With the Oakland Raiders‘ General Manager and Head Coach both having a defensive background, it would seem to make sense that their overriding philosophy would be that defenses win championships. Certainly, we’ve seen it enough in Super Bowl history to know that old axiom holds true. Look no further than last year’s Super Bowl as evidence – the league’s best defense manhandled the league’s best offense. Given that template, it’s not entirely surprising to see Reggie McKenzie and Jack Del Rio building their defense into an absolute bully.
The Raiders surprised many when they used the fourteenth overall pick on safety Karl Joseph.