The Oakland Raiders are now just a few weeks away from reporting to their Napa Valley Training Complex for the start of Training Camp 2016.
Since the 2015 regular season ended, the team has been busy reconstructing the roster through the Draft and free agency, and then proceeding to go through the Offseason Workout Program.
With Organized Team Activities [OTAs] and Minicamp squarely behind us, and training camp now on the horizon, we took a look back and found the 10 Best Quotes Of The Offseason.
- "They didn't bring me here to be a follower. I'm a very outspoken guy. You guys will learn that about me. I'm coming to be a leader. I'm not stepping on any toes, but if I have something to say, I am going to say it." – Linebacker Bruce Irvin (May 24)
- "I am definitely someone who is going to come in there and get after it. You are not going to have to worry about off-the-field issues. The only thing you might have to worry about is maybe I'm making too many plays." – Linebacker Shilique Calhoun (April 29)
- "I just wanted to make a quick statement since I did elect to become a little more current. I did launch the Twitter [account] today, so I joined that, did it in front of the team first. That's why I talked to the guys. Just an opportunity to I guess be a little more current and share a little insight. Give you a little peak into what we're doing here and how hard we're working." – Head Coach Jack Del Rio (June 8)
- "The guy [Derek Carr] is amazing. He's got talent. Like I said, we talk all the time on ways to get better on the field and I feel like he has taken that step, taken control of the offense, doing more managing of the game at the end and the beginning. I feel like that gunslinger, he is always going to be a gunslinger and I love that. That's the old Brett Favre-type of quarterback, but really managing Brett Favre. Brett Favre is one of the greatest players to ever play." – Wide Receiver Michael Crabtree (June 8)
- "We're gaining in confidence because of the work we're putting in. I think that's where it starts. There are a lot of things being said. This time of year, talk is cheap. I don't really spend a whole lot of time worrying about what is said, but I do pay a lot of attention to what is being done and the work that's being put in, commitment level. To me, that's where my focus is." – Head Coach Jack Del Rio (May 24)
- "Bruce [Irvin] is a funny dude. He's not afraid to say what's on his mind at any point of time. It's good to have him in the room to have that different kind of mentality and different mindset." – Defensive End Khalil Mack (June 8)
- "The sky's the limit. He [Mario Edwards Jr.] is a really talented player. He has a lot of passion. He's super athletic. For such a big man, big powerful guy, he's very athletic. The sky's the limit." – Head Coach Jack Del Rio (June 14)
- "This is one of the tightest groups that I have ever been around. We're all friends. We all hang out outside of here. I actually knew a couple of guys coming in. There is no kind of relationship issues or anything like that, trying to bond with the guys. They're all outgoing, laid back. They're all, just pretty much, ready to learn from me and get this thing going." – Cornerback Sean Smith (May 24)
- "Like any rookie, he [Amari Cooper] did it right. He came in and he probably did it on purpose a little bit too. You just come in, shut your mouth and go to work and that's exactly what he did. Everyone respected him. No one could ever say anything about his work ethic besides, 'Man, he's quiet.' That's the only negative thing you could say, and that's not even a bad thing. He's definitely more talkative this year and he's just being himself." – Quarterback Derek Carr (June 15)
- "I still act like I am in JUCO. I just keep grinding, keep staying uncomfortable, and staying uncomfortable is staying focused. If I do something good, don't even worry about it; that's in the past. What's next? I just have the same mindset as I keep going. I don't want to hear the good stuff that is coming out. I want to hear the stuff that I need to work on. That is the part of being a good defensive lineman." – Defensive lineman Jihad Ward (April 29)
