Head Coach Jack Del Rio
The Oakland Raiders are officially back at the team's facility in Alameda, Calif., and have initiated their preparation for this Saturday when they'll take on the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Prior to Tuesday's practice y, Head Coach Jack Del Rio met with the media to discuss this week's workload.
Here are the quick hits from his time at the podium:
Del Rio touched on the team's preparation as they head into Week 3 of the preseason.
"There's always a collection of what things are we going to do, or not do. You just typically don't do as much during the preseason, but going through the process of how we put together our information that we provide the players, how the players get that information, whether it's on the iPads or in the playbooks, different things like that. Kind of teaching how we break down opponents, what we're looking for, the things that they need to be able to handle as we go through a week."
He expressed his excitement to have defensive end Jihad Ward back in the fold.
"We're excited about the offseason that he had, prior to needing to kind of mend, and he's a good young player that had a really strong offseason, and we're excited about letting him compete, and letting him show us what he can do. I know he's a big strong athletic guy, and certainly great to have him back at work, and able to continue to develop."
The Raiders Head Coach believes quarterback Derek Carr is still growing and developing.
"I think it's important for all of our players. That you're constantly striving for improvement, and I think he has. I think he has each of the years we've been together, each of the last couple of years he's gotten a little bit better each year, and we're hoping that continues. He's still a young player, there's still a lot of growth in front of him, and I think that's how he's looking at it."
**Del Rio shared that the defensive line group has a lot of depth, and is anxious to see them contend with the Dallas Cowboys this weekend.
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"It definitely is a much deeper group than we've had, more athletic group than we've had, so I'm very encouraged by the early signs that I've seen in pads throughout camp against a very good offensive line that we have. Another great test this week to evaluate these guys, because we're playing one of the better lines in the league. A great opportunity to evaluate, develop, continue to push, but we feel like we have strengthened ourselves there."
Since joining the Raiders in 2015, wide receiver Michael Crabtree has been consistent, and Del Rio is aware of it.
"He's been pretty darn good since he got here for us. He's been a very reliable target for Derek, I think comfortable, with the rapport they have. He's had a strong camp, and playing well for us, so yeah, I'm very pleased with the way things are going there."
