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Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle John Jenkins gives the best example of the culture shift last season

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Justin Churchill | Last updated 4/1/24

This time last season, everyone was arguing whether or not the Las Vegas Raiders should fire head coach Josh McDaniels after just one full season. Little did we know that nine weeks into the 2023 season, he would be replaced by the linebackers coach, Antonio Pierce, who is set to bring Raider football back.

Was that the right hire for the future when they hired him this offseason and removed the interim tag? Well, that is still to be determined. Was it the right decision to make him the interim head coach when McDaniels was fired? You bet it was.

He completely changed the way people look at the Raiders. He changed how upset fans were with the team and how upset the players were in the locker room. He also changed the culture overall. He changed it so much that it allowed players to be themselves and their best selves.

"When you spend a lot of years in the league, bro, football becomes easy, and Xs and Os are easy," John Jenkins said on Maxx Crosby's podcast. "It's more about the 1-2 and having a culture that allows you to be you, right? So, this year was a great one for me personally because the culture I was a part of made it so much easier for me to just give it my all and be great, you know what I mean?"

Jenkins was recently re-signed to a one-year deal with the Raiders, which is huge because they will have a veteran with ten years of experience next to Christian Wilkins and Maxx Crosby. He is a guy who is vital to the position group, and the Raiders get him back to make sure that he keeps that same energy and chemistry in the locker room.

This season, Jenkins had a career-high four pass deflections and a touchdown, in which he recovered a fumble and ran it all the way back for a score against the Los Angeles Chargers. Not only was Jenkins better when that culture change happened, but the whole defense was, too. They started as a bottom-five defense and finished as a top-five defense. Jenkins saying what he said tells you everything you need to know about Pierce.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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