ALAMEDA -- The Raiders had a team meeting a few weeks back to discuss the final stretch of an immensely disappointing season. The Silver and Black have played better, but they still haven’t been good, sitting with just a few wins in several attempts.
Safety Karl Joseph wanted to speak to the group at that time, with one clear message better heard from peers than coaches.
Finish strong.
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SIGN UP HERE Joseph personifies this 2018 campaign, as someone who entered the year with high expectations ultimately unmet. He has battled adversity, injury and inconsistency while learning a new scheme with so many new pieces around him. He was shopped extensively before the NFL trade deadline in October, but he retained focus. He, like the Raiders as a whole, kept grinding through tough times and is starting to make some strides.
On-field improvement remains paramount, but Joseph wants to build trust and increase his leadership role within a young secondary.
“That’s important for me more than anything, being able to establish myself as a leader,” Joseph said on this week’s Raiders Insider Podcast. “I take pride in that. I want to put certain things on me and take charge. I want to become that guy.
"I told [coach Jon Gruden and defensive coordinator Paul Guenther] that I wanted to be that guy who takes control of things. I obviously have to earn the trust of the guys around me for that to happen. I have to keep improving. It’s a big job, a big role, but it’s one that I want.”
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The Raiders took a chance in drafting Joseph 14th overall in 2016, despite his ACL tear the previous season. That means something to Joseph, and created undying loyalty to the Silver and Black that remains even after Gruden put him on the trading block.
It was a difficult time just before the trade deadline, but Joseph managed to keep his head on straight.
“This season has been disappointing for everybody,” Joseph said. “We want to be in the playoffs, but it hasn’t worked out. Obviously, I wanted to play a lot more that I was early on, and the trade deadline was hard.
"Being drafted here, this place is special to me. I want to be here. I got through it by keeping strong in my faith, trusting that God would put me wherever he wanted me to be. I just came in and worked. The only thing I could control was my attitude. I tried to stay positive every day and believe that whatever happened would be for the best.”
Joseph has experienced some growing pains this season, and admits that getting Guenther’s system down was a “transition for me.”
“I believe that the true test of a man is adversity. We’ve been through that a lot this year as a team,” Joseph said. “For me personally, I’ve been through a lot. I’ve been through a lot of things these first three years (in the NFL), from injuries to not playing a lot. Now I’m putting all those things behind me and focus on the future. I’m ready to take that role as a leader and help this team get back on the right track.”