Raiders' Josh McDaniels Midweek Press Conference

The Las Vegas Raiders (2-3) expect to get their season back on track Sunday at Allegiant Stadium as they host the woefully under-performing New England Patriots (1-4).

Silver and Black Coach Josh McDaniels spoke about the state of the Raiders, and we have it for you to watch, and the transcript for you to read below:

Head Coach Josh McDaniels

Opening statement: "We're on to New England, obviously, and there's a lot to digest here. It's a team that does a lot of different things, has a lot of good football players in every phase and like all of us, there are things that they're doing better than others at this point in time. But they've got a lot of disruptive people, defensively. Certainly, it's one of the better defensive teams in the league. I mean on every level. The front is physical, big, tough. The linebacking corps is really good, athletic, versatile, and plays a lot of different spots. [Ja'Whaun] Bentley's one of the best inside linebackers we'll see, for sure. And their secondary is very multiple, lot of guys who play a lot of different safeties, they line up in a lot of different locations, are very difficult to identify, challenge your pre-snap communication, so you try to make sure you get a body on a body, create a lot of negative situations with that. Offensively, they have a lot of skill players who do a lot of different things, diverse skill sets. Their two backs are really good, they're starting to play both of them. Obviously, [Rhamondre] Stevenson was one of the league leaders in pass receptions last year and makes a lot of yards after contact. [Ezekiel] Zeke [Elliott], same thing, good out of the backfield in the passing game, making yards after contact, so those two guys are obviously going to be a focal point for us. The tight end position, Hunter Henry is a go-to guy on the situational plays. [Mike] Gesicki has length, speed and his catch radius is huge at tight end. And then the receivers, they've played a lot of different guys, they have some young guys, obviously, who are playing. I know [Demario] Douglas is in the protocol but he's quick, fast, does a lot of things with the ball in his hands. [DeVante] Parker, big, contested catch guy on the boundary. [Kendrick] Borne, really good at running after catch. I know JuJu [Smith-Schuster] is in the protocol, as well. But again, situational plays, a lot of important plays for them. The quarterback, touch, accuracy feel, and when they get it rolling, they are there, this is a very diverse group of skill guys. Their line really has played only one game together, against the Jets, battled injuries a lot. But they're physical, big. [Trent] Brown, [Mike] Onwenu, big guys inside, hard to pry open in the running game. And we're going to expect that group to play this week as well. And really good in the kicking game in terms of their core teams players. We know [Matthew] Slater, who is as good as there is in the league at his position -- 10 straight Pro Bowls. [Brendan] Schooler, I mean, he's one of the best. I mean, this is an elite cover player, for sure. He blocked a kick against Miami, does a lot of different things for them. [Chris] Board. They have a lot of guys in the kicking game who make a lot of big plays for him. And then the two young kickers who they are breaking in right now, too. So, a lot of different things, a lot of different challenges, a different team than the one we played last December, by far. Our team's different, our strategy is different. Theirs is, too, they have different coaches, so this will be a big week of preparation for us."

Q: You had nine guys catch the ball on Monday, offensively. Every game is kind of unto itself, but ideally, is that sort of the direction that you want to go, and how did that kind of come about?

Coach McDaniels: "Yeah, I think more than not, we'd like that. We have confidence in all of them. They all can do things when they touch the field and touch the ball, so the more guys that you get involved with, the more they have to defend. And certainly, with us, we've learned over the last year and a half that sometimes the ball gets forced to go to other places, too. So quarterbacks make the right decision and see the coverage out the right way. You have to take the profit and sometimes that might not necessarily be your first or second read on the play, but just try to do the right thing and get the ball to the right person. And JJ [Josh Jacobs] has got a lot of catches out of the backfield and some of that is because of the coverages that we're seeing. So, but no, I'd love to love to get all those guys involved if we can."

Q: The Chargers traded J.C. Jackson to the Patriots a couple of weeks ago, a guy who you've spent a little bit of time with. What are some traits that you saw from him that started to make him develop into a great cornerback?

Coach McDaniels: "Yeah, competitive, he was very durable. He's got good size, good speed, good length, can disrupt at the line of scrimmage, has excellent ball skills. I think he has more interceptions than anybody since 2018, I think is the number, but just a complete player who has played a lot of man coverage in New England. He's very sticky in coverage, has a knack for finding the ball when it's in the air. They did a good job of reacquiring him and we'll expect to see him on Sunday."

Q: Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers is playing the best ball of his career so far this season. How would you describe the impact he's been able to have in the games he's been out there?

Coach McDaniels: "Yeah, he's just consistent and dependable. We have a lot of confidence in him, a lot of confidence in whatever the situation is, third down, early downs, red zone. He's a very dependable catcher of the ball. He's got great hands. He's really learned how to become a complete player at that position. Earlier in his career, he was a little bit more of an inside player, and now I think he understands like who he is and what he has to do when he's outside versus when he's inside. He thinks all the way through the game. If somebody has seen a route one time, maybe he'll change it up and do something a little different. But he's just a productive player in every role, does a lot of tough physical things in a running game. He goes in there and blocks the force and the down safety, so he's involved in that aspect also. He's a very unselfish guy, a great teammate, is ready to go, knows every position on the field, plays a lot of roles for us. He's really valuable guy."

Q: He's reaching some pretty elite company in terms of undrafted players. What did teams miss and what did you guys see in him to bring him aboard after the draft?

Coach McDaniels: "I mean, he was a productive guy in college at N.C. State. He's a guy who is a former quarterback, so he had a kind of a cerebral understanding of the passing game from a different perspective, which I think helps receivers when they do that. He had great hands in college, that was not something that we taught him how to do. I think his work ethic, he has great character, is a very intelligent kid, you have a lot of traits there that you'd love to work with. He didn't necessarily test crazy in terms of overall numbers and those kinds of things, which sometimes those things hurt guys but shouldn't. In Jakobi's case, obviously he fell and we were fortunate to have an opportunity to get him."

Q: You gave the ball to Michael Mayer early on Sunday, and he's kind of a battering ram when he gets the ball in his hands. That physicality that he brings to that position when the ball is in his hands, how can that kind of help him out?

Coach McDaniels: "Yeah, I mean, run after catch, yards after contact, I mean, all that stuff, when you have a tight end or a big receiver, a big back who gets the ball in space and you make smaller men try to tackle you, I mean, sometimes you create even bigger plays. And he ended up with a handful yards after they touched him the other night, too. So, that's always been a position that we've gotten the ball to quite a bit inside the middle of field, and I think that as the season goes on we need to continue to try to do that. We've got good players at that position, obviously invested a significant draft pick in Michael [Mayer] and that position group is coming on, improving, working hard in practice, which is important. I think developing some chemistry with our quarterbacks, too."

Q: It felt like he understood there was a little bit of a process to get there. I know he probably wanted to touch the ball as many times as possible, but you also have an understanding that there was work that was involved in getting to that point.

Coach McDaniels: "No question. I mean I'm not saying that that's what college football is, but it's not just run the line on the paper and you're automatically wide open in the NFL. So, there's an element of understanding what you need to do to get yourself opportunities. And there are a lot of other things that go along with that, but we have good pass protection and the quarterback is reading the plays properly and they're attacking the middle of field the right way, I mean you have opportunities. So, he made a handful of good plays the other day. Austin [Hooper] had a couple of touches too. So, we're just going to keep trying to incorporate those guys as much as we can."

Q: You were with Mac Jones his rookie year and he's had some struggles this season. What have you seen when you look at the tape of what he's done so far this year?

Coach McDaniels: "He's a very talented player. Accuracy has always been a huge part of his game, touch, anticipation. He has all those things at a very high level. They've battled the same bug we've battled honestly, with the turnovers and losing opportunities through change of possession. So, I'm sure that's something that they're going to work hard at limiting and getting rid of, and it's the same thing we're talking about. But this is a guy who's a very capable passer in every situation. He's played big in big games. He's battled against really good teams, made some high-level throws and hung in there. He's very tough in the pocket, gets hit and gets right up and goes to the next play. So, I have a lot of respect for him, a lot of admiration for what he did when I was there. It'll be a big challenge for us this week."

Q: What are some of the things that DeAndre Carter has brought to the mix?

Coach McDaniels: "DeAndre [Carter], I mean obviously we're all aware of his impact in the kicking game. When DC gets the ball he has a chance to change field position. He's done that a few times this year for us when we've had opportunities. Just trying to get him to touch the football a little bit more as we go, he's learned that. He does a good job when he has it. He's a good space player, he's tough, tough runner, hard to tackle, knows every position. He played multiple positions the other day. He played every position in the same game. So, he works really hard. He's very diligent in his preparation, knows every role on the field, which when we get into a pinch, somebody's got to go in there, and DC has done a really good job of being available for that too. So, made a big play on the fourth-and-one the other night too. So, we have a lot of trust and faith in him, a lot of confidence. He's a true pro, does a great job of preparing every week, works hard, takes care of his body. We're really glad we have him."

Q: Maxx Crosby had a handful of tackles for losses the last game. How rare is it to have an edge rusher who is not just your pass rusher but also one of the best run defenders in the league?

Coach McDaniels: "Yeah, we've tried to block him in practice too, and it's not necessarily an easy chore. Maxx [Crosby] has made himself into a defender who is good in each area. The only thing we don't do is drop him into coverage, but if we did, he'd probably be good at that too. But his effort and his toughness, and then you combine that with he's got kind of an uncanny knack for how he can bend and change the angle of his body to try to avoid certain things and get disruptive plays in the backfield. That's what you're seeing. And they try to block him with sometimes multiple people, and he's just got enough of that feel and understanding and talent, and then you put the effort on top of that with his toughness and he's bound to make some plays like that. Nobody works harder than he does and it's in every area, running game, passing game, pass rush, contain, etc. He does a really good job of working at the things we ask him to do. He's an elite leader, and he's an elite player."

Q: Is it crazy to say he's actually gotten better?

Coach McDaniels: "Yeah, but he deserves the credit for that. Our coaching staff, I think Robbie [Leonard] and Matt [Edwards] do a great job with those guys, Pat [Graham], of working with those guys obviously and doing some things from a technical standpoint and with fundamentals. But nobody puts more time in than him. Whether he's in here boxing at 5:30 in the morning -- I mean it's never ending. When you have that kind of an obsession to improve and be the best player you can be and you combine that with his God-given ability and some of the things that he can do that other people can't, you've got a recipe for a great player."

The Silver and Black will stay home at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas to play the New England Patriots on Sunday, Oct. 15, at 4:05 p.m. EDT/1:05 p.m. PDT.

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