HENDERSON, Nev. — Klint Kubiak's Las Vegas Raiders have adopted a mantra for their many position battles this training camp: Compete with each other, not against each other.
Fernando Mendoza popularized the phrase when talking about his pairing with Kirk Cousins and the rest of the quarterback room. They're working together to help the veteran Cousins succeed as the starter while also setting up the No. 1 pick Mendoza for a bright future. Other groups, like the defensive backs and wide receivers, have talked about raising each other's level of play through competition as well.
The amicability is extending to even the most results-driven position on the roster: kicker. Veteran Matt Gay and rookie Kansei Matsuzawa are in a tight race for the job, as special teams coordinator Joe Decamillis categorized their battle as "a legitimate competition." But both talked about the joy they have being around each other.
"He's been awesome," Gay said of Matsuzawa. "He's way farther ahead than I was as a rookie, and he hits the ball great. We get along really, really nice. He's definitely hit the ball really well, so obviously, yeah, it pushes me to keep hitting the ball well."
Matsuzawa on Gay: "Matt is an amazing guy, and I'm so happy to work with him. And he's a great mentor, and I'm so grateful to have a veteran kicker like him. He has tons of experience in the NFL, a great kicker obviously, and competition is amazing."
