Why the Raiders Are Lucky to Have Good Ole Pete

Shower Thought - September 16, 2025

I like good old boy country music like Don Williams. It's easy listening, you sing along to it, and you don't have to skip any songs because he tries to get too serious or tries to rock out. It's soothing, low-pressure music. Perfect road trip CDs if you had a long journey. If you listen to new country that's good too, but you can tell these guys are really putting it on. They're jumping around in skinny jeans, they're rapping, they're rocking out like they're Van Halen, and Jelly Roll is out there doing handstands. It's fine, but it's not just a good old boy with a guitar. They're still trying to prove something. Don Williams was just there to sing.

Some NFL teams have young guys with cool haircuts who wake up at 4 a.m., take a cold plunge, have a green drink, snort Adderall, and are super tense at press conferences after losses while fighting with their players. Liam Cohen, new coach of the Jaguars, was screaming at Trevor Lawrence from the sideline. Ben Johnson with the Bears was a little snippy with a reporter for a question about the Lions running up the score. These guys are all beaked up, trying to prove themselves. They're stressed out. That's why it's so great to have Pete Carroll with the Raiders this year. The Raiders stunk last night. Geno Smith threw three picks against a divisional opponent, and old Pete was on the sideline with his arm around Ashton Jeanty, who was below average. In the postgame he just said we'll look at the film, probably tried to force things down the field a bit too much, while chomping on his gum. No stress. Not trying to prove anything. The NFL season is a long road trip, and I think players prefer the sound of old Pete to some of the new guys.