The Oakland Raiders raided the Houston Texans this off season. First, they took offensive coordinator Gregg Knapp and brought him back to Oakland. Not long after, they added Houston's assistant offensive line coach Frank Pollack. Then came the players, first with offensive guard Mike Brisiel and much more recently with back up quarterback Matt Leinart. According to Leinart, who discussed his move to the Raiders with 95.7 The Game on The Drive with Tierny and Davis, said it made sense because of the Houston factor.
Leinart stated that he feels like he will be able to help fellow quarterbacks Carson Palmer and Terrelly Pryor learn the west coast offense that Gregg Knapp will install in Oakland. Having played in the offense in Houston, Leinart can spend his off season workouts building chemistry with his new team mates and helping the Raiders other quarterbacks learn the new offense. That is a huge plus as normally, new players on a team must spend a large amount of time learning the scheme before getting to that level.
In addition, Leinart noted that he has already met and thrown with a number of Raiders receivers. Leinart stated that he has worked out with Carson Palmer in the off season for a number of years, and that prior to signing with the Raiders, he worked out with Palmer and a few of Oakland's young receivers during the early off season. And of course, there is also the Palmer factor. Leinart discussed how it felt good to be back with a guy that he has looked up to as a mentor ever since his early days in college at USC.
Overall, any Raider fan had to like what they heard from their new back up QB. He sounds excited to be playing for the Raiders, and more importantly, he sounds like he has the drive to continue improving on his game while he backs up the incumbant starter in Carson Palmer.