Head Coach Jack Del Rio
Heading into their skirmish with a tough Ravens defensive front, the Oakland Raiders will be preparing for linebackers Elvis Dumervil and Terrell Suggs, among others. Baltimore currently owns an undefeated record of 3-0 and is ranked second in the NFL for yards allowed per game. Raiders Head Coach Jack Del Rio spoke before practice this afternoon and discussed Baltimore's ability to present challenges in all three phases of the game.
Here are the quick hits from his time with the media:
**Del Rio talked about the offensive line and praised o-line coach Mike Tice for his teaching abilities.
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"Well, I think a couple of things. I think one, Mike is very detailed and is a really good teacher. Two, I think we have good players. We're working hard with the players we have. I think Mike has done a great job of kind of teaching almost the inevitability of needing to be able to plug in and do different things with different guys, but we have a good group. We think we have a good group. We'll get a challenge this week when we go up against a heck of a front."
He discussed how Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh is experienced with special teams.
"Yeah, they've done a nice job with it. They're well-coached. The head coach has a special teams background. They do a nice job. They've been near or at the top of the league in the entire time that [Ravens Head Coach] John [Harbaugh] has been there. They put a great deal of emphasis on their special teams, as we do. That's why I say in all three phases I look forward to seeing how our football team responds."
Del Rio shared his thoughts on wide receiver Steve Smith, Sr.'s career and his recovery from injury.
"Steve? Nah. I was with Steve in Carolina in '02. He's been competing his butt off ever since. He's a great competitor. He's done an unbelievable job of bouncing back from his injury. He's still got his explosiveness. It looks like he's playing at a high level, so we look forward to that challenge. He's a good football player. [Joe] Flacco, obviously, big arm. They've got some speed outside. So yeah, it should be some good competition."
He spoke about guard Kelechi Osemele's return to Baltimore to face his former team.
"That's true with anybody, really at any time if you recognize that there might be some extra emotion, because you're going to see friends and family, guys you played with and all that kind of stuff. But the reality is we've got to be under control. We have to play good, solid football. It's always been my experience that after the first couple of shots in the game, that kind of dies down, you settle in and you play football."
