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Arden Key met Khalil Mack in early spring. He came to Atlanta, when the All-Pro board rusher helped his agent recruit the LSU product.
"We just talked about football and life," said Key.
Key signed with another agency, but he thought more football and life conversations would come after the Raiders took him into the third round of the NFL.
This has never happened. Khalil never reported to the Raiders, and was traded to Chicago for a package comprising two picks in the first round.
"It was very shocking," said Key. "I thought the deal was going to be done, but it did not work."
Key enjoys learning from veterans, players who know the NFL and who have proven passwords. The rookie already has a big toolbox, but she loves to add it. He could have studied with Mack, at least during the off season.
He has Bruce Irvin as a mentor, which has proven beneficial this summer. Key has a proven track record with flexing, agility and speed of a productive record-keeper. The coaches are excited about him and his potential.
"I'm more comfortable today than I was at the beginning," said Key. "I have worked both sides equally in practice, and that's a good thing. I improved as the pre-season. "
Key is the most talented shooter on the outside of Irvin. Do not take this to mean that Key will take the role of Mack. The former defensive player of the year played almost every cliché and did almost everything.
Jon Gruden said it could involve more shelling, although Paul Guenther prefers a four-man race.
The Raiders should play on the strengths of several players. Tank Carradine should play in the first team defense because he has all the pre-seasons. Sometimes he'll get help from Frostee Rucker, or he'll spell Irvin for obvious reasons.
Key intended to be a smuggler. This should always be the case when it adjusts to the NFL. Fadol Brown is a joker. He never stops, and has shown a solid hitting ability and a defensive against the race. It makes life difficult for each opponent, with maximum effort.
These roles are not difficult to define. They were set up at a training camp where Mack refused services. Alpha no longer comes home, but training rotations and chemistry have not changed. This helped the defensive line as a whole play well together.
"Our chemistry is at its highest level right now," Brown said. "This group is able to do a lot of great games now and in the future. We must lock ourselves up and arrive after Monday night.
The Raiders will play Rams L.A. Monday night and stop Todd Gurley and Jared Goff will be vital for the win. This effort will be more difficult without Mack's elite talent, but the Raiders' line and dressing room as a whole are not sorry for themselves. They're not crazy about Mack, either. They are happy to have been paid and ready to take the opportunity to be absent in his absence.
"It's an opportunity for me and the other players on the defensive line. Khalil Mack is gone, "said Key. "We can not stop there. We must move forward. Someone must intervene in his place.
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