Raiders Josh McDaniels Looks Ahead to Titans
HENDERSON, Nev.--The Las Vegas Raiders have started the 2022 NFL regular season an embarrassing 0-2.
But in a long 17-game NFL regular season, that isn't even close to a season-ending dilemma.
Coach Josh McDaniels put behind the slow start in order to turn his attention to the Tennessee Titans.
You can watch his entire interview below, and read the transcript:
Head Coach Josh McDaniels
Opening Statement: “I would be remiss if didn't say congratulations to the [Las Vegas] Aces and Becky [Hammon] and the job that they did. I know Mark [Davis] was extremely happy about that and obviously a really cool thing for the state and the city. So, congratulations on their championship and continued success. I hope they enjoy all that's coming to them, they've earned it. We're knee deep into Tennessee. It's a team that we're getting familiar with. It's not a team that we've played that many times recently, but certainly have a very specific style that they like to play with – very physical, aggressive, try to get control of the game, which they oftentimes do. Very good in close games. Last year they had a bunch of games decided by three points or less and were very successful in all of those. So, they can win the tight ones at the end. They play very good situational football. Very good running game, obviously that goes without saying. Derrick Henry, any superlative you want to use for him would be accurate – durable, big, physical, fast. He’s just going to have the ball more than any other player on their team and we need to do a good job of trying to contain him. It's very difficult to stop him. Defensively, they play very physical, change their coverages, give you a lot of different looks in the secondary. They have really good safeties that do a good job of disguising the coverages. I'd say that [Kevin] Byard and [Jeffery] Simmons are two of the very best players that we're going to see all year on any team defensively. They do a great job of getting the football and then they present a lot of challenges in the kicking game. The young punter has got a huge leg. Young returner has already made a couple splash plays in the return game. It's probably the best field goal rush team we're going to see, or certainly we've seen so far. They do a great job. [Denico] Autry has blocked more kicks than any other player in the last six or eight years. A lot of things they do well, obviously they earned the recognition they got last year in terms of the AFC and where they ranked and qualifying for the playoffs, those kinds of things. I've played there before, it's a tough place to play. It'll be loud, so it'll be another big challenge for us."
Q: What was your thought process behind adding new tackle, Justin Herron, and does he potentially compete for a starting job?
Coach McDaniels: "Justin Herron is a guy that I'm familiar with. Just an opportunity that presented – Dave [Ziegler] talks to a number of people obviously, and it was just presented to us in the last 24 hours or so. He's a guy that we have some familiarity with, has played tackle in plenty of games. Has some versatility, young player that's continuing to develop. It's a position that's important to every team in the National Football League. If you feel like you can upgrade your depth at that position, it's one of those ones where you've got to think about it. We'll just let him come in here and compete and acclimate to what we're doing and then see where it goes. But no expectations other than just adding a player that we are familiar with that we feel like has some upside. Looking forward to develop him."
Q: The rotation at tackle – is that something that you see you guys doing indefinitely? Or is there a point where someone solidifies themselves as the guy at that position?
Coach McDaniels: "If it's clear that it's definitely better to go one way or the other, then I think you would do that. I think that sometimes when you say that there is like this imaginary date at the end of training camp where you have to stop everything and say, 'Hey, we're done competing,' I think you do yourself a disservice and you do some of the players a disservice because we're still competing in practice. We're still competing to earn the opportunity to go out there and play winning football for our team. I think all those guys that have rolled in there have certainly earned it. It wasn't just given to him. We'll continue to evaluate that and stress the competition as we go forward."
Q: Would you agree with the statement that the Titans are an extension of Coach Vrabel?
Coach McDaniels: "No question. I came into the league and Mike [Vrabel] ended up with the Patriots, we ended up there at same time. Our very first year was '01, and just to see him as a player, very tough-minded guy, physical, did all the little things right, very intelligent – highly intelligent player. He could play the game up here just as well as he could physically and was a huge component to those defenses back then for a number of years and won a lot of championships and was a big reason why. You see that from his football team. They're always prepared, nothing's easy. They don't concede one yard on defense. I don't care what play it is, what game it is, they're not going to give you anything. They want to control and dominate the line of scrimmage on both sides. They do the same thing in the kicking game. So, there's no question that the way he wants to play, you can see it. Put any game film on you want and it's going to jump out at you. I'm sure he'll have them ready to go this week, he always does, and they play the way that he wants them to play."
Q: Do you like the grit the team has shown coming off two losses?
Coach McDaniels: "Yeah, I think that's an important characteristic. There's no team that goes through an entire season and doesn't have to deal with some type of adversity, whether that's a stretch of games, stretch of injuries, whatever it might be – the ball bounces somebody else's way a little bit. So, I think handling adversity, we've talked about that since April. You're going to have to handle it all year long if you're going to survive and be there at the end and give yourself a chance to play your best. Sometimes lessons are harder learned when you lose, and they're harder to swallow, but they're still great lessons to learn. And I think the outlook that we have, the attitude that we've come in this week with is what I would want them to have. I think they're eager to practice today, looking forward to getting out there and getting ready to go here for Tennessee. It's tough, but it's the right kind of mindset that we have, and I'm really excited about that."
Q: Do you expect Derek Carr to become more aggressive as he gets more familiar with the offense?
Coach McDaniels: “I thought he took some good chances last week and the week before. And again, I think he's just like everybody else that the more he does this with this new group of guys around him, the more comfortable you get doing a lot of things. Derek is no different; he works extremely hard, super well-prepared and he learns from all the things that happen, good or bad. I'm excited about where we're going. Like I said, he's kind of the leader of that group in terms of, 'Hey, alright, this didn't go exactly the way we want it, now we're going to get better, and we're going to be better for it this week.' He's got a great outlook and approach, and I expect him to continue to improve as we go."
Q: Josh Jacobs has gotten a large share of the carries and snaps, is that a case of him earning those opportunities?
Coach McDaniels: “Yeah, I think he's done well with the chances that he's had, which doesn't surprise anybody here. The backs, a lot of times people associate the backfield with just carries. Brandon Bolden plays on every kicking unit, Ameer Abdullah is out there on plenty of those too, Zamir White is doing the same thing. Depth on your football team doesn't have to just be at one specific spot when you take all of it into consideration. So, Josh [Jacobs] has been in good condition. He's been able to stay out there, he takes care of his body, he's healthy, he runs hard, does a lot of good things. So, we've got good depth and he's playing well."
Q: Any updates on Tre'von Moehrig, Andre James, Hunter Renfrow and Denzel Perryman?
Coach McDaniels: “Nothing in terms of like where we're at relative to the expectation for the game, but I think all of them are getting better, and all of them are progressing. So, hopefully we're going to turn the corner here, a few corners, hopefully. But nothing for sure yet for the game."
Q: You have been asking Johnathan Abram to play a bunch of positions and it seems like he's handled it pretty well so far. What have you seen from him through two games?
Coach McDaniels: “Smart guy. I mean, we put a lot on him, and he's been able to handle the duality of the multiple roles that we've given him. A big cog in terms of the overall communication on the defense, physical. I think John [Johnathan Abram] has always been a guy who's willing to hit anything that moves. I think what John is learning how to do is take his aggression and also learn how to play under control so that there's less missed tackles or a less overrun here or there, which is a sign of a guy who's maturing. So, asking him to do a lot of things. He's answering the bell and I love the way he practices and competes and looking forward to that continuing."
Q: Josh, you hear the phrase, "There's a lot of football to be played." Are you a "sense of urgency guy" immediately week one, and if they were 2-0 would you always want to play with a sense of urgency?
Coach McDaniels: “It doesn't change. Every week really is the same to us. I think that's just the best way for us to approach each week. To me, if I change that, I would basically be telling my football team that this week is more important than last week, or what have you, and they're all important. Every day is important. I think it's important for us to be consistent and try to learn from the things we haven't done well. Whether we won or lost, there's going to be a lot of lessons to learn. Nobody plays a perfect football game, that's almost impossible to think of. We have the same urgency that we've had. We know what we have to do better and what we're trying to accomplish here. It's going to take a lot of mental toughness this week to go there on the road against a really good football team and grind it out. But that's what we're getting ready to do here this week and practice and prepare the way we need to prepare to play."
Q: Can the Titans be just as dangerous because they're 0-2 and just as desperate for their first win?
Coach McDaniels: “Again, I don't read too much into feelings and those kinds of things because I think sometimes you can talk yourself into, 'Oh, well we're more desperate than somebody else,' or 'They're more desperate than we are.' I mean, we should all be desperate to win each week in my opinion, and I think that's the way our team should think, and hopefully that's the way they do think. We don't ever take the field to do anything other than win. So, we have the same urgency this week as we have.”
Q: How comfortable is he [Derek Carr] in your system now? Small sample size, only two games. How comfortable are you with his comfort level?
Coach McDaniels: "Very comfortable. It was a small thing, but there was a play late in the game last week where he's got tools in his toolbox that we don't use often, but he used a couple of them back-to-back in critical plays and made changes at the line of scrimmage that were really good. And you just sit there on the sideline and go, 'Okay, we're seeing it right in front of our eyes here.' So, I'm very comfortable with him. Like I said, he processes it so quickly and then can go out there and execute it. The thing that I think that's the biggest difference for this entire group here as we go forward is, each week is a little different. It may not be the same exact stuff that we're doing offensively, defensively or in the kicking game that we did last week. And I think for some people – and again, I wasn't here, I haven't been where everybody else has been, so I don't really know – but I know that for some people in different systems with different coaching staffs, that that's not necessarily as big of a thing. You kind of keep doing what you do and try to apply it each week to the opponent. But sometimes we shift a little bit more than others and I think that's the new part for all of our guys. But I think they really like it; I think they enjoy it. There's a challenge inherent in it, but Derek [Carr] certainly has a great outlook on it, and I have a lot of confidence in him."
Q: They've mishandled three punts already this year. Is there anything that you guys can do to prepare for that potential mishap and put more pressure on their punt return unit?
Coach McDaniels: “I mean, there's nothing extra. I think anytime you put the ball up in the air on a punt and you get down there and cover it, I think every returner would say there's a little bit of pressure on that because if you do happen to drop it or muff it, there's a chance for a turnover. He's a good returner. We had a lot of high grades on him coming out in the draft. He was a guy that we had some interest in for sure, just in terms of like adding depth to our football team. It’s no wonder that they took him when they did, and he's already made a couple big plays. Look, sometimes young players go through growing pains, but he's a dangerous returner; I know that and he's hard to tackle. So, our focus is going to be on trying to contain him. If for whatever reason that opportunity ever presents itself to our punt unit, you just try to capitalize on it the best you can, but I don't think you can prepare as if it's always going to take a turn your way.”
Q: Justin Herron played a pretty equal amount on the left and right side at tackle In New England. Did you feel like there was a spot he was better at or was it pretty even?
Coach McDaniels: “No. I mean, when you're a young player and you have some repetitions on both sides, I think that just increases your value. Swing tackles, they don't grow on trees, so the fact that he's played on the left, the fact that he's played on the right, the fact that he's played in some big games, I don't think that hurts his case here. So, again, excited to add him. He’s a good person, works hard, young player. I think his best is in front of him and just going to try to continue to develop him as a as a football player.”
The Raiders (0-2) will kick off next Sunday at 10 a.m. PDT in Nashville, Tenn., against the Titans. You can watch the game on FOX.
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