Las Vegas Raiders DC Patrick Graham Week 7 Update

HENDERSON, Nev.--The Las Vegas Raiders find themselves coming off of their bye week at a disappointing 1-4.

The Silver and Black return home to Allegiant Stadium to face the Houston Texans, and they have already moved on.

DC Patrick Graham reviewed the film of the game versus the Kansas City Chiefs, he gave his analysis and looked ahead to this week's opponent, the aforementioned Houston Texans.

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

Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham

Q: NFL has made player safety changes in training camp and even practice during the week is not as physical as it used to be, but when you look at the team struggling with tackling like they did against Kansas City, how do you fix that when you're not as physical as you used to be?

Coach Graham: “Through practice. I mean, that's part of what we have to do in terms of innovation, things change over time. We got to find ways to practice tackling and make sure that we're getting them as close to real life situations as possible. So, that's through the leadership of our head coach, special teams, defensive coaches all getting involved with that and just trying to work as much as we can in terms of the angles. Again, you might not get the physical contact part of it, but there's ways to simulate that whether it's through some of the sled work that we use, just getting back to fundamentals with that. But a lot of times tackling is about the angles, close now at the right proper angle, pursuit to the ball, that's the main things that you got to focus on when you can't really do it live.”

Q: Yesterday, Nate Hobbs got placed on the IR. What type of loss is that for the defense and how do you go about replacing what he brings to the table?

Coach Graham: “Well, any time a player gets setback because of injury, especially a player of Nate's caliber, it's always next man up. It's the biggest thing. It's a collision sport, injuries are going to occur, and you just hope that he's doing what he has to do to get better and then we get him back as soon as possible. But always next man up, nobody's going to feel sorry for us so we're not going to feel sorry for ourselves.”

Q: Your defenses have a track record of doing well in the red zone. It’s been a little bit of a struggle so far this year. Is there anything that you can kind of put a finger on right now what's going on?

Coach Graham: “Again, I’d say starts with me in terms of I got to coach it better, in terms of getting the guys prepared better there. I'm sure there's a few calls I wish I had back and everything like that. But, again, the beauty of this league and why I love the challenge of it, is that nothing you did last year or even last week really matters. So, the biggest thing is the challenge for this week. I think Houston is ranked 10th in the red area because they got a running back that can run the ball in. I mean, that's one thing. Quarterback makes smart decisions down there. So, we're getting back to the drawing board. Probably start a little early on red area and try to get it fixed. I know during the bye week you know, Josh [McDaniels] talked about us going back through things, self-scout like all teams do, and that was part of it. And just try to get better and try to improve. But fortunately, unfortunately, I love the challenge of this league and it doesn’t matter what we did in the past.”

Q: When you have guys in the right place and they just missed a tackle, that's not on you. They're professionals paid to do that. Is that maybe one of the most frustrating parts of the job, is when you know you got the right play called, the player is right there?

Coach Graham: “I'm in charge of the defense, with the leadership and guidance of our Head Coach, and it is on me. That will never change. I know the players they put it on themselves at times and stuff like that, but it's my job to have us prepared to stop what we got to stop and it's my job to get them executing the way you need to execute. So, my answer won't change on that. Appreciate the sentiment, but it’s always on me.”

Q: Your defense has had stretches where they've been really good and they've been able to have their way with other teams, and then it's kind of goes away. How do you develop that consistency?

Coach Graham: “You know, we're in the process of that. Again, first time together. I know it's been five games and we're trying to build that consistency. It’s going to start in practice. I can't stress that enough. It starts with practice, and we got to become more consistent out there on the field because there have been some good quarters of football. But again, nobody cares about that. You got to string together 60 minutes or 70 minutes if you're thinking about the Arizona Game. So, what I do is go back to the drawing board in terms of making sure we get practices as close to game reality as possible and just keep improving from there. And keep demanding the standard and just keep working for improvement each day. That's really the main focus right now moving ahead, is just improve each day. Make sure that we're emphasizing our strengths, trying to eliminate our weaknesses, and keep working that way.”

Q: Anthony Averett can possibly make a return from IR soon. How much would it mean to get him back with the secondary and what would he bring to the team?

Coach Graham: “I'm always welcoming good players. He's a good player, good speed, good size, plays with good toughness. So, definitely looking forward to having him back and we'll see how it plays out. He's eligible. I mean, Josh [McDaniels] will talk all the stuff with the injuries, but whenever he's ready, we'll be ready to have him back with open arms. And if he's out there on the field, he has to earn it just like everybody else. But anytime you have a chance for a good player to get back in the fold, we welcome that.”

Q: When evaluating the game film, Divine Deablo has really shown signs of growth this year, specifically in the last two games in pass coverage. What do you see from him moving forward? And does he remind you of a player that you may have been coached in the past?

Coach Graham: “One, definitely improvement. And I talked about it before, the physicality of the game is showing up for him, and I love seeing that his ability to press the line of scrimmage to make quick decisions in terms of coverage. Skill-wise and athletically, he could do whatever you ask a linebacker to do. I don't like making too many comparisons. I've had some linebackers in the past that are similar to him, but again, they're different too. Like the group I had when I was in New England, the group I had in Green Bay was a little bit different. But a lot of improvement happening. The thing that's really happening that you guys might not see, is the leadership, being vocal, leading by example, the study habits. And I would say that's a direct response of his position coach, in terms of AP [Antonio Pierce]. I mean, that's a big reason why AP is here. He's here to help with guidance with those linebackers, and you can really see that. I mean, again, I've had the privilege to be around some really good football players and I've told you all before, I learned the most from players that I've coached and former players that I've had the pleasure of coaching with. And AP is just top notch in terms of his football mind. He's demanding other players. I would say that's directly related to his relationship with AP in my mind.”

Q: You're talking about the Texans having a running back that can run it in the red zone. What do you like on film when you see Dameon Pierce?

Coach Graham: "I mean, I don't like that we have to play him. I'm a defensive coach so I'm not about to gush on this guy right now. I appreciate good football players and good football. This dude is, I mean, he's dynamic. He runs violently. I mean violent. He's a hard tackle. It's almost like he says, 'Leave one guy in the hole, I'll take care of him. Go block the other guys.' He's really impressive, especially for a guy that's so young. I mean, he's running the ball with intentions. And again, as a defensive coach, you appreciate that part of it and you appreciate the challenge. No different than what we talked about [Derrick] Henry. So, I'm looking forward to the challenge. We've talked about him already to the guys, but he's a dynamic player. And again, their o-line is doing a good job of blocking for him. The quarterback is putting them in the right plays. [Davis] Mills is doing a really good job of controlling the line of scrimmage and getting the right play out. That's from the guidance, I think. In my mind, it's a reflection of their head coach, Lovie Smith. Pep Hamilton, I had the pleasure of meeting him a few times. I mean, smart, tough guys, and you can see that on the tape from their team."

Q: Sam Webb is a guy who's played a couple of really crucial snaps against the Chiefs. What have you seen from him in that game that you really liked? And how much confidence does that give a young guy like that?

Coach Graham: “Sam has all the ability in the world. Again, the ability catching up with the mental, that comes with experience. It's not an excuse to say, 'Okay, a young player.' There are plenty of young players in league right now playing football and playing well. It's just the experience is what gives them the chance to be able to say, 'Okay, can I eliminate the variables? Can I play a little bit faster?' And that comes with experience. 'Okay, I've seen that before. I've seen this cut, split. before. I've seen this stem by the receiver. Now I'm able to play it faster.' And that comes with time. You can't rush that, you can't rush that, and it really starts in practice. It starts with practice, film study, and he's just growing because he's a young player. And it's been encouraging to watch because the skill set is there and when everything comes together – and I know based on what I know about him, he's never going to be satisfied – he's going to just keep growing and I'm looking forward to that."

Q: Chandler Jones' presence was felt this past game, how did you feel about that and then the defensive line has only earned six sacks on the season. What's the key to getting the rest of that group involved?

Coach Graham: “Again, how we gauge it, it's really about affecting the quarterback. And I know you guys hate hearing that when we say that. But it really is and I'm not BS-ing on that. But the sacks will come when the sacks come. I mean, the thing is, we're trying to affect the quarterback first, and the sacks are really a byproduct of that. And they'll come when they come. And sometimes they come in bunches. I've been part of teams when it's low, low, low, and then all of a sudden, they come in bunches. Again, it's a combination of things. What's the situation in the game? Combination of the coverage and the rush and just putting things together. And then I would say this, we always talk about being fluid in there with the pass rush. There's got to be a part of them growing together and working off of each other, and so that's part of it as well. But Chandler has been making plays in the run game, pass game. I've been pleased with what Chandler is doing."

Q: How important is it to have that pressure affecting the quarterback when it comes to giving the secondary some help?

Coach Graham: “No question. I mean, again, it all ties together. It all ties together. And that's part of the evaluation in terms of how you're going to affect the quarterback, how are we going to help the coverage, how's the coverage going to help the rush. And that's definitely a part of our checklist, or our process in preparation for a game. And so, we've tried our best to put forth the best game plan for that and constantly growing there and working together to get better so we can get the W."

The Raiders return to action in Week 7 when they host the Houston Texans. That game kicks off at 1:05 p.m. PDT and can be seen on CBS.

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