Raiders Podcast Rewind: Lincoln Kennedy on Derek Carr, Las Vegas

Every Wednesday, as part of her “Vegas Nation: Takeaways” podcast, host, producer/videographer Heidi Fang talks to a Raiders player or personality. This week Fang talks with former Raiders offensive tackle Lincoln Kennedy. This has been edited for length.

Heidi Fang: As a former player, what’s your reaction when you see the team’s new headquarters and stadium?

Lincoln Kennedy: Two words, long overdue. I joined the team as a player in 1996. The late, great Al Davis – he told me at the time that we eventually were going to have a stadium in Oakland. We’re gonna have a new facility. We’re gonna have a new home.

Alameda wasn’t bad. When I first got there we had trailers for locker rooms and showers. And then, we eventually converted the office building into a facility. I thought it was nice, but the one in Henderson is state-of-the-art. I mean, it’s absolutely immaculate.

So it’s long overdue that they have their own facility. They don’t have to share a stadium with a baseball team, or they don’t have to have a subpar office facility, practice facility. It’s about time that they are up there with everyone else.

HF: What’s your reaction to all the attempts to acknowledge the contributions of Al Davis at the team’s new facilities?

LK: All of this is a tribute to Al Davis. If you think about it, you look at some of the other stadiums around the league and the other cities, everyone has sort of their focal point that they can take pride in. And this was one for the Raiders.

HF: As a former offensive tackle, what do you think of the Raiders’ current starters at that position?

LK: Kolton Miller has come a long way since coming out of UCLA. The first year he struggled because he was injured, You can imagine, trying to get acclimated to the National Football League as a rookie in this division, it’s difficult, especially at left tackle. So last year he had a much better year when he was healthy. He allowed his growth, physical and mental, to help him became a much more efficient left tackle .

As far as Trent Brown, Because of his size he’s going to be what we call a mauler. He’s going to be one of those guys that you want to run behind because he’s going to open up holes. And he’s lived up to those expectations.

HF: What’s your assessment of the offensive line as a whole?

LK: This will probably be the first year that we’re going to see them together most games. Last year with suspensions and injuries to Gabe Jackson and Richie Incognito, they had a little bit of inconsistency. Toward the end of the season, they started playing together. You started to see the possibilities. I just hope that Derek Carr can find a way to trust all of them to stay protected and for him to be able to focus and get the ball downfield.

HF: How much pressure do you think is on Derek Carr to have an outstanding season?

LK: I will say this as a player. The only pressure that you put on your shoulders is your own. That’s your doing. You see, everybody wants to be successful. Nobody plays in the National Football League and is, ‘oh, I’m just happy to be here. I’m just going to go through the motions.’ No. Everybody wants to be the best that they can be. So when it comes to the pressure on their shoulders, you know, Derek Carr made a comment, ‘Well, I’m tired of being disrespected.’ My response to that from hearing it in the media, even if I was in a locker room, would be to tell him ‘play better.’ You’re tired of being disrespected? Play better.

Heidi Fang can be reached at hfang@reviewjournal.com. Download the Vegas Nation podcasts three times a week at www.LVRJ.com/podcasts. More Raiders: Follow at vegasnation.com and @VegasNation on Twitter.