct everything else. If you make a mistake with leverage, I'll correct it. But we want to see every single guy compete. You talk to Pete [Carroll] and everything's about competition, and the person you're trying to compete with is yourself. You're striving for that excellence. And the bottom line is, if you give effort, I'll fix what needs to be fixed. And I think in tribute to all these guys in this league, I think all of you know this, what these guys can do, we can't teach. What they can't do, we can. And that's straight respect for the players on this team and then the players we're going to play too, that's why we're trying to make it really hard on them."

Q: There's a Montana connection with you and Tommy Mellott. When it got to that point in the draft, what did you think?

Coach McMahon: "I got to be honest with you, I didn't know Tommy [Mellot] from before. So, it was just more of a watching tape. So, it's just being from the same state, it's so small, and everybody says, 'Oh, there's not many good players from Montana.' There's players. So, it really had nothing to do with that. We were just looking for the player, and when we evaluated the player, we felt like he had good special team qualities. His rookie year, his freshman year, is really good. He's really good with the ball in his hands. So, that's how we evaluate him. But I don't really know Tommy. We're not from the same hometown and I'm much, much older."

Q: Any of the rookies that have stood out to you so far?

Coach McMahon: "Oh, all the rookies. We've got some really good players. So, these guys are working hard. We've got good length. You see a lot of length; you see a lot of speed. And that's the big thing is the kickoff now, with the kick return, when we're only five yards apart, you can't have the little guys. You struggle because it's a fourth down play now. It's not a second and 18 play that it used to be. They've cut 30 yards out of this thing. So, it's grown strength. We need that. But we're big, we're fast, and all those guys are playing very, very well. And they're detailed, so they're pros."

Q: What's something you have to tell Tommy Mellott while he's going through this transition of trying to figure out a new position? What's the biggest thing that you're trying to teach him right now?

Coach McMahon: "Speed. Just play fast. Let me fix, just go. All these guys, it's new for everybody. It's not just Tommy [Mellott]. Most of these guys were the stars on their teams, they've never played special teams. So, everything I say to them is brand new. The kickoff rule, a completely different play than what they see in college. The punt play is Mars and Jupiter. They can release when the ball snapped, we can't. So, you see everybody kicking back, so it's all brand new to them. 'Coach, I've never had the block. The ball was snapped, I got to go.' Not now, just the two outside guys. So, it's new for everybody, not just Tommy. Play fast and let me fix."

Q: Darien Porter Jr. was the guy that was literally a star on special teams at Iowa State. What made him so good in that phase?

Coach McMahon: "Practice. And I'm going to be honest with you, experience. 999 reps of special teams. I've never, ever have seen that many in my career, personally. So, when you've played six years in college and you have that many reps, it's practice. And he plays fast now. He's a big player that plays really, really fast. He's detailed and he's got a lot of we can't teach what he can do."

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