Kubiak, Raiders put emotions aside for Super Bowl reunion with Seahawks

Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak will see plenty of familiar faces Sunday when the Seattle Seahawks visit Allegiant Stadium for a 1:05 p.m. kickoff. Kubiak spent last season as Seattle's offensive coordinator, earning a Super Bowl ring under coach Mike Macdonald before taking the Las Vegas job. Several members of the Raiders' current staff, including offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko and wide receivers Cody White and Dareke Young, also came from the Seahawks organization.

Kubiak called his time in Seattle invaluable, praising the organization's leadership. "Number one, I think it's just organizationally, just an all-football building, and from John Schneider to Coach Macdonald, just extremely intelligent people that treat people the right way and get the most out of their people because they're genuinely good people," he said. Despite the strong bonds, Kubiak insisted the matchup is business as usual. "The more experience you have in the NFL, the more you treat them all the same, and it's going to be an important game because it's the next game for us," he said.

Janocko echoed that sentiment, acknowledging the emotions of the week but emphasizing the job at hand. "It's a big one because it's the next one... there's a lot of emotions this week, but we have a job to do. So whatever emotion you have, you put that aside," he said. The familiarity extends to scheme, as Macdonald's defense practiced against Kubiak and Janocko's offense daily last season. Kubiak said the staff discussed potential adjustments and counter-adjustments early in the week before finalizing a game plan.

Kubiak also provided insight to defensive coordinator Rob Leonard on Seattle's personnel, including backup quarterback Drew Lock, who will start Sunday. "Drew is a starting NFL quarterback. I have so much respect for Drew and how good of a player that he is. He's 2-0 this year, and Drew's winning football games," Kubiak said. Young added that he also shared intelligence with the defensive staff to help prepare for the matchup.

Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal