Las Vegas Raiders star wide receiver did not hold back following the Raiders’ 23-18 loss in their home opener Sunday night to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Adams spoke on his belief that the Raiders were not doing the things necessary to establish a winning culture and were doing too much talking while not backing it up on the field.
This led to many questioning if Adams was frustrated with the franchise overall and may perhaps be looking to move on elsewhere, especially with his comment about not having the time to wait around for the Raiders to figure it out.
But Adams isn’t concerned with what those outside the locker room think about what he said. Adams only cares that those on the Raiders received his message, and also clarified that it was not meant as a shot towards the front office, via Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal:
“I truly don’t care what people think,” he said. “As long as the people it’s intended for understand the message, that’s what’s important to me […] It was not a shot or directed at anybody in the front office,” Adams said. “It was about us as a football team, and the players that go out there and control things and have the most control over what happens in the outcome of games”
Adams also made it clear that the message wasn’t about the Raiders coaches either, and feels that players taking shots at them is unfair:
“I think it’s really cowardly and a small thing to take shots at coaches,” Adams said. “When we do have a lot to do, the most ultimately, for what happens on the field.”
As for how the message was intended for took it, it sounds like it was heard loud and clear by the Raiders players. Defensive leader Maxx Crosby backed Adams and said players can either complain or come in and put in all the necessary work to succeed:
“You can feel bad for yourself, come in here and put your head down and bitch and moan,” Crosby said. “But that’s a personal problem […] You can come in, do the same mediocre (stuff), and that’s the results you’re gonna get,” Crosby said. “Or you can come in and do your job at the highest level possible — from recovery to nutrition to sleep to your performance in practice to details, to your pad level. Everything matters.”
Obviously, the hope is that things like this aren’t needed so early in the season, but Adams saw an issue with his teammates and addressed it. Hopefully, it is exactly the spark the Raiders need to get this season back on track.
