Oakland Raiders: Conley needs to focus on his game, not his brand

Oakland Raiders corner Gareon Conley could be a star in the NFL, but he seems more concerned about his €œbrand€ than fulfilling his potential.

If there’s one thing the Oakland Raiders won’t be missing in their secondary this season, it’s confidence. Swagger. Bravado. They’ve apparently got those in spades this year.

Confidence is hardly what you’d expect from a unit that gives up yards by the bushel and ranked near the bottom of the league in virtually every metric available for the last few years running.

But, that’s what an offseaon rife with change will do for a team. Bringing in a new coach and large parts of the roster is like hitting the reset button.

And newly-signed cornerback Rashaan Melvin is wasting no time in trying to inject some confidence and swagger back into the Silver and Black.

Melvin recently took to social media to throw down the gauntlet and tell opposing teams (and fans) that his half of the field is going to be a no-fly zone.

Bold words. And if he can continue on the upward trajectory he started with Indianapolis last season and back up his statements, Oakland’s secondary — at least, on one side of the field — might not be the dumpster fire it has been in recent seasons.

But, what about the other half of the field?

On the other half of that field, we have Gareon Conley, likely to be penciled in as the starter opposite Melvin. And, given Oakland’s troubles in the secondary of late and the radical revamping of the roster, a lot is going to be expected of Conley.

For his part, Conley exudes confidence. He is full of swagger. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. You want your players to be confident. To believe they’re the best in all things. That they can dominate at will — and impose their will on others.

It’s when that confidence turns to arrogance though, and a player starts believing his own hype machine that problems can start to surface. It’s when players start to become so focused on and consumed by marketing their own “€œbrand”€ that problems potentially begin to arise.

And we’re starting to see some of the trappings of that with Conley. Despite having what was truly, a forgettable rookie season — as in, he was on the field so little, it was almost easy to forget he was on the roster

And yet, to hear him tell it, Conley somehow seems to have morphed into a combination of Darrelle Revis (in his prime!) and Deion Sanders (when he could still tell the difference between All-Pro players and fans!).

His lingering shin injury last year limited him to just two appearances and 92 total defensive snaps over the 16-game schedule. He played so little last year that Conley is walking into the 2018 season, basically, as a second-year rookie.

A second-year rookie who still has plenty of room to grow, a lot of learning to do, and a ton of work ahead of him.

That hasn’t deterred him from promoting his “€œbrand,”€ though. Despite playing just 92 total defensive snaps, Conley is putting out hype videos on his Twitter feed, while marketing his €”Conley Island,”€ and €”Best in America,”€ merchandise on his own website.

All of which seems a bit — premature. Actually, it seems a lot premature.

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Others will point to Melvin’s assertion and say that Conley is just projecting confidence. Sure. No doubt. But, unlike Conley, Melvin can point to a track record that has him shadowing — and having success against — some of the league’s top receivers like Antonio Brown and DeAndre Hopkins.

With three picks and 13 passes defensed over the 10 games he was on the field in 2017, Melvin showed an ability to lock up opposing receivers.

Aside from the team’s medical staff, who has Conley locked up so far?

This all, of course, simply continues a pattern of behavior was saw from Conley in his first rookie season. There was the infamous clap back at Oakland’s GM Reggie McKenzie on Twitter about his shin injury.

Rather than act like a professional, take the high road, and keep the issues in house, Conley went out of his way to embarrass McKenzie. Which is not an especially good look if you’re a rookie.

In the wake of last year’s disastrous season, we’ve been treated to all kinds of stories about divas and cancers in the locker room who poisoned the culture on the team. Players who sowed discord and distrust, which, of course, led to a host of other problems.

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There was one story that added to that pile of dysfunction and was reported by The Athletic’s Vic Tafur, but never gained a lot of traction. At the time, Tafur was reporting on the impression Conley made on both his coaches and his teammates.

More specifically, the poor impression both Conley and second-round pick Obi Melifonwu made on coaches and teammates.

"“€œWorse than the Raiders losing their top two drafts picks to injuries was the impression that cornerback Gareon Conley and Obi Melifonwu made on teammates. Though not publicly, the Raiders coaching staff privately questioned Conley’€™s drive since he arrived in Oakland and Tafur added on Tuesday that at least one player was concerned that Melifonwu and Conley might not €˜really want it.”"

It’s concerning that both of last year’s top draft picks are being seen in that light by the coaching staff and their teammates. Actually, it’s downright disturbing. Melifonwu though, has at least had the good sense to keep his head down and work, rather than promoting a”€œbrand”€ he hasn’t quite earned yet.

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Conley though? He’s full steam ahead with his “€œConley Island”€ brand.

Look, Conley very well may wind up being the second coming of Sanders, Revis, Lester Hayes, and Mike Haynes all rolled into one. But, until he proves it, the possibility exists that he could also turn out to be the second coming of D.J. Hayden.

Conley has a lot of skill. A lot of high level talent. And a hell of a lot of upside. He has the kind of talent — and the opportunity — a whole lot of people would kill for.

The question he needs to answer though, is whether he’s willing to put in the work necessary to unlock his potential. The question he needs to answer is, whether or not he actually €œwants it — €“ because his teammates last season certainly didn’t seem to think so.

And the question he needs to answer is whether he’s a football player first, or just a”€œbrand”€ meant to sell t-shirts and hats.

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By positioning himself the way he has as, “€œConley Island,”€ and, “€œBest in America,” Conley has put a target on his back. Opposing quarterbacks will be more likely to test him early and often.

If he acquits himself well and proves he can be a lockdown cornerback, his €”brand”€ is going to be worth a lot more. And, he’ll have earned it. If it turns out that he’s more turnstile than lockdown corner though, that “€œbrand”€ isn’t going to be worth much at all.

All of this to say, Conley has enormous talent. He’s got tremendous upside. He probably is closer to Revis than he is Hayden. But, he needs to prove that.

It’s his drive and willingness to put in the work that’s the question — apparently a question shared by his coaches and teammates. His confidence borders on arrogance. Which is fine, if he can back it up. If he can’t? Well…

Right now, Conley isn’t the “€œBest in America,”  He’s currently not even the “Best on Oakland’s Roster.”€ Which means that maybe, he should put a little more time and focus on his game, rather than on his brand.