Raiders players talk pros, cons of playing game near hometown

Raiders tight end Ian Thomas knows he’s going to be flooded with messages every time he plays in his home state.

The Baltimore native, who will return to Maryland when his team faces the Commanders on Sunday, has learned over the years that not all of them deserve an answer.

“One of my sisters just texted me and asked me the name of the stadium,” Thomas said, laughing. “I told her, ‘Open your phone like you do every day and type it into Google. It would have taken less time than it took to text me.’

“I mean, if you don’t know the name of the stadium and you can’t find it, I guess you’re just going to miss the game.”

Thomas can smile at that story. The reality is players are pulled in many directions when they play an NFL game close to home.

What should be a fun experience can become overwhelming due to ticket requests and the struggle to fit in time for family and friends during a strict team schedule.

“It is a concern,” coach Pete Carroll said. “It’s being overhyped for situations because of exterior factors, and that’s something that we, as a club and as individuals, need to control. We need to recognize that we’re feeling it. It could be the extra phone calls for tickets or whatever, sideline passes, that are in a guy’s head, and they’re getting extra texts from all the buddies at home and all that kind of stuff. We need to quell that so it isn’t a factor to take away from our focus. So, I’m on that consistently, I hope. And it is an issue.”

Coming home

Raiders defensive end Charles Snowden grew up going to what is now known as Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, to watch his beloved Commanders play.

He will step on the field as an NFL player for the first time Sunday.

“I’m going to make sure to look around and soak it all in pregame so when the whistle blows, that will be behind me and I’ll be focused and ready to go,” Snowden said. “I’m definitely going to take it all in because it’s so crazy to go from growing up with blankets and jerseys and T-shirts of Jason Campbell and Clinton Portis to now being in the NFL and going there to play. It’s wild.”

Snowden, who grew up in suburban Silver Spring, Maryland, and went to school in Washington, D.C., will have about 50 friends and family rooting for him Sunday in the same seats he used to occupy.

He’s also heard from plenty of others who insist they’ll be there to watch him play.

Snowden and his family have had Sunday’s date circled since the Raiders’ schedule was released in May. They’ve been working to assemble a block of tickets primarily through online resellers. Snowden said figuring out the logistics hasn’t been a bother for him.

“Honestly, it’s just been cool to feel all the love of people close to me and even people I haven’t spoken to in a while that are following my career and letting me know they’re excited to have me come back to play and all of that,” he said. “It’s been more exciting than anything.”

Snowden said it will be nice to have his family on the same page for once.

He and his dad are lifelong Commanders fans.

His mother is from Miami and loves the Dolphins. His sister attended college at Temple in Philadelphia and “identifies as an Eagles fan,” Snowden said.

But they’ll all be cheering for the Raiders on Sunday.

‘Like any other game’

Snowden’s family may not be the team’s loudest fans Sunday. Rookie wide receiver Dont’e Thornton Jr., a Baltimore native, insists that honor will go to his section.

“I’m going to know exactly where they’re at,” said Thornton, who is expecting a group of around 40. “It’s going to be a great feeling to have all those people be able to see me play in the NFL. I can’t wait.”

Thornton, who will be appearing in his third professional game, is still trying to stay focused on the task at hand.

“For me, it’s just about treating it like any other game,” he said. “We treat every game like a championship game, so this is no different. It doesn’t matter where it is or who we’re playing. I’m not going to say that I’m not going to go out there and show out and try to play my best ball, but I’m going to do that every time. Of course, there’s going to be a little more behind it knowing my whole family is there watching. But I have to find a way to stay even keel with all those emotions going on.”

Thornton at least doesn’t have to worry about handling ticket requests. He said his family has done an unbelievable job of helping him keep his priorities in line.

“They know that even though they want to see me and I want to see them, they know I have a bigger plan ahead and I have to be focused on that,” Thornton said. “They respect that, so they give me my space and time when they know I have to lock in, but when I have the time to be able to spend with family, I embrace that every time.”

So does defensive tackle Thomas Booker IV, who grew up in Ellicott City, Maryland. He got a taste of playing in his home state last year when he suited up for the Eagles in road games against the Commanders and Ravens.

Booker said Sunday’s trip reminds him of the rare times in college at Stanford when he would play out east and get to see friends and family.

“It will be nice having them all together,” he said. “You get to adulthood and everyone goes their separate ways, so it’s always (nice) when there’s an event that brings you together back home and you get to be in the same space physically.”

Booker said the fact he played in Maryland twice last year means he doesn’t “have a brigade pulling up” Sunday. But he’s still looking forward to the game.

“It’s pretty cool to be able to do what you do on the biggest stage back where you’re from because all the people you’ve grown up with and all the people you’ve known in high school or throughout your life get to come see you perform. It’s definitely a blessing, but at the end of the day it’s just football,” said Booker, who appreciates all the time his family spent to make sure his experience is smooth and enjoyable. “My parents do a great job, honestly. They’re great filters for this kind of thing. Maybe we’ll have a big meal with everyone so my time isn’t being pulled in a thousand different directions, which I appreciate for sure. It will just be nice to see my mom, my dad and my sister and then some other very important people in my life.”

Local knowledge

Those who don’t have family in the area may seek advice from right tackle DJ Glaze, who played at Maryland in college. The Raiders will be staying close to campus.

“I might take a bunch of the guys out to dinner and show them where I hung out,” Glaze said.

He enjoys a southern kitchen called Milk & Honey, but also recommends GrillMarx steakhouse, which is owned by Terrapins coach Mike Locksley.

“It’s got really good food,” Glaze said.

Glaze, like several of his teammates, credited his mother for coordinating ticket requests.

“It’s amazing she does that so that everybody’s not hitting you up and asking about things,” he said. “They go straight to her and she’s the one that already knows all the answers anyway, so that’s better for everyone.”

Rookie offensive lineman Charles Grant, who grew up three hours south of Washington in Portsmouth, Virginia, isn’t sure how many friends and family are traveling for Sunday’s game. His mom hasn’t even told him how many ticket requests she received other than, “A lot.”

Grant is grateful for that. He’s also hoping to change the allegiances of some of the friends and family members who root for the Commanders.

“Everyone is nothing but supportive, so I hate to say it to them, but I hope we beat their team,” Grant said. “I understand their fandom, but I know they are all Team Charles now. As many of them as I can bring to the dark side, I’m trying to do that.”

Veteran move

Thomas, for his part, isn’t worried about converting anyone back home.

Those things may have mattered to him his first few years in the NFL. He’s much more relaxed about the situation as an eight-year veteran.

Thomas is also wiser with his money. He may have felt pressured in his younger days to pick up the tab for everyone and try to spend time with as many people as possible. He knows better now. He bought tickets for his immediate family and hopes everyone else that wants to make it to the game can do so.

He also understands he has time for lunch Saturday, maybe some time to hang out Saturday night after his meetings and then about a half hour after the game to greet people before he needs to board the bus and head home.

“You’re trying to split that between 10- or 15-plus people,” Thomas said. “It’s difficult, but it’s fun that they get to see you on the field playing in the NFL and then for a few minutes, then hopefully at another game close by like in Philly later this year. It’s just so nice when you can see family, especially being on the West Coast now. They’re not all flying out all the time and they can’t drive here.”

Old loyalties

Snowden knew Sunday’s game would be one of two that would feel different this year. The other will be the Raiders’ matchup with the Cowboys, the team he grew up hating as a Commanders fan.

Snowden isn’t sure what his emotions will be like when he takes the field Sunday.

“I think it’s going to be a little of everything,” he said. “I think I’ll be excited and it will be surreal. To be such a huge fan growing up and being from the area, I’ll think about what it was like for me growing up and the mood of everyone from school to your basketball team to everyone in the area after a win versus after a loss. And knowing I could have a hand in that will be pretty cool.”

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.