ALAMEDA — Johnathan Hankins split into a wide grin when asked about the formerly infamous number 13.
“I’d forgotten all about that,” Hankins said.
Hankins, nor any one else connected with the Raiders defensive line, has not forgotten about the meager 13 sacks that were accumulated in 2018. How could they? It was a consistent topic of conversation, starting with the off-season program, through voluntary and mandatory minicamps and then on a near-daily basis during training camp in Napa.
Coach Jon Gruden mentioned it one or a hundred times. So did defensive coordinator Paul Guenther and defensive line coach Brentson Buckner.