HEAD COACH LIAM COEN
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2025
(On how to improve the run game without just ‘calling more runs’) “Yeah, I think getting a
little bit healthier up-front helps, just being off a week and getting these guys feeling better
up front to where we can get back to running off the football. Creating a little bit more
movement up-front and just creating a little bit more of an advantage through maybe
different—you go run zone, gap, different variations can help as well. But just getting back
to running off the football a little bit more, a little bit more violence and it all ties in. Like the
back, we had a good conversation this morning in our run game meeting, understanding
the intent of the runs. Where is this supposed to hit? Everybody’s got a job in the run game,
it does take all 11, but you watch the self-scout throughout the games that we really ran it
best, everything was tied in and it’s not going to always be perfect in the run game, but if
you’re coming off the ball, you’re playing physically, your backs are hitting the holes the
right way and you’re calling it more and calling it at more opportune times. The run game
typically has more success.”
(On if changes to the offensive line or an opportunity for them to get healthy was needed)
“Changes were not really necessary. I don’t think. It was just getting a couple guys feeling a
little bit better. When you got knicks, whether it’s at multiple spots on your body or
whatever it is, you don’t feel great and I think a lot of it has to do with just getting back to
balance. Like I’ve talked about that a lot is anytime you’re balanced you typically have an
advantage to the opponent where they don’t know it’s a typical run down when you’re
calling it or it’s a known pass down, you’re calling a run, it’s a known run down, you’re
calling a pass. Just mixing that up, having a better feel for it, how we’re running it, ‘Alright,
this run scheme’s maybe not doing what we thought it might’, we have to adjust to maybe
doing this or ‘Hey, it’s just we didn’t block that well on this specific play.’ Run it again, ‘We
got it, we’ll be okay, we can fix it.’ So, kind of a combination of those things.”
(On Raiders TE Brock Bowers) “I had a lot of experience with him in the SEC at Kentucky.
Played against him multiple times, thought he was extremely advanced at that time. For a
second-year player to have—he gets in and out breaks so well. I know he was like 40
something inch vertical coming out of high school. He is a very good athlete. He’s what you
define as a football player, I mean, he just has a knack for getting open. He’s harder to
tackle than maybe just looking at the tape. He’ll break tackles, drag people down, he knows
how to wiggle and separate and also the contested catch ability. So very good player, have
a lot of respect for him.”
(On where WR Brian Thomas Jr.’s head is at currently) “I think you’re continuing to try to—
any player that is maybe not done as much as they’d want to—as a player and as a coach is
to just keep pushing through that. There’s going to be a breakthrough at some point here to
just connect and doing it. And you watch games from last year because obviously you’re
watching the Raiders from last year and you watching big plays being made and alright
man, it has to go happen as much as it can in practice, but also in the game it’s got to come
to life for that connection to truly go the way that it needs to go. So, it takes work, it takes
patience, it takes time and you’re just hopeful that it’s going to be able to come to life here.”
(On if it is difficult as a play caller to try not to force the connection to come together)
“Yeah, I mean, definitely that’s always a balance as a play caller where you want to get
something going for not just the individual but for the group. It’s to be able to create
explosives by throwing the football. That’s definitely something you have to think through
but it’s not really something that I’m, as a play caller sitting there like, ‘Man, we just can’t—”
I mean, I threw it 40 something times in the last two games. If I lost confidence in the pass
game, I probably wouldn’t have done that. So, we still have a lot of confidence.”
(On the leadership of CB Jourdan Lewis) “Yeah, I had a lot of conversations with Jourdan
over the last week. He just gets it. He does just get how to be a pro, how the preparation
truly matters, not trying to maybe play hero ball or do anything outside of the scheme
necessarily. Man, just go do your job. He communicates at a high level. He’s just a great
dude that has battled his way. He was talking about man, ‘They’ve tried to out draft me,’
[they] bring people in every year to take your spot in this league and the ebbs and flows and
the highs and lows within a career, within a season. He’s got very good presence about him.
So, really need his leadership as we continue to go, as well as the other guys.”
(On his plans for the secondary snap and position counts) “Yeah, I think we’re kind of
exploring that this week. Looking at where we can put these guys in a position to take
advantage of their skill sets, maybe take some off some guys. So that’s something I can’t—I
don’t want to give away too much. So that’s something we’re, we’re definitely evaluating
throughout the week.”
(On Raiders DE Maxx Crosby) “Yeah, he is creature for sure. Just the strain, the relentless
effort, the batted balls, they lead the National Football League right now in tipped balls as a
defense, as a group. So long that initially, like if your eyes as a quarterback are maybe at
your number one read right away and it’s like quick game or whatever it is, he does a great
job of getting his hands on balls and then if it is a little bit of a longer developing pass play,
well that’s when you just kind of see him relentlessly strain. He’s just so long in terms of his
legs, the bounding, his ability to get to the quarterback. And then the way he’s played the
run, they’ve played the run well as a defense all year as well. So, somebody we’re definitely
aware of.”
(On if he sees similarities to Head Coach Pete Carroll’s Seattle teams) “Some. I’ve got a lot
of respect for [Raiders Defensive Coordinator] Patrick Graham, went against him last year.
We jumped out early and then they got a couple takeaways, created some pressure on us.
He does a nice job of mixing in the zone, the zeros, the pressures. You can definitely see a
little bit more with [Raiders LB] Jamal Adams in there and Chinn [Raiders S Jeremy Chinn] a
little bit more zone and kind of playing Jamal a little bit more at that big nickel position
whether it’s in 12, 11 or 13. So they’re very balanced in the way that they try to attack you.
And I have a lot of respect for Coach Carroll as well in terms of defensively, as a leader in
general but you can see the combination of Coach Carroll and Coach Graham’s influence
on that defense.”
(On what makes some players and coaches good coming off a BYE Week) “That’s a great
question. Something I was talking to Trevor [QB Trevor Lawrence] about is, I think the teams
that maybe identify, I guess you could say an issue. Issue or somewhere where you’re
underperforming/what you’re doing well and either coming into this week of your next
game, addressing those tangibly. Alright, we want to improve in this area. Well, if you just
say, it might not get done. You usually from players, you get what you emphasize, very
often. And so if there’s areas where you’re trying to show and improve, not just talking about
it or getting the stats and showing it. Well going out, addressing it in the meeting, showing
the examples, but then applying it to practice, applying it to the walkthroughs of, ‘Okay
guys, these are the tangible areas where we need to improve and what we want to improve
upon and actually go attack it.’ I think maybe those are some ways where you can look at
people having success off of the BYE is: Are you addressing those areas tangibly with the
way that you prepare, the way that you practice, and then obviously trying to go execute
those things in a game.”
(On how Raiders Offensive Coordinator Chip Kelly has influenced him) “A lot. He was one
of the first guys to offer me a scholarship. Chip Kelly was, [UMass Head Coach] Mark
Whipple was the first, then Chip was second at New Hampshire and those were our rivals.
UMass-New Hampshire was a rivalry. Played against Coach Kelly multiple times when he
was the offensive coordinator at New Hampshire and they were doing stuff that not a lot of
people were doing in our conference and around the country. Fast forward a year, he goes
from New Hampshire OC to Oregon, and the Northeast is like, ‘Wait, what?’ Not because
you didn’t expect it, it just hadn’t really happened that jump before and it was very well
deserved. So much respect for Chip and man, we talked a ton last year. We’ve always
stayed in close contact over the years. And you could just see the creativity, the ability to try
to get the ball in playmaker’s hands like they’re trying to find their way as an offense. A new
offense with new playmakers just as we are in a lot of ways but I fully expect them to have a
good plan of attack coming off the BYE.”
(On what LB Devin Lloyd has meant to the team) “Devin a little bit more on the quieter side
early getting to know him and then you talk to him, and you hear a very mature dude. He
had specific goals that he wanted to accomplish this season, and I thought he attacked it in
the exact right way. You look at the offseason program wanting to get faster, a little bit more
athletic, be a little bit more dynamic. I thought he attacked it the right way. He came in
training camp, we had multiple conversations with him and just, ‘This is what I expect,
these are my expectations for myself as a player and how I can help this defense and this
team.’ And that’s what it’s been the entire time that I’ve gotten to know Devin. He is
obviously made a ton of huge plays for us this season and I have a lot of respect for the
player and person.”
(On if the lack of film on Raiders TE Brock Bowers this season) “Yeah, I think you look at—
maybe last year as well and then early in the season. The first play of the season against
the Patriots, they got him the ball the very first play of the entire season. So, you know that
when he’s healthy and available, he’s somebody that they definitely want to get the ball in
his hands. And so, as you go throughout the work week and you see alright, where’s 89?
We’ve got to make sure we understand where he is because he’s in the hip at tight end. He
is in an inline stance. He’s in the slot, he’s out at one. They definitely want to move him
around as the weapon that he is. So, I think we—I don’t want to say over prepare, but
definitely more on the side of they’re going to want to get them going than not.”
(On the time spent this week reminding players of the NFL Gambling Policy) “Oh yeah, that
was Monday. Monday and we will re-address on Friday in the team meetings. That is I know
something that we’re all taking seriously. This is a business trip. We should have absolutely
zero issues with that, but I understand and appreciate the seriousness of it all. It’s real. It’s
happening in our world. Obviously, the fantasy, the betting and all that. It’s a big deal in our
world. And so, we addressed it on Monday. We’ll address it again before we leave that guys,
we’re going a little bit earlier in the morning, Saturday morning, obviously with Florida-
Georgia coming up this weekend. So, we’re getting out there earlier. We will be practicing at
a local school, but when we do get back to that hotel, guys, we’re all business here.”
(On if players are banned from casinos and sportsbooks) “At all. Don’t even go. Don’t even
go have a dinner in there guys. Let’s just stay away. We got great food in our area here. Let’s
just stay away from all that.”
QUARTERBACK TREVOR LAWRENCE
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2025
(On maximizing the bye week to focus, but also have time away from football) “Yeah, I think
just getting healthy for one. Obviously, it’s not the same for everyone. People are dealing
with different things, but everyone’s dealing with something at this point in the season. You
played seven games and so just getting the body back feeling good is a big part of it. I think
mentally resetting, knowing what’s ahead of us. We’ve got a 10-game stretch now ahead of
us to put us in position at the end of this thing. So, we need everyone in the right mental
headspace, everyone healthy. So, I think just using that time for that, obviously you kind of
think about—it’s hard to not think about who you’re playing next and the opponent and kind
of start getting into that a little bit, but try to push some of that off just to give yourself some
time to reset because you’ve been going at it since training camp started really all the way
through until Week 7 and then you finally get a little time to just breathe a little bit. So, I
think it’s a good reset, mentally more than anything.”
(On the importance of a self-scout of the offense during the bye week) “Yeah, just the
things that we’ve talked about that we’ve known are problems, I guess, that we haven’t
done well are evident that we need to improve on. I think when you take a step back from it
though and really look at it for what it is, yes, we need to improve, we need to get better and
we haven’t played to our standard, but it’s very correctable things and things that I know
that we can execute and can do well and we can be a really good offense. So, we haven’t
done that to this point. We haven’t played a complete game, but feel very optimistic about
where we’re heading, the direction we’re going, everyone being on the same page. I think
that’s a big thing, which was good for the open week to get on the same page to talk about
some stuff, what we need to get better at, what we need to correct. And I really feel
confident, optimistic, moving forward and like this unit is going to really make the
improvements, and obviously starts with me, and I’m excited for another opportunity.”
(On the challenges presented by Raiders DE Maxx Crosby) “Really good player. Very good.
He’s one of those guys; there’s a handful of them in this league. I mean a lot of great players
in this league, but as far as just those defensive edge, defensive end, pass rusher guys, he’s
just constant nonstop. I think that’s what is admirable about his play is that it is just such a
high motor. Obviously, he’s athletic and he is skilled and strong and good instincts, but he
plays really hard. So, that’s something where he makes a lot of plays because of that. It’s
not always that he’s just winning right away. He has plenty of those on tape, too, but it’s the
effort to chase the ball, to go after it, to cause fumbles, to tip balls in the air. It’s all those
things I think make him a great player. And as you can tell, we have a lot of respect for him
and obviously have to think of him when you’re game planning.”
(On what has been missing from the screen game) “I think it’s been different things at
different times. A couple of times, defenses, they sniff out some screens. That’s happened
just a few times to us. And so, it’s either a throwaway or tackled at the line scrimmage. That
just happens when you run screens occasionally. And then some other ones, execution
things. Maybe it’s not the right landmark by whoever’s catching it. Maybe it’s the throw is a
little bit on the wrong shoulder, so we don’t hit it, crease it right on time to set up the
blocks, maybe an offensive lineman got hung up inside. There are so many different things
that can happen. But saying all that is, it’s just on us to execute cleaner all the time on
those screens because there are some big opportunities for us, and it’s something that
we’ve got to be better at. And I think we know how we need to improve and the different
factors that have kind of come up in the past few weeks when we have maybe had some
plays left out there.”
(On his confidence in WR Brian Thomas Jr.) “I’m very confident. I’ve had some really good
conversations with Brian. I think we’ve gotten closer, really the last—obviously over the last
couple of years, as this has gone. And I have a lot of confidence in him, and he’s such a
young player. I mean, he is in his second year, and I think that’s part of developing as a
player in this league, and I’ve gone through a lot of my own challenges as well in times
where maybe I didn’t play my best and felt like I was leaving some stuff out there. And so I
think us just having that relationship, being able to talk to him, he’s been awesome with me
and very receptive, and I think the communication has been great, and I’ve got all the
confidence that he’s going to play really well and be just fine. So I’m not concerned with
that. Obviously excited for these opportunities that are coming up, and the ones especially
that he’s going to have. We’ve just got to keep plugging away, keep working, keep building
our chemistry because that’s a lot of it too. He’s not out there by himself trying to do it. He’s
got me throwing the ball; there are some things I can do better. He’s got 10 other guys that
are out there with him that also need to do a better job. So, it’s not just him.”
(On WR/DB Travis Hunter’s knowledge of the offense) “He’s in a good spot. I think every
week he keeps getting better and better as far as just knowledge and understanding and
things are clicking more and more. Just got to continue to work. Just because we’re making
progress doesn’t mean we stop, and we’ve got to keep helping him every way we can. Just
because I know being in that spot, he’s a young player, and I think just the more I can do for
him to help him, the better we’re going to be. And he’s done a great job of just grasping
everything on both sides of the ball. It’s a challenge, obviously, to do that, and he’s done a
great job of it, so continue to help him, just talking, communicating about different looks. I
think you’re seeing that start to evolve into knowing what he’s seeing and him knowing what
I’m thinking with certain looks, what to do, the right spot to be and how he’s going to run
routes. I’m getting more of a feel for how he plays, and I think that’s just going to continue to
grow and grow as we go on.”
(On how the offense can be more balanced, as Head Coach Liam Coen suggested) “It just
all helps each other. It’s like a big circle. He says that and it’s great because, as a coach and
a play caller, to hear him take accountability to the team is pretty cool because obviously
as players we’re the ones playing and we know there’s a lot of things we need to do better
execution wise and at the end of the day it comes down to us on the field making it happen.
But to hear your coach take accountability is great. But on the flip side of that, if we can
stay out of some second and longs, we can help him stay more balanced in calling plays.
So that’s having better plays on first down, whether that’s more completions, we’ve had a
lot of incompletions, had some second and longs, or better first down runs, executing runs
better. So, there are a lot of different things where we can help him call the game how he
wants to by just executing better some of the simple things. And I know as a quarterback
I’ve had some plays here and there to start games where I feel like I could get us on track
earlier so that we can settle in and not be playing behind the chains.”
(On whether it is rare to see a head coach take accountability) “I mean, it happens. I think
that it’s definitely happened in the past. I think the way everyone does it is unique, and I
think the way Coach has done it has been awesome. It’s been very, I’d say, genuine, very
honest. And he shows examples of like, ‘Hey, this is—’ because it’s one thing to say, ‘Hey,
I’ve got to be better here.’ But then not to have any really examples of what you can do
better and for him to—he’ll put stuff up there and say it in front of the team, of, ‘Hey, this
was not my best call here,’ and how he’s going to fix it moving forward. And I think just stuff
like that is, as players, that he’s not just faking it, he actually believes that there are things
that he needs to do better to help us, and we know as players there’s a lot of stuff we need
to do better to help him. So, I think that accountability is really cool when everyone is taking
their share of it because you all want to take more accountability when you see people
around you doing it.”
