Kendall Vickers Impacting the Las Vegas Raiders D

Defensive Tackle Kendal Vickers

Q: How do you asses the learning within training camp so far?

Kendal Vickers: "It's a grind. It's a grind to come in every day and learn your assignments and learn new techniques. I think the guys have been doing a pretty good job, myself included, on just listening to the coaches and just telling us what we need to do each and every day. Our goal is just to get 1% better every day, that's what we come back to do."

Q: How was it having Bilal Nichols and Jonathan Hankins back on the field?

Vickers: "It's huge. Anytime you get guys like Bilal and Hank back -- this is my third year with Hank -- I loved seeing him on the football field every day. He just brings a new energy, Bilal as well. It just adds to the group and the dynamics of our group and what we can do."

Q: What's been the biggest aspect of your game that you've been focused on working on this training camp?

Vickers: "I came in as a decent pass rusher, especially on the inside. I just wanted to establish myself as an inside pass rusher. I challenge myself every day on the run; coaches challenged me to come out every day and make sure I'm using my hands, playing with extension, doing what everything I need to do to be able to defeat blocks and get off the blocks at a good rate."

Q: What's the difference between your role in this defense and what it may have been in past schemes?

Vickers: "This defense requires me to be able to be that pass rusher on the inside. With guys like Maxx [Crosby] and [Chandler] Chan [Jones], the slide is always going to come to one of those two. I just have to be able to make sure I'm doing my job on the inside and be that dynamic player. I’ve been asked to play the 'nowhere' position. And that's kind of the same as past, but it's really an emphasis this year for me."

Q: What's your strategy on marking the run while also focusing on the pass rush?

Vickers: "That's the challenge that coaches give me every day just to make sure I am playing the run. Because at the end of the day, you can't get to the quarterback if you don't stop the run. And every day I go out and just make sure it's in my head every single day that if I want to get rushes, if I want to get rushes on third down, we have to be able to make sure we stop the run first."

Q: How much confidence do you have going into this season?

Vickers: "My confidence never really waivers. I have a job to do, I come out here, do my job every day, and I've tried to bring the guys with me. I try to bring that energy to our group that I feel like that I can bring in and we need. I'm just trying to do that every day."

Q: What's your strategy in stopping the run in preseason games versus regular season games?

Vickers: "We're just learning. I think that's why you do play a preseason, so you can learn. I think the preseason is very important for a team like us, especially because we do have a new staff and they bring in their philosophies. Working in the preseason, it's not it's never going to be perfect, but we strive every day to make sure we're playing the right technique. I think we're getting just getting better every single day."

Q: What was it like playing in the Canadian Football League?

Vickers: "It was probably the best thing I've done for my career, to be honest with you. Looking back at it, I know the Canadian Football League is a lot different than the NFL. The one thing I learned out there is that you have to be able to pass rush and I brought that with me from Canada. It was a great learning experience going up there, but I like it a lot better out here."

Q: What's the most noticeable change between this coaching staff and years' past?

Vickers: "It was great experience with both staffs. With this one, I think they're letting me just be me. They know what I can do, and they challenge me every single day. That's the first thing I told my D-line coach [Frank Okham], that I want them to push me hard and coach me. He's done that and he'll continue to do that -- just push me every single day to be the player that I want to be and that I know I can be."

Q: What's it like working with Senior Defensive Assistant Rob Ryan?

Vickers: "It's amazing. Anytime you get a guy with that type of pedigree -- everybody knows his family, what they bring to the table -- anytime you can just be in a room and just learn from him, you take down everything. You write down everything he says, because he wants you to be successful. He's been doing it for a long time, so he's seeing it the right way."

Q: How productive is it to have unscripted practices?

Vickers: "We've had played-outs ever since I've been here. It just works on communication. Because in the game, that's as realistic as it's going to get. We have to be able to communicate, we have to be able to listen when things are going fast. I think that's just getting us prepared for games and what's to come. You always have to be prepared for every single situation. Coach [Josh McDaniels] does a great job of putting us in every single situation so we can be prepared."

Q: How different is Edmonton from Las Vegas?

Vickers: " There's no Strip, a lot of oil factories. It was a great experience, I love Edmonton. I definitely go back as many times as I can."

Q: What does it mean to you to teach a player like Malcolm Koonce?

Vickers: "Malcolm's been a great listener ever since he's got here. He's gone through his ups and downs as well, but he always wants to learn, and he's getting better. Every time I talk to him, he listens. And I listen back and he just feedback as well. Because you never know what's going through a young player's mind. You always want to get feedback from him. It's always good -- Malcolm's a dog so he's he doesn't take it personally."

Q: What do you think Maxx Crosby brings to the defense?

Vickers: "Maxx doesn't change. From day to day, he doesn't change. I see the same Maxx every single day. You just have to match his energy. It's crazy. You've seen him running around; he just seems like he doesn’t get tired. If he does get tired, he's lying, because he just makes everybody else look slow. The energy he brings, every single day, and leadership he's been bringing, it's unmatched. I love playing with him, it makes my job easier."

Q: What do you think about his ranking at 59 in the NFL Top 100?

Vickers: "It's a little low. But I'm sure he'll take that personally. He wants to win, so I don't think he's too fixated on that. But I'm sure it'll be in the back of his head."

Q: Are you looking forward to joint practices next week?

Vickers: "It's practice -- we just have to get better every single day. The Patriots will be in town, so it just new faces to play against, new faces to rush against, play the run and all that. It'll be fun. We have two days to beat each other up before the game."