WR Rod Streater catches a touchdown pass in the 4th quarter.
Photo by Tony Gonzales*
Head Coach Dennis Allen
On the game: "Kevin Burnett had a concussion. Taiwan Jones had a sprained ankle. Rashad Jennings had a stinger. Obviously, not our best effort in the first half of the football game. We got beat by a better team today. It was disappointing that we weren't able to play better in the first half of the football game. Really offensively we weren't able to really get anything going. Defensively, obviously, that quarterback is really good. I thought there was a couple times where we had some opportunities to potentially get off the field. I thought they put the throw in there when they needed to and they were able to convert and that's the difference between getting off the field and saving points and giving up points. There was some positives in the game. Our third blocked punt of the year I thought was a positive. It was good to see Nick Kasa get the touchdown there at the end of the game, another young player that's gotten an opportunity to do some things for us. Disappointing, but we have to move on from it."
On Terrelle Pryor: "I'm going to hold off on that until I get a chance to really watch the tape. Obviously, we weren't really able to move the ball very well there in the first half of the football game. We moved the ball better later in the game, but we obviously, offensively, weren't able to get a whole lot going early in the game."
On if team progressed this season: "I believe it did. I believe it did in a lot of areas. Obviously, it didn't in the win-loss column, but I believe there's a lot of areas where we improved. I'm sure that'll be something that I'll sit down with Reggie [McKenzie] and sit down with Mark Davis, I'm sure, and we'll discuss the areas where we haven't improved."
On when meeting with McKenzie and Davis will be held: "I'm not sure exactly when that will take place. I would expect it here pretty soon that we'll sit down and have a conversation and figure out where we go from here."
On still making mistakes in Week 17 (center-QB exchange, off-sides, etc): "We don't need to be snapping the ball on the ground. We don't need to be making those kind of mistakes. Those are the types of mistakes that kill a football team, especially when you go out and play a good team like that, to turn the ball over on the, whatever it was, 21-yard line. That's hard to overcome. I think we had two penalties in the game if I'm not mistaken. I didn't see the final count. I thought we were better in that area than we had been the previous few weeks."
On his job status next season: "Yeah, I do. I expect to be back and I'm looking forward to the opportunity to come back. But those are decisions that somebody else is going to make, but yeah, I expect to be back."
On if he's spoken to McKenzie about the future: "Listen, we've discussed the future as we've gone on throughout the season. We'll sit down when this is all said and done and we get a chance to sit down and visit, we'll discuss in further depth where we go from here, what the direction of the program is, what we need to do to get to where everybody wants us to be and that's a playoff contending team. I believe that's a possibility. I don't think we're there yet, but we're going to continue to work to get there."
On if he sees this offseason as the beginning of something: "Absolutely, and like I've said before, listen, it's just the cards that we have to play with. This will be the first off-season where we've got some money that we can go out and try to acquire some free agents, be able to sign some free agent players on our football team that we'd like to keep here and we'll have a complement of draft choices to go out and begin to build this football team. It's been a tough couple of years. It's been a tough couple of years on everybody. It's been a tough couple of years on you guys [the media]. It's been a tough couple of years on the fans. It's been a tough couple of years with everybody within the organization. It was something that needed to be done and we're excited about the future and moving forward."
On positions that need to be strengthened: "Listen, we've got a lot of areas we have to try to improve. I think as we go through the next couple of months, we'll have the plan formulated exactly where we want to try to improve our football team through free agency, where we want to try to improve our football team through the draft."
On if effort was there: "No question it was there. There's no question. Listen; when you look at the tape, guys are flying around. We didn't make enough plays, but there's no lack of effort; there's no lack of trying. Watch the tape because that's what the tape says."
On Peyton Manning: "I thought it was pretty good. Listen, he's a Hall of Fame quarterback. He's maybe the best in our business. I thought he played well. I thought there was a couple opportunities that we had to make plays and we weren't able to come up with those plays. They made them when they had the opportunity. There's a couple of throws in there that we're in great coverage, but he makes a great throw, a great catch and they convert a first down. You have to line up again."
On game-plan to attack Manning: "We mixed it up a pretty good bit – we played some zone, we played some man, we played some zone pressures. Again, I thought we mixed it up. I just thought at the critical situations we weren't able to make the plays we needed to make. Really, we had the one play that we just had a breakdown in coverage and they hit us over the top and that's the thing you can't allow to happen. Other than that, we made them throw the ball underneath. We just have to get them on the ground when we do."
On thought of putting QB Matt McGloin in: "Yeah we thought about it, but we thought the way the game was playing out that we needed to go ahead and let Terrelle play and let him finish the game out and see if he could respond. I thought he responded later in the game and made a few plays."
On lack of offense in the 1st half: "Yeah I was disappointed. I think we knew going into the game, to have a chance against this team, we were going to have to control the time of possession, so we were going to have to be able to run the ball effectively. We were going to have to be able to control the clock. We were going to need to be able to convert some third downs. And we weren't able to do that. Obviously, you can't compound that with the turnover down there on the 21-yard line. So yeah, I was disappointed that we weren't' able to move the ball a little bit better. Defensively we've got to find a way to make them have to kick a couple of field goals there instead of scoring touchdowns."
On if quality free agents will want to come to Oakland: "Yeah, I do. I do and I think it's our job to go out and identify those guys of who we want to try to bring in to this program. And we will. We'll go out and find good, quality players that want to come here and want to play and want to be a part of this and want to be a part of building this up the right way and turning this thing around."
On if there's concern he won't be able to see this through: "Not really. Again, like I said, that's a decision that's made over my head. I fully expect to be back. I fully believe that I deserve the opportunity to come back here and get a chance to, as we've said, go through the deconstruction phase; I want to be part of the rebuilding phase."
QB Terrelle Pryor
On getting back into the swing of things: "I felt pretty good out there as a team with my teammates. I hadn't played in six-seven weeks, somewhere around there, so just trying to get back into it. I know the speed, it kind of shocks you a little bit, but it kind of got it all back pretty fast. I felt pretty good going in somewhere around the 1st quarter."
On rust being a factor: "I wouldn't say a factor. I'd just think just go and play ball and having fun with your teammates trying to get a win. I don't think it really matters. I just think whether it's a 17-week season really counting preseason it's 20-something weeks, and a lot of guys are still a little tired and banged up, but we're fighting. I just think it's just the satisfaction of playing football. I just think we've got to keep pushing. I don't think that really changed anything."
On what he needs to work on in off-season: "There's always room for improvement. Coach Olson always says every single day, 'Just work to get better and understand the process.' And he's right. Never-ending improvement, self-improvement – that's what he says to us every single day. It just makes the most sense, never-ending self-improvement. You just have to work your butt off to get to that point, a guy like Peyton, the guy we just played, he's a big-time player, a big-time quarterback."
On where he wants to be next year: "I don't think right now is the time for that. Get to talk and see what goes on with the organization and have a chat. As of right now, I'm just going to try and enjoy my teammates in the locker room. Right now, I don't think is the time and place because I don't know what the future holds."
On his feelings towards Coach Allen: "Personally, I love Coach Allen. He's a great leader. He's' a great leader and every single day, the thing I really like about him, he doesn't change. When we started losing, got on that losing streak, he didn't change one bit. He still talked to us the same. A lot of guys tend to crack under pressure, so to say. I think Coach Allen handled himself phenomenally and we look at that type of stuff. I thought he did a phenomenal job. I have a lot of respect for Coach Allen and I know my teammates do as well."
On the fumbled snap: "I don't know. You guys had the better picture – was it a good snap, bad snap? I don't know. I just know I was back there and I don't know."
On the no-huddle offense: "It was good time. We were able to get the ball in and out and get the calls and then the guys on some silent cadences and see where the pressures were coming. I thought it was a great time. I thought we moved the ball well. Getting down there and scoring twice, it made the day a little better. Not to say it's acceptable to lose. You never want to score 0 points."
On confidence working out of no-huddle offense: "I'm just proud of my teammates not stopping. We fought and we end up going down and get two scores. That's what I'm most proud about is those guys I was on the field with, those guys would not quit. We wanted to score. Not happy we lost, but at the end of the day, very happy that my teammates didn't stop fighting."
On this year: "I think we had so many games in our grasp. There's some games in our grasp that could have went either way and I think, just from my standpoint, we have to grasp those things. A lot of that falls on me. When I was playing, I didn't take advantage of situations. Like in Indy, if I had thrown the ball over here to the left, we get a touchdown and we possibly beat Indy. Stuff like that all throughout the season that it's just right there and we have to go and grasp it. We fell short and that's the most disappointing thing and that starts with me and I accept it."
On if losing or watching losses from sideline is more frustrating: "That's a good question because right now when you're not playing, you're like, 'geez, I wish I could get in there and play.' But also being a teammate and trying to be a great teammate, you have to recognize and realize sometimes the ball is not in your court and you have to respect that and try to give the best advice to the backups. Whether you're the left guard and you're the backup, you want to help that guy. It's all a team. At the end of the day, if we win, whether I'm playing, it doesn't matter; we won together. It is frustrating when you're not playing, but at the same time, you have to be a great teammate. That's what I try to do every single day and just try to be the best teammate I could possibly be. Hopefully I was."
On personal evaluation as a quarterback: "I would say I'm inconsistent. Period. Have to get better."
On time off before getting back into football: "About a week."
FB Marcel Reece
On losing six straight games to end the season:"Of course there is. As many games as we lost, you have to be uneasy about it. Myself and a lot of these guys are very passionate about this game, passionate about this team, this organization, love our fans, and we want to do well. We want to produce and do great things for them so it's definitely going to be a long offseason, a frustrating and disappointing offseason, but we'll definitely get it together and get ready for next year."
On his message to the fans:"Just hang with us. I'm dedicating my career to bring us back to the top and as long I'm playing, I will definitely be here. I'm going to do everything I can to be here and get this team back to the top."
On summarizing the season:"One word is 'disappointing.' Another word would be 'hurtful.' But it will definitely make us stronger as a team and stronger as an organization and we'll definitely get it together."
On Dennis Allen's future with the team:"It's not my job to determine that, or to even necessarily have an opinion on that. My job is to go out there and make plays, lead this team and try to be an emotional backbone for this team. I put all my trust in Mark Davis. They're [the Davis family] the best ownership, the best family that runs this team in the business. They have the best out for this team. They love this team and this organization and they're going to do the best thing for it."
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T Jared Veldheer
On his contract negotiations with the team:"I think going through an injury and that kind of stuff can screw some of that stuff up, but I'm sure that stuff, now that there's some time, will start to heat up again. I definitely want to be a Raider for life."
On the difference between this year's team and year's past:"There were no guys that were hanging their head, quitting or pulling themselves out, that kind of stuff. No one in it for themselves. The last three years I've seen teams where that's happened. Even on the teams that went 8-8 it's happened at the end of the year. Three years ago when we had the chance to win the division we still had guys where that was happening. That stuff is not happening anymore and did not happen this year. The result on the field was not anywhere near what we wanted, but we need to keep continuity and keep building. You can't rip down and start over because then we just fall into the same problem. It's hard for people to see, but it's going to happen. There will be success here."
On the coaching staff staying in place:"Absolutely. I think that's one of the biggest things I think we need: continuity. Those guys are doing a great job. They're extremely hardworking, put us in a great position, there's no grey area going into a game, hammering techniques, hammering tough looks in practice and all that stuff. It would be very tough to see any massive turnover. Really, any turnover would be hard to see and I don't think would help.
LB Sio Moore
On if Raiders defense was just overmatched today:"I think it was a number of things to be honest with you. I think the biggest thing that we can take away from this game is understanding that when you play a good team, the margin of error goes all the way down and our execution has to go all the way up. That's what separates a lot of teams. The biggest thing I have to take away from it is really playing with everything that I have and giving it all I have for all these guys. This is my first year in and I came from college where you're there with the guys you're with next year and I don't know who I'm going to be here with but one thing I want everybody in the locker room to understand is I gave everything that I had today."
On how 2013 went for the Oakland Raiders:"We had a lot of trials and tribulations. A lot of people aren't in the locker room, they're not at practice, and they don't understand what's going on. We've battled through a lot and whether you can see it through the record or not, we've made a lot of improvements. I want to take it upon myself now going into the offseason to really do what I can to be a leader and be better for the team because this is a place that wants to win. You can feel it that it's hungry for winning and to go back to where we want to be. I want to be a guy to help do that."
DE Lamarr Houston
On if Raiders were just outgunned towards the end of the season:"We lost some people but I figured we could still put it together and get a few wins. Maybe not a high-powered team like Denver, but we could have beat the San Diego's, the Chiefs, the Giants and the Jets, guys like that. Those are games we could have won, but I guess we didn't execute in those opportunities. Our coaches put us in positions to make plays and put us in the positions to be successful and for whatever reason we're not. I think moving forward the Raiders have to work on executing their game plan."
On importance of continuity going forward:"I think it's very important. The people that were here were all picked by Dennis Allen and Reggie McKenzie so I think that the continuity is pretty good on this team. They did a great job of hand picking all the guys to play and make sure that the locker room was a place that was comfortable for the players. I think they did a pretty good job doing that."
On if locker room remained positive through the end of the season:"Yeah I believe so. The morale was a little low, but that's expected when you're 4-10 or 4-11. Guys are trying to fight to win. It's just been a rough season and the guys gave it everything they had and I appreciate that."
S Charles Woodson
On importance of continuity going forward:"I think the right decisions will be made there. I'm not really thinking about that right now. The season is over, it's tough when a season doesn't go the way you want it to and now you have to look forward to the next time you get the chance to do it. It was a tough loss out their today and we have a long time to think about it. I look forward to the future."
On postgame message from Dennis Allen:"He just thanked guys for their effort. As we stated last week, those guys played hard all year. We didn't necessarily play smart at times, but we played hard so you just appreciate all the effort that guys gave all season long, even today. You're down and you're shutout towards the end of the game and guys are still out there fighting to get into the end zone and get onto the board. Those are the types of things you need going forward."
On if players were still behind coaching staff at the end of the season:"I just think that when you go out there on that field you want to put on a good showing and you don't want to get embarrassed. When you have a goose egg up there on the board, you're embarrassed. Guys just continued to go out there and fight and wanted to get on the board and we finally did."
On if structure is laid to build team back up:"I think so. The tough thing about the NFL is it's a 'What have you done for me lately,' league. It's a league of no patience. It's kind of hard to see things when you have a couple of losing seasons like they've had here. Of course the kneejerk reaction is to blow it up but I think to get into consistency you have to give some a chance and let it run its course. We'll see what happens."
On positives of season:"Guys just kept playing, kept fighting. It was disappointing from a record standpoint but guys kept fighting."
On if team got better as season went on:"I can't say we got better because we didn't win any games down the stretch. That's one of those situations where it's like those paper bags you get at the grocery store sometimes and you have too much stuff in it and the bottom falls out. That's kind of what happened to us down the stretch. We could never gather ourselves and get a win and that was frustrating. Not being able to get it done but this one's over, this one's in the books and guys will be able to reflect on this season and what they may have been able to do better and apply it to the next time they suit up, whether it be here or anywhere else. That's what you do from here on out."
