Offensive Coordinator Bill Musgrave
Before Thursday's practice, Oakland Raiders offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave addressed the media and discussed the preparations for the New Orleans Saints. Entering his second year as the team's offensive coordinator, he shared his thoughts on why the continuity with the team is beneficial.
Here are the quick hits from Musgrave's media session:
Musgrave spoke about preparing for the crowd noise at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
"Well, you can't be surprised by it all. It's going to be very loud there. The fan base is very supportive. Tough place to go into, but we're looking forward to getting ready to cut it loose this week. We'll try to replicate the noise as best we can out here at practice so we're ready for it."
He opened up about the familiarity the team now shares heading into its second year.
"Continuity is a good thing, both coaching and playing. I know we have a tremendous staff that [Head Coach] Jack [Del Rio] has put together. I know I enjoy coming to work every day with our coaches. We have a lot of synergy in our game plan meetings and out there on the field we have a bunch of great teachers."
Musgrave acknowledged the revamped offensive line with the addition of tackle Kelechi Osemele and the return of Menelik Watson from injury.
"Yeah it's good to have Menelik back after getting hurt in the preseason last year. He's part of our offensive line that has been somewhat rebuilt a little bit. Gabe [Jackson] has never played right guard before, of course Kelechi [Osemele] is new and Menelik is back. Three out of the five will be new. We're looking forward to seeing how they gel."
He discussed how each team will show each other with various plays that haven't been seen on film.
"There are definitely some unscouted looks on both sides of the ball. An opener is exciting. There's nothing like it; excessive butterflies and also the unknown, like you're saying, in an opener. I know we're looking forward to it. It's a great matchup between us and New Orleans."
Musgrave commended his group for putting in the time and effort to continue developing.
"What's reassuring is to see the way the guys work – each day at practice, OTAs, up in Napa, this week getting ready for New Orleans. We have a bunch of workers on our team and they want to get good at their craft. They put in the time and effort, so it's a pleasure to be around them."
