Del Rio to team: Stay grounded

Coach warns Raiders not to get caught up in hype.

- Michael Wagaman

With all of the positive talk going around the NFL about the Raiders’ potential this season, head coach Jack Del Rio is doing his best to keep the noise to a minimum.

That’s not an easy thing to do considering that Oakland hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2002 and has had only two .500 seasons since then.

But while high expectations are definitely better than the alternative, there is always a risk in getting too caught up in the hype so Del Rio and his staff have made it a point in training camp to tell the players to embrace the moment but not fall in love with it.

“I think too much of anything is not healthy,” Del Rio said during a break in camp workouts. “Whether it’s paying attention to criticism or whether it’s paying attention to people tooting their horn. I think for us and for good football teams and good football players, it’s about staying grounded, staying humble. Respecting everybody and fearing nobody.