Raiders' Josh McDaniels After Beating Chargers
HENDERSON, Nev.--The resurgent Las Vegas Raiders (5-7) took out their AFC West rivals, the Los Angeles Chargers, 27-20, on Sunday, and with the win, saw their NFL Playoff dreams come back into focus.
After the game, Josh McDaniels discussed the game and gave his thoughts.
You can watch the entire press conference below and read the transcript:
Raiders Head Coach Josh McDaniels
Opening Statement: "Well, it was hard fought win. Again, credit our guys for hanging in there. We didn't start the way we wanted to, obviously, but we kept battling. That's a good football team, they're well coached, they've got a lot of good players. And I thought we just hung in there and made some plays when we needed to. I thought defensively we did a good job in the Red Zone, keeping them off the board there, caused the turnover that kind of jump- started us there in the third quarter. I thought we hit the quarterback and affected him a lot today on defense. The offense, again, didn't start how we wanted to, but I think we eventually figured out how to run it. And then we made some chunk plays certainly in the passing game that helped us. Football season after Thanksgiving and I think our guys are kind of starting to figure some things out here. We've still got a long ways to go, a lot to learn, but I think we've made some strides."
Q: I imagine you're pleased with the defense giving up only one touchdown, three sacks by Chandler Jones, winning the third-down battle, and keeping them out of the end-zone. What went into that today?
Coach McDaniels: "I mean, we were a little bit more aggressive. I thought Pat [Graham] really called a good game. I thought the defensive staff did a nice job of putting together a plan today that we could kind of keep them off balance a little bit, play a little bit more man-to-man coverage, went after them a little bit in the blitz game. And then we tried to get them into some situations where it wasn't second-and-three and second-and-two, where they basically can do whatever they want. So, I thought we forced some longer yardage situations where our guys could really kind of pin their ears back and pass rush. I thought [Jerry] Tillery showed up again inside. Bilal [Nichols], some of these guys really kept the middle of the pocket compressed so our edge guys can make some plays. And again, it's a complimentary pass defense. If you're not tight in coverage and don't stop them from making those quick throws, then the rush sometimes can't get there. So, I thought our guys did a decent job in coverage too."
Q: Is this team that you envisioned in July, that this is what we can be?
Coach McDaniels: "Yeah. I mean, again, I think every week is its own week, and this week is obviously going to be a very unique one for us. But I think when you start out, you have to have an idea of what you want it to be like and what you want to look like when you're doing it right. And you never play a perfect game in football, it's an imperfect game. But I think that the way we compete, how tough and physical were attempting to play in all three phases. Again, we ran the ball well. I thought we stopped the run decent today. And then I thought we covered kicks. All three of those things are what we point to when we talk about toughness. And so, I think our team has really bought in and believed in the way to try win that way. And I think you start to see some of the fruits of their labor here as we're moving through the season."
Q: When you have guys like Davante Adams and Josh Jacobs, how much does that take the operation to a whole other level?
Coach McDaniels: "It takes it to another level, that's for sure. I think when you talk about those two guys, whenever you call something that they have a good chance of touching the football, you feel pretty good about it, and they are the reason for that. They come through over and over and over again in critical situations. I though Josh made a lot of hard yards today. I mean, it wasn't like they were like gaping holes that he ran through and wasn't touched. I thought he really fought his way through the line of scrimmage and kept his legs going and really had an opportunity to churn out a few hard yards. And then Tae [Davante], I mean, what do you say. I mean, he just keeps doing it over and over again. Derek [Carr] gave him some chances and he comes down with them. Two really, really gifted football players."
Q: Derek Carr seems to be really active line of scrimmage recently. Is it a growth for him learning your offense and then being able to manage it the way he has at the line of scrimmage?
Coach McDaniels: "Yeah, definitely. I think he works extremely hard. They present a lot of issues relative to communication. And probably the thing I was the most proud of today, I don't know if I'm 100 percent right on this, but we didn't get sacked and we didn't lose a yard in the running game. And offensively, this is a defense that they create issues before you even snap the ball because they line up in so many different unique alignments and fronts and locations. And then you got Derwin James [Jr.] hovering around there somewhere. And then they pressure and blitz. That was a huge key for us last week, is to be able to get up there, identify what we're talking about, what we're going to block, and then get a hat and a hat and give our offense an opportunity. And I thought Derek really did a good job of studying film, taking the coaching this week, and then applying it along with Andre [James] and the entire offensive line, tight end and fullback. I thought they really kept the runners clean, at least to get to the line of scrimmage and then I thought they did a good job of protecting Derek."
Q: Does that process for Thursday’s game start right now?
Coach McDaniels: "Yea, it's Wednesday night. We just told them in there, it's Wednesday night for us. You do at least one of these a year, maybe once a while you do a second one. But it is what it is. We knew this was on the schedule, it's not a surprise. The coaches did a great job of working ahead Friday, Saturday and probably a little bit this morning just to prepare and be ready to go for tomorrow morning. The great thing about a Thursday game is both teams are in the same boat. So, we're going to cram, they're going to cram, and nobody's going to do a whole lot physically in the next few days and try to get as healthy as we can get. And then go out there Thursday with as much energy as we can bring and go play the best football we can on Thursday night."
Q: Your team has played its way into playing for something now. How proud of you that they didn't hang their heads and they kept at it and worked their way into this spot?
Coach McDaniels: “I mean, I'm definitely proud of them. We never really discussed records or where we stood, and we're not going to do it this week either. And reality is, nothing has been decided. Nobody's this or that, or in or out, or whatever. And it's really just about playing and coaching your best football. And if you can do that and improve, I really believe that the teams that are ultimately going to earn the right to keep playing are the ones that play the best after Thanksgiving. And so, that's our goal each week is to try to figure out a way to do that and hopefully keep stringing them together."
Q: Nate Hobbs returned today. How did you feel about his presence on the football field, as well as some of the younger players that stepped up, like Sam Webb and Isaiah Pola-Mao?
Coach McDaniels: "Yeah, we used every one of them. It’s great to have Nate back. Nate is a unique guy. He brings a skill set that is super competitive, great toughness. I thought he did a good job of matching some of their receivers tightly in man-on-man coverage, and making tackles. He just plays with a great effort on every snap. And yeah, we had a lot of young guys out there; Dylan [Parham], Thayer [Munford] , Isaiah, Sam, Luke [Masterson], Matthew Butler, Zamir [White]. So, I mean, I think that's what this time of the year is about. You can never predict who's going to be banged up and not able to play, and guys are always ready. They're all preparing to play every week and I think a lot of those guys stepped up when their numbers were called today."
Q: Three wins in a row, what does it mean to you that these guys believed in you and trusted you?
Coach McDaniels: "I mean, obviously, that's speaks to their character. We've always just tried to be consistent with our approach, win, lose or draw. We're not going to change that this week because we won today, or we won three in a row. I think if you treat them with respect and continue to try to help them improve as football players, I don't know what else they could really ask of you. Give us a chance to improve and get better and try to provide them with a plan that gives them a chance to win. And that's always worked for me wherever I've been, and I've seen a lot of great people utilize that. I think we have a great group. I mean, our captains are phenomenal. I've said that over and over again. But we have a lot of great guys in that locker room that continue to work hard and believe and improve, and they've never doubted it. When you lose, nobody likes the feeling, but I think how you respond to it's probably more important than winning. So, we responded I think the right way, and now we've kind of figured out some things and have more to figure out going forward."
The Las Vegas Raiders have a quick turnaround as they play again on Thursday Night Football this week against the Los Angeles Rams at Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. That game kicks off at 8:15 p.m. EST/5:15 p.m. PST and can be seen on Amazon Prime.
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