Las Vegas Raiders Coach Antonio Pierce held his final press conference prior to the Silver and Black hosting the Los Angeles Chargers.
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00:00 >> Yeah, we're still going through that process.
00:03 Got a couple more hours, see how it's going.
00:05 >> Do you have any sign of Josh Jacobs or Colton?
00:10 >> No, these guys coming in at nine, I would assume Colton's not gonna be up.
00:15 >> Obviously, you said you haven't made a decision on Aiden, but
00:18 I wanna talk about play calling.
00:19 Do you expect there to be some differences in how that goes about?
00:25 >> Well, it's life versus sick to the script.
00:27 We got a plan, we gotta stay with it, can't get frustrated, gotta be patient.
00:31 It goes for all of us.
00:32 But there's times where there's rough moments, we all see them.
00:38 You just gotta fight through them and stay on track.
00:40 That's the biggest thing I've talked to the coordinators about,
00:43 the coaches, the players, and myself.
00:47 Here's the plan, stick with it, regardless how it looks.
00:49 And then we'll make the adjustments accordingly.
00:51 >> You talked about the team staying together.
00:54 Since you've had a chance to talk to them a couple times this week,
00:56 how have you felt their attitudes have been towards,
00:59 especially after the loss on Sunday, moving forward now?
01:01 >> They're really odd situations, to be honest.
01:03 I mean, we lost three games, right?
01:05 But the locker room, the building doesn't feel that way.
01:08 Purpose is still there, the energy is still there, the concentration,
01:12 the one-two is still there.
01:14 The guys are believing.
01:16 We had two good walkthroughs, best we can do with that.
01:19 But that's kinda how it's been, to be honest, since day one.
01:22 Results haven't been there like we want.
01:24 We're gonna keep fighting for that.
01:26 And this week, we've gotta finish, gotta finish the fourth quarter.
01:30 Our three losses, talked about the other day, been right there.
01:33 We gotta finish the fourth quarter.
01:34 >> Monday, you talked about collecting game film on Easton Stick,
01:39 take a look at him.
01:39 Now that you have looked at him, what are you seeing from him that maybe he's a
01:42 little bit different from Justin Herbert?
01:44 >> He is a savvy player.
01:45 I mean, I think at the end of the day,
01:46 whenever you get a guy who hasn't played a lot in the NFL,
01:49 you don't know what to expect in that first game.
01:51 But you know, with a short week,
01:52 I don't think he's gonna have the whole playbook, talked about that already.
01:55 But he has a strong arm, has some athleticism, gotta be smart.
01:59 You saw right away, they were able to take shots from down the field, so
02:01 they're comfortable with him throwing the ball down the field.
02:03 And they got good receivers.
02:04 They got a good core group of guys around them.
02:06 I'm sure they're not gonna make it extremely difficult,
02:08 get the ball out of his hand, and allow the running game to take course.
02:12 >> You have a couple guys who have been around him quite a bit.
02:15 I know Jerry Keller is a rookie with him.
02:17 DeAndre, I think he's with him for a little bit.
02:18 So do you pick their brains a little bit, find out what they know?
02:21 >> Yeah, we do, and we did that.
02:23 And at the end of the day, when you got a top ten quarterback,
02:26 there's not really much to talk about with the backup.
02:27 >> I know a lot inevitably comes down to Josh's status, but
02:32 going down the stretch of the season here,
02:34 would you like to see Samir White get some more opportunities in the running back?
02:39 >> Yeah, I mean, at the end of the day, if Josh Jacobs is ready to go,
02:41 it's a Josh Jacobs show.
02:43 Let's not get fooled by that one.
02:45 But you would definitely like to see Samir get in there.
02:47 If there's an opportunity this week or going forward,
02:49 any chance we can see some of these younger players play,
02:52 I think that's a benefit for us in our future.
02:54 >> I tell you, you mentioned that you still have a couple hours to think about
02:57 the quarterback.
02:59 What's that been coming down to, a gut feeling?
03:00 Or how would you say the principal decision-maker's gonna come down?
03:06 >> Yeah, I mean, I never said Aiden wasn't a starter.
03:08 I'll just say that first and foremost, you're asking me a question,
03:11 I kind of just answered.
03:12 We're still evaluating, if there's a chance to get better, a chance to improve,
03:15 a chance to put us in a position to win.
03:17 And we gotta look at all the factors that go into that.
03:19 I mean, just making decisions based off media, a loss, a bad,
03:25 ugly performance, that's not how you do things in national football league.
03:30 That's not how you run business.
03:31 Maybe other people do.
03:32 AP doesn't, and the Rangers are not gonna do that.
03:34 We're gonna do whatever it takes to put ourselves in a position to win.
03:37 And after today, we'll have a better answer to that this evening.
03:41 >> Coach, when you look at Marcus Epps, another LA area guy like yourself,
03:45 what's been your relationship like with him?
03:47 And how would you evaluate him as a leader?
03:49 >> It's interesting.
03:50 So I was at Long Beach Poly as a head coach when he was in high school.
03:53 So familiar with Marcus.
03:57 My son was at Boise State, played against Marcus when he was at Wyoming.
04:00 So I followed Marcus, and then obviously saw him when he was with the Eagles.
04:03 Good relationship there.
04:05 I mean, we had a lot of side conversations before this even took place.
04:08 A guy who's really came in and brought that mature and
04:12 winner leadership mentality into our room, into our defense.
04:15 And really, our whole locker room.
04:19 You appreciate the maturity that he has, the professionalism that he has, and
04:22 how he approaches each and every day.
04:24 >> Antonio, obviously, it's all about wins and losses.
04:26 But you look at your defense, and you guys are now the ninth ranked defense in
04:29 the NFL, and points given up for you.
04:32 A, how much pride do you take in that?
04:34 And B, what would you say the key to that has been this year?
04:37 >> Yeah, a lot of pride in that.
04:37 I mean, I'm a defensive guy.
04:39 You love that.
04:40 You love to see how these guys perform, fight, their energy.
04:45 The way they play, their passion.
04:46 I mean, remember one of my first speeches was,
04:50 can we match Max Crosby's energy, his effort?
04:53 And I think you're starting to see that.
04:55 Robert Splains right there with it.
04:56 I mean, Jack Jones coming in.
04:58 You see Nate Hobbs.
05:00 All these guys really picking up.
05:01 Tyree Wilson, the last couple weeks, really picking it up.
05:03 Malcolm Coons, I mean, I can go on and on.
05:05 Team defense, all right?
05:06 So Patrick Ramsey did a great job of dialing it up.
05:09 I mean, you've seen different looks by us.
05:11 Four DNs out there.
05:12 A little bit more man coverage, more press.
05:14 I mean, it's there to see.
05:15 And these guys have bought in.
05:17 And they understand, listen, it's been a rough stretch for offense.
05:21 We get it.
05:21 And it's a team effort.
05:23 You need your special teams to play well.
05:24 You need your defense to play well.
05:26 And we're gonna keep grinding with our offense.
05:27 And at some point, boom, it'll click.
05:29 You did it for us in the Giants game.
05:31 At some point, there will be an exposure.
05:32 We got really good football players.
05:33 We need to execute at a higher level.
05:35 But when you see our defense out there performing the way they're doing,
05:38 giving us opportunities to win games and keep us in games, that makes you very proud.
05:42 And this organization, I know they love to score points.
05:45 But damn it, you want championships with defense.
05:47 >> AP, you've talked about winning, learning how to win.
05:50 And I'm curious, a lot of coaches who've won big, you have as a Super Bowl,
05:54 talk about players learning how to win.
05:57 How hard is that as a person who's proven to be able to win at the highest level,
06:01 to teach that?
06:02 >> Yeah, the strain, man, the strain.
06:04 Each and every day, good to bad to ugly.
06:07 You just come in with that mentality just to work.
06:09 I told our guys this, it doesn't matter what you do each and every day.
06:15 It's not what we're capable of doing, it's what we're willing to do.
06:18 It's that strain of, and I said it before, that winning stamina.
06:23 Just to walk in the building and forget yesterday.
06:25 Listen, Sunday was a hard day.
06:26 It took me, I ain't gonna lie, it took me 36 hours to forget about that day.
06:30 It was tough.
06:31 But then you think, what I got going for it?
06:33 What am I looking for?
06:34 And we talked about that as a team.
06:36 And what you try to do is just keep giving them something to look forward to.
06:41 Right? And the greatest opportunity we have in front of us is playing at home,
06:43 in front of our home crowd,
06:44 against a divisional opponent that neither one likes each other.
06:47 And to get back on winning track.
06:48 >> Last time you guys faced the Chargers, Phil Mack at six sacks.
06:52 You said afterwards that if you want a lot of chips, better double teams.
06:55 What's your reflection on that day?
06:57 Was it a different plan this week as far as going against Khalil?
07:00 >> Yeah, no, we wanted to do more than we did last time.
07:03 He likes playing against the Raiders.
07:04 We know that.
07:05 He has really good games against the Raiders.
07:07 But I'll tell you what, Jermaine has done a really good job for us in right tackle.
07:11 Last week against the Little Hunters, he did a good job.
07:13 And maybe that first matchup didn't go our way.
07:16 I wasn't part of that game plan, but I think the focus and the energy and
07:20 what our line and our staff has put together, hopefully it's a plan that works.
07:25 Obviously, we can't hold on to the ball.
07:27 There's gotta be a turn of the clock, and our quarterback said to get rid of the
07:29 football as well when you got an elite pass rusher to our right.
07:32 But it's gonna be a team effort.
07:34 But Jermaine is really up for the task.
07:36 He's excited about it.
07:38 I mean, the way he's worked us in a walkthrough mode is a guy that's ready to
07:41 go. I'm excited to watch.
07:43 >> I'm telling you, when it comes to Tyree,
07:44 it seemed like he was lining up all over the place.
07:47 There was a couple times he was standing up over the center.
07:49 How much does that unlock his potential when he's able to go in different spots and
07:53 not just stick on one end?
07:55 >> Yeah, I mean, I wasn't part of that process when we drafted him.
07:58 But when we got here, the first thing I saw was Justin Tuck, the guy that I played
08:03 with, and Tuck, his biggest success, his most success was when we moved him inside
08:09 and moved him around the line of scrimmage, up and down.
08:11 And I think you see that.
08:12 If you've watched the last couple weeks,
08:14 we've moved him all over the field like you just talked about, Paul.
08:17 And that's to his benefit.
08:18 He's gonna be a really good defensive end in this league.
08:21 But right now, when we got Max Crosby and Malcolm Coons coming along,
08:24 to put your three best pass rushers out there in the league that's throwing the
08:27 ball all over the park, it's a bit different for the Raiders.
08:31 >> Going back to, you mentioned Jermaine in the past when Colton's been out,
08:33 Jermaine's gone to the left.
08:35 Last week, he stayed on the right.
08:37 There went to the left.
08:38 I guess what went into that, is it Jermaine's progress?
08:40 >> Well, yeah, Jermaine early on,
08:41 I had a good discussion with him about moving to the left.
08:44 And he did it.
08:45 I don't think it wasn't something he's really at the time happy about, but
08:48 he did it for the team.
08:49 I appreciate that.
08:51 But as we look forward, and with Colton being out the last few weeks,
08:54 Jermaine's really comfortable on the right side.
08:56 He had Daniel Hunter last week, got Khalil Mack this week on that right.
09:00 And he's been playing the most consistent football since I've taken over,
09:04 in my opinion.
09:05 And he's physical, he plays nasty, he's a big body.
09:10 He's looking forward to the challenge.
09:12 And then you got Darryl on the other side.
09:13 Darryl played left tackle at Ohio State.
09:16 And I thought he did a really good job.
09:17 Obviously, he's a guy that is a roadrunner, a road blocker, excuse me,
09:21 as far as his style of play.
09:24 The biggest thing though is about continuity.
09:27 You don't wanna just keep shuffling guys right and left.
09:30 It's not easy to go from right tackle to left tackle in a national football league,
09:33 and we're fortunate Jermaine can do that.
09:35 >> Well, it looks like Andre got backed up last week.
09:38 Where is he and how comfortable are you guys with dealing with that center?
09:41 >> Yeah, well, I mean, these guys coming in at 9 o'clock,
09:43 we'll figure out a little bit more about Andre.
09:45 I mean, he's a tough guy.
09:46 He wanted to come back in the game even late in the fourth quarter.
09:48 But I thought Dylan did a really good job of stepping in.
09:51 Probably won miscue with the snap late in the game.
09:54 But other than that, I thought he did a really good job of,
09:56 last second, kind of going in and ready to play.
09:58 >> You guys good?
09:59 >> There you go.
10:01 >> That's good.
10:01 >> Thank you Antonio.
10:04 >> Appreciate it.