Klint Kubiak isn’t measuring the Las Vegas Raiders’ preseason opener by the final score. He’s looking for something a lot less flashy and a lot more revealing: how the team practices, how it handles its jobs, and whether the younger players carry the same edge from camp into game action.
Ahead of Thursday’s action, Kubiak said he wants his young players to approach practice with game-day intensity instead of treating preseason games like some separate test.
“That’s something that we stressed early in camp with the guys,” Kubiak said. “There’s a lot of threes on these practice grips that doesn’t stay that way forever. But honestly, I don’t want them to make too big of a deal of it.”
For Kubiak, the standard starts with practice itself. He said his coaching approach is built around making those sessions tougher than the games, so players are already hardened for whatever comes next.
“I want them to treat practice like the game because if we’re coaching it the right way, then that’s how it should feel,” Kubiak said. “Practice should be harder than the game, so I want them to trust their training and take their practice habits onto the game field.”
Kubiak also made it clear the Raiders already have a plan for Thursday’s workload. The team isn’t waiting to make it up as it goes.
“We have a plan in mind for how long the starters will play and how long the twos and threes will play, yes,” Kubiak said.
When asked what he wants to see from the team in preseason, Kubiak came back to the same themes he’s pushed since camp opened: competitiveness, effort and a group-first approach.
“It’s really important that our guys have the same attitude we’ve asked them to have all camp-have a team-first attitude and have shocking effort,” Kubiak said. “That’s what we’re looking for, looking for competitive guys.”
Special teams, he added, will be a major audition stage for players trying to secure a roster spot, especially the younger ones.
“One thing that we’ve really stressed, especially for our young guys, is using special teams as their avenue to make the team,” Kubiak said. “So, we’re going to be evaluating those reps very critically.”
With the plan already laid out and the expectations clearly spelled out, Kubiak’s message entering Thursday stays simple: the Raiders’ preseason is about effort, preparation and habits, not just the label on the game.
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