(On the Bolles vs. Booker T. Washington High School State Championship game tonight) “Just like a dad pulling for his son and his friends, that’s what my thoughts are. When I’m in this building, I’m in this mode. My thoughts are how are we going to fight ourselves and get ourselves to play a better game. We’re not playing well.”
(On if he will be attending the State Championship game tonight) “I’m going to be working. If anything, I may shoot down there and then come right back and watch a half and do that.”
(On his message to the team going forward) “I’ll probably just talk about this week. One of the things, and I said it the other day on Monday that I talked to the team about, is that we’re not playing with a lot of confidence out there, so we have to work on that. And that happens – I think [Associated Press Writer] Mark [Long] and I were talking about you gain confidence by winning games, and we’re not doing that. Well then how do you gain that confidence? Well, we have to go back and make sure that we know exactly what’s going on, feel good about it during the week, feel good about the plan. You put a lot of things in today, tomorrow, but we really as a staff and players have to take a good look at what we can handle and not handle, and take it out and live with what we’re going to play with schematically in the game. I think that’s the most important thing and I think when you get to these situations it’s not rocket science. Everybody’s fighting to maintain, to try to stay in the league. Whether it’s players by doing a good job being able to perform so they can keep a job, or whether it be coaches doing a good job with their position group, or whether it be me trying to win football games. I think that’s something that we’ve all talked about. And that’s why I think when you look at it, and I think it’s easy from an outside perspective to say, ‘What do they have to play for, what do they have to do?’ We’re all fighting for our jobs. And I think when you look at it from that standpoint each person has to make their own decision on how to handle those things. But the league has shown through the past that, what happens is – and I told the players – a lot of times when you’re going to look at film on players whether on your team or you’re looking to acquire them, you’re going to look to see how they’re playing in December. That’s one of the main things that you look at, especially when a team is not performing at its best or at what it could perform at. And it’s the same thing with the coaches, they’re going to look to see how they’ve handled things and doing things that was, so it’s a constant evaluation in this league. But I think it even gets more of a microscope when you’re not winning football games.”
(On him coaching in four games in Oakland) “Yeah, I didn’t even look at that, so I can’t correct you. So, I can’t even correct you even if you are wrong.”
(On if places that have a reputation as a tough place to play are that way because they house good teams and on what it’s like playing in Oakland) “Well I think twice I was with the Jets, right? Once I was with Buffalo? Three with the Jets, one with Buffalo, so the Jets back then, I mean they were playoff games. One was a playoff game. And the other one was I think we played them and then we flew back out and then we played them again, I think that’s what happened. I can remember my time back then because that was my first years in the league. It was always a very difficult place to play, just from a fan standpoint and all the other stuff. And then you have to do a good job, the locker room’s not the best locker room, and you want to make sure – and we kind of went over that [in meetings this week] to try to describe to our players, I did that today, the type of atmosphere that it’s going to be. The last game in the Oakland [Alameda County] Coliseum. The type of fan base that they have, the following that they have. The locker room. I think those things, that’s what I’ve learned before is that you want to get them a little [information] so they can become familiar with what’s going on there. So, I think any place where you have a fan base like that, and a team back then that was a – three out of those four games they had a hell of a team. They had a hell of a team. So, I think that’s really all I think about it, except for my first year there – we would warm up, I’d warm up the O-Line and I had a bunch of veteran guys. We were in the corner of the endzone and this [fan] was all over me. I mean all over me, to a point where the players were laughing. They’re like, ‘[Are] you going to take that?’ Now the players are trying to instigate me. They’re like, ‘I’d go up in the stands if I was you, and I’m not you.’ So, I always remember that story when we played up there in my first year in my first game [when] I was in New York. And we still laugh about it.”
(On why he thinks the fan was making fun of him) “They were like, ‘Do you know that guy?’ I’m like ‘I don’t know that guy, I don’t know anyone out here.’ That’s just how it is.”
(On what the fan said to attack him) “He could probably say a lot of things.”
(On if he told the team how crazy the environment will be in the Week 15 game at Oakland) “I did already. I did that today.”
(On what he expects the environment to be like in Oakland for the final game in the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum) “I don’t know. I know what it can be like. I don’t know, but I talked to the players. It can be a bunch of different ways, but it’ll be a crazy atmosphere. I can’t define crazy for you, but it’ll be a crazy atmosphere.”
(On if he walked into the team meeting room wearing spiked shoulder pads) “That’s what I remember back in the earlier days. It was unbelievable.”
(On if he anticipates any changes to the lineup for the linebackers) “Yeah, we’re looking at it now. Obviously, we’re going to see Quincy [Williams] today in practice, see how it goes. Austin [Calitro], Donald Payne, Joe Giles-[Harris]. Leon [Jacobs] obviously is our SAM [line]backer, so we’re looking at a couple of different things that we can do whether it be package wise and what we can handle. And that’s the thing that happens now, is that you try to do a couple different things and then if you change one assignment for one person, OK, really you’re changing multiple assignments to do things. So, those are the challenges that we have going into the week, and we have the week to try to figure it out and see what looks good.”
(On what he would like to see from QB Gardner Minshew II over the last three games) “Just see the growth. He obviously just came back, I thought he did a good job securing the football, and I think there’s things that go along the line of – I said the one good thing about him is there’s these little things that may go unseen that we work on, and he does a good job of that. There’s a couple things that we’ll be looking at to see his growth and I think we’ll be able to see it.”
(On how he balances the decision on whether to play WR DJ Chark Jr. or not due to his ankle injury) “DJ [Chark Jr.], it’s interesting, he wants to play. He wants to finish the season strong which is awesome. And you guys know him, he’s an outstanding individual. We have some good news going, we have him in a boot to make sure he’s protected. The swellings down, so I think we’re going to take that all the way up [to the game]. We’re going to take him out there with us, see how he goes. And I think as long as it doesn’t put anyone in jeopardy of reinjuring, or it can be worse, or anything of that nature, then I think you’ll see he’ll be on the field.”
(On if the team is leaving for Oakland on Friday) “Friday.”
(On what the players response has been to the message that the team is playing without confidence) “I just addressed it to them the first time. I also addressed coaching with confidence, too. It goes all the way around, so it’s not just on the players. I’ve always been truthful, and see what I see on film, and believe in what you see and just going. Don’t try to overthink or do too much, and that’s what happens when you’re not playing well. And all it takes is just one person to kind of not be where they’re supposed to be in – teams are too good, they’ll expose. So, we’ve talked about that and we have a lot of young guys playing, which is a great opportunity for them to show that they belong in the league.”
(On what he’s seen from Raiders QB Derek Carr) “He’s got a good touchdown to interception rate. Obviously, he has a high completion percentage, 70 or 71 percent. He’s doing a good job. He’s got some good weapons. The running back we’re assuming he’s going to play. That tight end position and wide receiver position, they have skill there. They do a good job schematically in different formations, different personnel groups, so I think Derek Carr’s a heck of a football player.”
