Since Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler have left New England for the desert, the rumblings of 'Patriots West' or the 'Patriots Way' making its way to the Raiders locker room have been loud in the national media.
Last week, former Patriots running back Brandon Bolden put that narrative to bed.
"This is something totally different. Josh (McDaniels) is going to put his own spin on things," Bolden told the media. "Is it a few things that we learned along the way because I was there with him a lot of the time? I mean, sure. But we're not trying to be New England. We're not trying to be like New England. We're the Las Vegas Raiders and that's what we're going to play as."
Bolden brings a few things to the Raiders' running back room as a new face. He's a veteran presence who has experience with McDaniels' playbook. He's won two Super Bowls with McDaniels as his offensive coordinator, with 15 total touchdowns in eight seasons as a Patriot. Bolden also brings a "do it all" mentality with him, something that has already won the appreciation of his new running backs coach.
"Just unbelievable," Kennedy Polamalu said of Bolden. "I told him the other day ... I've coached vets, you know, with this many years – but a guy that participates in every special teams. I mean, just the unselfishness of him. That's impressive. Usually when you're coaching a nine, 10-year vet, he's pretty much the main guy. And this young man, he comes to work, smart, tough and he's unselfish."
Bolden expressed how the change of scenery is complimented by being back with McDaniels.
The head coach has been vocal this offseason about wanting to do things differently in Las Vegas than he did in New England. He's been adamant on letting his new players and coaches create their own unique identity and culture. Bolden has been on the same wavelength as his coach for awhile now.
"That's a big advantage. You kind of know what to expect," Bolden said about his relationship with McDaniels. "You know how to go about things for practice and you can give guys the heads up. 'Hey, this is what they're looking for on this, that and the third.'
"So, it helps, and it helps me as a player. It helps my teammates being able to tell them what to expect on a daily basis and things like that. So, I feel as if we continue to do that and continue to work together, we'll be fine."
The Raiders' new running back will have heavy competition this Training Camp with a loaded room that includes Josh Jacobs, Kenyan Drake, Ameer Abdullah and 2022 draft picks Zamir White and Brittain Brown. Nevertheless, the chemistry he already has with several of his coaches may go a long way.
