Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll instantly debunks the nepotism narrative surrounding his coaching staff

The Las Vegas Raiders have one of the best coaching staffs they have ever put together under the Mark Davis era. Then again, is that really that hard to beat out? It's pretty much this staff and the Jon Gruden era and his staff. Josh McDaniels' staff wasn't great, and Antonio Pierce's staff certainly wasn't good, outside of a few older coaches trying to help him out.

On Pete Carroll's staff, he pretty much has it all, whether it be continuity from Patrick Graham and Rob Leonard on the defensive side of the ball where they had their only success last season. Or, whether it be new faces, like the guys he has brought in. 

He also has a few guys who have had success at other positions, or been in those higher positions, and hired them to positions lower than those they were previously at, like Chip Kelly, who was a head coach for the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers, but is not the offensive coordinator. Then there is Greg Olson, a former Raiders OC, who is going to be the QB coach.

But, still, it feels like people will find a way to complain about the staff, no matter who's on it or who brought it together. This time around, it's a narrative about nepotism with Carroll. If you're unsure what nepotism is, it's sometimes defined by a person of power giving someone in their family a position under them because they are family, not necessarily because they earned it.

That's what Carroll's two sons are being accused of, or their father, rather. This situation is different, though.

"With Jedd [Fisch], they were on a run this last four years," Pete Carroll said on Tuesday during his NFL Combine media availability. "With what they did at Arizona, they turned that program around, refueled and tooled that one up, and then they came right in after an extraordinary year that UW had the year before, but they lost everybody, almost lost the whole team. 

"To come back as well as they did this time around, and with Steve Belichick there too, which was really fun to watch - I watched him very carefully and watched him throughout the year to just keep track of a whole different outlook of ball and all that - it was a very beneficial year. But to get BC [Brennan Carroll] back in action with us is important. The loyalty that is necessary for this job, is you've got to have people that will tell you the truth, and they'll tell you straight up when you're screwing up. And so he is going to be that, he's one of those guys. I can't replace that kind of connection, it's too important. So, thrilled to have him."

For him to say that Brennan is a guy who basically keeps him in check, tells him when he's screwing up, and will shoot straight with him. But also he explained how he's been working with a somewhat successful program in Washington.

The two Carroll coaches have earned these opportunities. Sure, working under their dad helps them, but if you don't think he won't be harder on them than anyone else, you're wrong.