Head Coach Jack Del Rio
It was a beautiful day in Napa, Calif., to be surrounded by loved ones and family members, as the Oakland Raiders inch closer to their first preseason game, which will take place this Saturday against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. After taking a short breather from the pads, the Silver and Black strapped them back on Sunday, and put on a show for the crowd on Family Day. Following the team's practice, Head Coach Jack Del Rio took the podium to recap the day's work.
Here are the quick hits from his media session:
Del Rio talked about the cornerbacks group, and shared how they're progressing in camp.
"We're rolling them through. We're looking for the kind of effort and intensity and play that we want to see on the field. I feel like we're showing flashes of getting that. It's coming. As a group, we're giving a lot of guys opportunities and so I think it's a healthy situation. A few guys are banged up and on the mend, like I said, but the guys that are out there working are working hard and making improvement."
He discussed whether the competition and intensity level is ramped up with preseason action less than a week away.
"I think it's natural on a day like today. You can almost feel it walking out here. It's Family Day, so there might be a high school coach here or a wife or kids or something here. Everybody gets a little more excited for that and I think they knew Jerry McDonald [Bay Area News Group reporter] was here and that always raises the level. (laughter) No seriously, it's a little bit of the cameras are here, and the families are here. They know that the last time we worked before a day off I wasn't real happy about how it went down. I think they just bounced back and did the right thing and practiced really hard today."
Del Rio commended rookie cornerback Breon Borders for what he's shown thus far.
"I think Breon, some guys just come in with a serious, no nonsense approach to their game and their preparation. It strikes me that way, as a guy that's very conscientious, works very hard. I think Breon is having a nice camp. Obviously, he's running with the ones right now a little bit. He certainly hasn't won anything. Things are far from settled. He was doing so well against the Two's and Three's, I wanted to see him against some of the better guys. It'll give us some good tape to evaluate.
He shared that the defense has improved over the last couple days.
"Yeah, we'll going to be a good group. We took the ball away well last year. We take the ball away. We got off the field in two minute situations last year very well. We want to continue to be good at those things. The consistency is what we're looking to develop right now. It's coming. It's getting better."
Del Rio finished out his presser by highlighting offensive linemen Marshall Newhouse and Vadal Alexander.
"Good. He's a pro. Good pro. Good player. Vadal [Alexander] has got a ton of snaps. Doing a nice job with his reps. He goes up against the guys pretty good over there with Khalil [Mack]. Those guys are doing well. The O-line, we have a good group of men."
