BLACKVILLE, SC — Defensive Back Antonio Hamilton who played at South Carolina State is coming back from a torn meniscus for the Oakland Raiders.
He's been working like crazy since the end of last year to be at peak form because this offseason the Raiders brought back their revered head coach Jon Gruden who left the game for a long time to become an analyst. Now he's back and Antonio says the Raiders are already a different organization. They aren't messing around.
"Everybody on the new coaching staff-all they want to do is win. John Gruden. He's an amazing guy. He's super enthused about the game like he loves the game and all he wants to do is win," Antonio said. "He wants to figure out whose the best players that he can put out there on the field and he's going to give everybody an equal opportunity to get out on that field and play and he just wants to win. He wants to compete at a very high level. That's John."
For Antonio, who was an ALL-MEAC performer for the Bulldogs, knows what he needs to do in order to catch John's eye and be a fixture for the Raiders this season. It's easier said than done but he's determined.
"Just staying consistent. Being as good as I've been over the past two years and staying healthy that's the number one thing because last year I suffered an injury and had to spend some time on IR but just stay consistent and compete. That's all I can do and contribute as best as I can on special teams to really solidify that spot and when my time comes when the coaches think I'm ready to go out on that field I can go out there and showcase what I got."