Head Coach Jack Del Rio
Following practice Friday afternoon, Oakland Raiders Head Coach Jack Del Rio met with the media for "Fast Friday."
Here's the transcript from his presser:
Q: Throughout training camp, you would say you were confident in the defense. What did you see that gave you that confidence?
Coach Del Rio:"Well I see the attention to detail. I see the clarity with our communication, with our understanding of what we're doing, what we're trying to get done, what leverage we're supposed to have. How our eyes are supposed to, where they're supposed to be. Those types of things. That lends itself to good play. I'm concerned all the time about the whole team, all three phases. I wouldn't say there's not concern, but there's a confidence that it's being addressed and will continue to be addressed. One solid performance doesn't make a season. We have a lot of challenges in front of us, starting with Sunday afternoon."
Q: Was part of it having guys getting familiar with each other?
Coach Del Rio:"It all plays a part. Anytime you try and lay reasons out there, they sound like excuses, and I'm not really one for excuses. I think you do the best you can with the guys you have. I expect us to do well with whoever you have."
Q: Can you confirm that Gareon Conley will play Sunday?
Coach Del Rio:"I think the injury report went out. We took him off. He was full two days in a row and had a good week of practice. So yeah, we're going to have Gareon up."
Q: What's his readiness?
Coach Del Rio:"We're excited to get a look. He's obviously a talented young man. We really, really liked him coming out. He's had a little bit of a setback because of some things that were beyond his control with the medical stuff. That's cleaned up and he's ready to roll now. Look forward to watching him play."
Q: Do you have certain packages you expect to put him in?
Coach Del Rio:"You know I'm reluctant to really get into how anybody is going to be utilized, but we expect him to see the field."
Q: How has Donald Penn looked last Sunday and this week?
Coach Del Rio:"Yeah, that was a question mark. We were prepared to adjust if we needed to. Obviously, we went through the whole preseason without him, or most of it. So, we had an idea of what we needed to do in the case that he did struggle. He did not. His conditioning really held up. He really did a nice job of making his way through that game and playing well for us."
Q: His contract has been extended…
Coach Del Rio:"That's what I'm hearing. I don't have absolute confirmation of that. I hear its good news, and I hear that that's been handled. So I'm happy for him."
**Q: To have four guys on the offensive line be playing together for that long, it must be a real positive.
**
Coach Del Rio: "It's a real strength for us to have physical offensive and defensive lines. It's something that Reggie and I, when we first got here – and we've been unified from the start – we both are very unified in the fact that we want to have a big, strong offensive and defensive line. To be able to have those guys kind of locked in, that's a good thing for our program. Now, they're going to get a heck of a test this week, as I've told you. I think this is a good front that's coming in. We need to take care of business, but it's really good to get that done."
Q: How do you feel about this being Marshawn Lynch's first regular season game at home?
Coach Del Rio: "Super excited to be at home and knowing that Marshawn is a home boy. This is his home, like me, grew up here in the East Bay. I know he's going to have special feelings being out there and it's going to be great. It's always great when we come in front of our people here at home."
Q: What do you see that exists within the defensive group's culture?
Coach Del Rio: "Again, as a team, we're going to work on our preparation. I think when you know you're prepared and you know what you know, it lends itself to confidence. That's what's growing and as we continue to play well, it'll grow more. It's all about putting in the work. You put in the work, you get on the same page, you play fast, you make plays, you gain confidence and you keep rolling. That's what we're looking to see."
