Oakland Raiders offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave held his weekly press conference Thursday afternoon at the team's Alameda, Calif., facility as they prepare to take on the New York Jets.
Here are the highlights from his time behind the podium.
Musgrave shared his thoughts about the Jets defense.
"They're in an elite group. They're like a lot of the good defenses we've seen over the years – they can cover and then they get creative when they rush the passer. They try to stop the run which they did against New England. It's an elite group and they do elite things conceptually and scheme-wise."
Each week presents a new challenge.
"Experience helps us, that's for sure. As we gain more and more knowledge about ourselves, and also how people are going to defend us. We're hoping to keep climbing and getting better as the season progresses. Each defense is different. Every week is different. We're looking forward to seeing what they have in store for us."
He's pleased with the growth of rookie tight end Clive Walford.
"He did a super job the other day for us and he's getting there, he really is. Practice, he's doing a nice job. The tight end position is a tough, tough position. Talk about a real wide scope, they have to know run and pass. At times we ask them to do running back jobs, wide receiver jobs, offensive lineman jobs. It's quite a task that we put on his plate as a rookie."
Musgrave also praised the play of the offensive linen
"We don't have Menelik [Watson] this year and Austin [Howard] has stepped in and done a terrific job. He's gotten better every week. Our right guard has never played right guard before and he's doing a super job of getting better every week. Really pleased with Donald Penn and how physical he's being. Our left guard and center in Gabe [Jackson] and Rodney [Hudson], those are our bruisers. They're very smart, very physical. They set the tone for everyone else."
Cornerback Darrelle Revis is as good as advertised.
"He's very strong. When he presses receivers, he's got a lot of strength. He's good early in the down and late in the down because he's so darn sharp."
