Head Coach Hue Jackson
Q: You had Jacoby [Ford] and [Denarius] Moore out here working. Was there a chance that they were going to play? Is that was that was about that you wanted to see what they could go?
Coach Jackson: Yes it was. They're getting closer. Not there yet, but we're very close.
Q: The word came back what? That they just weren't quite ready to go?
Coach Jackson: Not ready to do it. That's it.
Q: How's Chaz [Schilens] doing? He came off that foot injury, but he's doing better?
Coach Jackson: Yeah. No, I think he'll be fine. Yes sir.
Q: With the weather the way it is, it calls for 38…
Coach Jackson: I like it. 38? Alright! Yeah! I thought it was 35. You gave me three degrees.
Q: It bumped up. Does that matter? Does it help one team or the other, or has it gotten to just if it's…?
Coach Jackson: The weather is the weather and we're not going to worry about the elements. We're a weatherproof football team. Snow, rain, hot, cold; we've got to play. It's just the way it goes.
Q: One thing about the weather. I mean people who don't live here would think the Raiders coming from California, the cold must affect them, but I haven't been out here one time where it's been hot…
Coach Jackson: Absolutely. I don't think the elements are the issue. The issue is the football team playing great – that's what it takes to win football games. It's not any of that other stuff that people make it out to be. I understand that, I mean, that's something to write about, talk about. Bottom line is you've got to go play football.
Q: Have you noticed over the years, teams tend to throw the ball more now in inclement weather than they used to?
Coach Jackson: Probably so, I mean if you're a throwing ball club. I think towards the end of the year, I think when people really start to run it because people kind of know where they stand with the chances of playoffs and everything else. The games we play, I mean, they're going to be very competitive games down the stretch here. So I think every game counts for us, but I think the teams know that they don't have a chance - normally teams that play against those teams, they run the ball against them because eventually those guys will say I've had enough. They make a business decision to take the game off, so that's my opinion. That's what I've seen over the years, but I don't think the games we'll be playing as we move down the stretch here – we're going to do a little bit of both. We're going to have to run it and we're going to have to throw it.
Q: How confident are you that you can get the running game going and how important is that going to be in particular this week?
Coach Jackson: Oh, I'm very confident. I always have been. We just didn't, the last two weeks, didn't do as well and I think we've got a chance to get it back started. Not so much because we're playing the Packers, it's because our guys have made a decision that's what they've got to do. We need to run the ball to kind of be who we are, but we also have got to throw the ball. So we look for balance, but we're a team that likes to run it. We're going to run it.
Q: I guess Desmond Bishop isn't playing this week. He's an elite tackler, but is that a huge loss for them?
Coach Jackson: Is there 10 more guys you can take off that defense too?
Q: Well, [A.J.] Hawk is hurting a little bit but he's questionable…
Coach Jackson: Yeah no, I mean obviously they have their issues like we have ours. I mean they have a couple of guys missing. Obviously, we some key guys missing too, so I wish they were at their best; we wish we were at our best. That would be fun, but we're not and they're not. So, we're going to go play this game. It's a big game for both teams and we'll make happen what we need to make happen.
Q: How good are they against the run?
Coach Jackson: They're good. They make plays. I mean again, if you go look, I know everybody talks about the rankings but this is a 12-0 football team. It doesn't really matter. At the end of the day, they find a way to win and that's what we're all about right now. We're trying to find a way to win. We don't care whether we run it, throw it, kick it; we don't care. We just want to win. That's what this is all about.
Q: Has there been any extra emphasis on trying to avoid the big mistake when you guys have the ball because they allow stuff, but then they turn it around?
Coach Jackson: Oh yeah, no doubt. They're a team that takes away the ball. They're the second-best team in football in getting the ball away from the opponent. So we've got to take care of the football, we've got to be smart with the ball, our guys have got to squeeze the ball, we've got to carry the ball with everything we've got because they do try to get it out. So, our guys understand that and we've got to eliminate mistakes, penalties, the whole nine yards, to beat a team like this in their backyard as good as they are. We have to play one of our best games.
Q: You had talked about the fact that why can't the Raiders go on a run now the way the Packers did last year. The Packers had a lot of guys hurt that were out the whole year. Is it possible? Do you look at that and say that that's happened to you as well? That you can still make a run even with these guy hurt…
Coach Jackson: Right. Well, I think I truly believe in my football team and I think we have a chance to do anything we want to do. I think when our players set their mind to it, there's nothing they can't do. I know that's what the Packers situation a year ago. I think year-to-year everything changes but I think we have an opportunity just because this team's really a good football team. I think when they're focused and they play great and the intensity is how I know it should be and what it should be, I think we can play and beat anybody. So, I'm looking forward to playing this game. It's the next one up on the schedule, so let's go.
Q: What could a win in a game like this do having guys hurt? You go on the road against a team that hasn't lost. Could that kind of put in the guys' mind that it doesn't matter; you could win any game anywhere?
Coach Jackson: There's no question. I mean prior to last week, we had won three games in that situation and played against some really good football teams. Not the Packers, but we played Chicago, we played Minnesota. Obviously, we played some really big games prior to that so this is just another big one. I think the confidence level on this football team is strong. I know everybody is questioning me about that. I'm not concerned about that. What I'm concerned about is let's get there, let's make sure that we have great preparation, let's go to the game on Sunday and cut it loose and play the way we can play.
Q: On the walkthrough tomorrow, are you going to do that in a dome or the bubble they have, or are you going to go to the field?
Coach Jackson: No, we'll go someplace else.
Q: Outdoors?
Coach Jackson: Oh yeah. Might as well, that's what we have to play in. We've got to play outside, so we're going to be outside. Yes sir.
Q: You think Green Bay as much as they throw the ball given the problems you guys have had against the run at times, do you think they might try to run it more than maybe they do?
Coach Jackson: I think this – I think they'll do whatever they feel they need to do to win the game. If that's the way the game goes for them, I think that's what they'll do. But at the end of the day, they're going to be who they are and what they've done is have success. They have a very good quarterback who knows how to manage a game. They can run it when they need to run it and we all understand that and respect that. But, they're going to do what they need to do to win and we're going to do what we need to do to win.
Q: Talk about the pressure on your defensive backfield going up against [Aaron] Rodgers and those receivers…
Coach Jackson: He's good, I mean, but what a challenge. If you're a defensive back, this is the kind of game you like. I mean here's a chance for a bunch of young men to create opportunities for themselves and get their name on SportsCenter. You've got to make those plays. I mean that's what this is all about. If you want to be the best, you want to play against the best and these guys are as good as there is in football. Our guys have an opportunity to be good, they need to step up and play that way and they will.
