Raiders' DC Patrick Graham Detroit Lions Week

DETROIT, Mich.--Coming off a disappointing loss at the hands of the Chicago Bears, the Las Vegas Raiders (3-4) have the difficult task of taking down a Detroit Lions (5-2) team that is chomping at the bit for this upcoming Monday Night Football game.

Silver and Black Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham stepped to the podium to address the media, and we have it for you.

You can watch the entire video above and read the transcript below:

Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham

Q: How do you fix the missed tackles going into the next game?

Coach Graham: “Go into practice, when we start practicing tomorrow, just in terms of angles, closing the angles, getting under control, wrapping up, basic fundamentals, and just practice it a lot because we have to deal with it this week in Detroit. A lot of skilled players who are dynamic. I think they might lead the league in run after contact, or yards after contact, yards after catch, whatever it is. So, we've got our work cut out.”

Q: The way football is kind of structured right now in terms of the practice, there isn't a lot of actual tackling in practices. How do you kind of combat that when you aren't able to practice it the way it used to be practiced?

Coach Graham: “Well, all 32 teams are dealing with the same situation. So, the point of us as coaches is to be able to adapt to the rules and adapt to what we've got to get done during practice and the process in terms of how we do that. And the process, we practice the drills we do, we practice our angles when we get the team periods, and practice together as a team so nobody's getting hurt. But that's the main thing.”

Q: It's obvious that guys are where they need to be for the most part and you’ve put them in good places and there's contact sometimes behind the line of scrimmage. What do you feel like the issue is in that regard of guys being able to still break loose?

Coach Graham: “I've got to do a better job during the week of just getting the guys in the right position to be able to get the guys down. And then just keep going through the process of tackling. It’s something that you got to keep working on, it’s one of the core fundamentals of football, especially defensively. So, you've just got to keep working on it every day and finding different ways to do it, and just work the process.

Q: We knew that Chicago was going to try to run the ball a lot. We talked about last week. Were you surprised they were so successful running the ball?

Coach Graham: “No one's ever happy when the team is able to run the ball the way they did. And looking at this week with Detroit, it's going to be the same thing in terms of how they like to run the ball. They do a good job. Their head coach, just his persona and just his personality, you could tell he's rooted in the running game and their success is rooted in the running game. So, we've got a challenge ahead of us right now, but we never want anybody to run the ball successfully. That's tough for a defense.”

Q: When linebacker Divine Deablo stepped out due to injury, Luke Masterson stepped into that role. What are some things that you like about him being ready to go and his progression from year one to year two?

Coach Graham: “Luke, from the beginning when we met him last year, he's been working on his craft a ton, whether it's in the classroom or out there on the field. He's always ready. The role that he has on special teams. And we're just pleased with the way he works and how he tries to improve and then tries to make corrections to any mistakes that he makes. And he just does a good job of getting better each week and not being a repeat error guy. That's always a key thing.”

Q: We’ve asked you about defensive end Tyree Wilson’s progress pretty much every week, but he finally got a result on the stat sheet. I know that's not always the most important thing, but how important is it for a young player to maybe just see something show up and say: ‘Look, that’s validation of what I've been doing?’

Coach Graham: “It's huge for all players. You do all this work throughout the offseason. You build up to a point where you get 17 opportunities that are guaranteed to you plus the three preseason games and you want to see a reward from your hard work, so it’s important for all those guys, and I'm just happy for Tyree to get the reward. Again, that's not the main thing. Obviously, he's set the edge for us in the running game. He's been able to provide pressure in the pass rush, he's dropped back when we need him to drop. But in terms of answering your question, just the reward of all the hard work, it's important for all of them.”

Q: When you looked back at the film, did you see the energy and the effort that you were looking for from the defensive side of things?

Coach Graham: “I think in terms of just last week, again, it starts with me first and foremost. I don't think I did a good job putting them in the right spots and it just was a bad result for last week. And I know this, we're working hard right now upstairs, in the classroom with the coaches. We're going to work hard when the players get back tomorrow in terms of trying to rectify the situation. And that's the main focus right now. Again, we can't spend too much time on the week before, but you've got to learn from it and then you've got to move on, and we got another opportunity and thankfully it's Monday night against the Detroit Lions, and we get a chance against a really good team. It’s going to be a big challenge.”

Q: There was a play involving Marcus Peters that got talked about on the broadcast and on social media where he kind of didn't go after making a tackle. It felt like the effort wasn't there. As a coach, where's maybe the accountability in that regard? I'm sure it showed up on film and it was probably talked about, but how do you make sure that doesn't happen again?

Coach Graham: “There are several plays, whoever it is, that we want back. Whenever the result is what it was, 30-12, there are a lot of plays that everybody wants back. There are calls I want back, so to single out one person with the result like that, I'm not with that. That's just not me. It's a collective, there are 11 people playing defense and we've got to play with great effort each play, that's part of a good defense. We've got to be able to tackle, we've got to be able to stop the run and minimize the passing game. And I've got to do a good job of putting those guys in the right spot, but that's not my program.”

Q: When you watch the film on the Lions, what are some things about quarterback Jared Goff that kind of stand out that you have to watch out for?

Coach Graham: “How he's manipulating the coverage. He’s doing a good job of looking off. How he's delivering the ball, he's finding the guys in the right spot. He's able to reach different spots on the field and you can see that and the growth. Again, it's year eight for him. So, I mean, I'm saying the growth from the last time I faced him was a long time ago, but just you see the maturity as a quarterback. He's comfortable in the pocket, he's comfortable making checks at the line of scrimmage. He's comfortable saying: ‘Hey, let's take the profit.’ So, that's when you see really the maturation process of a quarterback. And that's the beautiful thing of being in this league for 15 years now, you get a chance to see guys grow. And he's doing a really good job and he's found a nice spot for himself up there in Detroit.”

Q: How important is it to get off the field on third down?

Coach Graham: “Third down is important for every defense. If you're trying to minimize the amount of opportunities they have to score, you've got to get off the field on third down. I mean, it's not unique to us. So, it's very important.”

Q: Jared Goff’s splits home and road are pretty wild, in terms of he's at such a high level at home and on the road he kind of struggles. Do you just watch home film in a case like that because that's where you're playing him and that's where he's comfortable?

Coach Graham: “No, that would not be the case. You've got to watch it all. You've got to watch all the games, get all the information you can, collect the data, and then try to put forth the best game plan to stop him.”

Q: After a game like that on Sunday, are you kind of chomping at the bit to get back out there and get your guys back out there and show that wasn't really what we're about?

Coach Graham: “I'm always chomping at the bit. I'm a football coach, competitive. Again, we've got all this hard work each week throughout the year for 17 opportunities. I'm always chomping at the bit. That's what I do. I mean, that's what we do. We coach football ."

The Silver and Black will stay on the road to take on the Detroit Lions on Monday night, Oct. 30, at 8:15 p.m. EDT/5:15 p.m. PDT.

Please tell us your thoughts when you like our Facebook Page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.