RB Matt Breida
(When you’re in the huddle and a play is called for you, knowing that you stand a real good chance of beating your man to the corner and turning the corner once you hit the edge, what’s going through your mind? What’s that like?) – “Just thinking about executing the play at the time. I’m not really worrying about one guy on a particular play. I just worry about executing the play and using my ability. If I can’t get to the edge, then good. If not, then I’ll run up the middle.”
Wednesday, December 23, 2020
S Eric Rowe
(I wanted to ask you about TE Darren Waller, obviously a big challenge for you. When you watch him on tape, what do you see and how do you deal with this guy?) – “Waller, he is definitely a different breed. He’s not really a tight end. He’s basically a receiver – a big receiver. He’s explosive, he can run. I see cornerbacks and safeties covering him and he’s beating them. It’s definitely going to be a huge challenge this week.”
(When you have a guy like TE Darren Waller, and like you said, he’s so versatile with where he lines up, what do you think that does for an offense?) – “That just creates a whole bunch of personnel mismatches. They use him in 13, 22, 21 (personnel) and usually when you get big people personnel like that, most teams put more linebackers out there to cover tight ends of some sort. That’s just a huge mismatch for him, and that’s what they want. When you have a guy like that, you can just open up the whole playbook.”
(I know that the Raiders are Job No. 1; but it’s Christmas week. You all have families. What does the holiday mean to you in the middle of football season and how do you handle it?) – “The holiday means a lot because families come together, spend time, have Christmas dinner or lunch, a hot breakfast or however families do it. This year it’s a little bit different because usually every Christmas or around Christmas, there is always a game; but I’ve never had to leave on Christmas Day. It’s definitely an adjustment but it’s not a forever thing. We’ve got a job to get done and we’ve just got to go.”
(How do you feel about the opportunity to be the only game on TV on NFL Network on a Saturday night? What opportunity comes with that?) – “Honestly, I forgot it was a prime time game. (laughter) Usually with those, at the end of the day, it’s just another game. But maybe this time if you’ve got family that’s in a different part of the country, they can watch it because it’s the only game on that night. Yeah, you get a little bit more exposure. There is always a little bit more hype to it when it comes down to that game day.”
(A lot has been talked about how strange a year it has been for everybody in the league given what’s going on. When you think back, what was the real sign you had, the first real sign in-person, where you told yourself … was it when you got tested or some of the protocols, what was it?) – “It was when we didn’t have to come in for the offseason program. (laughter) Usually it’s a cycle every year. I go home for January, February to the end of March. Come back in April to whatever city I’m at. But this year, I stayed at home. I’m from Texas so I stayed at home all of the way until I think I got out here in June. I think it was around mid-June. That was weird because I have been doing this routine, cycle, for about six years. Ever since that moment, I knew this whole year was going to be different.”
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(You’re going to get a lot of Marcus Mariota questions today, so I guess I’ll start right with it. I read you were a fourth grader when you first met him? How vividly do you remember that exchange and what did you take with you from that time?) – “At the time, Marcus was really big in the college football realm. He was at Oregon. He was a big role model for a lot of us kids back home; but I think fourth grade when I first met him at a football camp, man, (he was) just a humble guy, a hard worker. He was one of the guys who kind of took me under his wing, so to say, when we went to passing camps at our alma mater, at Saint Louis in Hawaii. And I went and threw with the high schoolers at fourth grade. Everyone was wondering, ‘why are you throwing with us, you’re a fourth grader.’ Marcus kind of took me under his wing, so to say. I guess from there, I just really looked up to him and he’s just really been the same person.”
(If you guys both start, you and Raiders QB Marcus Mariota, it’d be the first battle of Hawaiian quarterbacks in the NFL. I’m curious what you think that would mean for the Polynesian community, the Samoan community, the Hawaiian community, to see you guys on that primetime stage Saturday?) – “I think it’s something really cool being that me and Marcus are both of Samoan heritage. His dad is Samoan and then both my parents are Samoan, and we come from Hawaii. I think that’s something super cool to see for the kids back home in Hawaii, to see two guys compete against one another, if Marcus is named the starter. But I think it’s also enlightening for someone like Kamu (Grugier-Hill) as well, who comes from the islands and who I believe knows Marcus personally, too. So if Marcus does get that opportunity, I think it’ll be really fun.”
(I know that a lot of football players like to try to keep things the same no matter what – big, small game, it doesn’t matter. I’m curious, what are some routines that you’ve maybe had for a long time? The night before the game, day of the game, things you like to always do the same way.) – “I’m not too sure. I guess if we have a home game, I go home, I shower. I don’t know, I don’t always do things the same game day. Sometimes I’ll eat before the game. Most of the time, I won’t eat. But yeah, I wouldn’t say I have something that is spot-on, I have to do or like I need to listen this song every time. I don’t have anything.”
(How would you describe Raiders QB Marcus Mariota’s legacy at your high school as you were coming in?) – “Marcus (Mariota) had a big legacy while I was coming in to start my first time at Saint Louis. That was my seventh grade year, and I believe Marcus had just left for college when I came. They just won a state championship. Marcus has just been the standard a lot of the kids back home look to as a person, as a human being and being as good as he was, that didn’t change who he was as a person.”
(I saw on social media that there was some gift giving involved with the offensive line from you, I guess last week. I know this week is Christmas. What does Christmas mean to you and what is your personal testimony that’s any part of Christmas for you?) – “I would say from a belief standpoint, what Christmas means to me is to be able to give, and that’s kind of like what the Father has done for us. He gave us the gift, which was His only Son, which was Jesus Christ, and we’re able to celebrate his birth; but for me, just being able to give something like that to the linemen, something that I know that they could use every day. They love grilling, they love cooking. So it’s something I could get that they would use. I thought that’d be pretty cool. Then just also trying to do things for others and I’m also in the process of trying to do things for the community, too.”
(I noticed there were some similarities between the interception in the first quarter of the game and your three-yard touchdown rush in the fourth quarter – both on the 3-yard line, both on third down, and they sent an extra rusher on both those plays. I’m wondering for you if that was a process of kind of trying to learn something in-game and applying it later on in the game and what’s that process like for you throughout the course of the game. You try to maybe apply some of the lessons you learned within the game?) – “I think that’s exactly what happened. They were different looks, but in a way similar; and the first one where I threw the interception, that was really rookie-esque, if you will – throwing that ball blindly. I could’ve just taken the sack. We had points there, whether it was a touchdown or field goal, and I threw that away and kind of gave the momentum back to the Patriots in that game. But I would say I definitely learned from that – don’t want to force anything. If I could’ve made it with my legs, then that was kind of the thing. And if not, then we still would’ve had points. We would’ve been able to kick the field goal.”
(You’re going up against obviously Raiders Head Coach Jon Gruden and the Raiders this week. What do you think a Jon Gruden QB camp type TV show – what do you think that experience would be like for you and him, if that ever happened between you guys, if you’re a fan of the show?) – “(laugher) Yeah, I was a big fan growing up watching those shows. I watched them with my dad when I was young growing up. A lot of those – ‘Spider 2 Y peel bananas’ – (laughter) whatever he had going on, I thought that was so cool. But I don’t know how that’d be. I could only imagine how that’d be. (laughter) It’s either getting yelled at or ‘hey, good job.’ I don’t know (laughter)”
(I wanted to ask you about how the offense is doing in terms of being able to pass the ball downfield, get those deep balls downfield and how do you approach that when it’s time to take a chance throwing the ball downfield and when it’s not?) – “I believe this game is taking what the defense gives us and if they’re going to continue to give us things underneath, for me, I’m going to take it and going to trust that our guys are going to catch and you never know what could happen. You never know with the yards after catch – after guys catch the ball – so I just want to get the ball in the hands of our playmakers and let them do the work. If there is a shot and it’s open, then that’s what I should be taking.”
Head Coach Brian Flores Conference Call with Las Vegas Media
(When it gets down to it, with a team like the Raiders and the way that they’ve been playing of late, why are they still a dangerous team that you have to be weary of, knowing that they’re mathematically alive? And what do you see that they’re still maybe doing well?) – “I mean they’re well coached and they’re talented. I think that in itself makes them dangerous. They’ve won some games against some very good teams – the Chiefs, New Orleans, Cleveland. Those are pretty good teams, some of the top teams in the league. They’re well coached. They’ve played in big games and won big games this year. They’ve got a lot of good players. We have our work cut out for us.”
(With how well your team has improved just progressively and exponentially, especially on the defensive end, are you confident in continuing with the progression over these last few games and what they’ve done? What maybe has impressed you or surprised you that you’ve just pleasantly surprised with as you get down here in crunch time, with how they’re performing?) – “I think we have a lot of guys on this team who work hard and are tough and competitive and team-first. They love to play football. I think when you bring a group of guys together with those characteristics, if they prepare the right way, that’s all you can do. You let the chips fall where they fall. It’s week-to-week in this league so with the way you prepare, the way you walk through and the way you practice, it gives you a chance to execute the game and that’s what we preach on a weekly basis. What’s happened in past weeks doesn’t really have any effect on this particular week or this particular opponent. We’re going to have to play well against a good football team.”
(You guys are professional football players and coaches so you’re used to this in terms of the holiday week that it is, but playing the day after Christmas and having to fly in, does the preparation make anything different to the players or coaches? Do you tell them to celebrate before or wait until we get back and that there will be plenty of time for that? How does that play on their mental game as far as this week, especially with how trying of a year this has been in terms of the pandemic? I’m sure they want to celebrate with their families and so on and so forth and embrace that. Does it make it a little bit tougher or is it business as usual?) – “I think as far as the holiday, it’s an important holiday for a lot of guys on the team and really this organization. We’ll let our guys and the people in this organization spend time with their family. Obviously we have to fly out on Christmas Day. Couple that with the pandemic and all of that that’s going on and yeah, it’s been a very different year. I think in a year like this, you see people’s resiliency, people’s ability to deal with adversity and make sacrifices – as our team has made and teams really across the league have made – to not see family and not do a lot of the things that we normally do so we can play football. So you see the importance of the game to the people within our organization and obviously the Las Vegas Raiders organization and really throughout the league, that they’re willing to make those sacrifices to play football. We have that on our team and I want them to celebrate the holiday. I want them to celebrate Christmas with their families. It means a lot to a lot of people. But we’re still focused on the game and focused on trying to play a high execution game on Saturday night.”
T Robert Hunt
(What was your reaction last week when you got that Christmas gift from QB Tua Tagovailoa, and have you been able to make any of the food yet?) – “I was pretty excited about it. I’m still excited about it. I actually set it up the day I got it and I threw some of the hot dogs on it. So I have used it and I plan on using it this week as well.”
(What do you think was the biggest reason that the team was able to rush for 250 yards on Sunday?) – “Preparation I think. Preparation and practice. I think that we practiced hard, we prepared hard and I think everybody played and executed on the same level – that’s from tight ends to receivers to o-line, from the quarterback to the running back. I feel like everybody was on the same page and I think that helped us a little bit Sunday.”
(You guys were the first team in the NFL in two years to start six rookies on offense last week and obviously had a very successful day. How did you pull it off with all of those young guys? How is this success happening so quickly?) – “I would say again it’s preparation. I think that we prepare well. We don’t look at ourselves as – rookies, that’s what we are; but we’ve got to prepare. We’ve got a job to do. We try to execute that job because all of us are trying to help this team win. That’s our job to help this team win and I think that’s what we do. We take it serious and we prepare.”
(Two questions for you – No. 1, what do you think of quarterbacks who take care of their linemen? No. 2, more seriously, what is it like blocking for a guy like RB Matt Breida who can get outside with his quickness so well? How does that effect you as a lineman?) – “For the part of taking care off – that’s great. I love it that. Like I said, I like the grill a lot and I plan on using it a lot, so that was a great gift. For the (second) question, it doesn’t really matter who’s back there I think. I feel like as long as you try to do your job, and we execute our job the correct way, I feel like a lot of our guys can make something happen. Once you see them run past you – no matter if it’s Breida, (Myles) Gaskin or (Salvon) Ahmed, I always throw my hands up because I think it’s a touchdown. Whoever it is, I enjoy seeing them run past the second level. When I’m making a block, or we’re making a block, on the second level and you see them run past, that just brings joy to the linemen.”
(Fifteen weeks into the season, do you think of yourself as a rookie? Do you still consider the other guys in the 2020 class rookies?) – “I still get called a rookie. (laughter) I’m definitely a rookie still. We’re growing and we’re starting to get a hang of the game. We’re starting to get better and understanding the game a little more. This is a game that you’ve got to grow, and I think we’re all growing. We’re rookies still, but we’re definitely growing.”
(I saw you were involved with some of the long run plays on Sunday. I saw you using your long arms and also continuing to play for as long as you could. What are a couple of things that you feel you were focusing on since you started the season that you are a little better at now?” – “It’s the same thing daily. I came into the season wanting to get better, coming from a smaller school. I think that today, Week 16, I’m still trying to get better. I think it comes with preparation, like I keep saying, and the will of wanting to get better and trying to get better.”
Head Coach Brian Flores
(I wanted to ask you, what are some of the challenges that go into defending a Jon Gruden offense?) – “It’s very multiple – a lot of personnel groups, a lot of shifts, a lot of motions, good players, good run game, good pass game. It’ll be challenging – very challenging for us. We’ve got to do a good job really communication-wise, fundamentals, technique and we’ll try to limit them; but they’ve got some explosive players, good backs and quarterbacks – regardless of which one is out there.”
(What’s your approach or is your day-to-day the same with the reality that you guys are playing some meaningful games right now? How much do you think your players or people in the building are thinking?) – “We just try to take everything one day at a time and just try to improve on a daily basis and try to focus on what’s right in front of us. Today is our walkthrough – our meetings now and then walkthrough and then practice. And just try to build on that and just try to handle what’s right in front of us instead of thinking down the road. I think that’s kind of the best way to approach things this time of year.”
(And in facing the Raiders, I talked to them yesterday and they seemed pretty resigned knowing they’re a longshot. What’s kind of the danger of facing a team that may not be having the playoffs to play for?) – “To me, it’s just a dangerous team. They’re talented. They’re well-coached. In this league every week, there’s good players and good coaches and I’m sure they’ll come out, compete and play hard. They still do have a chance, so I expect them to play well. And they have I would say most of the year.”
(I have a question more about the week in general, just kind of a two-part question just being Christmas week and the holidays. How do you structure? Do you structure it differently – I know you guys have to travel basically on Christmas Day – but structure it to make sure that you get to enjoy your family and the players do? And what is kind of a Flores family Christmas and the memories you have whether with your children or when you were a child?) – “It’s the holiday season, so we’ll try to make some time that everyone can spend with their families, but also try to get the work in because it’s an important game also. I think our players understand that, so we obviously worked some yesterday, we’ll work today, we’ll work tomorrow as well and then we’ll have some time to spend with our families tomorrow evening and Friday – Christmas morning – before we leave. As far as the second part of that question, Christmas for me has a lot of great memories. Again like I’ve said before, similar to Thanksgiving – my family would get together all the time and just enjoy each other’s company and celebrate Christmas, the birth of Christ, and just enjoy one another.”
(As far as areas where your defense can improve, what jumps to mind for you?) – “I think we can improve in all areas – run game, pass game, pass rush, setting the edge. There’s never been a perfect game and we can always improve in a lot of different areas – play-action, less penalties. I could stay here for a while. (laughter)”
(I wanted to ask you, this offseason when the team was adding free agents, how important was it that you one, added guys who were familiar with what you were doing in order to help you take this defense to the next level and two, adding guys who can do multiple things, play multiple roles, fill multiple spots?) – “I think we wanted to add the right people – guys who are tough and smart and competitive, love to play, team-first – so I think with every addition, we have that in mind. But I don’t know if familiarity was – I know you mentioned that, but guys like Shaq Lawson, (Emmanuel) Ogbah, Byron Jones – they’ve never been in this defense like guys like Elandon (Roberts) and (Kyle) Van Noy (have). We’re just looking for the right people – guys with a skillset – and all those guys are good players. They want to be coached and they work hard. I think they’ve worked hard this year and improved. That’s all we’re really looking for.”
(As far as the offense and downfield passing, where do you feel the offense is relative to its development and potential for downfield passing?) – “I think we moved the ball effectively last week. Relative to downfield passing, I think if there are opportunities for passes down the field, you take them. If there’s not, you try not to force them. At the end of the day, it’s about moving the ball and trying to score points and put ourselves in good position. And again, it’s like I tell the players, let’s do all the little things and then the big things hopefully show up. If you try to force the big things – you shouldn’t force the big things, you should just do all the little things. I know everyone wants explosive plays and wants interceptions and sacks and that’s what everybody wants, but I hope we just continue to try to make smart plays.”
(When you were evaluating and deciding on QB Tua Tagovailoa, how important was ball security over that enormous arm that say, a Chargers QB Justin Herbert has? How important was it that you had a quarterback that you could trust wouldn’t turn the ball over?) – “I think that’s always at the top of the priority list for anyone looking at any offensive position. Turnovers are the No. 1 reason why people lose games, so I would say that’s hopefully at the top of everyone from a Dolphins’ fan list. Hopefully it’s at the top of yours. So yeah, it’s at the top of mine. It was at the top of – I think it’s one of those where anyone who’s doing an evaluation; if they feel like this guy’s going to turn the ball over time and time again, I don’t see why you would take a chance on somebody like that. Tua’s done a good job from that standpoint. It’s something we stress on a daily basis – taking care of the football. It’s not always perfect. There’s a lot of good players in this league who are consciously trying to take the ball away. We’re trying to do the same thing defensively and in the kicking game. That’s the game. Defenders are consciously trying to take the ball away and offensive players should be consciously trying to secure the ball. So yeah, I would say that’s very high on my priority list of anyone who handles the football – punter, snapper, center, quarterback, running back, tight end, receiver. Do you intercept the ball? You’ve got to secure the ball. We had that a couple weeks ago – we got an interception and we fumbled it. Thankfully we got it back, but yeah ball security is at the top of my list.”
