Before the Oakland Raiders took to the practice field leading up to their Week 11 clash with the Detroit Lions at Ford Field, quarterback Derek Carr held his weekly press conference.
Here are the highlights from his time behind the microphone.
Carr addressed the suspension of linebacker Aldon Smith.
"It was hard because we love him. Since he's been here, he's been a great teammate, great friend. He's family to me. He knows that I love him. But we're moving on without him – we have to. But he'll be welcomed with opened arms when he comes back."
He also spoke about his first trip to Detroit as a starting quarterback.
"I'm excited. They're very talented on defense. They have a lot of good players on that side of the ball so it's going to be fun to compete against them because they're so talented in all phases of their scheme. I'm looking forward to it though. It's going to be a tough task."
Carr expects the Lions to come out hot out of the gates.
"I expect them to come out hot. I expect them to come out fired up, playing their tail off. When you turn the film on, that's what you see. You see a defense that flies to the football. They run around, they make plays and they're passionate about it."
Defensive end Ezekiel Ansah presents quite the challenge for the Raiders offensive line.
"I think he's a great football player. I think he's very special. Especially athletically. The guy is very gifted. God blessed him with a lot of traits that I definitely don't have. That's why I play quarterback. He's a great football player."
