Before the Oakland Raiders took to the field to officially kick off their on-field preparation for their Week 13 game with the Kansas City Chiefs, Head Coach Jack Del Rio held his usual Wednesday press conference at the team's Alameda, Calif., facility.
Here are the highlights from his remarks.
Head Coach Del Rio addressed Justin Tuck's Nomination for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.
"Our nominee for NFL Man of the Year is Justin Tuck. Proud of the things that he's done. That's named after Walter Payton, that award. Tuck's a consummate pro. He's active in the community. Just wanted to let you know that."
The Silver and Black's sole focus is on the Kansas City Chiefs.
"Winning the next game. That's really what you have control over. If there was an opportunity with six opponents on one plate and doing it all at once it would be something, right? Something to talk about. For us it's about playing well against the Chiefs this weekend. Finding a way to get that victory this weekend. Nothing else matters at this point."
Head Coach Del Rio has a lot of respect for Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith.
"I think Alex [Smith] has been a good player his entire time in the league. He's a good quarterback. He'll beat you with his feet. He'll beat you with his arm. He's poised. He hasn't turned the ball over. That's typically good football. So yeah, he's done a nice job for their football team."
He's also been impressed with the play of wide receiver Seth Roberts.
"Nobody's perfect. But he really tries every day to apply himself, to be as good as he can be. He comes out and competes. And regardless of the odds coming into camp, pretty deep group, he never worried about that. He just went to work every day with whatever reps he got and earned his way to getting more reps and here he is playing a big role for us."
He shared his thoughts about the Raiders/Chiefs rivalry.
"There's some great battles over the years. We just want to do our part, play well on Sunday and win this game. Certainly from a historical standpoint, there have been a lot of great battles. But right now honestly, my full attention is on finding a way to win Sunday."
