Las Vegas Raiders Josh McDaniels Monday Breakdown

HENDERSON, Nev.-The Las Vegas Raiders improved to 2-0 yesterday after taking down the Minnesota Vikings at Allegiant Stadium.

McDaniels is detail-oriented, and the game of football is not a perfect game, so while pleased with his team, the coach certainly found ample opportunity for instruction, correction, and perfection.

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

Head Coach Josh McDaniels

Q: Can you give us your evaluation of the performance of Thayer [Munford] in the game last night?

Coach McDaniels: “For the most part we were headed in the right direction. In pass protection there was a couple of things that we saw that we can do better as a group. Generally speaking, he acquitted well for himself and did some things that he's been doing on the practice field. It was good to see some of that stuff carry over to the game. We obviously had a lot of rookies on the field yesterday. A lot of them with things that they're going to learn from today when we watch the film, but generally speaking I think there was some progress.”

Q: How do you feel like Offensive Line Coach Carmen Bricillo has handled all of the turnover that’s happened in a short amount of time?

Coach McDaniels: “I think he's done a good job of managing that group. I don't really think this is unique at all, this is really normal. His time in the National Football League has been solely with me. We've played multiple groups all the time, every year. There's just too much to be gained in training camp for you to forego the opportunity to work with different groupings. If you put five guys together, and that's the only five guys they practice besides, you're doing them a disservice because it’s not realistic. It's not going to happen during the regular season very much. So, he's used to this. He's used to coaching the entire group as one unit. That's really what we're trying to harp on offensively is, whether it's the five offensive lineman or it's the 11 guys on the field together, we have to be able to work with one another, regardless of who they are. They're never going to be the same guys for the entire year or even for an entire game. He's done a good job, him and Cam [Cameron Clemmons] both working and continuing to teach, which is what our jobs are. I thought there were some guys that played well yesterday.”

Q: After two preseason games, how deep and how versatile is your running back room that you see right here, right now?

Coach McDaniels: “It's pretty interesting. There are some young guys that are learning but play really hard and give great effort. We have some guys that are kind of multifaceted in terms of what they do and bring. We've tried to give them all different opportunities here in the first few games to try to do some of those things. I really like the group, I really like the room. I think KP [Kennedy Polamalu] does a great job of coaching that group. I've always been a big believer in having as many good backs as you can have on your team because like I’ve said before, they get the ball more than anybody else. They have it more than any other player, other than the quarterback, and usually they're taking hits and getting contact when they have it. So, there's a chance for nicks and bumps and bruises and injuries. You just don't ever want to get caught short in that area. I like what they're doing. They push one another, they help one another, they work really hard together. We’ve got a lot of maturity in that room that continues to try to pull guys along, especially the young guys. I thought they competed hard yesterday.”

Q: Where is Zamir [White] in terms of his development in terms of blitz pickup, pass protection and everything you need to do as a running back?

Coach McDaniels: “(He’s) working on it every day. Works on it at practice every day when we have opportunities. That's always an area that is new for younger players. Honestly, regardless of the position quite honestly, because of the volume of different things you see. Whether it's an offensive lineman or a running back, handling protections and being able to do your job well versus all the different looks that we see in our league now, is not easy. Zamir [White] is continuing to work very hard at it, so is Brittain [Brown], so are all of our backs quite honestly. We're asking them all to learn basically the same thing. Like I said, they're continuing to grow each week at practice, and there's nothing like the game repetitions that helps that. We didn't get blitzed a whole lot yesterday, so it really wasn't a big factor in the game, but I think all those guys are making progress.”

Q: Jackson Barton has been in the building kind of on a development track for a little while. How did you feel he acquitted himself and then also Alex Leatherwood over on the right side?

Coach McDaniels: "Like I said after the game, I think for the most part I thought the tackles did a decent job. We gave up a couple edges here or there and then they ran a couple of things up front that created some pressure in the middle. But I do think our depth at tackle is solid. I thought that Alex [Leatherwood] went in there and did what Alex has been doing. He made some movement in the running game, generally was in the right position in pass protection - and again, there's going to going to be a few things that we're going to be able to correct and coach off of today. Jackson started over there on the left and flipped over to the right later in the game. The more they can do, the more value they bring, and I thought he did some good things as well."

Q: Did anybody jump out defensively in the game yesterday? Also are you confident that [Jonathan] Hankins and [Bilal] Nichols are back next week?

Coach McDaniels: "I'll start with the last question. We'll kind of gauge that as we go here in the next so many days. I don't want to put a timeframe on that because as soon as they're ready, we will be ready to go. Again, those things are - sometimes you feel good one day and not as good the next and all the rest of it. So, once we feel confident that we're headed in the right direction and we're not going to take a misstep, then we'll make the right decision at that time. Yesterday, it would probably be quick with a with an answer if I said someone specifically stood out. I mean there's a lot, they only played 52 plays or whatever it was so they played a little less football. There's plenty to learn from, I really believe that. There's so many things, and there's a few guys that didn't play a lot of plays, and there's other guys that played a few more. Just some things that we as a group defensively we're going to learn from and hopefully make progress this week."

Q: You were pretty open about how cool it was for you to go home to Canton, and then yesterday you had really high praise for Allegiant stadium and getting in there. Are you making it a point to kind of take all this in and enjoy the moment when you can?

Coach McDaniels: "I am. I think at this time in my life, in my career - not that I'm super old - but I have been around, this is my third decade in the NFL, and I think I'm appreciating the things that you have right in front of you each day. The people that work here are tremendous. I can't say enough about the people in our building in our organization. The people that the Mark has put here. We have such great support. And then going to the stadium as today, the reception from the moment you drive into the parking lot, it's just unique to me. So, I really enjoyed yesterday. I can see why so many people, players would want to play here and enjoy this kind of atmosphere and the kind of support that we receive from our fan base. So yeah, it's important I think at this stage in your life to make sure that you at least stop and are aware of how cool some of the things are that we get to experience, because if you don't do that, when it's all said and done you'll probably regret the fact that you didn't take a little time to just acknowledge the journey. If you don't enjoy the journey, it's hard to really appreciate it."

Q: I know some injury factors at cornerback has led to some backups getting some more opportunities. What are your thoughts on Amik Robertson, Sam Webb and Chris Jones coming out of yesterday?

Coach McDaniels: "(They) competed. Moved Amik [Robertson] into some different spots there, he played inside and outside a little bit, played in the kicking game as well. All three of those guys played in the kicking game as well and showed up in different areas. I think that they understand that the opportunity is in front of them. Like we've said all along, there's competition at every spot, so they certainly have had opportunity to go out there and earn a role with some of the things that they've been able to do in practice and competed hard yesterday in the game. That's what this is all about, you make the most of your chances, and when other people go in there they have to make the most of their opportunities as well. But I thought all three guys competed. Like I said, as a whole I think we're going to all see some things that we can improve on, which is the great part about these games is you learn so much about where you can get better. I think today will be a great day for our team relative to that."

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