Raiders vs. Rams Joint Practice: G Van Roten

 Guard Greg Van Roten 

Q: Your thoughts on today’s performance for the team overall? Van Roten: "Yeah, I think we started a little slow. We responded well, just kind of how practices go sometimes and how football goes sometimes. But we have a lot to learn from the tape and that’s kind of the point of this." 

Q: It reminded me a lot of the first joint practice with San Francisco, a little bit of a slow start, but you guys came on as the practice went. Is that a fair assessment? Van Roten: "Just you're seeing a different front, you're seeing different personnel. We're running different plays than we have against different teams. So, just kind of like this is what training camp is and what joint practices are for, it's to get a different look and work on new techniques." 

Q: Coach talked before practice about the first road trip and being gone for so long as the off the field importance for this team. Is that something that's just kind of thrown out there or is that really important, the off-field stuff? Van Roten: "I think the off the field stuff is incredibly important. Like the camaraderie, coming together as a position group, as a team, an offense and defense. So, all the little things kind of matter in my experience. The smallest little things make the biggest difference in the long run. It's always good to get time together with the guys, especially for me. I got here a little bit later, I didn't have the benefit of OTAs to get to know a lot of these guys, so it's been a cool experience just to be out here. It's beautiful this part of the country and just having a good time." 

 Q: What's the competition been like for you? Has it changed at all since you arrived as far as where you are in that competition? Van Roten: "I mean, I’ve played a lot of football and I have a lot of experience and I kind of know how it goes. So, the more you can do, the more opportunity you're going to have. And I just try to make the most of the opportunities that I get when I am in there. So, who knows how it all shakes out, but I'm just trying to do my best when my best is needed." 

Q: What's the secret to having a long career in the NFL? Van Roten: "Just being consistent and working hard every day. It sounds simple, but it's a hard thing to do because once you're consistent, coaches will trust you and they'll give you more opportunity. And that's just kind of how it goes. So, I've been lucky enough to play a lot and get exposed a lot and be around a lot of good coaches and just helped my career get to this point." 

Q: This is a young football team. So, are you noticing the young guys listening to you older veterans? Are they paying attention? Are they teachable? Van Roten: "Oh, yeah, they're very teachable. We have a really good group of guys, especially in the OLine room. Everybody wants to learn, everybody's eager. This offense, it's an awesome system, has an answer for everything. So, it's just the more reps you get in it, the better you're going to be at it. So, we just need those reps together. Again, it sounds cliché but that's the point of training camp, is to get reps together." 

Q: Did you know some of the veteran guys on the roster beforehand? Van Roten: "Some guys I played with, some guys I played against. There are familiar faces. This is my 12th year of professional football, so I've been around a little bit. Starting to know more of the coaches than the players. But it's been a good deal, I've been happy." 

Q: What's been your first impression of Kolton [Miller] and some of the veteran guys on the O-Line? Van Roten: "I think Kolton is probably one of the more underrated tackles in the league. Just getting to watch him every day, just how he moves for how big he is and how consistent he plays. He definitely should get a lot more recognition I think nationally than he does, but we definitely appreciate him in the room. We're happy he's on our side." 

The Silver and Black return to preseason action when they play the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 19, at 9 p.m. EDT/6 p.m. PDT.

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