Head Coach Jack Del Rio
Alameda, Calif. – The Oakland Raiders were back on the field Wednesday afternoon getting ready for Week 1 matchup against the New Orleans Saints. Head Coach Jack Del Rio addressed the media to discuss preparing for the noise at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and quarterback Drew Brees.
Here are the quick hits from his time at the podium:
Del Rio opened up with a statement on the Saints and the first game of the season.
"Opening days are always very exciting. Great opportunity to go out and express who we are and what we stand for, what we believe in and how we're going to play football in 2016. We got an obvious reminder of last year when despite all those intentions, we went out and didn't really play well to start the year. We collected ourselves and we had a solid year, but clearly we'd like to start 2016 a little better than we did 2015."
Raiders veteran safety Reggie Nelson joined the Silver and Black this offseason, and was named as one of the team's captains.
"I think in Reggie's case, as a senior guy in the secondary, he has a calming demeanor about him. Really professional in the meetings and practices and taking charge and making guys accountable, making guys want to communicate with each other. I think those are real positive things for us."
Del Rio shared his thoughts on the crowd noise at the Superdome and the challenges of starting the season on the road.
"We're completing our preparation. We've been working on this game for a while, as I'm sure they have. Both teams come into opening day with a lot of preparation. You just want to settle in and start playing really good football. Play one would be just fine for me."
He expressed the importance of having the coaching staff together for a second year and how it benefits everyone involved.
"I think the time and the relationships are important. We work hard at the relationships and I think having that and having that with our staff and having this staff with the players, I think there is value in it. Now we just want to see that reflected in the win total at the end of the year. I do believe there's value in it."
Del Rio spoke about running back Taiwan Jones and his important role as a member of the special teams units.
"Well, we know what we have in Taiwan and we're anxious to let him do his thing. He's a special teams ace. He's a gifted return guy. He's an explosive weapon for us on offense. We like Taiwan. We know what we have there. We really spent more time kind of learning about some of our young backs and other players and less time with Taiwan."
