Head Coach Jack Del Rio
Thursday afternoon, Oakland Raiders Head Coach Jack Del Rio shared his thoughts on the team's first home game of the 2016 NFL Preseason. The Silver and Black have been preparing all week to take on the Tennessee Titans, who have shown to be successful running the ball in preseason.
Here are the quick hits from Del Rio's media session:
Del Rio discussed the amount of time the starters will see the field during Saturday's game.
"Good, light work. Good mental day. It was good. I think for us, starters this week, we expect them to probably play a half, maybe a little more."
He also expressed his excitement to be playing back at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.
"We're excited to play at home. For us we've been on the road the first two weeks and really look forward to getting in front of our home fans. Our fans are terrific. Look forward to getting out there and showing them what Raider football is all about."
Del Rio talked about how the team has prepared this week, since the team faces the Titans Week 3 of the regular season.
"This week, knowing that we're going to play them early in the year, it was a little bit of understanding what you like and thoughts you had; more a collection of that. In terms of trying to let it all air out in Week 3, it's not really a sound approach. We're prepared and looking forward to the competition. I think they're running the ball as well as anybody in the league, so it'll be a great test for our run defense."
According to Del Rio, ndrafted rookie running back Jalen Richard should be available on Saturday.
"He had a good week. Anticipate him being able to play, so yeah. We've been excited to see him. Obviously, he had the minor setback, but he's done great. Had a good week of practice and we're excited to get a look at him."
Del Rio mentioned that the linebacker position battles could come down to special teams.
"Well it's competitive right now for the backup spots on our team. We'll continue to let it play out. These next two weeks will be important in determining those battles. We've had a good camp, a lot of exposure to them. We have feelings on how they sit as of today. These are a couple of big games coming up, and their special teams impact as well will be measured."
