Everything OC Getsy Said About Being a Raider

Antonio Pierce made an enormous decision when he pegged Luke Getsy as his new offensive coordinator as he leads the Las Vegas Raiders forward.

Getsy had never met Pierce before this process started but won the coach over for multiple reasons.

Having worked with Las Vegas Raiders superstar WR Davante Adams before, all things aligned for Getsy to now take the job of upgrading the Silver and Black's offense.

He recently spoke to the media about his new job with the Raiders, and we have all of it for you

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

Offensive Coordinator Luke Getsy

Q: Number one, what about the Raiders in this job in particular appealed to you to want to come in and take this job? And also secondly, I know it's really early, but what about the news of Jimmy Garoppolo and the suspension and most likely not being here, how does that affect what you may want to do going forward? Coach Getsy: "Yeah, that second part I'm not familiar with just yet. But you talked about this organization and the history of this organization. I've been fortunate to be a part of two other organizations that have that tradition and history, and it's just something that resonates in me. I grew up in Pittsburgh, so obviously growing up in the Steeler-Raider rivalry, and all the cool stuff that's happened between these two organizations. So, there's just always been a really cool respect that I've always had for the Raiders growing up, so that's the starting point, the why you ever would want to be in the Silver and Black. And then you get the opportunity to get here, and I came on the interview, and it's not just me and AP [Antonio Pierce], but with everybody in this building. Something that's really important to me are the people. Everywhere I've been, I've really tried to connect to everybody in the building, not just stick in that football side, and I love the flow of this new building and how you're able to do that. You're able to be a part of all the things because we're in this together, right? This isn't just about me, or one player, or anything; this is an entire organization going to win, and I just think it's really cool how they set this thing up to where we can all connect. And it was obvious as soon as I walked in the building how important this family atmosphere is, and so I was really drawn to it."

Q: Had you met Antonio Pierce before this process, and in the interview process, what was your guys' combined vision of the offense -- how it's going to look, and what do you guys want to accomplish on that side of the ball? Coach Getsy: "I had not met AP [Antonio Pierce] prior to that interview. But it was evident, like I said, when I walked in - the energy, the enthusiasm that he brings to work every single day was just something I was attracted to right away. And then as you talked about the vision of the offense, listen, you always have to play into the players that you have, and your best players have to be the one shining on Sunday. And so, it's always about finding what everybody does best, and finding cool and unique ways to emphasize that every week. And we're always going to start with the mentality that we're going to bring. I mean, that's going to be evident. I use that phrase, as an offense we want everyone to feel our film, we don't just want them to see it and that's going to be a big part of it. I think that's where AP [Antonio Pierce] and I really hit it off."

Q: I wanted to know what you learned from your experiences in Chicago as a first time play caller for those two years and what you could take from those experiences and bring them to Las Vegas with the Raiders. Coach Getsy: "Yeah, I mean experience is the best thing you can get, right? It's what we talk about with quarterbacks all the time – you getting on that game film, there's nothing like it. And that game experience gives you the most to grow from and it's the same thing with me. Every game, I found my way, I found my way to get through the process a little bit cleaner each and every week. And from season one to season two, and the way that we were able to help those guys you know in season two -- the guys like DJ [Moore] and Cole [Kmet] had the best seasons of their career. That's something that's a really cool thing that we were able to do and continue to grow there. And it's always about getting better every single day, right? So, whether it's in the upstairs as an offensive staff, or whether it's when you're with your players, everything is always about getting better every single day and being able to stick to that and hold true to that was something that I was really proud of."

Q: In talking to Davante Adams last week, he talked to talked about they came to him, they talked to him. I'm just curious about that relationship with Davante, how special it is to have him as any weapon in whatever offense you run, but he specifically mentioned the West Coast. Coach Getsy: "Yeah, I mean Davante [Adams] entered the world in Green Bay, that was how I was raised in this business in the Mike McCarthy-West Coast style. And obviously the West Coast is a general term now, there are all these different flavors of it that everyone has kind of taken and run with, and I think we'll have our own as well. But when you're working with a guy like Davante -- I walked into a room as a young receivers coach and was really able to connect to him quickly. So, he was in the middle of a room with Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson, who were at the peaks of their career and accomplishing all these things and had been to Pro Bowls, and Davante, he aspired to do that and more. And we were able to connect really well, and our relationship was such that I walked in on a quarterback guy walking into the receiver room, and hopefully, those guys felt that I kind of brought that element to that room. So hopefully, they're bringing that football IQ up in different ways. Even the quarterback, through the quarterbacks’ eyes, I think is really important. And I think that you're talking about one of the most spatialaware people I've ever been around, and someone who's able to take information and make the most of it and that's Tae. So, that '16 season was really kind of the beginning of when he was ready to take off as a pro."

Q: You lived this year, the last couple of years, with the questions about Justin Fields and what he can and can't do. How is he different now than he was when you got to Chicago and what do you think his future can be, whether it's with the Bears or somebody else? Coach Getsy: "Tremendous growth for Justin [Fields]. Like I've said when I was there, he's one of the best human beings I've ever gotten to work with. It's just the mentality that he brought every day, that consistent approach, the kind of man that he is. Just really, it was a blessing to work with him. And he was someone that just came to work every day to get better and better and I think he'll continue to do so."

Q: Obviously, you had a lot of success running the ball in Chicago. Do you envision that kind of approach here or would you rather see a more balanced offense? Coach Getsy: “Hey, we're all about winning here, right? And that's whatever it takes to win. And whether that's some weeks you have to run it more and some weeks you have throw it more, whatever it takes. I think it's all about playing into the players that you have and trying to get them to do the things that they do really well. And so, whatever that looks like, we'll find out here this fall, but we'll take this offseason to go ahead and figure out exactly what that is."

Q: Antonio Pierce said he was impressed with your offensive scheme when the Raiders faced the bears this season. How did that conversation go with you two when you were going through the process of coming to the Raiders? Coach Getsy: "Yeah, that was a part of it. I think there was a part of the interview where we sat and we all watched that game and we talked about the whys in what we were doing and how we were doing it. And I think all that stuff resonated with them, and I think they kind of talked about how we kind of exposed a few things that helped them turn into the defense that they turned into. I think the success that we had here last year from that point on was a little bit because of that, and we had some success and we had the young kid playing quarterback. So that element of it too was a different dynamic, having a new guy come in and playing the game just a little bit different as well."

Q: What are your impressions of this year's quarterback draft class? Coach Getsy: "Yeah, it's obviously an impressive one, right? I think there's a lot of different flavors, and I think it I'm going to have a lot of fun diving into it. I haven't gotten to that point where I could give you the evaluation on each guy, but I think that watching from afar, watching that college football season, I think that this is a pretty cool year. There's a lot of different styles of guys and a lot of success that they've had in college. So, I'm excited to get down into that stuff."

Q: Kind of in the same vein, what kind of quarterback skill set fits best in the kind of offense you want to run that you envision? Coach Getsy: "Yeah, there's not one in particular, and I think anytime that you can get as many good players on your football team as possible - I don't think it ever helps anybody to box yourself into a corner with it, they have to be this exact thing. I mean, I think you've got to play into the players that you have and the things that they do really well. I think that's what's cool about this draft, like we talked about, there's a lot of different types of guys and it's about who can do things to the level that it's a difference maker. You try to get as many dynamic guys on your team as you can. I wouldn't ever want to box myself into a corner with one particular style."

Q: I'm curious what your last month has been like. Do you sit down and think what you would do the same, what you would do differently? And I'm sure those questions are asked of you as you're interviewing for jobs. How do you kind of take a look at what you guys did holistically with the Bears and then present a plan going forward based on that? Coach Getsy: "Well yeah, I mean that's something that I do in my life with pretty much everything. You go do something and then you have to reflect on it, and then you have to grow from it and try to do better whether how good it was or how maybe not so good it was. Of course there was time for reflection, but the competitive spirit in me was getting right back into it and ready to rock and roll, and I took this opportunity. I interviewed a lot of places to meet as many people as I could and it was a really cool experience, and this was just an incredible opportunity here that I was really excited about because of one, the organization that it is, and then two, the people in the building were just incredible."

Q: Looking at you guys' numbers from last year, Cole Kmet, a young tight end, was featured pretty prominently in your offense. The Raiders have a young tight end in Michael Mayer and I'm sure you dug into him a little bit last year coming into the draft. What are your impressions of Michael Mayer and how he could fit in your offense? Coach Getsy: "Yeah, I think the cool thing about him is that a little bit like Cole [Kmet], he's a cool blend at tight end, he can do a little bit of everything. Anytime that you're evaluating players, you're trying to see how diverse they can be, the flexibility with a player just allows you to be more dynamic as an offense, and I think that's what's really exciting in my working with Michael [Mayer]."

Q: Obviously the Raiders are going to need to add a quarterback, whether it's free agency or draft, but Aidan O'Connell is in-house and a guy Antonio Pierce installed when he took over as interim. What's your initial thoughts on Aidan O'Connell? Coach Getsy: "Yeah, I think anytime you have a young guy like that, that could come in and play as well as he did - without getting to know him yet well enough - I think it just speaks volumes of the type of guy that he is. Without even knowing him or talking to him about anything yet, I could tell you right now that guy has got to be someone that prepares his butt off and like is a great teammate. I mean, for the guys to rally around him the way that I saw from the outside looking in, and for him to go perform in the way that he did in the end of that season, that just speaks volumes. So, I'm excited to get to know him, excited to work with him for sure."

Q: You've worked with a quarterback that has the athletic ability to get out of the pocket at anytime and pick up some big yards with his legs. You've also worked with quarterbacks that can stand in the pocket and just throw the ball around the yard. Can you give us the kind of pros and cons, and is there a preference that you have? Coach Getsy: "Kind of like anything, you'd like to have a little bit of everything, right? And I think in this game, I think it's really important that you have some type of escape ability. It doesn't mean you have to be as dynamic as Justin [Fields] was, but I think you have to have escape ability. You've got to be able to have the second chance and create the extended play, whether it's just sliding in the pocket, or whether it's extending it with your feet outside of the pocket. So, all those things are really important. It was on display in the Super Bowl, as we just saw here in Vegas the other day. That ability of both of those guys to create the second chance of the play is an important part in our league, and when you're trying to go win games, you've got to be good on third down and in the red zone. And when you when you're good at those two things, it's usually because your quarterback has some kind of cool dynamic to be able to split the ball around, which we were pretty good at that thing the last two years."

From February 27 to March 4, 2024, the NFL Scouting Combine will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind.

The NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Mich., on April 25-27, 2024. The Las Vegas Raiders currently hold the No. 13 overall pick.

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