Latest news with #PatrickGraham
South China Morning Post
06-06-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Manulife's Hong Kong unit to redomicile from Bermuda thanks to new law
Manulife (International), the biggest pension provider in the city, plans to redomicile to Hong Kong from Bermuda in November, indicating its confidence in the city as an international financial centre, according to a notice it sent to customers on Friday. Advertisement This makes Manulife (International), the Hong Kong and Macau unit of Toronto-headquartered Manulife Financial, the second insurer to incorporate in Hong Kong after a new 'game changer' law easing the redomiciliation process came into effect on May 23. Rival AXA announced a similar move soon after the change. The legislation allows companies to establish themselves in the city while retaining their legal identity and business continuity. Previously, a redomiciling company had to wind up its existing entity and shift all assets and transactions to Hong Kong. Manulife said in a customer notice that its decision reflected confidence in Hong Kong as a premier international financial hub. 'Redomiciling to Hong Kong allows us to better align with the city's robust financial and regulatory environment, strengthening our ability to meet local market needs,' said Patrick Graham, CEO of Manulife Hong Kong and Macau. Advertisement The decision came shortly after Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Christopher Hui Ching-yu conducted a roadshow to several Canadian cities last week to promote Hong Kong, including the new regulatory regime. The simplified process would attract more local insurers and other companies incorporated in Bermuda or other tax havens to redomicile to Hong Kong, said Karina Wong, Greater China divisional president of CPA Australia, an accounting industry body.
Washington Post
05-06-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Raiders coordinator Patrick Graham embraces learning from Pete Carroll's defensive expertise
HENDERSON, Nev. — Pete Carroll, like Antonio Pierce just a year prior, retained Patrick Graham as the Raiders' defensive coordinator even after both took over the program and largely cleaned house. Keeping Graham was a testament to the respect both coaches have for the job he has done in Las Vegas.
Associated Press
05-06-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Raiders coordinator Patrick Graham embraces learning from Pete Carroll's defensive expertise
HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Pete Carroll, like Antonio Pierce just a year prior, retained Patrick Graham as the Raiders' defensive coordinator even after both took over the program and largely cleaned house. Keeping Graham was a testament to the respect both coaches have for the job he has done in Las Vegas. The defense was Graham's to run as he saw fit under Pierce and Josh McDaniels before him, but how much autonomy he will have under Carroll is something to watch. Carroll is a defensive-minded head coach known for creating the famed Legion of Boom in Seattle that was pivotal to the Seahawks making back-to-back Super Bowls and winning one in a 43-8 blowout over Denver. 'Any time you get a chance to work with someone with that experience, that level of success, I couldn't be happier ... just in terms of to bounce ideas off of him and hear different ways of doing things,' Graham said after practice Wednesday. 'It's been really beneficial for my growth, if I'm being selfish. It's just something really good and positive for me. The track record, I mean, why wouldn't you listen? It's been great.' The Raiders likely are far from those great Seahawks defenses, but led by end Maxx Crosby, they aren't devoid of talent. This was a top-10 defense just two years ago, allowing 19.5 points per game. Even more was expected last year before that side of the ball was decimated by injuries beginning in training camp when pass rusher Malcolm Koonce suffered a season-ending torn ACL. Las Vegas gave up nearly an additional touchdown per game, dropping to a tie for 25th with Cincinnati. But even during those struggles, the Graham-led makeshift defense found a way to hold six consecutive opponents to fewer than 20 points during one stretch in the season's second half. Now the challenge is fitting in new players after watching key components such as linebackers Robert Spillane and Divine Deablo and defensive backs Nate Hobbs and Tre'von Moehrig leave in free agency. There also is major concern about the rehabilitation setback of defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, whose return from a broken foot creates a noticeable shadow over the unit. That's why the 46-year-old Graham — who interviewed for Jacksonville's head coaching job in January — didn't make a big deal about the continuity his presence means to the team as the Raiders go through organized team activities. 'Each season is so different,' Graham said. 'You take a step back, look at and evaluate yourself, like, 'What did I do, what can I do better, what was good?' Then you look at the defense and see what was good, what was bad. Then you've got to look within the league and see what the trends are. Because if you don't stay ahead of it, you can get in trouble.' No matter the changes, be with the coaches or the players, Graham understands the importance of communication. It's something new Raiders linebacker Elandon Roberts quickly came to appreciate. 'When he talks, I'm just kind of zoned in on it,' Roberts said. 'I've spent a lot of time with PG. We only get a certain amount of time in the building, and shoot, I'm trying to pull up on PG at his house. 'I'm telling you, PG is the type of guy he wakes up in the morning, he thinks about football. He can be eating something, he's thinking about football.' Graham and Roberts kept missing each other until now. Graham was on New England's staff from 2009-15 and Roberts played for the Patriots from 2016-19. Then Graham was Miami's defensive coordinator in 2019 and Roberts played for the Dolphins from 2020-22. 'He was running from me,' Roberts said jokingly. 'I get out here and said, 'It's about time.'' And this is the time for teams, the Raiders included, to be optimistic. Many of the post-practice media questions reflected that mindset. Games will be played soon enough, and then Graham will know what kind of defense he has. There also should be more clarity on how he Carroll will work together. Graham was asked about Carroll multiple times, so it's clear that storyline isn't going away any time soon. 'You can see the energy he has and the ability to teach the position and coach the whole team,' Graham said. 'This has been really a great situation for myself, for the players, the coaches. We're watching a master teacher working at his craft and seeing it live and in person. This is really beneficial for us.' ___ AP NFL:
New York Times
04-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Raiders OTAs: Patrick Graham excited to be part of Pete Carroll's new-look defense
HENDERSON, Nev. — Patrick Graham was a free agent this offseason. In a rare situation for a coach, the Las Vegas Raiders' defensive coordinator passed on an extension in 2024 and allowed his contract to expire. Graham has aspirations of becoming a head coach one day, but he was also leaving the door open to taking a defensive coordinator position elsewhere in case things didn't work out with the Raiders. Sure enough, head coach Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco were fired following the 2024 season. Advertisement The Jacksonville Jaguars interviewed Graham for two different roles — head coach and defensive coordinator — but he ultimately decided to return to Las Vegas. Defensive end Maxx Crosby and other players advocated for his reinstatement, but it was more dependent on him meshing well with new head coach Pete Carroll. During his interview, the two quickly found common ground. Soon after, Graham agreed to come back. 'With (Carroll's) track record, I mean, why wouldn't you listen?' Graham said Wednesday. 'You've got to listen.' Through OTAs, Graham hasn't had any regrets. 'Working with Pete has been great,' Graham said. 'The energy, the football knowledge and just having somebody to talk to about situation football and defensive philosophy, it's been great for me. … I couldn't be happier with the situation.' 🔴📽️ Live: Patrick Graham, Elandon Roberts, Jeremy Chinn and Jackson Powers-Johnson address the media from the Intermountain Health Performance Center. — Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) June 4, 2025 Graham has been the Raiders' defensive coordinator since 2022, but Carroll's reputation as a defensive strategist raised questions about how his scheme would adapt in 2025. Carroll is best known for his Seattle Seahawks defenses, which operated out of a Cover 3 base defense. In Cover 3, the two outside cornerbacks and the free safety drop back into deep zones while the linebackers and other defensive backs drop into underneath zones. When executed well, the Cover 3 is effective at stopping deep passes and puts defenders in a good position to stop the run. Even when run properly, however, it can be susceptible to quick-hitting, short passes and routes that attack the seams in the defense. And if it isn't disguised well, it's easy for an offense to identify a Cover 3 prior to the snap. Advertisement Throughout his career, Graham has been an adaptable coordinator. He frequently uses 3-4, 4-3 and 5-2 fronts and has always mixed up his coverages. That has continued this spring. The Raiders have bounced between four- and five-man fronts, used both single-high and two-high safety alignments and used a variety of coverages. While the Raiders will certainly run Cover 3, it doesn't seem it'll be as frequently as during Carroll's 'Legion of Boom' days in the early 2010s. Graham has been more focused on re-establishing the overall identity of the defense. They seemed to find it when they finished ninth in scoring defense in 2023, but a mix of poor injury luck and substandard play caused them to drop to 25th last year. They're aiming for a bounce-back year in 2025. 'It starts with our effort,' Graham said. 'One thing I've learned from coach (Carroll) is to simplify the message and just give it to 'em. … It doesn't have to be 20 buzzwords or some paragraph or anything. You've got to play with great effort. We're building the foundation for being a physical team. We've got to play smart. 'Those are the things in terms of what we want the defense to look like, and then make the offense earn it. No easy plays. You've got to take away the seams. You've got to take away posts. You can't let them run the ball around the edge. It's not real football in terms of the run game yet, but we have to have an understanding of, 'That's what we're trying not to give up.'' Given that several key members of the Raiders defense have played well in Graham's system for multiple seasons now, it always made sense for Carroll to work to blend their principles together. And Graham has been able to learn from the elder statesman. 'I look at my career, and I've been blessed with the people I've been able to work with. Whether it's from Josh (McDaniels) to AP (Antonio Pierce), working with (Brian) Flores, working with coach (Bill) Belichick, (Steve) Spagnuolo. I mean, I've got a lot of football up in this brain. Now, I can't pour all that out to these guys in terms of all that scheme. And then on top of that, you put Pete Carroll? I mean, I'm a football junkie who doesn't have any hobbies. I couldn't ask for more.' Advertisement Here are some observations from the Raiders' OTA practice Wednesday. • Defensive tackles Christian Wilkins (foot) and Adam Butler (undisclosed) didn't practice. Wilkins hasn't practiced at all during OTAs, while this is the second straight week Butler has missed. Reserve receivers Alex Bachman and Collin Johnson also didn't practice for undisclosed reasons. • Second-year offensive lineman Jackson Powers-Johnson has lined up exclusively at center during OTAs. He started games at left guard, center and right guard as a rookie, but center has always been his most natural position. During his final season at Oregon in 2023, Powers-Johnson won the Rimington Trophy, which is given to the best center in college football. Clearly, it's where both the second-year lineman and the Raiders feel he has the most upside. Additionally, he has improved his physique and technique. 'I've hammered down a routine,' Powers-Johnson said Wednesday. 'I've lost 10 to 15 pounds. I'm faster. I'm stronger. I'm getting a lot better at technique. I've got to throw a lot of that on the coaches — they've been absolutely amazing. … Getting a real offseason at center is huge. Going back to my college years, I never had a real offseason of center — I was always playing five or six different positions. So, being able to really home in on one has been awesome. I think I'm going to make a great jump.' We're talking about JPJ's rookie season and how he's gearing up for year two on @Ford Morning Commute 🛻#RaiderNation — Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) June 2, 2025 • Safety Jeremy Chinn returned to practice Wednesday after missing practice last week. He's a versatile piece on the defense who can line up as a deep safety, box safety or nickelback. He's also someone who'll frequently be used to blitz off the edge. In turn, Isaiah Pola-Mao mostly operates as a deep safety. When Chinn works in the box, Pola-Mao shifts into a center-fielder role. He doesn't have exceptional speed — he ran a 4.51-second 40-yard dash at his pro day — so it'll be interesting to see if he's able to fly from sideline to sideline in the way that's required. Advertisement • It's early, but it's clear that Elandon Roberts is the front-runner to start at Mike linebacker. The veteran has struggled in pass coverage in the past but has held up well in that area during OTAs. He has also stepped up to help younger linebackers such as Tommy Eichenberg, Amari Gainer and Cody Lindenberg. 'When I look at myself in the mirror, I definitely see a leader,' Roberts said Wednesday. 'I'm real hard on myself. I think that adds value to the younger guys and even myself because if I'm always thinking about being an example.' • The Raiders' three-day mandatory minicamp is next week. It'll be the last time they practice until training camp begins in late July.
New York Times
13-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Raiders' flier on free agent Jaylon Smith is a sign of an unsettled linebacker corps
HENDERSON, Nev. — It made sense that the Las Vegas Raiders' 2025 draft picks practicing for the first time received most of the attention at rookie minicamp last week, but coach Pete Carroll was also considering making changes to the roster. The Raiders had over 70 players participate in the three-day camp, including undrafted rookies and veterans vying for roster spots. Advertisement On Monday, after the front office had time to deliberate, the Raiders made a series of transactions. They let go of receivers Tyreik McAllister and Kristian Wilkerson, offensive tackle Dominic Boyd, defensive tackle Matthew Butler and linebackers Brandon Smith and Amari Burney. Those moves made room to sign receivers Ketron Jackson Jr. and Key'Shawn Smith, defensive end Jahfari Harvey, linebackers Jaylon Smith and Wesley Steiner and safety Jonathan Sutherland. Of the newcomers, Jaylon Smith stood out the most. The soon-to-be 30-year-old was once a Pro Bowl-caliber linebacker, but he spent 2024 out of football. Ironically, his last game action came when he played one game for the Raiders in 2023. Smith has familiarity with defensive coordinator Patrick Graham's system. Besides his brief stint in 2023, he started 11 games for the New York Giants when Graham was their DC back in 2022. That was the last time he played multiple games in a season. It's hard to know what to make of Smith at this point in his career. The last time he played significant snaps, he was inconsistent both as a run defender and in pass coverage. The fact that the Raiders are still taking a flier on him speaks to the precarious situation in their linebacker corps. After losing starters Robert Spillane and Divine Deablo in free agency, they signed Elandon Roberts and Devin White, who would likely be the starters if the season began today. 'Devin, obviously, I have a ton of familiarity from my time in Tampa with him,' general manager John Spytek said in March. 'I still maintain that, other than Von Miller in the Super Bowl run in 2015, what Devin did in the 2020 playoffs is the best I've ever seen a defensive player play. It was incredible.' Roberts has been a solid starting mike linebacker for years now. Defensive line coach Rob Leonard overlapped with Roberts in Miami for two seasons when he was an assistant on the Dolphins staff. Assistant defensive line coach Kenyon Jackson also coached him with the Dolphins in 2021, and defensive assistant/linebackers coach Ty McKenzie worked with him on the Dolphins in 2022, so there's plenty of familiarity with the coaching staff. Advertisement 'Knowing some people in the building brings a certain level of calmness,' Roberts said in March. A major blemish in Roberts' game has been pass coverage. That's largely why he's never played more than 59 percent of his team's defensive snaps in a single season. To be a difference maker, he'll need to shore up that area of his game. 'Being physical and being that type of player, you have to take into account that teams know that,' Roberts said. 'When you're a downhill guy, they might do a lot of play action, a lot of bootlegs, they'll try to slow you down by doing draw plays and stuff like that. So, you've just got to be cognizant of that.' White hardly played last season and hasn't been an effective starter since 2022. Not only has he struggled in pass coverage, but he has also fallen off as a run defender and pass rusher. 'I know what he's capable of,' Spytek said. 'He's had a little bit of a rough spot in his career here, but he's 27 and he's a good dude. It's good to give him a chance to maybe revitalize himself a bit. … We see Elandon as the mike (linebacker) and Devin as the will. They're two guys that can run and hit you and love to play.' Despite Spytek's encouraging words, linebacker stood out as a major need for the Raiders entering the draft. Despite that, they passed on addressing the position until they took Cody Lindenberg of Minnesota in the seventh round. 'I'm athletic and intelligent. I think I can do everything on the football field that linebackers are required to do and more,' Lindenberg said last month. 'Knowing my keys (and) taking the first step in the right direction before anybody else does on the football field. So then once I get in that right spot, I'll be able to make the play with my hard work and God-given abilities.' Learn more about one of the leaders and driving forces behind Minnesota's defense: Cody Lindenberg.#RaiderNationhttps:// — Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) April 27, 2025 Lindenberg has good size at 6-foot-2, 236 pounds, and was a three-year starter at mike linebacker in college. He has the speed and athleticism to hang at will linebacker, which is where he has a clearer path to carving out a role. 'I think he's a great fit,' Raiders director of college scouting Brandon Yeargan said last month. 'He's a high-character, high-intangible guy. He's tough, he's competitive. I think he's got really good value in the kicking game, too, so I think he's going to be a good addition to that room.' Advertisement Lindenberg is part of a group of wildly inexperienced linebackers on the roster. Tommy Eichenberg and Amari Gainer are second-year players who made the 53-man roster last season but barely played. Then there are three UDFAs in Matt Jones, Jailin Walker and Steiner. In an ideal world, one of those young linebackers would grow into a starting-caliber player. If that doesn't happen, however, then the Raiders will need a career resurgence from Smith and/or White. The Raiders entered the offseason with more holes than they could realistically fill with outside additions. Essentially, they're betting on the developmental skills of Carroll and the coaching staff to bridge the gaps. 'This is not a different process than the last couple times I had a shot at it,' Carroll said in February. 'We've got a lot of philosophy and approach that is unique to the way we do things. That takes some time to get that going. The urgency is there. It's so obvious. But yet, there's so much teaching and learning that's going on that's really exciting to me. So we'll see how it goes.'
