Raiders' Coach Pierce's Final Comments Colts Week
The Las Vegas Raiders (7-8) will spend New Year's Eve in Indianapolis vs. the Colts (8-7) and are looking to bring in 2024 celebrating a New Year on their charter jet home with NFL Playoff hopes still alive.
Interim Coach Antonio Pierce stepped to the podium to discuss the team's state and turn the page to the Colts after another historic win at Kansas City.
You can watch the entire Pierce press conference above and read the transcript below.
Las Vegas Raiders' Coach Antonio Pierce's final comments Indianapolis Colts week
Darrell Craig Harris, Raiders Today
Interim Head Coach Antonio Pierce
Q: What's this week been like? Coach Pierce: "This week has been good. Obviously, Christmas was a very good Christmas for the Raiders organization, but then we moved on. Great opponent, great opportunity in front of us, another road game. We need to play well on the road and certain things travel on the road and we need to bring it with us."
Q: How's the Colts offense looking? Coach Pierce: "Looks good. When their running back is back there running, that's different. We saw last year firsthand,so we know exactly what we're dealing with. They're getting healthy. We have to deal with [Michael] Pittman, have to deal with a physical offensive line. It's a scary group because they can have a bad week and then they explode one week, so we have to be ready for the best and obviously they're fighting for a lot as well."
Q: You've had only walk throughs so far this week, but having practice today, do you think Josh Jacobs might be able to get out there today? Coach Pierce: "Today? I don't know. That's going to be a gametime decision, just be honest with you. I mean, no need to rush it. If he can go at one o'clock on Sunday, I'm happy with that."
Q: Obviously Josh Jacobs wants to be out there if he can, but what was it like to see Zamir White play these last couple weeks and show that he can be reliable? Coach Pierce: "Well, one, he's earned reps, right? He's earned playing time, that's not going to change if 8 [Josh Jacobs] is good or not. 8 is our starting running back, that's not even a question. But Zamir is opening up some eyes. I think he's taking advantage of the opportunity and that's the National Football League, right? You give him a play or two, or several weeks to make the most out of, and he's done just that. And I think he's earned the trust, the belief with our offensive staff and our o-line. I mean, I think that's huge when you get in the game the way he did last week. And his style of running, I mean, it's an explosive running back coming downhill. So, a good change of pace back between him and Josh Jacobs."
Q: How important is it going to be for you guys to get up after the run and stop Jonathan Taylor? Coach Pierce: "It's alwaysthat way. I mean, I don't know any coach that would ever say anything different. You want to make him one-dimensional. We feel good about our guys up front of doing that. We did a good job last week. We have to do that consistently this week. They'll stay with the running game though. That's the biggest difference from week to week. Certain teams would shy away from it, this team is going to do it all the way to the fourth quarter."
Q: Gardner Minshew isn't the most athletic guy necessarily, but he seems to be able to make things happen when a play breaks down. What have you seen from him in that regard? Coach Pierce: "Yeah, I don't think you ever want to say athletic with quarterbacks, you want to say mobility. He has the ability to escape, he has a good feel for the pocket. Good pocket presence, good awareness there. And it's a little different than what we felt last week or dealt with last week with Patrick [Mahomes], that this guy's eyes are down the field, and he can make plays and he turns to off-script plays. And that's difficult for a defense because now you're covering for four or five or six seconds and that's not where we want to live. And so, we have to be disciplined with our rush coordination. Guys have to do their jobs, they understand that. It's no different each and every week when you have a quarterback like this."
Q: We've seen a bunch of players grow and get better this season. Anything you can put your finger on as far as player development and guys taking that next step this season? Coach Pierce: "Yeah, I think it started early on. I think sometimes when you throw rookies in early, that's not fair to them. They've had a long year preparing to be a professional football player and really what you see, and I've said this before, is the opposite. You see rookies starting off the season and then by November, December they hit that rookie wall. I think what we've done a good job of over the last seven weeks is doing the opposite, really turning the rookies up. We like the fresher group. We got fresher legs out there. They are bringing more energy and juice. I mean, look at the guys that we're talking about, [Tre] Tucker, Aidan [O'Connell], Zamir [White], [Thayer] Munford, Big Mike [Michael Mayer] when he was out there, Jack Jones, a lot of guys with a lot of juice in their legs that don’t have the wear and tear of a vet. So, what do I attribute that to? I just think believing in your players and the process. Giving them more time to learn and study the playbook, so they're not out there making mistakes early on and losing their confidence."
Q: The defense has been playing great. Where or how do you feel like the defense can get even better? Coach Pierce: "There's a lot of ways. We don't use the word great yet, we're getting better and better each and every day. When you talk about great that's a different category and I know we're striving for that, and we'll know at the end of the season how far we've come. What do I contribute that to? Guys that are really buying in and believing. Remember day one when I first stood here, I said my goal and what my challenge was, match Maxx's [Crosby] energy. Well, now, I think you've seen our defense match Maxx’s energy and effort and now production, and you're seeing that. At first it was Robert Spillane, okay, now it's a couple other guys. Now you're seeing 11 bad boys hunting each and every play. Now it's a race to the ball, right? I call it roll calling the ball, get 11 hats to the ball, everybody get in the family picture. So, for me it's very satisfying to see them buy into that of what we talked about the effort and matching your best players. Maxx's job is to bring all those guys along and keep striving to stay in front, that's what we want. And when we get that, you get the product that you got on the field."
Q: What's the fine line between coaching the player tough and loving on them? Coach Pierce: "I don't think it's tough, I think it's the truth. Just give the players the truth, man, tell me the truth. 'AP [Antonio Pierce] you suck.' Cool, that's how you feel. Now I get it, we need to be better. You tell a player that was a bad play. Take the grey out of it, this is what it was, good or bad. And I think most professionals – let me say that word really clear, professionals – understand that. And then once you get a bunch of grown men that learn how to be professionals in this sport, you can handle both the love, hate relationship."
Q: Have you found that that's been something that these guys embrace in that locker room, is that truth? Coach Pierce: “Yeah, I mean, that's been day one. I mean, I don't sugarcoat nothing. I mean, it is what is. It comes out how it comes out. Sometimes you got to bleep it out, but you get the point, right? I think they get the point, but they also know I’m going to love them up like no other. I could be their biggest cheerleader; I could be their biggest critic. It's not going to be no grey.” Q: Where is Michael Mayer in terms of his recovery? And do you think he could be able to play on Sunday? Coach Pierce: “No, he’ll be out. He’ll be out more than likely.
Q: How has Aidan O’Connell handled this past week as far as last week and three quarters with no completions? You say he’s even keeled, how has he done this week and what's been your message to him this week? Coach Pierce: “Just get better. I mean, look, the life of a rookie, and I keep talking about that. And I said it and I don't want to reference it again, but the guy, you don't know when it's a good or bad day, he has that same poker face, which I appreciate, and I love. I really think that takes a lot for a young quarterback to understand that and have that emotional balance of not getting into the highs and the lows of the National Football League, and then to read the press good or bad. Because two weeks ago, he was Joe Montana, right? He was put him in the Hall of Fame type deal, right? Now, put him with the Bad News Bears. We’re not doing that. He’s the starting quarterback and he’ll have his ups and downs. We got to do a better job around him from the coaches, play callers, players around him to bring him along. I never thought any day we will win a game because of Aidan, that was not the plan and is not the plan going forward.”
Q: What goes into the decision to run your NASCAR package on defense? Coach Pierce: “I had success as a player. We did that when I was with the team that I played with and won some championships with, it was pretty good. Speed kills ,man. You got length and bodies and guys that can rush. You get a guy like we got last week, and another quarterback will face this week, they can move around. As we talked about mobility that can buy time, well you can’t buy time when you got speed and you’re chasing him. He'll get tired eventually and we'll catch up and then we got to pound him.”
Q: When you look at your secondary with Amik Robertson, Tre’von Moehrig and Nate Hobbs from last year this year; what's the biggest area of progression you've seen in those three within the secondary? Coach Pierce: "I really attribute it to film study and then also the belief in what I've talked about with these guys is that you see it, believe it, go get it, and then don't second guess yourself. These are guys who put a lot of time in film study with the coaches themselves, you go through practice. I mean it is what it is, it's black and white fellas. You see it, go get it. And I think the ability and the confidence that they know that if they make the play or don't make the play, we're not going to blink, 'Alright, go get it again.' But always make an educated guess let's not just be random, and I think they've done a really good job of that. When they see stuff triggering in the running game and obviously in the pass game and we've had some great opportunities to either intercept the ball or punch it out."
Q: You mentioned how disrespectful it wasfor people to ask the players what they were playing for recently. Now mathematically you're in a position where you could potentially even win the division out. How does it feel to have been able to come into this team and turn things around where anything is possible? Coach Pierce: "Yeah, I think just belief. I mean, we talked about it, just handle what we can handle that's right in front of us. Remember, I think the first thing I did, I pointed that big front mirror in front of us, the window in front of us and just looking forward and not looking back. Our message this week is horse blinders. Look at the Kentucky Derby, look at the great races. Don't look back, don't look on the side right or left, just look right in front of you, make it real narrow, tunnel vision. We know what's in front of us. We know what we're all chasing, we want to play in the month of January. We want to get a ticket to the dance as well, but how do we do that? We've got to handle business this week in Indy and handle these Colts, and that's our main goal. We're not going to scoreboard watch, we're not going to do it, we're not even talking about it. And I get it, I appreciate everybody informing us, but that's not our focus."
Q: Going back to film study real quick, Nate Hobbs said in the locker room yesterday that Jack Jones studies film like no other, like he kind of broke it down for him. What about Jack just breaks that that down and allows him to be the guy he is? Coach Pierce: "Yeah, when Jack was younger we had a lot of study hall at Long Beach Poly. Those office hours led into watching film the way Jack was as a player and person. So, he's learned at a young age that film is important. He's carried that into his now professional career. It's good to see. You really want that with a lot of players. All of us should be a student of the game. This is our job, right? It's your job to know it. It's your job, it's nobody else. I can tell you all the information, but it's your job as a professional to go there and do what you need to do to get yourself ready and prepared to play, and he's done that obviously in the last two or three weeks by his performance. That's got to continue, but you'd like to see everybody doing it. If Nate [Hobbs] is talking with Jack, then I'll say, 'Jack, why are you not bringing Nate? Why are you not bringing Amik [Robertson]? Where's the rest of the DBs, all the corners should be there.' We should all be seeing the same thing, right? You know what this building is? It's silver and black. We should all see the same colors. Don't make up any other new colors and new schemes.
The Silver and Black continue the season on New Year's Eve versus the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Don't miss it on Sunday, December 31, at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST.
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