{"id":26853,"date":"2026-08-04T04:18:05","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T23:18:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=26853"},"modified":"2026-08-04T04:18:05","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T23:18:05","slug":"raiders-coach-klint-kubiak-praises-professionalism-of-new-look-roster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=26853","title":{"rendered":"Raiders coach Klint Kubiak praises professionalism of new-look roster"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2026%2F08%2Fnewspress-collage-v181t6gx5-1785796790356.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall%261785782461\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Klint Kubiak is trying to build a new culture with the Las Vegas Raiders, and the first-time head coach believes the roster already possesses <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/samwarren83\/status\/2084332904671494527\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">one important quality<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>It does not contain any \u201cturds.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think we just have a professional group of players,\u201d Kubiak told reporters on Monday. \u201cThey care about getting better. We don\u2019t have any turds\u2014we\u2019ve got guys that want to be here, that want to win, that want to change this place. So, I\u2019m really happy with that.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Head coach Klint Kubiak of the Las Vegas Raiders looks on during an OTA offseason workout at the Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters\/Intermountain Health Performance Center on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, in Henderson, Nevada. (Getty Images North America) <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The assessment was unconventional, but the sentiment matters for a franchise searching for stability. The Raiders have won only seven games over the past two seasons, including a 3-14 finish in 2025.<\/p>\n<p>Kubiak is also Las Vegas\u2019 fourth full-time head coach since Jon Gruden resigned during the 2021 season. Josh McDaniels, Antonio Pierce and Pete Carroll each received opportunities to redirect the franchise before the job eventually reached Kubiak.<\/p>\n<p>His emphasis on professionalism represents an interesting turn for an organization historically celebrated for its outlaw identity. Under Al Davis, the Raiders embraced renegades, castoffs and difficult personalities\u2014as long as they helped the team win. <\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Kubiak wants the current Raiders to define themselves through their work rather than inherited slogans or carefully chosen buzzwords.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWords are really just\u2014they\u2019re just words,\u201d Kubiak said. \u201cWe watch our tape and we talk about what is acceptable and what is not. What effort looks like, what it doesn\u2019t look like. And then we let the players go set that standard.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Kirk Cousins of the Las Vegas Raiders reacts to a fan yelling his \u201cYou like that?!\u201d celebration as he stretches with teammates Ashton Jeanty and Shedrick Jackson during the team\u2019s training camp  <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>That player-led approach will be tested by a roster blending established veterans with a new generation. <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/07\/28\/sports\/raiders-name-kirk-cousins-starter-over-fernando-mendoza\/\">Kirk Cousins begins camp as the starting quarterback<\/a>, while No. 1 overall pick <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/07\/30\/sports\/maxx-crosbys-surprising-role-in-fernando-mendozas-growth-revealed\/\">Fernando Mendoza develops<\/a> behind him. Mendoza has embraced that arrangement, saying he wants to learn from Cousins and Aidan O\u2019Connell while doing whatever helps the team win.<\/p>\n<p>Maxx Crosby remains the emotional center of the defense, while Mendoza represents the organization\u2019s long-term future. Kubiak\u2019s challenge is turning those pieces into something more stable than the Raiders have produced in recent years.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Isaiah Pola-Mao and Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders greet each other during the team\u2019s training camp at the Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters\/Intermountain Health Performance Center on Monday, Aug. 3, 2026, in Henderson, Nevada. (2026 Getty Images) <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Whether the roster is good enough remains unanswered. Kubiak, at least, is confident he has the right people.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Klint Kubiak is trying to build a new culture with the Las Vegas Raiders, and the first-time head coach believes the roster already possesses one important quality. It does not contain any \u201cturds.\u201d \u201cI think we just have a professional group of players,\u201d Kubiak told reporters on Monday. \u201cThey care about getting better. We don\u2019t&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26854,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/newspress-collage-v181t6gx5-1785796790356.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&1785782461&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26853","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-hub"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26853","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=26853"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26853\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/26854"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=26853"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=26853"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=26853"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}