DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR RYAN NIELSEN
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2024
(On what makes Las Vegas Raiders TE Brock Bowers stand out) “He’s a really good athlete.
Great body position in space and he has a knack of, without putting his body on the DB
when he’s the receiver, getting out open. They do a good job getting him the ball. Really
talented player and all, and he’s a good blocker too. He’ll turn a guy and they’ll get some
runs behind him, so yeah, he’s playing really good football.”
(On if it’s rare to see a rookie tight end have success early in his career) “It is and it isn’t. The
game is a lot more passing today than it’s been in the past, particularly in the last 10 years.
So, for them to bring him in and target him as many targets as he has and the success that
they’ve had, you can keep throwing him the ball. It makes a lot of sense.”
(On what makes Raiders QB Desmond Ridder stand out) “We have to do a great job of
keeping him in the pocket. We have to keep him in because once he gets out and he starts
creating, then that’s when the plays happen. We’ve got to make him stay in there, go
through his progression in the coverage, change coverages up on him, show him one thing
and do something else. But the biggest thing, keeping him in the pocket is huge.”
(On how he game plans for two different quarterbacks) “We’re preparing for what we saw
with Ridder the other night, which was a lot of gun and gun run game and everything. If he
doesn’t go, then we’d better get ready for under center and play-action and things like that.
It’s not two different offenses, just how the quarterback operates, and that’s kind of the
biggest thing. We know Bowers, they’re going to target him with both guys, so we have to
take him away. We have to do a really good job with him and then keeping him in the pocket
with Ridder. Then in the play-action game, we’ve just got to do a good job of playing shell
defense and manipulating our coverages when they do get under center and throw two-
man, three-man routes down the field. Always focusing on us, we’ll have some different
calls if the different quarterbacks get in the game, that’s how we’ll manage it. The guys will
know, the players will know, but we’ll have not two different game plans, but just some
different calls that we’ll make when each guy is in the game. So, that’s how we’ll manage
this game.”
(On the difference between the first and second halves of the game vs. New York Jets,
particularly with regard to Jets WR Davante Adams) “A couple of things that we were doing
well in the first half, it didn’t show up in the second half. Critical situation, cut a guy free,
make a better call there, play cover two in certain situations. That’s really what happened.
Guy’s a good player, got open a couple of times and wish we could’ve called a couple of
better things and played a little bit better. We didn’t do anything differently on defense from
the first half to the second half. It was the same calls. We really just tried to stay the course,
and again, it’s always about us and how we do. When we went in at halftime, ‘Hey, guys,
let’s finish this thing.’ He had a really good second half and I hate to see that.”
(On what happened on the play that left Adams open on the sideline) “Yeah, just again, not
going to get into the exact everything, but we could make a better call there and not put it
on the player to be in the situation and put those guys in cover two and pass all the mesh
routes off and thigs like that. A couple of times, again, getting a little bit more, calling a blitz
up the middle, getting some more pressure to get the ball out of Rodgers’ [Jets QB Aaron
Rodgers] hands so he doesn’t find them as easily. A couple of those times, I could’ve
helped too. So, everything comes back on be and we’ve got to put the guys in a better
situation to make those plays.”
(On CB Montaric Brown starting and if that is a change that will be made moving forward)
“When you look at his body of work all over the season, he’s played pretty well. It’s not one
thing that one guy is doing better than the other thing, he was in the game and the first half
was the way it was. He was playing it pretty good, so we just kept him out there and kept
him going. That’s really what it is.”
(On what he would like to see from CB De’Antre Prince) “Sticky coverage with a guy who’s
got great speed. He plays good technique and fundamentals, it’s just getting him some reps
and getting him out there and just playing. Getting him in the flow of the game, playing
football. Really what we want to see is just him doing his job. ‘Tre, just get out there, just do
your job to the best of your ability and let it all happen.’”
(On if he expects CB Ronald Darby to play again this season) “We expect it for sure. Yes.”
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR PRESS TAYLOR
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2024
(On what he did differently vs. New York Jets to allow the running game to open up) “I think
early on too with just some of the quick passes, be it screens, quick game, bubble throws
that are part of the run, it was all kind of an extension of the run game. So, we kind of got the
ball moving side to side, attacking a lot of different points. We were just able to be efficient.
A little bit of that was the tempo we were able to play with. But all that starts with, you’re
fishing on first-down, puts you in a second-and-manageable, we had a lot of normal-down
situations. We were able to get a lot of snaps, able to spread a lot of touches around. And
then part of that, we did a good job on third down. I think we were over 50 percent on third
down that keeps those drives going. Then, your odds, chances of scoring, converting a third
down within a drive, obviously everything goes up. So that was a big part of it for us.”
(On if he feels that moving forward that will have to be the game plan) “Any game we go
into, it’s what can we do to move the football? That just kind of was the way that game
went. We were able to stay on pace, we were able to stick with the run game, get a lot of
runs called. Just because of the game script, the way things went, I think for us there. That
obviously fit how we wanted to play those guys. You get a chance. Now, the first half we
dominated time of possession. You would have obviously loved to punch in the red zone
opportunities. We had some missed opportunities there that keep you from scoring
touchdowns, you’re instead settling for field goals. That was a big thing. But now we have
[Jets QB] Aaron Rodgers sitting on the sidelines watching us play, and that was a big part of
our first-half success at least.”
(On what he thinks is the biggest thing that QB Mac Jones is getting out of this year) “I think
just like anything, this is one year in a long career for him. So, you’re experiencing a lot of
different things. He spent three years in New England seeing it done a certain way. Offense
is called a certain way, installed a different way, game plan. So, then you’re just getting
exposed to more. I think over the longevity of your career, that’s a good thing. You lean back
on, I’ve done it a lot of different ways. You kind of see what fits best for you, your process
within the week. So, I think just exposure to more, I think benefits anybody throughout the
course of their career.”
(On if he thinks Jones could be a starting quarterback in the NFL) “Yeah, I think so. I think
he’s showing that, and you see it. He’s getting more and more comfortable. We’re all getting
more and more comfortable with how we utilize him, how we utilize the personnel within
his strengths. All of that just kind of, I think shows that anytime you put him in a situation
that’s favorable for the things he does and the game script that’s going on, I think that’s a
benefit to him.”
(On what the challenge is right now for Jones in terms of the deep passing game) “Yeah, we
feel like we’ve had a few opportunities that we’ve missed our chances on. Really, it’s every
single play is its own. So sometimes we’re calling it, sometimes it’s not getting thrown.
What is that coverage, pressure? As long as we’re doing the right thing with the football
each down, we’re OK with moving the ball forward however that fits. Now, we’d love to have
the one-play drives, launching shots over the top and getting those explosive touchdowns,
but as long as we’re putting the ball in play, moving forward, staying efficient, staying ahead
of the chains, that’s just another way to play. But we feel like we have the ability to do that.
We obviously have to show that and make defenses honor that as well too.”
(On what stands out about the Raiders’ defense) “They do a lot. They present a lot to you. I
think the beauty of them is they can basically play all their schemes from any different
personnel grouping. So, they’re going to have something very specific to you. I think that’s a
little bit of the New England in Coach Graham’s [Raiders Defensive Coordinator Patrick
Graham] background that you’re going to come out in the first quarter, you’re going to try to
figure out how they’re playing your 12 personnel, how they’re playing your passing strength,
how they’re adjusting certain things, how they’re building their fronts, because it’s probably
going to be something that we’ve maybe seen once this year or haven’t necessarily seen on
tape from them. But it gets pretty specific to you, how they view your scheme, your
personnel. So, that’s always the challenge, the chess match of trying to settle in to figure
out what they’re doing to you and how you’re going to play. Then, they play really hard.
There’s a lot of pressure, probably more pressure on normal-down situations than we’re
used to seeing throughout the course of the year. So, that’s always something you’ve got to
get 11 guys seeing the same way and on the same page to have success.”
(On what WR Brian Thomas Jr. has been able to do early in his career to be able to have
success) “I think a lot of it, I mean, unfortunately with all the injuries, is it’s put more on
him. We kind of took our time building to it and then we’re kind of forced into it with losing,
we’ve lost Evan [TE Evan Engram], Gabe [WR Gabe Davis], Christian [WR Christian Kirk], all
those guys. I think what you’re seeing with him, he’s really just taking all those roles on
different things. A lot of the things that we’ve thrown to him were things we’ve thrown to
Christian for three years. Now, Christian’s gone, who takes that role? Well, he’s shown he’s
got the skill set to pretty much do anything we ask. We’re making sure we don’t overload
him mentally and he’s proven he can handle a lot of things. I think there was that little
chunk in there where he wasn’t probably 100 percent health-wise. He came off a little
injury and we were trying to manage him a little bit, and then from then on, it’s just kind of,
he’s taken off and he’s confident in what he’s asked to do. He’s confident in his role in the
room. He’s growing into just everything we’ve asked every single day. So, circumstance has
given him the opportunity where if everybody stays healthy, I don’t know that you see the
explosion statistically that you would see because that’s kind of getting filtered throughout.
I mean, he caught a kind of a bang eight the other day that typically would have been a
Gabe, Evan type thing. He caught some choice routes that typically have been Christian
and Evan. He’s just kind of been able to move around and take all these spots that a lot of
people have done and using Parker [WR Parker Washington] and Brenton [TE Brenton
Strange] in that role as well has been beneficial to everybody. But the circumstance, the
opportunity that he’s been given, I think has really kind of put him in position. Then, he’s got
the ability to do it all. That’s the biggest thing. I mean, if he didn’t have that, we wouldn’t put
that on his plate. We wouldn’t ask him to do it all, but he can.”
(On how impressive that Thomas Jr. is a rookie receiver to take on multiple roles) “Very
impressive. I mean, mentally to be able to handle it, it’s the same thing. We’ve talked about
it before. You wouldn’t know it. Our receivers are all lined up, X, Y, Z, F. He, throughout the
course of the game, will align as multiple letters. Well, that takes a lot of mental toll on guys
of, I was the Z on this play, Chad [Wide Receivers Coach Chad Hall] signaled this, now I’m
the F, I’m the X on this one. I’ve got to know where to align, what to do, and you don’t want
to do that if the guy can’t handle it because you’re paralyzing a player. He can handle it.
He’s shown that through the course of the year. And then on top of that, it’s you can run
routes from the slot going across the field, down the field, quick out-breakers, decision
routes, all these different things that he’s shown. He’s been a better ball carrier than we
expected coming in. So, getting the ball in his hand on some screens and bubbles and
things like that, handing him the ball. That’s all stuff that’s been beneficial. A lot of it you
just didn’t see in college. I mean, I remember asking him when he first got here, ‘What’s
something you did at LSU that we haven’t shown to have yet in the playbook?’ He kind of
just said, ‘Well, I just ran switch all-go, or I ran four verticals, Malik [New York Giants WR
Malik Nabers] did everything underneath.’ So, he just wanted exposed to that because their
personnel didn’t match up that way. So, you’re kind of uncovering a lot of things that you
maybe didn’t know just because he wasn’t exposed to it. We never thought he couldn’t do
it. You just didn’t see it. I think too, during rookie camp, we kept him in rookie camp without
those other guys and we tried to put him in all these spots to see. You thought, OK, this is
cool. He can do that. But you had Christian, it’s kind of hard sometimes to go to your
quarterback and say, ‘Here’s something you’ve thrown to Christian Kirk in critical situations
a hundred times, we’re going to have somebody else do it.’ Well, now Christian’s not there
and B.T. takes that role and there’s a lot of trust. There’s a lot of confidence. I think his
confidence is rising. I think everybody’s confidence in him is rising.”
(On what point he realized that Thomas Jr. was able to handle the breadth of roles being
asked of him) “I think you were always confident. You just didn’t know if it was fair to him to
walk in Week 1 and say, ‘You’re going to know these four letters and you’re going to know
every route and how to run them really well.’ The thing that’s really cool, Chad and I were
just talking about this the other day, he’s taking in coaching points that we’ve never said to
him directly. But we meet as an offense a lot of times and ‘Hey, this is the best way we run
this crosser route,’ and then you see him bring it to life or, ‘Hey Christian, on this big box
stop, whatever it may be, inside fade stop, run it this certain way.’ Well, then B.T. goes out,
we put him in that position. He does it exactly the way it was coached when really, we
weren’t directly talking to him, but he’s just observing everything in the course of the
meeting, retaining it all. He’s becoming a little bit more vocal through the course of
meetings, but you’ve also removed four of our veteran guys from those rooms that usually
were speaking up. So, it’s cool to see.”
