When you sink as low as the Las Vegas Raiders have, sometimes the only place to go is up.
That’s seemingly how minority owner Tom Brady feels.
During a recent episode of the “Stick to Football” podcast, Brady revealed his expectations for the Raiders next season after hitting the rest button and hiring new head coach Klint Kubiak and drafting franchise quarterback Fernando Mendoza No. 1 overall this summer.
“I would expect a lot of improvement from where it’s been,” Brady said. “Last year, we just underperformed in every area. And it’s everybody’s fault. That’s the reality. There’s nobody who did a good job. There’s not one player in the organization, there’s not anybody involved that did the job to the level that it needs to be done at.
“And everybody needs to improve. And it starts with me, and it filters down to the rest of the players on the field, and they’ve got to go out there, and ultimately they’ve got to perform at a high level.”
Brady didn’t mention a specific number of wins, but it’s clear the seven-time Super Bowl champion expects a significant improvement on Vegas’ 3-14 season last year.
With Mendoza learning behind four-time Pro Bowler Kirk Cousins, running back Ashton Jeanty heading into his second year, tight end Brock Bowers fully healthy, plus the additions of Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum, edge-rusher Kwity Paye, linebackers Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker — the Raiders are poised to be much more competitive than they were a year ago under former head coach Pete Carroll.