The Las Vegas Raiders Antonio Pierce's Wednesday presser Kansas City Chiefs week.
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00:00 >> Afternoon.
00:02 >> Afternoon.
00:03 >> Afternoon.
00:04 >> Good morning.
00:04 >> You got the special forces on.
00:07 >> You know about the mortars.
00:08 >> I know what's on.
00:09 >> [LAUGH]
00:12 >> Only allowed to me.
00:15 >> We're too young to know about that.
00:16 >> It's all about the movies.
00:17 >> [LAUGH]
00:19 >> We're too young to know about that.
00:20 >> That's all I'm saying.
00:21 >> Tony, you guys are getting back to work today, a big game coming up.
00:25 What's the mood of the team as you guys get set for this next movie?
00:28 >> Yeah, we had our 48 hour rule, had a little bit more time than that with
00:32 the bye week, but really put our focus on these world champs.
00:36 Great opportunity to get in for us, reset, last game is behind us,
00:41 move forward, cuz that doesn't matter, that's how I'm gonna help us going forward.
00:44 So just get going, get guys back in the building, reset, new week.
00:48 >> I guess how do you, obviously everybody has different obligations,
00:53 different holidays, and it's how do you kind of balance those things with doing
00:56 the work you do every day?
00:58 >> I only have one wish and one present I want, is to win, just one win.
01:05 >> How did you feel when Zemir came out of it?
01:07 And you talked after last game about being an audition for
01:10 a group for yourself for a lot of people.
01:12 Depending on what happens with Josh, is this an audition for Zemir?
01:15 And how do you think he came out of it and going forward?
01:18 >> Well, first of all, I think Zemir prepared himself each and
01:20 every week for this opportunity, and he took full advantage of it.
01:23 Maybe the reps weren't there, the opportunities for carries,
01:26 I don't think we hit the 20 number for him, but
01:28 that's how I kind of go for all our backs.
01:30 But what I saw was a physical runner, somebody that was moving a pile,
01:34 that was strained to get every inch, every foot, every yard he can get.
01:40 Productive in a passing game, productive in a pass pro as well.
01:44 And when you say audition, every day is an audition, that's for real.
01:49 Everybody's on a day to day, minute by minute contract.
01:52 We all get fired in the blink of an eye.
01:55 So that's how we approach the day, guys,
01:57 take advantage of your opportunities, and he did just that.
02:00 >> How big can Trey Tucker be?
02:02 Some get a couple of touchdowns on Thursday as a charge, but
02:05 him moving forward, just getting that confidence to be in a weapon for you.
02:07 >> Yeah, I mean, come on, four inch of speed, man, four, three,
02:11 whatever you wanna call it, he's fast.
02:13 He's fast, fast, right?
02:14 So all the attention always goes to Devontae, and then A,
02:18 and then you better look at Jacoby and then Big Mike.
02:22 But there's nothing that you can prepare for when that speed gets on you.
02:26 And I think that confidence in that game that came out of it for him,
02:30 making those catches, making those throws, everybody's celebrating with him.
02:33 I mean, that's huge, not just for him, but for us as a team,
02:36 because he can split the safeties.
02:39 And I think a lot of people understand that, but I think hats off to him,
02:43 because it's been a, when is he gonna come, Trey?
02:45 When is he gonna come?
02:46 And then obviously it was a breakout game for him.
02:48 >> How much confidence does the defense play with now, and
02:50 how much does that go back to what Patrick Graham's doing?
02:53 >> Yeah, I think Patrick, the staff,
02:56 even when I was there at linebacker position as a coach, we kept talking
03:01 about the process, and trusting, and believing, and staying within the scheme.
03:05 Then the plays come to you.
03:07 We know where all the attention goes to on our defense, to our left side with 98.
03:11 There's opportunities there for the rest of our defense to make plays.
03:14 And if we do our job, and we do it each and every snap,
03:18 it gives you that opportunity, and you saw it last week with Malcolm Coons.
03:21 You've seen it with Sipha Lane, you've seen it with Jack Jones,
03:23 you've seen it with Tyree.
03:25 Now what you're seeing is everybody contributing to a defense that
03:29 Patrick's sitting upstairs, and you don't really have to do so much.
03:33 The players are playing at a speed and a physicality that less is more.
03:39 Allow them to use their God-given physical attributes, and
03:44 let them put that on display.
03:46 And then you put them in position to make plays.
03:47 And I think that's all come together.
03:49 It's a group that believes in one another, they have fun with one another.
03:52 I mean, I don't know what it looked like from the top down on television, but
03:55 on the sideline, it's real juicy.
03:57 Guys are having fun, man, and that's good.
03:58 When you're having a good defense, you celebrate everybody's success.
04:02 >> Antonio, there's always a lot of pressure for a first round pick,
04:05 especially a top ten pick like Tyree.
04:07 It obviously has been a process for him.
04:11 How has he handled it mentally, as well as the physical part on the field?
04:16 >> I'm sure early on he was frustrated, as we all were.
04:19 But it kind of went the opposite way.
04:23 Most rookies start here, and then they go down in November, December.
04:26 His arrows just keep going up and up.
04:29 Each and every week, each and every day in practice, you see something,
04:32 you say, okay, here we go.
04:33 This is what we saw on film.
04:35 And I think it's a credit to him of not becoming mentally weak.
04:39 And I think looking at Max, looking at Malcolm, working with Rob,
04:43 working with Matt Edwards, our new line coaches, and just constantly doing each and
04:47 every day.
04:48 And really just, I think all rookies, when they get drafted in the first ten picks,
04:52 they, I got it, I made it, I'm good.
04:55 And it's hard, it's hard in this business.
04:57 And I think he respected that process, maybe a little bit too late.
05:00 [LAUGH] Not early enough, excuse me.
05:03 But I think he's done a great job as far as adapting to different roles that we put
05:08 him in.
05:09 Sometimes you gotta find that niche of that player that's what gets him confidence.
05:13 And I think when we move him inside, put him back outside,
05:16 you can see the confidence just grow with this kid.
05:18 >> Obviously, there's still three games left to play for
05:20 him to continue to move that needle forward.
05:22 But he's also gonna have an offseason knock on wood,
05:24 he stays healthy the rest of the season.
05:26 An offseason where he can devote strictly to football,
05:28 as opposed to last year when he was coming back from rehab.
05:33 How big of a difference can that make if he takes advantage of that time?
05:37 >> Yeah, I mean, more than healthy, right?
05:38 This whole offseason, I mean,
05:39 I don't think he practiced until after the Niners preseason week one.
05:44 >> Yeah.
05:45 >> I mean, he didn't have a normal offseason.
05:46 He was rehabbing in the month of December.
05:49 Couldn't even run a sport, he couldn't do anything at the combine.
05:51 So it'd be good for him just getting here with our training staff and
05:54 our guys here, nutritionists and everybody, just change his body even more.
05:58 I mean, this guy has a limit for him.
06:00 It's what he wants to get out of it, what the work that he's gonna put into it,
06:04 which I would be surprised if he's not here each and every day.
06:07 When 98 shows up probably two weeks after the season over,
06:10 he'll be here right with them.
06:11 And you have no better mentor and leader than him for me.
06:14 >> When you look at your secondary and also your linebacker,
06:16 what's the biggest area of improvement you've noticed in that from a pass
06:20 coverage perspective?
06:21 >> I think how we're attacking football.
06:23 Not just with interceptions, but punch outs.
06:25 I mean, there's a lot of bang, bang plays.
06:27 I don't think, I would say,
06:29 probably other than the Kansas City game, not a lot of yak after the catch.
06:34 What you see is guys pretty much on the screen together.
06:36 If you're in zone defense, you know how that works, right?
06:39 Everybody needs to move and see things equally.
06:41 It's a vision to break defense for the most part,
06:43 unless you're a pattern match defense, which we do, we do both.
06:46 But then when we play man, which we got to the last two weeks,
06:49 you see those guys get up there and challenge and make every ball contested.
06:53 And I think that's the thing that I'm really proud of when I watch our group is
06:56 how we compete when the ball's in the air.
06:58 There's not too many times you don't see a black jersey uniform.
07:03 >> Do you believe that personalities can play a role in that?
07:05 Because when you look at me, when you look at Amik, when you look at Jack,
07:08 they're outgoing personalities, aggressive personalities,
07:11 even that jazz line side of the field.
07:13 >> Yeah, no, all of them, man.
07:14 It's a great group to work and watch each and every day,
07:18 the competitiveness, the spirited battles amongst each other.
07:22 But more importantly, how they celebrate one another.
07:23 That's what I like to see, man.
07:24 That was just, I mean, sometimes you be on a team, and
07:27 the guy can make a big play, and everybody walks away from him.
07:29 I mean, these guys, boom, they grab attention to one another, and that's good.
07:33 Obviously, they have the skill set too now to do what we're asking them to do.
07:36 So that's part of the process as well.
07:38 >> Darryl has known for noise so much.
07:41 Are you a believer in, are you gonna be using that at practice this week?
07:45 Or because you've had to be silent count so much this season,
07:48 is it more just focusing on what you gotta do?
07:50 >> Well, it's always gonna be focused on the Raiders, but what I ask the team to do
07:53 today is, and this week, is to bring our own noise.
07:55 Bring our own noise to the stadium.
07:58 >> The Chiefs use a lot of trick plays, a lot of gaffer plays.
08:03 How do you prepare for that?
08:04 >> Camp, I mean, he's got a million of them.
08:08 Every time you think you've seen one and you've seen it all,
08:10 here comes another one.
08:12 They're creative, they have fun doing it, that's good.
08:14 But obviously, at the end of the day, you gotta do your job, right?
08:16 So most of the time, where do those trick plays come?
08:18 French, red zone, near the goal line.
08:21 So I mean, come on, we're alert to it already, right?
08:24 So that's being talked about in meetings as we're going forward throughout the week.
08:28 And that's just everybody being attentive.
08:29 There's no need to run up the field in this kind of game, right?
08:31 They get down here, we saw it last time we played them, they ran the ball in.
08:34 We don't want that to happen.
08:35 And then when they're in, here comes the gadgets.
08:37 We saw them running around the Rosie deal they did last year, off on the games, cool.
08:40 But at some point, the best way to stop trick plays, you would get in the mouth.
08:45 >> Tony, you talked about coming out of the bottom,
08:49 that's something that you felt the team needed to improve at was not just getting
08:52 off to those fast starts, but finishing strong.
08:54 Consider it out of the last game against the Chiefs,
08:56 how much of an impact has it made, how much of an impact has this game?
08:57 >> Huge, I mean, two parts to that question.
09:01 They're one of the best teams at the end of the second quarter.
09:04 And it's happened to us in three games now, that they've found a way to get
09:08 the ball, and no matter if it's 10 seconds, 30 seconds, two minutes, three minutes,
09:11 they're gonna score.
09:12 And that's our job as coaches to clear these guys, and
09:16 we're gonna have calls to put us in a position not to allow that to happen.
09:19 And then when we're in that position to make the plays.
09:22 They're one of the best teams, as you talked about, in the fourth quarter.
09:26 I mean, that's why they're world champions, right?
09:28 Just to keep it a matter of fact.
09:30 That's why they've been one of the best teams.
09:33 The vision of the International Football League for
09:34 the X amount of years now, everybody has to be doubting.
09:39 I mean, to beat the world champions, you have to be at your best.
09:41 You gotta do a little bit more, right?
09:42 I mean, that's not going above X and O's, that's not doing anything out of ordinary.
09:46 It's reading your keys, a little anticipation will come into play.
09:50 But more importantly, the group together, I feel for
09:54 us as Raiders to make up our minds, say enough is enough.
09:56 I mean, if you can do it in the first quarter, which we've done 203 games,
10:00 being up 17-0, 14-0, you gotta find that we have to train as coaches and
10:05 players to do that for 60 minutes.
10:07 And it's really important in the second quarter, in the second quarter,
10:10 and the fourth quarter.
10:11 >> Is that some of the exercise that you did against the Chargers, or
10:14 focusing on against the Chargers in the second half,
10:16 making sure to keep the foot on the gas for that exact reason?
10:18 >> Yeah, and I'll go back and I notice it was maybe two weeks ago,
10:22 I thought we did a good job of Minnesota.
10:24 And when I say that, we kicked off as a three and a half.
10:27 We got the ball, we moved down the field, the ball's at the 11 yard line.
10:30 But we haven't turned the ball around, so we got off to a fast start there.
10:33 So the last two weeks, what we've been working on didn't quite go in week one,
10:37 or excuse me, in the week against the Vikings, but the next week it did.
10:41 And to be honest, when I made that statement, I actually had to reset myself
10:45 because I told the players at halftime, it's 0-0.
10:49 And that's what my comment meant.
10:50 So regardless of what the score was, we're gonna play that game,
10:53 come on, just like we did in the first quarter.
10:55 Whatever our calls were, whatever we scripted, whatever we decided,
10:58 that was gonna be the mindset and the play we were gonna come out with in
11:01 the second half is what we're gonna do at that point.
11:04 So that's what we're going for, and that's something we've worked on.
11:06 And now, go back to that question, Tashawn, it's the fourth quarter, finishing.
11:12 And I'm still, even at Chargers, getting finished.
11:15 To see 14 points go on the board defensively, that was frustrating.
11:19 No, it don't matter if the backup's in or not, it's national,
11:22 it's professional football.
11:23 Everybody wanna play, right?
11:24 Put me in, coach, but goddamn it, play, stop it.
11:26 >> [LAUGH] >> Same defense, same calls,
11:28 you just gotta execute, yes, sir.
11:30 >> You mentioned growing up as a Raider fan.
11:32 When you think of Raider football, what do you think, and
11:34 how close do you think this team is to playing Raider football since you've
11:37 taken over as the interim coach?
11:38 >> That's a good question.
11:40 When I see Raider football, I see personality, I see swag, I see confidence,
11:45 I see guys that believe in one another, I see winning performances,
11:48 I see the superheroes being superheroes.
11:52 I see a certain physicality and nastiness of how they play,
11:56 not just on defense, but throughout.
11:58 I see a group that does not apologize.
12:01 And that, regardless of what the outcome is,
12:06 you know that you poured your heart out on that field.
12:08 And have we done that?
12:12 At times, at times.
12:13 I don't think it's something that you just, you either switch or
12:18 a new coach comes in, a new player comes, it takes time to build.
12:21 Most winning organizations takes time to build.
12:24 The problem is you don't have a lot of time.
12:27 >> Where's Josh's health wise,
12:28 what's your optimism level of optimism when you play him?
12:31 >> Yeah, just like last week, I think he was close to last week,
12:34 that was a decision we all made, the best decision of him, of himself, or himself.
12:41 I didn't make it, man, I don't think he'll play this game.
12:43 >> And you have to get up and call him.
12:46 >> Same deal, if I was betting, those guys are going through the process there.
12:49 This is a game you wanna play in now.
12:53 You don't wanna sit there, you don't wanna watch some television,
12:55 you wanna be there.
12:56 >> Sounds good, all right, thank you.