From Raiders Training Camp: CB Marcus Peters

 Cornerback Marcus Peters 

Q: There's certain things that seem right in the world and that's probably you being a Raider growing up in Oakland. It took a while for it to kind of happen, but how excited and happy are you that you're on the team that you grew up rooting for? 

Marcus Peters: "I was always a Raider, man. It was something that was in me since I was a little kid, but it feels good to be a Raider now, to be able to play in the same uniforms that I watched growing up." 

Q: Your resume speaks for itself, but I'm just curious having been out a while, how long does it take an athlete like you to be in game shape, be ready to go? 

Peters: "I was working out and stuff. I was doing what I needed to do. Whoever the team was going be, I was going to be ready. And this is the team, so I'm going to be ready." 

Q: What's it been like picking up the scheme so far, just kind of jumping into training camp? 

Peters: "It's football. I got a job to do, so I come in and I do my job." 

Q: What have you seen from the defense of last couple of days? It looks like you guys have been getting your hands on a lot of balls. 

Peters: "I mean, the emphasis with us is we want to create turnovers as a defense. We want to play fast, we want to communicate and we want to show high effort, and I think we've been doing that so far." 

Q: There's a lot of young guys in that secondary and just kind of watching you sort of talk to them and lead them. How do you like that role, being that veteran? 

Peters: "It's kind of cool. They call me OG and stuff now because I'm the oldest in the group now, but it's cool. I was in that position once, and I had amazing vets in KC when I was a rookie, and that's what football is about. You've got to be able to pass the game down man, because the game is only going to get younger. And the OG's there's only going to be certain select few who's going to be able to stick around. To see you pass down some game and then see the youngsters go out there and put it to test, that's the biggest blessing ever." 

Q: A guy like Nate [Hobbs] and Jakorian [Bennett], what do you see from those guys? 

Peters: "Talented, man. They're talented. Like you said, this is a young, talented group, and I think that we just need to just keep building together and we're going to be alright." 

Q: A couple of days ago Maxx Crosby said that you two had a prior relationship. He said that you were an 'alpha' in his words. Seeing Maxx play and fly around, how much does that encourage you and incentivize you to do the same? 

Peters: "Man, when I kind of knew Baltimore was going to happen - me and Maxx [Crosby] have the same agents and stuff so you kind of get a feel of who you want to play with, and Maxx is one of them dudes that you want to play with. He leaves it all on the field and it shows in his play, and shows in his effort, and it shows in his leadership. He comes to work every day ready to work, and that's unique. There's only a certain amount of people who got that." 

Q: What do you bring to the team besides just the leadership and experience, and who was more excited for you to become a Raider you or Marshawn [Lynch]? 

Peters: "I think this ain't got nothing to do with Marshawn [Lynch]. I think this got everything to do with me. It's just me, I'm excited. We both come from Oakland, but this ain't got nothing to do with him, this is my journey." Q: What do you bring? Peters: "Everything y'all know about me. Ain't nothing new." 

Q: You've got 32 interceptions and six pick-six touchdowns. That doesn't just happen. This team has been talking a lot about creating turnovers. Can you have a mindset to do that? And how much of it is confidence knowing that, hey you might get beat sometimes by being aggressive but you can also make that play and then have the confidence to go ahead and do that? 

Peters: "I play offense on defense and defense of offense. It's the same thing, they go hand in hand. I want to get the ball, and when the ball is in the air, you've got to have a will and want to go get it. And I want to go get it more than everybody else. You've got to just make sure that infects the whole locker room and we all just do it as one unit, you feel me, and it's going to pay off for us." 

Q: All of all the young guys are coming to you, but Jakorian Bennett seems to not leave your side. What do you see in him to be that hungry and teachable? 

Peters: "I tell everybody, man I'm an open book, and for you to get the information you've got to go want to pull it out of the library and you've got to want to go read it. He just comes over and ask questions, and every question he's got I don't got the answer, we're going to figure it out together. And then we get in the meeting room he sits right next to me and he's still asking questions. And that's how it goes, that's how game is passed down most of the time. You don't got to really say too much, just pay attention and lead by example and pay attention by example and you just start filling in your little information, add everything to his game and then it's going to be him." 

Q: A couple minutes ago you said that this is your journey, this is what you know, a kid from Oakland that's playing for the Raiders. What are some fond memories that you have whether it's just growing up watching the Raiders or playing against them? 

Peters: "The tuck rule - killed us man. Oakland ain't been the same since. But no after that I remember my pops and them getting in their cars and driving to San Diego and going to the Super Bowl down there and stuff. It's just something that's in me, you know what I'm saying? Being a little kid riding the bus, riding the BART and being able to see that stadium right there and seeing just historical stuff going on. It's a blessing man for a little kid come from West Oakland to be able to be putting on his jersey now. It's a blessing. 

Q: Did you ever think that you'd be in the role that people will be calling you the OG in the room? 

Peters: "Yeah, hell yeah because I'm going to stop playing this game when I don't want to play no more. I know you're going to get older, but it's the game God out there, somebody's got to be able to give it out and it's just my turn. And I had my leaders, Eric Berry, Justin Houston, Keith Lee, Sean Smith, Ron Parker and many more. I listened to them, and they just kept saying, 'Bro you know it's going to be your time soon, and when it's your time just be the same cat you is and just lead them because they're going to turn and look to you for information, and if you've got it man, why not pass it on?'" 

Q: Your Raider memories are so understandably tied to Oakland. What's it like being in Las Vegas? 

Peters: "It's Oakland really. You know what I'm saying? Just hop on a quick little flight back to the town. But Vegas cool, I like it man. I've been out here for a couple weeks before camp just training and stuff, getting it in and it's been cool. You can get into all the other stuff in Vegas, but if you don't go to the strip, it's normal."

Q: You were on some really good defenses throughout your career, most recently Los Angeles and Baltimore. Do you see any of the attributes on this defense? 

Peters: "Yeah, we're hungry. We want to up everything that we're going to do on defense and like I said we want to show our effort, we want our communication to be displayed in our play. And then our play is going to going to be able to show all our effort. We want to have fun doing it at the same time. I think that we're all on the same boat of just let's just come to work, keep building our camaraderie together and then be ready to put a product on the field that's Raiders." 

Q: Is your family going to be coming out here? Peters: "Hell yeah." Q: With what the franchise has meant to you, and you've talked about that, what did it feel like the first time for the helmet on? 

Peters: "I mean, I just was happy man to get back to playing football. My biggest thing I just want to play ball. I know I'm blessed to keep playing football and it's just a Raider uniform that I'll get to put on now and just up it a little bit more because my pops ain't never put on none of my jersey's because he's a Raiders fan, and now he gets to put on one and feel proud about it." 

Q: How does it feel wearing that number 24? 

Peters: "Oh, it's a blessing. But that's my favorite corner from me growing up. I know some people might say Deion [Sanders], but me being able to be in the backyards of C Wood [Charles Woodson] and watching him do what he was doing as a rookie and then keep going on man, and then he used to be out in Oakland streets. And my pops and them just tell us stories about them chilling and hanging out, and that's big. It's just a blessing to be able to rock a number that he wore. Yeah, it's a blessing. I don't know I got too many words for that but a blessing." 

Q: In this organization that number means something extra too because of Charles, because of Willie Brown. Now for you to wear that, did you think about that at all, or is that just always a number you wanted to wear? 

Peters: "No I thought about it a lot, and that's the number I wanted. I had 24 in Baltimore, and it was only right for me to wear 24 here." 

The Silver and Black open the preseason by hosting the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Aug. 13, at 4 p.m. EDT/1 p.m. PDT.

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