Reggie McKenzie's Vic Tafur interview - Transcribed from The Athleteic

[NightTrainLane]

Vic Tafur: You guys were a physical team last year. And now you add a guy named Beast Mode and a couple of young guys on defense who aren’t playing around …

McKenzie: That was the plan in the offseason, to continue that physicality, even more so on the defensive side of the ball. Offensively, I felt like the O-line established themselves last year. We needed some dogs on the other side of the ball. And the young guys are taking to that, accepting the challenge.

The young linebackers are running and hitting, and the more they play the better they’re going to be. We are physical. Marquel (Lee). Eddie. Mario (Edwards). I thought Karl (Joseph) tackled very well and we handled a pretty good run game on Sunday. Hopefully, we can build on that.

VT: You mentioned the linebackers. It’s a good thing you aren’t on Twitter, because you were getting killed for your handling of that position. Were you ever concerned with what you had on the roster there after losing two starters last year?

McKenzie: I never thought it was as dire a situation as some of you guys did. (Smiles). The problem is the lack of experience. You can’t say that these guys aren’t physical or that they can’t run. There are no can’ts. There just aren’t a lot of cans, yes, because they have no resume. Outside of Cory James, none of those inside linebackers had made an NFL tackle … Cory is our best linebacker, he is versatile and can do some things. He is going to take off.

So, guys like Tyrell Adams, Marquel, (Nicholas) Morrow and even Cory — who was able to come back from that knee ‘scope — they’re all talented. We just don’t know how good they can be yet. They’ll watch the tape and get better Week 2, because they’re all smart and work hard. But I was excited to see that they didn’t back down from the challenge in Tennessee.

VT: Were you ever close to bringing a veteran in at that spot?

McKenzie: Nothing tells me today that we have to sit one of those young guys down, that we’re not good enough. We’re going to let these young guys develop and help us be dominant.

VT: I always thought that Jelani Jenkins was the fall-back plan if you didn’t see enough from Lee at the middle spot …

McKenzie: Yeah, he was definitely a guy that could have helped us. Lee is a run-down guy right now, and TA can cover. Jenkins had some knee and groin issues, and if he isn’t starting, it was hard for me to justify keeping him. He may have flashed more than Lee did in the preseason, but have to study the little things.

VT: So if Jenkins didn’t work out, you have to be thrilled with the guys you brought in on offense. Has Lynch fit in better than even in your wildest dreams?

McKenzie: I am really glad he is on our team. He’s been a blessing. He’s really a good teammate. The guys, from all walks, really like him. They like being around him and he keeps everybody loose. Trust me, in my many years of football life, those are the kind of guys that are the glue to the team.

Brett Favre and Reggie White were the two biggest clowns that we had up there in Green Bay, but they were the best players too. There is something to keeping things loose and still being focused, saying the right things and challenging your teammates and then showing it’s done on the field. When a leader can show that side of him, and people laugh at or with you, they gravitate toward you. And guys gravitate toward Marshawn.

VT: You’re looking for talent and potential. But is a big part of your job making sure the personalities click in the locker room?

McKenzie: No question, no question. When you get the right kind of guys — and we do have the right kind of guys — the sky is the limit. When they can doggone be excited to come to work and see their buddies … the worst thing is going to work and thinking, ‘Shoot, I have to deal with this joker.’ That’s no fun.

VT: Does Lynch remind you of Michael Crabtree? There were a lot of whispers about him before you signed him, and now he is one of your and Raiders fans’ favorites.

McKenzie: He is a football player. Man, he is just … a football … player. He makes plays and he knows how to do it. He’s a natural. I love Crab … I think with him and Marshawn, it comes down to the environment. First, the locker room. Then the coaches getting their hands on them and making them feel like they are a part of something. Then the organization treating them well. It all goes hand in hand. It’s cool …

Crab was the complete opposite of what was said about him in San Francisco.

VT: Crabtree wasn’t one of your original targets in free agency that year. Kind of like Jared Cook this year. How cool is it when that happens, and you add a playmaker?

McKenzie: We saw an opportunity to do it. You know how free agency is … when it starts, you never know. Everybody is reaching for the skyyyyyyyy (stretches out his arms). You can’t pay a lot of those prices. But then things settle down, the communication stays good and it works out.

The key is that guys want to be here now. They like what we’re doing and they want to be a part of it. That’s half the battle. Players are asking their agents to see what’s going on with the Raiders. When that part kicks in, it makes it easier for us. At least to get our foot in the door and present.

We were extremely excited to hear that Jared was interested. He is going to help us a lot …

VT: Your offense is pretty friggin’ good …

McKenzie: Yeah, we’ve got some horses. If everybody does their job and we protect the ball we can score some points. And don’t forget Cordarrelle Patterson. We’ve got some weapons … and the biggest one is Derek (Carr).

VT: Carr and Mack have to be a big part of why you guys have become a destination organization. Besides that, what excites you about your two foundation pieces?

McKenzie: They’re still in the growth part of their careers. They’re just scratching the surface. And the more they continue to be around the same group, like Derek’s had the same receivers for a while now and the same scheme, that works together with that. You can see Derek getting rid of the ball and trusting in his receivers even more … We have two impact players who are getting better.

VT: I forgot to mention one of those receivers, Amari Cooper, when we were talking about the team’s physicality earlier. He’s gotten bigger and he carried a bunch of defenders into the end zone Sunday …

McKenzie: It’s in his mind to not only start strong but finish strong this year. I feel great about Coop. After the last two years, he is really driven to show that he is just as good at the end of the season as he is at the start. He takes a lot of pride in his craft, and he is competitive, and you’re going to see an even better player this season. Throughout.

VT: Cooper is a couple years away from a big payday. Carr and Gabe Jackson got theirs this offseason. Has the financial side of things gone according how you mapped it out?

McKenzie: For the most part, Some things come up that you don’t account for. And you only have so much money to spend. But when guys like Cook and Marshawn become possibilities, you have to squeeze some money here and squeeze some money there. Because you gotta figure out a way to get those guys. That’s my job.

And we got our quarterback locked up. Now we gotta get our stud defensive end locked up.

VT: Pretty obvious that Mack's patience will be rewarded, right?

McKenzie: We communicated to Khalil’s agent that there is only so much cash we can do this year. But he’ll definitely have stuff presented to him in the near future. We want to do a long-term deal with him. Khalil is not only a great player, but he is a great leader, a great person and a great Raider. In my book, he is a lifer.

VT: I know you and Donald Penn are closing in on a contract extension. Where you ever worried about his holdout in training camp being a distraction or having repercussions?

McKenzie: I felt good about Donald. He just wanted some more money. The bottom line is I said I would like to have my left tackle under contract for the following year, and you know that he will always compete. Donald always competes hard. So, let’s give him a chance to compete for a spot in 2018.

We have a lot of young players that we want to keep, and it’s not easy to keep everybody happy. But it never got messy, and I commend Donald for that.

VT: There is name at the bottom corner of the roster that fans are always asking me about. Listed under suspended. Aldon Smith. Is he even still on the radar?

McKenzie: Mark Davis and I still talk about him. We just want to make sure he is doing fine, getting his life on track. Whether Aldon comes back or not really doesn’t matter at this point. We just want him to be the best Aldon Smith he can be.

VT: Has it been dead quiet with him as far as the league goes?

McKenzie: Yeah, it’s been quiet. Aldon is just taking the right steps and is going to worry about football later.

VT: So, in your mind, you’re not paying him so there is no reason to cut him?

McKenzie: I know deep down he wants to play football. We’re going to be with him until he gets his life in order … or until he doesn’t. If he tells me that he is not going to try anymore, then we’ll move on. As long as he is trying, he will stay on the roster.

VT: You clearly enjoy scouting players, getting to know them, planning a roster. The wins … You even enjoy the contract stuff. Is being a general manager your dream job?

McKenzie: Yeah. I love my job, love what I am doing. I am a football guy … but I enjoy the business side of it too. Our negotiators, our salary cap people, I think they appreciate me because I can give them great negotiating tools. How they can attack it. Because I present what I want, what I am looking for and have a plan for where guys should fall as far as the big picture goes.

We have to keep this team in Super Bowl contention every year. It’s a fun deal.

[daineraider]

I like the Aldon Smith comments.  I hope that it helps Aldon knowing he has this organization backing him regardless of if he plays again or not.

The LB comments don't shock me and until they start to look bad I wont worry about it too much.  They looked pretty decent on Sunday.  I would like to upgrade the position this offseason in the draft, but that's a long ways away.

I think we all know that Reggie will extend Mack this offseason and then we will have to see where the cap comes in to be able to make any other moves.

 

 

[Rich7sena]

Isn't this behind a pay wall?

[NightTrainLane]

30 minutes ago, Rich7sena said:

Isn't this behind a pay wall?

It's from The Athlethic.

[raidr4life]

4 hours ago, daineraider said:

I like the Aldon Smith comments.  I hope that it helps Aldon knowing he has this organization backing him regardless of if he plays again or not.

The LB comments don't shock me and until they start to look bad I wont worry about it too much.  They looked pretty decent on Sunday.  I would like to upgrade the position this offseason in the draft, but that's a long ways away.

I think we all know that Reggie will extend Mack this offseason and then we will have to see where the cap comes in to be able to make any other moves.

 

 

Sean Smith and Reggie Nelson will be off the payroll, that's 16M freed up between them two.

[daineraider]

10 minutes ago, raidr4life said:

Sean Smith and Reggie Nelson will be off the payroll, that's 16M freed up between them two.

Which all of that, plus more, will be going to Mack.  Reggie needs to start hitting on draft picks because our free agent $ is going to be used on re signing our own.

[NightTrainLane]

2 hours ago, daineraider said:

Which all of that, plus more, will be going to Mack.  Reggie needs to start hitting on draft picks because our free agent $ is going to be used on re signing our own.

Yeah, adding quality players thru the draft and as UDFA will be key. I's a good thing he and his staff are good at finding gems with lower picks because they will become a premium in the next few years. Next year, even with Mack's deal we should still have some room to maneuver because I doubt Mack will have a cap hit of 25 mil in the first year bu you're right we'll have to tighten the belt even more. That is why I think Penn may not be around next year. Yes, he is important but at 12mil a year, we just might have to find a cheaper option and live with it.