Raiders coach Klint Kubiak wore a black cap embroidered with silver thread spelling out "E.A.T." during a Wednesday news conference at the Intermountain Health Performance Center. Asked about the acronym, Kubiak grinned and said, "It’s just something that we talk about on offense and defense, and it’s really just our fundamentals. How we block, how we tackle, something that we stress."
Kubiak adopted the motto last season as offensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks, who went on to win Super Bowl LX against the New England Patriots. The Raiders, now 3-1 with the NFL’s No. 7 scoring offense and No. 11 scoring defense, face those same Patriots in Week 5 at Gillette Stadium.
In Seattle, E.A.T. stood for effort, angles and tackling. In Las Vegas, the meaning is malleable by unit; the "T" can represent takeaways, tenacity, toughness or together, though the underlying ethos remains the same. Kubiak credited Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald for establishing the concept, calling it "a way of life" and a "rallying cry for how we want to finish plays."
Defensive coordinator Rob Leonard said the principle acts as "the price of admission" at the facility and praised Kubiak’s consistency. "He’s so consistent with his messaging and in the team meeting, the players follow that," Leonard said. Kubiak introduced the concept at his first team meeting this spring in the auditorium-style room where the team gathers daily.
Wide receiver Dareke Young, a free-agent addition who played for Kubiak in Seattle last year, said the coach has "been able to put his own stamp on it" with the Raiders.
Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal
Original reporting: Las Vegas Review-Journal →
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