Raiders' Josh McDaniels Delivers End-of-Year Assessment

HENDERSON, Nev.--The Las Vegas Raiders season is over, but the work has just begun for Coach Josh McDaniels and General Manager Dave Ziegler.

Moments ago, McDaniels stepped to the podium to reflect on the last year and look ahead to the off-season and beyond.

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

Head Coach Josh McDaniels

Opening Statement: “I'll start by saying how appreciative I am of the way the guys worked this year. Obviously, they put in all the work, the effort, the time, the sacrifice. They competed really hard in every game all the way through. I'm very grateful for that. I thought we had great leadership this year. Our captains did a tremendous job of really setting a great example for everybody – guys who had been here before, rookies, young players. It's a great opportunity for people to learn from them. And now, obviously we'll head into an evaluation phase part of the year that everything we've done, our entire operation, our entire process, all of our individual performances, that's what we want to look at. Starting with myself and our staff and everything we've done to try to see every way we can improve and make our football team better. We know what the goal is here and the standard. Certainly, our record and the way we finished this year isn't that. And so, we're going to do everything we can to make that better and improve it as we go forward, and that's what our focus will be on. Players will take the necessary time right now to get healthy, physically, mentally, emotionally and make sure that they're ready to go when we have an opportunity to come back together in April and have a productive off-season. But the next month, month and a half, will be all spent on evaluation and what we can do to make everything we do better."

Q: What's sort of an ideal scenario for your quarterback in 2023. And then also, what sort of path forward might there be with Derek Carr?

Coach McDaniels: “I think there's going to be some time here that we need to go back through everything that we've done, and it's going to start with him. And so, we're going to look at the games we've played, our performance at every position, and try to just look at it objectively now. I mean, now we're not getting ready for another opponent, we're not focused on the game plan. Now we're just looking at what we've done. At the end of the day, we'll need to make some decisions about everything. That position obviously is paramount, but it would be no different at any other position. But it'll start with that, that's the process that we're getting ready to embark on. We have not done that yet. We will. And it'll take us a little time because it needs to be thorough, and it deserves time. That's what it deserves. There's a lot that will go into that before we make any final proclamations or decisions. There are a lot of people who are going to need to do some evaluating here, watch a lot of tape, have a lot of discussions that are hopefully very fruitful, and then when we're ready to go we'll move on."

Q: Will there soon be conversations with Derek Carr?

Coach McDaniels: “Sure. I mean, we talked about that when we had that conversation on Wednesday before the San Francisco game, that there's going to be a time and a place to have a conversation or multiple conversations at the end that need to be had. Again, we've had a great relationship. He's done a lot of great things and anything who’s said otherwise is incorrect. So, we'll look forward to that, and like I said, there will be some time between now and then."

Q: Do you anticipate your entire staff returning next year?

Coach McDaniels: “Well, obviously Mo [Maurice] Drayton will be leaving to takeover at The Citadel, so that'll be one. But we'll look at everything. Again, I think those guys have worked really hard and done everything that they could do to try to help put our team in position to win. We are going to evaluate our own performance, for sure. And that's every year, so I'm definitely not ready at this point to say anything other than I'm thankful for all that they did for us to try to help us win and give us a chance. So, we'll look at that obviously as we go forward."

Q: When you're evaluating a coach, how much of it is: ‘OK, these are the guys we gave them and they did the best they could,’ and how much of it is: ‘Hey, there was under underproduction?’

Coach McDaniels: "It's both. And that's the tough part, and that's what we get paid for. So, we understand that. There are different circumstances that might limit our ability to be productive, and then there are other things and other factors that go into all that. So, look, we all need to be as productive as we can be in our role. That's what our jobs are. And so, that's what we're going to try to make sure that we go through."

Q: Looking at yourself, what goes into the evaluation process just in terms of the job that you think you did as a play-caller, as a head coach, as a leader, all those things collectively in the off-season?

Coach McDaniels: “I think No. 1 is going back through … what was I doing? What was I responsible for? How productive was I in my role in terms of the things that I was really responsible for in that regard? I'm obviously responsible for everything, but I think in terms of the individual hats that I try to wear, look at those things and see if they were as productive as we need them to be. I think listening to other people is really important at this time of the year. There are a lot of other people who see me on a daily basis, I think that's true for everybody. That's what I'm going to try to do with our coaches and that's what I'm going to try to do for myself is listen to other people. They give me great feedback; they did all year long. And try to be very constructive with myself in terms of if there's things that I need to do better. And there's never been a year that I've coached where I didn't feel like I could do a better job. So, I think that will definitely be true this year in a lot of areas, and I think that's probably going to be true with most people."

Q: How challenging is it to be the CEO of everything, overseeing everything, as opposed to just being the play-caller who is designing all the plays and calling them?

Coach McDaniels: "It's a great challenge. It's also very rewarding. You try to maintain the culture, the vibe in the building day-to-day, our attitude, our mindset, and try to be just a productive leader every day. And it's not solely focused on offensive plays, or offensive production, as obviously my career has centered around mostly. And so, it’s one of the reasons why I wanted to do it because I think it's an opportunity to challenge yourself and it's an opportunity to grow as an individual. I certainly don't have all the answers. I leaned on a lot of people this year; I'll continue to do that. I have a lot of people who influence the things that I do on a day-to-day basis, and those people are very vital to me and to our organization. It's definitely a different perspective. You have to divide and conquer, you have to trust other people, which I think I've tried to do a really good job of giving people responsibility and then trying to be there if I can help them in any way that I can do. But ultimately, really leading and making sure that we're trying to do the right things day-to-day as a football team, not just as an offense is really where it starts."

Q: Going into this next season, are you pleased with where the culture and identity of the locker room is, especially with new players coming in?

Coach McDaniels: “Again, you have to have a vision for what you want it to look like and how you want to play. But I thought that the big key for us is we were honest, and we communicated from the very beginning kind of what we were looking for and what the expectations were. And I thought our leaders, our captains in specific, did a tremendous job of really upholding those things and trying to bring everybody else along with them. And there's always a new element to it when you change. We changed last year, we were new. Hopefully as we go into the second season, there's going to be a lot less new in terms of what the expectation is, what the standard is, how we run our operation day-to-day. We know there's going to be changes and adjustments to staff, players, etc. That's every team, every year. No team is the same from one year to the next. So, that part is going to be what it is, but I think in terms of the mindset, what we're looking for, how we work, how we go about trying to do our business day-to-day, I think that will be more of the same for them. But I'm very pleased with the way that the guys acclimated to our vision and our philosophies. And now hopefully we can take it to another level as we look to improve."

Q: With those characteristics that you just expressed, it feels like Josh Jacobs embodies pretty much every one of those things. He's scheduled to be a free agent, how confident are you that that that's not going to get to that point and he's going to be a Raider?

Coach McDaniels: "I think I've stated my position on him numerous times, and it hasn't changed obviously. To be the NFL rushing leader, that's a great individual achievement. Again, a collective effort went into that, but obviously JJ's performance was a huge bright spot for us. I have a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for him as a person and as a player, and he kind of embodies all the things that we want a Raider to be. So, we'll look forward to that. I mean, Dave [Ziegler] and I have talked about that, JJ and I have had private discussions about that, those kinds of things. I think all that will play out in due time, but we love him and would love to have him continue to be a Raider."

Q: What were your expectations on the defense coming into the year, and do you think they under-performed this season?

Coach McDaniels: "I mean look, I don't think anybody can sit here right now and say that we performed above our expectation. We didn't do enough as a football team to earn the right to keep playing. So, I don't think -- me personally, I'm not satisfied or content with any phase. That doesn't mean we didn't try hard. It doesn't mean we didn't try to do the best we could. That doesn't mean that everybody didn't give great effort. The reality is, we've got to be more productive. If you're talking about that side of the ball, that side of the ball is charged with not allowing points and creating turnovers, and we'll do everything we can to try to help improve that part of the team as we move forward. But I would say the same thing offensively and in the kicking game. There's areas for us to improve in every phase. So, that's what we're going to do. And again, I don't really place a grade on how we did or didn't do based on expectations. The reality is, we're going to win or lose as a team and each phase needs to contribute to that, and honestly, we all need to do more. That's what we're going to do."

Q: You've acknowledged that people are probably sick of hearing about the process, but I think if you take a step back, you can kind of understand year one. It takes a while to get that in place. But now going into year two, do you feel that there is a little more pressure that that process yields the results that you set with the standard?

Coach McDaniels: "I think there's pressure every year to do the best you can do. That's what my mindset will be, that's what it was, and I think that's what our team and our staff and our organization will be thinking about as we go forward. I mean, to put any more pressure on ourselves -- we want to do as good as we can do and that's clear and obvious. We know what the standard is, and we're going to try to do everything we can to get closer to it and that's every day, and that process has already begun. Our off-season has begun. So, every way we can make it better, we're going to try to do that. There's nothing else I could ask of our people here in the building other than to do everything they can every day while they're here to try to make us better so we can be competing for championships as we move forward. So, we all know what the goal is, we all understand what we signed up for."

Q: It seems like the margin of success and failure in pro sports is so narrow. How far away is this team in your mind when you sit your office and you say: 'Man, we had six games with double-digit leads, we lost five of those that perhaps could have gone the other way.' How far away is this team in your mind?

Coach McDaniels: "The reality is, the margin is slim. Winning and losing in this league is usually dictated by a few plays, and in many cases this year, I would say that was the case for us. We also won some games like that too could have potentially gone the other way as well. I think that the best you can do is put yourself in position to win, and I think we had opportunities that we capitalized on, and we had opportunities that we did not. So, our focus and goal now is going to be on how do we close the gap to try to either put us over the hump on some of those close games or maybe create fewer close games. That would be ideal if we could. I don't really stop to consider how far away or how close, I just know each individual game is its own thing. There's a way to win them all, we know that. You might have to play them completely differently in order to do such based on the opponent and their strengths and weaknesses and how they match up with yours, but I'll always believe that that we can win. We might have to do things a little differently from week to week, but we can win. So, our goal is to try to improve it now going forward, improve our team in any way that we can so that when we line up and play again next year, we're a hell of a lot closer, we're more competitive and we're able to win more games."

Q: Obviously, no moral victories in football, but when you look at those close games and knowing that you were play away, does that make you optimistic moving forward knowing that if you win those games, you are a playoff team next year?

Coach McDaniels: “I'm optimistic because of what I see day to day. That's what I'm optimistic about. When you sit there and you look at the way that the guys work and their attitude and their mindset, the way they played down the stretch, the way they competed with a number of teams that are really good football teams and good organizations. My optimism stems from the guys who I get to work with every day and our staff and our players and the guys upstairs. I know what they're doing, and I know how hard they're working to try to close the gap on where we need to go. And so, I'm always optimistic about that.”

Q: How different do you think your defense might be next year from a personnel standpoint?

Coach McDaniels: “I mean, look, there's obviously a lot to go into that. That's a broader question that will probably be answered over the next so many months. But there's certainly a number of free agents and we're aware of that, really on both sides of the ball. But those questions will be answered here as we go through our process and evaluate what we had this year and what we might need to do to get better. It'll look different. I mean, there's no question about that. But I'd say the same thing for the other two sides as well. Nothing's ever the same from one year to the next, and there will be new faces in here whether they’re draft picks or somebody in free agency. And I'm sure there's going to be some guys on the team that we're definitely going to try to bring back and continue to work with.”

Q: What are some lessons that you learned in your first year here with the Silver and Black?

Coach McDaniels: “I think I've learned a lot about this organization in general. Their commitment to winning. The fan base is incredible, the best I've seen. I've been in the league for 22 years and it's an amazing amount of support. I think that what they've given us to work with here in terms of facilities and resources have been second to none. And so, you want to pour everything you got into it to try to make that come full circle and win. There's a lot of great people here that do a lot of great things to help us win. And we're going to try to do everything we can to help everybody here become a winner.”

Q: On Saturday, there was that eight-minute drive in the third quarter. What was the thinking about going for a field goal there rather than try and score a touchdown?

Coach McDaniels: “I mean, we had already gotten down there once and we missed the third and two then missed the fourth and two inside the five-yard line and came away with no points. It just felt like if we could close the gap a little bit more here and there. I mean, look at that point, you know you're going to have three or four more possessions. So, it's not like you're not going to have the ball enough. And I know hindsight is 20/20. You can say, well, we've got to score more than that. I'd say there were about five or six plays in that game that could have swung the momentum and or the score in a different direction, which would have clearly impacted the result, or at least the way the game was being played in the second half. So, that’s basically what it was.”

The NFL Scouting Combine is Feb. 28-March 6, 2023, held at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Ind. March 7, 2023, before 4 p.m. EST is the club's deadline to designate Franchise or Transition Players.

March 13-15 is the free agent negotiation period. During the time starting at 12 p.m. EST on March 13 and ending at 3:59:59 p.m. EST on March 15, clubs are permitted to contact and enter into contract negotiations with the certified agents of players who will become Unrestricted Free Agents upon the expiration of their 2022 Player Contracts at 4 p.m. EST on March 15.

The 2023 NFL Year and Free Agency period begins at 4 p.m. EST on March 15. The Raiders are expected to be significant players in the free agent market this season.

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