Clelin Ferrell Talks Las Vegas Raiders' New Look

HENDERSON, Nev.-The Las Vegas Raiders have improved every area of their football team, and many think Clelin Ferrell can finally find his role under the leadership of Josh McDaniels and Patrick Graham.

Ferrell had a solid camp and spoke about the new direction of the Silver and Black and much more.

You can watch the entire press conference below, and read the transcript:

Defensive End Clelin Ferrell

Q: Where do you think you fit into this defensive scheme?

Ferrell: "My role in this defense is really to do whatever's asked of me. I think that's something that, with my skillset, I have the ability to do. Pat [Graham] is very multiple with what he does. Not even just me, but every guy on the defense is asked to do multiple things. It's really just about being able to be versatile, that's going to be the biggest thing for anybody on this defense, to be versatile."

Q: Did you have to change your body at all for this particular defense?

Ferrell: "I did – I didn't have to, but I did on my own. I dropped about 10 pounds. I'd been rushing on the inside the last couple years and I was trying to put on that weight to really handle it down there. As you get older, you start getting your grown man strength and we're dropping a lot more now, too. I cut the weight down, and I feel like I can move a lot better, so I feel pretty good."

Q: Do you see yourself as more of an edge rusher than just a defensive lineman?

Ferrell: "I feel like it's the more you can do. For most guys in this league, it's about getting to the quarterback, so I think any defensive lineman should consider themselves a rusher. I think just in regard to what Pat has been asking us to do, I think the versatility is the thing that is most important for guys on this defense – not just being a one-dimensional player. Being able to grow, demanding more from yourself, learning more about defense. I know coverages now, so this has probably been the biggest learning year I've had so far, as far as just learning more football. And then going against Josh [McDaniels], I feel like he's obviously one of the best play callers in the game. So, it's been really, really good."

Q: What was it like defending in the slot against the Patriots?

Ferrell: "I feel like for that first game back – I had missed a good bit of training camp – it felt good being out there. It definitely feels pretty cool being out there, standing out there with the DBs, and we're talking, doing our little thing. I feel good, I enjoy it. For some guys, that’s not really what they do. But at the end of the day, it's about giving people looks. And one thing I've learned from Josh and Pat is that it's adapt or die. You can't just be one-dimensional; you got to be able to adapt. We play in a very, very competitive division, so you got to be able to do certain things."

Q: When do you think a guy goes from being considered a young player to a veteran?

Ferrell: "Oh yeah, I think I've passed that for sure. I think it just comes with experience. Everybody matures differently. For some young guys, it takes them playing a certain number of snaps, for some young guys, they're more so journeymen. They might not always get the snaps, but more so it takes them really going through the business side of the league or going through being a guy that has to work extra hard all the time to really get that maturity and understand, 'Okay, I need to get a routine. I need to take care of my body, I need to take care of stuff off the field, I need to be in here early.' It's really just whatever your learning curve is – a lot of different guys have it. I will say for myself, it definitely was just adjusting to all the different changes we've had over the last few years. The different coaches, different things we've had going on with the past on the team. I think for now, I can really hone in on being a true, true veteran and really progressing forward because I feel like the new culture that we have is something that's been really, really good."

Q: Does this staff's 'teaching' mentality remind you of your Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, and how does that help you as a player?

Ferrell: "I think in regard to football, I think Dabo was more so an offensive coach, so he definitely worked with Hunter [Renfrow] more. But for me, Brent Venables was someone that for me – obviously the coaching styles are different, but I think just the teacher level – him and Pat, they have some similarities definitely in just how much they enjoy coaching. Because Pat's a d-line guy too, so he loves coming in there with us and Brent Venables was a D-line guy, too. It's just those types of things, when you see coaches that are really passionate about the game, they can demand more out of their players so that’s what they’ve been doing."

Q: What have you seen in terms of growth for Maxx Crosby, both on and off the field?

Ferrell: "A lot of the experiences that me and him have had, we got a special relationship. Obviously, that’s been one of my best friends on the team since I came in. I'm pepper, that's (Maxx) salt, and Chandler [Jones], he’s old spice. I can't leave out the Hall-of-Famer. There are a lot of things that me and Maxx have experienced together, it's something that we've talked about. He's a truly special person because I was someone that really saw the highs and lows of him going through that process. So, it's something that me and him have a special connection on."

Q: Is there anything he's been through that has had a positive influence on your mental health?

Ferrell: "Most definitely. Definitely some of the things that I battle with on a personal side that typical NFL players that come into the league young, maybe making a certain amount of money to deal with. And I've learned from his experiences, too. A lot of things – I won't go into detail just because we've had some private experiences that we keep between ourselves – but it's definitely something that we've learned and grown off each other. And him about to be a father, and I get to be an uncle now, so it's good."

Q: What's your approach on the season knowing you're on the last year of your contract?

Ferrell: "I think you approach it the same will you approach every year. Every year is a new year. I think for any player in the league, what you’ve done the last year doesn't matter. I think the best thing about it is that I feel like I've primed, and I've worked through the offseason with my teammates, and I feel like we're in a position to where we're ready and we're prepared enough getting our bodies in shape to play some of the best football that we feel like we've played thus far. But at end of the day, I'm just focused on taking things one day at a time and trying to win a championship because I know I come from a program in college where when you just focus on that, everything else will take care of itself. And at the end of the day, you have to focus on what you can control. So, I'm just playing, I'm loving this whole new thing with my team and my coaches are really, really good."

Q: How was it working with Brent Venables at Clemson and how do you feel now that he's in Oklahoma?

Ferrell: "He's probably one of the sole reasons why I went to Clemson. He was definitely someone that was a secondary, maybe father-figure for me. Because he was probably the only person my mom trusted when I was about to go to college. But now, we just spent the whole offseason down there in Oklahoma, me and the four other guys I played on the d-line with. We were down there the whole time, and he had us out there going against his o-linemen. Nah, I’m messing. It was definitely a good experience. Brent is someone who's always had us on defense. He talks to me from time to time, calls me. We have a great relationship with his family, his kids. He's someone that's very, very special, and that's the thing that football does. It brings a family together."

Q: Can you talk about your ability to split blocks from either the interior or the edge?

Ferrell: "I'm not the biggest guy, but I am someone with long arms who plays with leverage. I think my length can be my steering wheel. I may not have all the quickness like some of the smaller guys have, but sometimes my hands can be very deceiving where I can make you feel like I'm going one way, but then I come back. It's just different tricks of the trade. Chandler [Jones] is someone who I learned a lot from too, just with the way he plays off of his angles and everything. It's been really good."

Q: Has the team bonded about what they've been through and how they've made it to a new era?

Ferrell: "Yes, it's a brotherhood. I think a lot of people on the outside looking in don't really understand how the NFL typically works. Rich Bisaccia last year, our special teams coordinator, he really broke it down for us really good. It's not so much about family, because in a family sometimes you have a baby, or you have a little kid in a family who's obviously not mature enough – the family will kind of baby him, bring him along. But in the NFL, it's about brotherhood. You're only as strong as your weakest link. I'm a military guy – you wouldn't want to go to war with someone who's not going to shoot their gun. It's more so about being able to carry your own weight. If you can carry your own weight, then everybody's going to take care of you. We're going to groom each other; we're going to pull each other along. But at the same time, it takes a certain amount of commitment. You have to be able to abide by a certain set of rules. Here you have to work hard, be committed, be on time. Everything else takes care of itself."

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