HENDERSON, Nev.—The Las Vegas Raiders (3-4) head to Gotham this weekend to face the New York Jets (2-5), led by the Silver and Black’s starting QB last year, Geno Smith.

The Raiders have stayed the course with discipline and perseverance on a three-year plan to get the storied franchise back on track to being relevant every year in the NFL playoff paradigm.

Klint Kubiak’s Command

One thing that has impressed me, since reporting the inside details of the interview process with Klint Kubiak, is his direct communication style.

Kubiak is not one to bloviate; he's not a deceiver either. If he doesn’t want to discuss something, you can’t trick him into it by asking in four different ways. He is highly intelligent and knows exactly what you are doing.

That does not mean he is uncommunicative at all. In fact, he is the opposite. Kubiak is excited about the enormous opportunity of turning around an iconic franchise like the storied Las Vegas Raiders and enjoys sharing the process with people.

A great example of his communication style came earlier today. When asked about Ashton Jeanty saying in the locker room that he needed to trust himself more, Kubiak said, “We’ve just got to go perform. We’ve got to go produce. Go produce on Sunday. So, that’s what it’s about for the entire offense.”

Players Perspective of Kubiak

One of the leaders in the Raiders’ locker room described Kubiak to me as, “He will get on you, and he is real relentless showing the film of when you screw up. He has a way of correcting you, pointing out how bad it was, and at the time making you feel like you got this. I don’t think I ever played for a coach like that. He’s a good man.”

Maxx Crosby said it best to me, “I love Klint, I love the way he approaches it, he is relentless and always striving to be legendary. Like I said, I love him.”

The Staff Reflects the Leader

Kubiak hired a staff that is true to themselves; they share foundational values that keep them on the same page while having the latitude to stay true to themselves.

Kubiak’s father, Gary, was lauded for his character as a man and coach, and for how he handled and empowered his staff; his son, who adores his father, took those qualities and modeled them as a husband, dad, and coach.

Kubiak has hired men who are all tremendous communicators and teachers.

At no time since Kubiak has been the head coach of the Raiders has that been more apparent than this week.

As the Raiders face a difficult trip to the Meadowlands of New Jersey for a 10 AM PT kickoff on Sunday, Kubiak’s staff offered fascinating insight and revelation on the team's status.

Offense

Andrew Janocko isn't a traditional OC with total command of his offense, and he isn't a figurehead OC, similar to what Josh McDaniels had as head coach.

Craving the team approach, Kubiak may be the dominant offensive mind, but Janocko isn’t far off. Kubiak’s father was a collaborative leader, and so is his son.

Janocko’s impact and fingerprints are all over the Silver and Black offense, so when he speaks, he speaks with authority. An authority that echoed in his words this week.

Ashton Jeanty

Janocko knows that if the Raiders are going to reach the NFL Playoffs by 2028 as a true contender, he needs Ashton Jeanty. He knows, as do any of us who know him, that Jeanty is not an egomaniac and demands excellence of himself. So he can discuss where Jeanty has to get better without minimizing the man as a human.

Janocko said of Jeanty, “I think he’s a guy that works really hard at his craft that’s very mindful of everything he’s working on. So, the big thing with him is just going out, trusting what he sees, coming off the ball, and then finishing plays.”

Janocko expanded on Jeanty when breaking down his value in the passing game.

“Somebody (Jeanty) that we lean on in our offense, and so running the ball, catching the ball, that’s all something that, whether it’s Ashton or whether it’s any of our other skill players, just maximizing things they do and trying to put them in the best position possible.”

Tangible Disrespect

I understand and appreciate people clamoring for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and the man that NFL executives rated as the best QB prospect in the last four NFL Drafts, Fernando Mendoza.

I said in the offseason that no matter how Kirk Cousins played, people would be calling for the rookie. Everyone loves the shiny new QB.

The reality is that the best quarterback in the history of football, Tom Brady, before he ever became an owner of the Raiders, made it clear that starting right away impedes the development of young quarterbacks; he hired a GM (John Spytek) and a coach who agree, and to their credit, have shown the discipline to see Mendoza’s progress as a long-term gain and not a short-term injection of hope.

The disrespect of Kirk Cousins, who leads the NFL in touchdown passes and is third in passing yardage, gets discarded as if it doesn’t matter, when it does.

Janocko took that head-on when talking about the things Cousins does that aren’t on a stat sheet but allow him to succeed, and he showed the prized young rookie how he, too, can play 15+ years in the greatest professional sports league in the world.

“He has so much experience, and so the big thing that we see is him doing it every single day and coming out, and the way he takes care of his body, the way he prepares mentally, the way he’s ready in meetings, interacts with his teammates. That’s all stuff that we see that he’s putting himself in a chance to have success, and it helps to elevate our team.”

That doesn’t mean Cousins is immune from criticism.

I have known him for 22 years, and I can tell you, as a junior in high school or an NFL veteran in his 15th season, no one, NO ONE, is harder on Cousins than Cousins.

He took himself to task for missing Jalen Nailor on Sunday, and Janocko didn’t pull any punches when agreeing with him.

“I think there’s always things that we’re all going to try to do better. I think Kirk [Cousins] is one of his toughest critics on himself, so he always is trying to find ways to elevate the people around him, whether it’s us as coaches, we’re always trying to uplift each other, and then he is trying to find the best way to be successful."

"So, he wants the best for his teammates and the best for everybody around him. So, whether it’s Jalen [Nailor], whether it’s Brock [Bowers], Mike [Mayer], everybody, he’s trying to bring out the best in everybody.”

Iron Sharpens Iron

Janocko knows that Brady hired Spytek because they are on the same page. Spytek picked Kubiak for the same reason, and Kubiak, for the same reason, picked his staff. Everyone is finally on the same page in Raider Nation.

That makes it easy for Spytek and his staff to pick players; they don’t have to share the same personality, but they all share the same football character. They love the game, they value the game, and in the midst of a four-game losing streak, these players are working hard. Janocko elaborated on the players and the grind.

“I think the character in this building speaks for that. We have guys that believe in what we’re doing, believe in success we’re having, and know where we’ve fallen short and where we can get better. So, I think it’s just a belief in coming to get better.“

He continued, “But that starts with Klint [Kubiak]. It permeates throughout the building that we’re striving for something, and sometimes you just got to keep working at it, keep working, keep working, and then results come through. And then our coaching staff, everybody, nobody falters, and then the players as well. It's just, ‘Hey, let’s work. We got another challenge this week.’ We got a great challenge this week to go on the road. So, we’re focused on that.”

Defense

DC Robbie Leonard is a rising star, of whom I have sung his praises for years. His defense struggled last week, and true to the Kubiak form, he didn't throw players under the bus for missed tackles and assignments; he would have none of that. He made it clear who he blames.

“We obviously have got to do a better job. When you play like that, that starts with me. When you have mis-fits, missed tackles and different angles to the ball, that is 100% on me. I have to be better there.”

Not Gonna Lie

Leonard was asked about the CB battle between Darien Porter and Hezekiah Masses. Both young men are rotating now; does he see the rotation continuing, or someone seizing the job? His answer was brilliant and sent the right thought process back to his locker room, who was and is listening.

“I told the defense yesterday I’m looking at it for everybody. There are very few, ‘Hey, Nakobe [Dean] is the starting mic. 98 [Maxx Crosby] is a defensive end.' Everybody is competing for the job, myself included, every day. I want them to feel that because it’s true. There’s nothing guaranteed. I tell them, you have to put someone in a position to say, ‘How can I not play this guy? He does everything right.’ And until that happens with everybody, then competitions on every day.”

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