Henderson, Nevada — The Las Vegas Raiders (2-) were embarrassed after their 24-0 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
DC Patrick Graham got his weekly team status update a while back, you can watch the entire video and read the transcript below.
Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham
Q: You try a lot Different ways to create consistent pass-rushing pressure. Any thoughts on why it might not come together as you’ve been hoping ?
Coach Graham: “Well, it always starts with me, I have to come up with a Ways to direct it better, put them in better positions to create some more negative performances. Go through the sprint and get some consistent pressure based on the flow of the game and how the game is going. I think they last week There were 32 carries. Again, no excuses. We just have to figure it out and find a way to be more consistent in putting pressure on the quarterback, but it’s going to start with me. That’s what we’re playing against Jacksonville today The work done in the game. They have a young quarterback who can pitch all over the floor and has some unique perimeter weapons in passing, so that’s where the process starts. And they have a pretty big And an athletic o-line, which presents some challenges in terms of getting quarterbacks. So, we just have to be diligent out there and work hard today and the rest of the week trying to figure out a plan.”
Q: It looks like the midfield is where the opponents attack. Any reason and why the team succeeded? And, on Sunday, it looked like you guys invested a little less in the three safeties and brought in Blake Martinez for Jonathan Abram. What is the thought process behind this?
Coach Graham: “So, in the middle of the field, I’m for the quarterback, this It’s usually easier to throw. In this league, it’s hard to keep throwing on the perimeter because the timing, the space to get the ball out, and taking chances on corners can get stuck there, just reaction time. But whenever you Talking about the pass game, the easiest pass is straight forward and we have to defend that better and understand that it’s a big part of the pass game in the league. And then in terms of personnel, we try to do What we think is best for that week or a given plan. The next week we’re going to reevaluate everything, and we’re going to try to come up with a plan for Jacksonville, a team that’s not only in their skill, who they’re blocking, but also the coach [Doug ] Pederson presented a lot of challenges in terms of overall planning. I played against him a lot when I was with the (New York) Giants and when I was in Miami (with the Dolphins). He presented some challenges, especially in the mid lane.”
Q: Coach McDaniels said that when the roster is in order, everyone here belongs here and can play here. It’s consistent when you see people who are making mistakes, you would consider going with some younger people like Luke Masterson or Sam Webb, give some guys some shots when the defense is trying to find some type of sustainability?
Coach Graham: “I think what we’ve done is, I think I said before, All the chances are on the driving range. So whether it’s age, youth or experience, it’s just really trying to put together what we think is best for that week. But the guys that are going to be on the pitch are Those who win it in practice, that’s what we’re going through here. So, again, I can’t speak for the roster when we got here. I mean, we’ve got good players here and we’ve got to figure out a way to make sure I Putting them in the right positions, we obviously have to execute at a higher level. It all starts with me.”
Q: You have to put more pressure on the quarterback great pressure. So now do you have to check out your trick pack? Do you have to look at the new create method?
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Coach Graham: “Obviously when you look at it, 2-5, we got We’ve got to find some way to create more pressure. We’ve got to figure out a way to help the team win and that’s the most important part. You know, that’s the most important part. I don’t care about pressure or numbers like that. How can we Affecting the quarterback more? How do we create negative drama? Does it involve getting into the skill pack? Sometimes. I mean, we’re in the early stages of the process right now, but sometimes it’s just to see if we can do better. But we’re open to everything right now. So, as far as preparing for a team, it’s a normal week of preparation.”
Q: Look The Saints movie, how did you improve on a basically healthy team that got into this game on offense?
Coach Graham: “It starts with practice again. All we have to do is try to do as much as possible Simulate, deal with situations, in terms of evolution. Obviously if it’s not on the line, that’s a challenge, but I mean all 32 teams have to deal with that. College teams, high school teams, everyone has to deal with this So, we just have to make sure that when we train, we try to create as much game-like situations as possible and really focus on the fundamentals. Keep the main thing, the main thing. Don’t use a bunch of clichés, but it’s what it is. I mean, football comes down to running and tackling, and that’s going to be our focus. That’s always been our focus, you just have to find ways to improve.”
Q: You talked about defending the mid lane in the passing game, especially Alvin Kamara and now this week with Travis Etienne. Why are our running backs such good receivers in the backcourt?
Coach Graham: “It’s a dilemma, the run-and-pass dilemma, when you have one who can When the runners, you defend for the run, and then all of a sudden, now they’re involved in the passing game. It’s a tough game, you can see the difference in the league… There are always guards who can catch the ball , there’s no doubt about that. But at some point in my 14 years in the league, you saw, ‘Okay, let’s take two proximal systems and try to make the proximal end more Participate in the passing game. And then all of a sudden it shifts to getting the back more involved now. It’s just the offensive coordinators innovating and finding ways to get the defenders in good positions and matchups, and it becomes difficult because they do two The thing, they catch the ball and they run. You look at Jacksonville, they have some guards who can catch the ball and are dynamic in the passing game and dynamic in the running game, and that’s a big one for this week. Challenge. We have to figure out the plan and figure out the best way to take it away.”
Q: In terms of forced failure, it’s about doing what you guys do Things fundamentally, will they come? Or more, is there a way to try to create them and force them?
Coach Graham: “That’s one of the beauties of coaching, we’re trying to find a way to Make sure that in practice we simulate as many race conditions as possible. Turnovers are the same as creating advantages, you’re looking for ways to create opportunities for these guys to practice what’s going to happen in the game. It’s first showing them opportunities for turnovers, and then also trying to create opportunities for turnovers Creating schematic opportunities. And then just looking to execute once we get to game day, but it all starts with practice. It starts with film studies, then practice, and then you’re looking for game execution. So, that’s where the process comes in. “
The Raiders head to Florida next Sunday to face the Jacksonville Jaguars. That game kicks off at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PDT) and can be seen on CBS.
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