Raiders training camp is finally here, and a lot has changed with the franchise in the last year.
For starters, the Raiders are not trying to be the Patriots anymore, as they foolishly attempted under the last regime led by Josh McDaniels.
The Raiders are tapping into their own mystique, led by new coach Antonio Pierce. To help foster team bonding and culture building, Pierce and the Raiders will hold their training camp in Costa Mesa, Calif. instead of the Raiders team facility near Las Vegas.
It’s a bit of a homecoming for the Raiders, who called Los Angeles home from 1982-94. According to ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez, the NFL’s two teams in LA, the Rams and Chargers, had nothing positive to say about the still-popular Raiders returning to their old stomping grounds.
But league sources acknowledged the Raiders, with their popularity, setting up shop where two other teams do their business, did not go over well with either the Rams or Chargers. Even as there was a “more the merrier” vibe for camp, a league source said. “That’s the upside,” the source added, “more teams.”
Officials with the Rams and Chargers declined to comment.
Gutierrez also reported five teams are holding training camp within 100 miles of one another in the LA area, with the Saints and Cowboys also in the neighborhood.
But the Raiders are a different animal, and it makes sense that the Rams and Chargers wouldn’t be thrilled about it, especially the Raiders’ AFC West rivals, the Chargers; they are intent on growing their LA fanbase after leaving San Diego to play at SoFi Stadium. They likely want Southern California NFL fans to forget about the Raiders’ history there once and for all.
Making matters tolerable for the Rams and Chargers, the Raiders are not allowed to invite fans to camp or promote the team locally due to territorial rights.
That’s bad news for Raiders fans in SoCal but helps team bonding sought by Pierce. Ultimately, that could help the Raiders get back to their roots and become a winner again — and that won’t go well with any team in the NFL, Chargers and Rams included.