Pete Carroll is the oldest head coach in the NFL at 73 years old, but that hasn't stopped him from bringing his patented youthful energy to the Raiders' sidelines in his first season at the helm. Carroll was his usual self during his team's Week 1 win over the Patriots, bouncing up and down the field while chomping on gum. And it turns out the fans didn't even see the half of it when it came to Carroll's enthusiasm for the 2025 season.
On Sunday ahead of Week 2 action NFL Network's Ian Rapoport gave insight into exactly how Carroll motivated Las Vegas before the clash in New England. It was a rather destructive method but obviously effective nonetheless.
"On the Saturday night before their season opener on Sept. 7, Pete Carroll used the stage of his first pregame meeting with the Raiders to kick through a whiteboard in dramatic fashion," Rapoport wrote, "leading to pandemonium in the room in a moment those present won't soon forget. With the whiteboard obliterated, the end result on Sunday was a 20-13 victory over the Patriots.
"One source described Carroll like a WWE wrestler cutting a promo, showing the team that it didn't fly to New England to mess around. The Raiders came to compete. The blasted whiteboard was the fallout."
What an electric visual. Few figures in the history of the NFL have ever been more openly passionate about the sport than Carroll. The Raiders are getting to learn that first-hand.
Unfortunately, so did the Patriots and their whiteboard. Opposing teams should probably prepare and have an extra board ready to go when the Raiders come to town this season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NFL Insider Shares Destructive Way Pete Carroll Motivated Raiders Ahead of Week 1 Win.