ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Reggie Nelson is coming off his second straight Pro Bowl appearance. He led the Oakland Raiders with five interceptions and all NFL safeties with seven takeaways.
Entering his 11th NFL season, it’s time for the free safety to rest on his laurels a bit, no?
Well ...
“Man, I got homework every night; it’s a young man’s game,” Nelson said with a laugh during OTAs. “They keep drafting safeties, so you have to compete, man. I study every night, no matter what it is. There’s always something that I can get better at and that’s what I keep trying to tell the young guys, ‘Don’t think you made it because you’re here. There’s always something that you can get better at and work at.’”
Indeed, since signing Nelson in early April 2016, the Raiders have drafted Karl Joseph, who teamed with him in Oakland’s secondary as the strong safety last fall, and two more safeties this past April in Obi Melifonwu and Shalom Luani.
Now, Nelson is not about to simply be a mentor and be phased out, mind you. He still has much to prove -- and provide.
“Nelson is a ball hawk,” Raiders defensive coordinator Ken Norton, Jr. said. “He’s always around the ball. He’s a veteran. He knows how to play this game. He’s been playing for a long time.
“Our team is so young, it’s important for a guy like that to continue to set an example for a lot of the younger players. He has a lot of respect in the room, a lot of respect on the field and he’s been playing for a long time for a reason. He’s a guy whose experience is very important to us.”
New Raiders assistant head coach/defense John Pagano has been focusing on communication and the secondary. He said he has simply “gravitated” to Nelson since arriving in Oakland this offseason.
“To be able to talk football with him, pick his brain of how he sees things, how he understands the game of football, I think the biggest thing that we always talk about back there, usually, is disguising,” Pagano said. “I think disguising is something that you have to take to a level in your defense that you could really do a lot of different things out of that.
“Excellent pro. He’s a pro. Comes to work every day with questions, writes everything down, listens. That’s what it’s all about. He’s a great example for our younger players to be able to watch a guy like that and be able to see how it’s supposed to be done.”
Pagano had a great view last December as the Chargers' defensive coordinator, when Nelson’s fourth-quarter pick sealed the Raiders’ win in San Diego and clinched their first playoff berth since 2002.
Nelson, who turns 34 on Sept. 21, was also second in tackles for Oakland with 87 (57 solo) and was tied for the team lead with 14 passes defensed.
But again, he is taking nothing for granted.
“Everybody’s stepping up their game and it is what it is,” he said. “You’re out here to compete and keep a job. Like I said, the league keeps getting younger and younger each year and you should be concerned. You have to compete if you want to play. Nothing is going to be handed to you.”
Least of all with the three-day mandatory minicamp beginning today.