Offensive Coordinator Bill Musgrave
The Oakland Raiders continued their preparation for the Buffalo Bills Thursday afternoon and prior to practice offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave shared his thoughts on the upcoming matchup. He touched on a variety of topics, discussing the Raiders running game and the development of tight end Clive Walford.
Here's the full transcript from his media session:
Offensive Coordinator Bill Musgrave
Opening Statement:"Alright, got Buffalo coming in. Hope to have a good Thursday, a preparation day so we can be ready."
Q: Do you feel like you need to get the run game going?
Coach Musgrave:"Definitely, definitely. We want to be as balanced as we can and looking forward to getting the run game going more than we have the last two weeks."
**Q: Does the offensive line retain its confidence even when things aren't going well and they're executing at key moments of the game?
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Coach Musgrave:"They do. They do, and we like that portion of it. We'd like to be more consistent and establish the run game earlier. But you're right, when we've needed to be efficient, not necessarily explosive, but we were more efficient in the run game definitely when we needed it. So, we're thankful for that."
Q: How important is it going to be to have Clive Walford involved in the passing game moving forward and how much has his role changed since you lost Lee Smith?
Coach Musgrave:"Clive was injured that same game in Baltimore. When we lost, Lee, Clive got hurt down there. He got saw tackled there right before 'Crab' [Michael Crabtree] made his catch to win the game. So, he's just getting back to I think feeling somewhat healthy and so, we're eager to use him more and realize his contributions."
Q: Has Walford had to take on more blocking?
Coach Musgrave:"Yeah, definitely. Yeah, he's doing a nice job, doing a nice job with the blocking and definitely with the receiving part. But, it is important. We know our receivers are deep and skilled, but to have he and Mychal [Rivera] out there really helps us."
Q: Have you seen the blocking portion of Walford's game develop or did he come in with that naturally?
Coach Musgrave:"He was asked to block a bunch at Miami in school, so he has ability, but he's definitely improved the last two years."
