Las Vegas Raiders QB Aidan O'Connell's entire press conference Denver Broncos week.
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00:00 >> Aiden, I'm curious, your teammates have been very outspoken about AP,
00:04 their support of him, their thoughts on him.
00:07 What would it mean to you to see AP get named the head coach?
00:11 >> Yeah, I think since I took over and was able to start playing,
00:15 I think AP has been a huge supporter of mine.
00:17 And obviously he's a defensive coach, but throughout the game,
00:22 throughout practice, he's, like I said, a constant supporter.
00:24 So AP has been awesome to me since I've gotten here.
00:28 Like I mentioned before, during the preseason,
00:31 he would speak to the rookies before each preseason game.
00:33 And that had an impact on me before I really, that was kinda my only interaction
00:37 with him, there wasn't really any individual before that.
00:40 So that was, really since I got here, you could tell he loves football.
00:43 Obviously, his pedigree speaks for himself, so.
00:45 >> You didn't play against them the first time, but
00:49 what did you learn, I guess, just from watching them?
00:51 >> Yeah, obviously, it feels like a long time ago.
00:54 A lot has changed, but a division opponent,
00:58 a really good team with good players at each level that we need to be aware of.
01:02 So I think we're doing a good job of scouting them,
01:04 trying to understand who we're playing against this week.
01:06 And it's gonna take a great game for us.
01:09 They're obviously a good team that's obviously won some games this year, so
01:15 it's gonna take a lot for us.
01:16 >> How important is it for this offense to make a statement in the final game of
01:20 the year about, cuz there's so many young guys,
01:22 just about where the future's going with this offense?
01:25 >> Yeah, I think, yeah, for the offense in particular,
01:27 it's been up and down, of course.
01:29 One week we'll have a good week, and the next we won't execute as well.
01:32 And so I think we've done a good job of not turning the ball over.
01:36 And in that aspect, we're doing a good job.
01:39 But I think, yeah, like you said, it's gonna take, hopefully,
01:43 a statement at the end of the year to give us some momentum.
01:46 But again, it's one game at a time, even now, so we're trying to focus on that.
01:51 >> How much have you learned in the time you've been a starter?
01:53 >> A lot, a lot.
01:55 The ability to get, I think, practice reps throughout the week is huge,
02:01 something I didn't know how valuable that was before I was playing.
02:04 And then, obviously, to be out there in the game,
02:05 to just get out there when the real bullets are flying, I think is huge.
02:10 And those game reps are priceless, and I think they're very valuable.
02:15 So I try to learn as much as possible.
02:17 Yeah, it's been crazy.
02:20 I've definitely maybe learned more this year in football than a lot of years
02:23 in the past, but it's been a fun process.
02:26 >> Because so much has changed, both teams, personnel-wise, since week one.
02:32 Do you find yourself looking at more recent tape of Denver that's helpful, or
02:36 do you go back and look at the week one stuff?
02:37 >> Yeah, I think it's a combination of both of those things.
02:41 Obviously, like I said, it was many, many weeks ago that we played.
02:44 Tendencies and teams change, even personnel changes throughout the year.
02:47 But we can still learn a lot from the first game we played,
02:50 how they like to play certain players or situational football, things like that.
02:54 So we're trying to use everything we can to our advantage.
02:58 >> And in which quarterbacks at the position do you kinda try to study and
03:01 pull from, and do you even have time to do that during the season?
03:04 Or is that something you look more towards once the year's over?
03:07 >> Yeah, I think because of the nature of what we do,
03:11 I think we watch a lot of film, obviously, about our opponent and
03:14 the games they've played prior.
03:16 And so naturally, you're watching other quarterbacks play.
03:18 And so it's fun to watch other guys play and see.
03:23 Normally, we're looking at what has been successful against the team we're gonna
03:26 play and also what hasn't been.
03:27 And so, yeah, even just throughout the week, it's not as much for
03:32 just entertainment purposes, but more so for studying the opponent.
03:35 You watch other quarterbacks play.
03:36 So that is a fun part of what we do, get to see what other teams are doing,
03:39 how they attack certain defenses.
03:42 >> I talked to Bo about this yesterday, but you have done a very good job
03:45 throughout the year progressing and taking care of the football.
03:49 What are some things that they taught you to help you with that?
03:51 Cuz you're a different guy today than you were at the beginning.
03:53 >> Yeah, I think just playing with it myself, I think, is the biggest thing.
03:56 I think, like I said before, the practice reps are extremely valuable.
04:00 The game reps of just week to week seeing what windows are open and
04:04 whether maybe a little too tight to throw into.
04:07 And just trying to put as much as I can in the bank and remember.
04:10 And I think being able to learn from experiences,
04:13 even failure sometimes is super helpful.
04:15 So you learn, you fail and you learn.
04:17 And you try not to make the same mistake twice.
04:21 >> There's a lot of uncertainty about what's gonna happen after the season.
04:24 How do you try to put that to the side and focus on what you have to do?
04:27 >> Yeah, I think I've said it before.
04:29 I think just each week has so much.
04:31 It's a busy schedule.
04:32 There's a lot of studying that I know I have to do to get ready to play the game.
04:35 And so it's almost a blessing that there's so
04:37 much that there is to do cuz you really can't think of anything else in the future.
04:42 And so we're gonna take it, I keep saying one game at a time, I know.
04:45 Our guys aren't gonna look past this game.
04:47 >> It's easy to say the right things.
04:50 Everybody's been saying, hey, look, you have 17 games to play.
04:52 And you're professionals, all that.
04:54 But that care of the players not being there anymore is a reality, right?
04:58 I mean, how do you kind of deal with, I mean,
05:00 we don't have that goal in front of us anymore.
05:03 >> Yeah, it's hard, obviously.
05:04 It's a goal.
05:05 You try to find throughout the season the balance of looking towards that goal but
05:08 also staying present.
05:09 Cuz if you don't take care of business in the short term and
05:13 the long term, it won't matter.
05:15 And so I think for us, it's easy because it's one last game.
05:19 We get to truly empty the tank.
05:20 Last time this team will be together and so we get to leave everything.
05:26 We wanna make this our stamp for the last time we play together.
05:30 >> Hayden, obviously there's still one game left for you to have to assess it fully.
05:34 But how have you performed to your expectations?
05:37 Could you give yourself a grade on how you feel you've performed in your rookie year?
05:41 >> I don't know if I can give myself a grade.
05:43 I think there's been, as I've said, kind of throughout it, there's been good and
05:46 bad.
05:47 I think more so just disappointed that we didn't win more games.
05:51 I think that's ultimately be what hurts the most is not being able to
05:55 pull out some of the games that I think we could have won.
05:58 Obviously, we've been in every single game.
06:00 And so it's been frustrating to not be able to go win some of those games,
06:05 even coming down to the last drive.
06:06 And so that's kind of the scar tissue that hurts.
06:10 Obviously, we've had some good wins, but yeah, I think the lack of capitalizing
06:14 opportunities and late drives and stuff like that,
06:16 I think that's what I'm thinking about the most.
06:19 >> Is it part of that, like a feeling of it was just a player or two here,
06:23 a player or two there, and it could have been postseason hopes?
06:26 >> Yeah, I think so.
06:27 I think it's easy to look back, right?
06:29 It's easy to think about what could have been and
06:33 what you could have done in each game.
06:34 And there's good times to do that and there's not good times to do that.
06:39 I don't think right now I'm really doing that.
06:41 I'm gonna wait till after the season to kind of reflect more.
06:44 But like I said, there's a task at hand that we're trying to accomplish.
06:46 >> Okay, great.
06:49 >> Thanks, guys.
06:49 >> Thanks.
06:50 [BLANK_AUDIO]