Head Coach Jack Del Rio
Sunday afternoon the Oakland Raiders will square off against the visiting Buffalo Bills in what should be a physical game. Raiders Head Coach Jack Del Rio spoke with the media again on Friday to recap the team's week of preparation. He discussed what he's observed on defense and how the team is continuing to develop.
Here's the transcript from his time at the podium:
Head Coach Jack Del Rio
Opening Statement:"Okay Fast Friday with a birthday addition for Willie B. [Brown], 76. Birthday boy today and actually Matt McGloin, too. We had a good week of prep. We're excited for the opportunity to go compete. We're ready to go. Questions?"
Q: How big of a blow is it to the defense without Stacy McGee and Darius Latham?
Coach Del Rio:"Yeah, next man up. We'll be ready to go. The other one, DJ [Hayden], will likely move onto I.R. at some point. He's got a substantial hamstring, so he's not going to be returning this year for us. That was a big blow. These guys are working hard on Fast Friday. I thought I'd give you that there. I don't do much of that, but it's going to be reported later, so I thought I'd give it to you since you're here."
Q: Are you going to do that move before the game?
Coach Del Rio:"With DJ? Yeah, that'll happen either tonight or tomorrow. It's unfortunate. He was playing well for us, but that's the case. What else you guys have?"
Q: What have you seen out of TJ Carrie the last few weeks?
Coach Del Rio:"He's been a pro all year. He's really been good. He played, obviously, a lot bigger role last year. He's prepared at all times to go in and play. We have a lot of confidence in TJ."
Q: What's the difference between an efficient run and an explosive run?
Coach Del Rio:"The number of yards you get. (laughing) Those things happen. You continue to run it when you get opportunities. We're not really hung up on having to meet a certain number of throws or rushes in any particular game. Each game takes on its own characteristic and we're all about winning the game. You want to have a physical front – we do – on both sides of the ball. You'd like to be able to run it when you want to and you'd like to stop it when you need to. That's what we'll continue to be about, working on being good in those situations."
Q: Do you like being a coach because of the X's and O's of the game?
Coach Del Rio:"I think the biggest thing on coaching is understanding this is a players' league. This is about players and matchups and the X's and O's are a part of it, but it's the Billy's and the Joe's, not the X's and the O's. You have to have good design to take advantage of the talents you have. It's about players. It's a players' league. The fun part is, as a coach, is now that I don't get to buckle it up and go play anymore is to work with young men and develop them as men and develop them as players and help them play their best football. That's really what coaching is."
Q: Rex Ryan has a reputation of being a defensive guy.
Coach Del Rio:"He's still a defensive guy. I've moved on. I'm an offensive guy, a special teams guy."
Q: Do you get into that part of it at all?
Coach Del Rio:"I get into all of it. I get into all of it. I get in there with [special teams coordinator] coach [Brad] Seely on special teams. I get in there with the offense and I get in there with the defense and share what I know and what I believe, but I let the staffs work."
Q: Do you purposely divide up your time so you get an equal amount of time with each or does it depend week to week?
Coach Del Rio:"Yeah it does. That's what it is. That's one of the things a head coach has to do is how you're going to allocate your time. How are you going to manage the different things you have to do? That's all part of it. Being where you need to be and making sure that you're providing the lead, providing the message, what you're looking for, the vision. Then getting into specifics, where you need to. Being a part of the discussions where I need to. I've really learned to trust my staff a great deal. I've got a really good staff. I lean on my staff to do their part and we all do our part and then we go out there and compete. That's the part I really like."
