Before the Oakland Raiders hit the practice field Wednesday afternoon to officially begin their on-field preparation for their Week 15 showdown with Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers, Head Coach Jack Del Rio addressed the media.
Here are the highlights from his press conference.
He addressed the loss of long snapper Jon Condo, who was placed on Injured Reserve Tuesday.
"Obviously it's tough to lose a guy like Jon. He was real solid. We didn't have to talk about him a lot, so that means he was doing his job, kind of an anonymous role, obviously very vital, very important role. He'll get surgery and get back to healing, but for now we have to move on."
Head Coach Del Rio spoke about the improvement of defensive end Khalil Mack.
"I think part of it is the natural progression of him expressing himself in his second year, being more comfortable in the role that we're asking him to do. He's spending more time going forward this year. I think that helps. I think he's had more time just refining the skill level necessary to rush the quarterback at the highest level."
He also shared his thoughts about the Green Bay Packers defense.
"It's a really good team. You're talking about the pass rushers, [Green Bay Packers] Clay [Matthews], really good player out of Southern Cal. Julius Peppers; I was actually part of the group that drafted him in Carolina back in '02. He's a phenomenal athlete. He's a great pro. He's a real gentlemen."
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers presents quite the challenge for the Raiders defense.
"A big challenge. Obviously he's got a great arm, real-quick delivery, he can kind of flip it from any position and make plays down the field, but he takes off and runs, makes plays happen with his feet. I think it's 38 scrambles on the year for big yardage. He doesn't just go and get a first down and get down, he's going and taking off and trying to score with it."
"We are going to build a dominant defense here."
"As we go forward, we are going to build a dominant defense here. We've taken some steps and showed some signs, but that's something that will happen, it's just a matter of when. As a football team, we're looking to be really strong in all three phases and certainly that was a great effort by the defense last week."
