Rob Leonard - , raiders Event: Press Conference | Date: 2026-09-10 | Full transcript (primary source).
On September 10, 2026, Rob Leonard addressed the media during a press conference for the Raiders, discussing the team's veteran players and their impact on younger teammates as they prepare for the upcoming season. The conference provided insights into the team's dynamics and the development of key players.
Transcript
Leonard: Luckily, we got a lot of good veterans at key positions. Up and down the front, you got Chin and TJ in the back end, along with five, in the Kobe and Kway. Those guys, I can't emphasize much how much they've helped the younger guys and bring them along in building our foundation.
Leonard: A lot, it was, I felt like all of a sudden it was sudden and he was playing with more confidence. He was playing faster and communicating loudly. And I think even he mentioned the other day just somewhere in the middle of training camp, but those are the decisions that they make. To carry themselves a certain way.
Leonard: The speed, closing speed, ability to, just his ability to close I think is glaring. His ability to cover, good tackler, good blitzer, he's a great top down player.
Leonard: Isaiah is one of the biggest keys in terms of leader. What a great teammate should look like. I mean, he is so supportive, he's the glue. He's the glue, the guys look to him and he's, he can be in there, Star and Trade can be in there, and he's just been awesome. But you can't talk about Isaiah without talking about the person, yeah.
Leonard: Yeah, I mean, he's a very explosive athlete with a big arm. I mean, he was picked where he picked for a certain reason. He has definitely a skill set that you're pretty aware of, and you watch the Green Bay tape of him playing, and there's a reason why Miami picked him up. But it's people over the scheme right now, you know? And we'll see where we're at.
Leonard: Yeah, it's everything, gap integrity. I mean, when you're dealing with, it's going to take all 11 when you're dealing with that kind of speed, it just is what it is. It always does, but it takes all 11. It's not going to be on one guy this week, for sure.
Leonard: Who says I didn't? No, I'm excited for the guys. I'm excited to see them. My deepest heart, I want them to play fast, confident, and we ain't talking about, hey, I thought this, I thought that. And they're just going around. There's no MEs. I want us to play clean style football. There's nothing I want more than to go out and execute, and it's hard. It's week one in the NFL. You don't know what's going to be unpredictable as any way you cut it.
Leonard: Yeah, you just got to focus on yourselves. Your rules, your match ups, who's rushing who, who's covering who. And it's going to be about us and how we execute what we do.
Leonard: I've seen it accelerated here recently. Guys from all around. You got a guy from Green Bay, you got from Buffalo, you got the draft picks. So what do people naturally do, feel each other out, right? And now the more comfortable they are, now the relationships grow through adversity, right? So it's been a tough training camp, and it's been fun to see those genuine relationships develop.
Leonard: Intentionality, awareness, he has a purpose with what he does, rather than, I mean, I think that sticks out most.
Leonard: We'll see you on Sunday, yeah.
Leonard: We'll see on Sunday, sorry.
Leonard: I'm excited, yeah, any time, I think in football, naturally earn your playing time. I think he's earned it, he's put in the time and the substance on the field, and I just want him to take it to game day. When you do those type of things, you play with a certain freedom. And Taka's been nothing but developing as a pro, so I want success for him as bad as he wants it.
Leonard: Yeah, there's, I mean, I think about that all the time, personally. Clint talks about a 70 man roster. You're always thinking about that, how deep you are at whatever position. And if this guy goes down, who goes in the game? And constantly thinking about that. So it is, and then with different packages of this guy's in the game, there's more than just the starting lineup listed on a sheet of paper. Always, that's any football team.
Leonard: Yeah, just your look team reps matter, you know? And we got young QC coaches watching that tape with those guys as if they're preparing to play. And that's just the constant mindset you want every 70 man player to feel. Like, hey, I could be up like that.
Unknown: That's good, cool, cool, thank you, appreciate it.
