Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast Answers Vital Questions

Our latest episode of the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast dives into your questions and emails.

Nov 29, 2024; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) prepares to pass the ball in the third quarter against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

HENDERSON, Nev. -- The Las Vegas Raiders have plenty of questions that need answering this offseason.

So do the fans of the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast. In this latest edition, our Hondo Carpenter dives into fans' emails and questions, bringing a wide range of answers to questions that span the rest of the season, the offseason, and Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders:

Below is a partial transcript from defensive coordinator Patrick Graham's Thursday media availability:

Q: Last week, Bucky Irving had a pretty good game for Tampa Bay. Just kind of wondering what you see from their offense?

Coach Graham: “They do a good job of running the ball. They've established an identity this part of the season, so you can see they are a run first team, and they mix in the play action pass. They have a quarterback that could get them in and out of good run plays and give them the right looks for the pass game. So, it's a good combination, and then they're solid on defense. So, to me, it falls right in line with what you would think with a defensive head coach. ‘Hey, make sure we can run the ball.’ And they got two backs that can run it. They got good O-line in terms of there's a mix of some youth and a little bit of experience, but relatively a younger group. So, you can see them being together for a while. It's the right combination. And then you count that with the receivers and the tight end, 88 [Cade Otton] is really coming on. I've been real impressed with him. Mike [Evans] is Mike. He is what he is and he's a go-to guy for them. And after the hamstring injury, you can see they're really trying to get him involved with the offense. And it's good to see Shep [Sterling Shepard] out there playing. I was with him at the Giants, but they got a good mix. And the quarterback is the trigger man, he makes it go. And you can see how he has full command of the offense at the line of scrimmage, which is impressive to me.”

Q: What kind of challenges does Baker Mayfield present?

Coach Graham: “Again, I hate to sound like a broken record, but once you see a quarterback to get in and out of the right play, especially when they get you into the right run play, to me, that was always the most impressive throughout my career in league with what Tom [Brady] would do, what Peyton Manning would do, Eli [Manning], Aaron Rodgers, those guys. I wish there was a statistic for that, but to get them in the right run play, that's always key. So, you see that happening, whether it's from the motions, boom, he checks the play, or he sees a look that he likes, and then he gets them to a run. And they have the backs to do that. So, that's one thing. Then the second thing, the arm strength and the arm talent is there. He can make every throw, and you can see that he trusts his arm, so he's willing to stick it in there versus tight windows. He does a good job of putting it on the right shoulder for the receivers. He does a good job there. And then he could throw the ball down the field as well. So, to me, he has full access to the field because of his arm strength. He has full access to the field because of his knowledge of the game. So, that's always impressive and poses an issue for us. And we got to be on our toes, this is a top 10 offense in almost every category. It’s a big challenge for us.”

Q: They're one of the best teams in the league, both on third down and in the red zone. What have you seen that separates them maybe from some other teams in those areas?

Coach Graham: “For me, it's the ability to run the ball, because they'll mix in the run on third down. So, you got to be alert for that. I always thought that was one of the tougher things once you get in those situations where most of the league, once it's third and two-plus, you're dealing with pass game. That's just historically what you're dealing with in the league. But once you involve the run game and the dynamic ball carriers they have, now we got to respect that. We can't tee off the way we want to, so you got to be mindful of that. And then bring that down to the red area, if you could run the ball in the in the red area, that's the best thing you could do because the windows are tighter, the throws a little bit tougher, so it's easier to just run the ball. So, to me, it all starts with the run game and with those backs and how the Oline is blocking. They got a bunch of big guys up there that can move bodies and they do a good job staying connected on their double teams. They pass off movement and they're working well together. It's an impressive group.”

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