Hezekiah Masses and the genesis of Rob Leonard’s defense

While the foot injury to Darien Porter was unfortunate, it gave the Las Vegas Raiders the opportunity to reveal something they had known for the last few months.

Hezekiah Masses, the fifth-round rookie cornerback out of California, would get his opportunity. He filled in for Porter against the Miami Dolphins and recorded a pass breakup, so the playmaking was never in question. However, prepping for one of the better quarterbacks in the league in Justin Herbert was a tough ask for a first start.

It would not take long for Masses to prove he was up for the challenge, securing two interceptions and being named both the AFC Defensive Player of the Week and AFC Rookie of the Week.

Many were surprised to see a rookie cornerback frustrate a quality quarterback the way Masses did Herbert, but the Raiders were hardly surprised at all.

“They’re making plays all offseason, then during training camp, so nobody was surprised at all,” said linebacker Nakobe Dean about Masses’s play.

“It’s confidence. When you’re a cornerback, it’s always great to have confidence.”

Masses was one of the stars of training camp, putting together some consistent performances and always seeming to be around the ball during practice. While the preseason was a mixed bag, it appeared as though he was improving with each game, and that effort was finally rewarded with a strong debut.

“Proud of him. Anybody that puts in the work, you’re happy to see them get the fruits of their labor on game day,” said Raiders defensive coordinator Rob Leonard. “My hope now is that he sticks to the same process and staying on them about what got him there in the first place.”

While the individual effort of Masses was something to behold, it is ultimately the reward of the coaches emphasizing a gameplan and the players being able to execute.

Early on in training camp, Leonard placed an emphasis on generating takeaways and making plays on the ball. So far, that philosophy has been rewarded with an aggressive defense. Despite only being through two games, the Raiders are tied for the league lead with eight sacks (Cincinnati Bengals, Minnesota Vikings), second with five total takeaways (Carolina Panthers lead with six), and tied for second with three interceptions (Carolina and Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks lead with four).

“You get what you emphasize. You choose what to focus on,” said Leonard.

“There’s a million things in this profession, in life, taken away from the focus of taking away the ball. Can’t just be empty words. I think these guys have taken it to heart; being consistent with it will be the challenge.”

Between the consistent pressure and ability to get opposing offenses off the field quickly, the Raiders at least have a foundation to build on in the early going, even if they are not so focused on reading into things two games in.

“I think you practice it,” said defensive tackle Thomas Booker IV on what goes into the mentality of the Raiders defense.

“When it comes to punching the ball out and just being ball-minded, and also just executing your one-eleventh, being able to get home, rush windows and rush off-schedule throws and all the rest of it, and people just rallying to the ball. I think that pursuit erases a lot of mistakes when it comes to defense. Those are things that we drill every single day and it’s showing up in the tape, but there’s always more on the bone.”

With a high-octane Saints offense on the horizon, the Raiders defense will be up against it to keep the momentum going. Another success from Masses and company, however, would only help to push the Silver and Black that much closer to legitimacy.