Head Coach Jack Del Rio
Wednesday morning, Oakland Raiders Head Coach Jack Del Rio was on SiriusXM NFL Radio with Jim Miller and Pat Kirwan to discuss this Sunday's matchup against the New Orleans Saints. Del Rio opened up about facing a solid Saints offense and Raiders quarterback Derek Carr's progress in year three.
Here are the quick hits from his time on air:
He stated the team will be tested on Sunday, but believes they're ready for it.
"We feel like we've made some progress, we're going to get a heck of a test this weekend against Drew Bree. Quite a challenge going down into the dome and going against that Saints offense. It's been high powered for a number of years now, and that'll be a big challenge for us."
Del Rio is pleased with the rookie players and how they've developed so far.
"We feel good about that group on defense in particular, the guys you mentioned. Jihad Ward has had a nice camp, Shilique has done a nice job, another guy named Cory James who we picked up late in the draft is a linebacker out of Colorado State, [and] he's had a nice camp and done well. Obviously Karl Joseph is the number one pick and a lot of scrutiny on him, but he's doing well. We like our guys, we're developing our guys, [and] they're competing."
He expects the team to always compete at a high level and earning their way.
"The reality is that there's constant competition, and you do want your young players to earn their way. I think it's important for them, I think it's important for the locker room, and all of those things. We have some guys, they're earning their way, but maybe they're not quite there yet, so we'll play the guys that have played to this point and earned the opportunity."
Del Rio shared his thoughts on Carr's development and his ability to lead this team.
"He's in a great spot, he's had a tremendous offseason. Returning, having the staff return, and having the terminology the same. Basically the people he's throwing to are largely the same. So that group the continuity, you're talking about him definitely being in a comfort zone. We're able to give him a little more ownership of it and tailor things to him, and do things he likes. We're excited to get going with him, and it's been a very fruitful offseason."
He talked about the Saints improvement on defense and how the team is prepared for Sunday.
"I think not only defense, but special teams as well. I think when you look at them and you watch the tape, and you look at some of the acquisitions, and things they're doing there they've definitely made an emphasis point to clean things up, tighten things up, be better at it. I think you see signs of that, we're gearing up for that, understanding that, and preparing to play a good football team."
