Raiders' OC Mick Lombardi on State of the Offense

The Las Vegas Raiders (1-2) are fresh off an embarrassing loss at home this past Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but they have no time to feel sorry for themselves.

The NFL stops for no one, including the Silver and Black.

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Offensive Coordinator Mick Lombardi spoke to the media, and we have all that he said on the state of the Silver and Black offense.

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

Offensive Coordinator Mick Lombardi

Q: Obviously with Jimmy (Garoppolo's) situation, now you have to potentially get two quarterbacks ready for Sunday. What's the process like dealing with that?

Coach Lombardi: “Well, I think with any injury you have to get whoever is available ready to go. I can't really speak on any injury topics right now, that's not for me to answer. So, we'll see how today goes and then address it tomorrow.”

Q: When you watch the film of Jimmy’s interceptions, is it a case of him trying to do too much? What did you see watching those plays?

Coach Lombardi: “I think you see a lot of good that Jimmy did. He completed a lot of passes in the drop-back game and I think at the end of the day when the first read is not there, second read is not there, just being smart with the football, taking care of it and moving on and understanding that an incomplete pass isn't a bad thing. So, that's for any quarterback and we try to address that on a weekly basis. He's aware of that and we'll try and make that better as we go forward.”

Q: There was a little bit of success in the running game in the fourth quarter. Was that maybe lighter boxes and them backing up a little bit? Or did you kind of discover something?

Coach Lombardi: “No, I don’t think we discovered anything. I think we just did a better job up front at all positions of getting the ball downhill and getting a hat on a hat. We talk about it every week and we talk about it all the time, and that's what we're working on right now to make sure we get the best possibility to do that. The offensive line in the second half I think you saw do that. Josh [Jacobs] got the ball downhill and we saw some productive play. So, looking forward to carrying that over into this week coming up and try and get the running game going and get Josh getting started and get the line some confidence.”

Q: How beneficial was it for a young player like tight end Michael Mayer to make a big time catch on the two-point conversion? Also, where are some areas you feel like he can improve?

Coach Lombardi: “Yeah, Michael obviously made a big play there at the end of the game with the two-point conversion and did the detail right on the play and sprung him open. He did a lot in the game this past week too. It was a lot of stuff in the running game and blocking and jam protections, and all those plays are big. He’s seen a lot of playing time and other production. In terms of receptions, it hasn't been there when you guys look at the stat sheet, but there are a lot of things he did well. There are a lot of things he can improve on like any young player, whether it's in the run fit, angles in the running game, moving his feet, sustaining the block, getting the right jam on the jam protections, all those types of things. So, he saw a lot of playing time. He's improved week to week and we'll look forward to this week coming forward.”

Q: Do you see him making strides in his blocking? Has that been a big focus?

Coach Lombardi: “Yeah, I think all the tight end room has been asked to do a lot of things in the running game these past few weeks and it's grown since Week 1. So, they definitely have had more playing time exposure to some things, and with Michael especially being a young player. He definitely has a lot to improve on, but definitely a lot that he's taken on and improved on already. So, looking forward to that moving forward.”

Q: What have you seen from the Chargers defense when they give up a lot but they do have a lot of really talented players on that side of the ball?

Coach Lombardi: “Yeah, we're obviously familiar with the Chargers playing them twice a year and being in the same system with Coach [Brandon] Staley. They have very good talent on all three levels with [Kenneth] Murray at linebacker, Derwin James is a very productive player in the back end, [Asante] Samuel, J.C. Jackson, [Michael] Davis is an experienced player in the scheme. And then obviously the two edge guys do a phenomenal job in [Joey] Bosa and [Khalil] Mack, so you have to be prepared for all three levels. Similar to how we talked about versus Denver and Buffalo, they play very good football, and they play very good situational football. They have an attack mindset and they look to create negative plays. So, we have to do a good job of staying true to our rules and making sure we don't have those negative plays pop up, because that's what we're looking for, we're looking for turnovers and negative plays. And if we do a good job of taking care of the football, both from a runner standpoint and from a quarterback standpoint, we can kind of negate some of the things they want to try to do. But I think it starts with us first and then it carries over to them.”

Q: What are some things you feel like other team’s offenses have been exploiting against the Chargers' defense that the Raiders offense can possibly do as well?

Coach Lombardi: “I mean, it's a three-game sample size. Every week is different. They have familiarity with us, so that's a little bit of a different thing. They know what we do, we know what they do. I think you have to look at it from a singular mindset and say: ‘OK, what can we control first?’ And play and go from that to: ‘What do we have confidence in and go from that.’ And then how does that apply to L.A.? I think we have to start there as opposed to saying: ‘Oh, Tennessee did this, or some other team did that, or Miami did this,’ because we don't have the same personnel as they do. We have to fit our personnel into what we can feel comfortable with against their scheme. And that's what we try to do on a weekly basis, and that's what we’re trying to do against L.A.”

Q: Quarterback Aidan O’Connell in general, what have you seen in the last couple weeks from him? Obviously when the season starts, the reps are kind of different in practice and that sort of thing. What has been his progression from preseason?

He goach Lombardi: “He's got a lot of reps on the scout team. He gets the ball out on time, works really hard, takes the game plan and prepares as if he were to start. There’s a reason we drafted him, because he's smart and he can throw the football very efficiently. He's a productive player, was a productive player in college, and you guys saw it in the preseason. So, from a preparation standpoint, he does a good job. I think that's the biggest thing I've seen from him. He's learned how to create a routine for himself as a young player, and that's a big thing. You asked about Michael [Mayer] earlier and I think he's done the same thing, getting a routine in terms of preparation and then a routine in terms of body maintenance and a routine in terms of practice. I think Aidan has taken that seriously and that's the thing I've been most impressed with.”

Q: With all the attention that wide receiver Davante Adams gets, how impressed Have you been with how Jakobi Meyers has been in this offense so far?

Coach Lombardi: “Yeah, Jakobi Myers and the whole receiver room has done a really good job of doing their job and being dependable in the passing game. I think that you guys have seen that every week. Like I said in previous times you guys asked me, Jakobi works extremely hard and he's very smart. He does everything in a detailed manner that (wide receiver) coach Edgar Bennett asks him to do. I obviously have a history with Jakobi, so nothing does surprises me. He's an extremely dependable player and works really hard at it, whether it's running game or passing game. Davante sees that in him, he sees that in Davante. I think having those two in the room pushes the room in general, which is why I think you guys see some production from them on a weekly basis.”

The Silver and Black return to the road this week in Inglewood, Calif., to play the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, Oct. 1, at 4:05 p.m. EDT/1:05 p.m. PDT.

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