RAIDERS HEAD COACH JACK DEL RIO
Q: Did you come out flat today?
Coach Del Rio:"I'm not sure if it was flat. We didn't get off to a good start for sure. You know, we just didn't get it done today. We lost the turnover battle, that's always No. 1 for us. We talked about three phases and what we had to get done. Stop [Adrian] Peterson, we didn't get that done defensively. Make sure we cover real well against their talented returners. Obviously give up a touchdown, didn't do that well. Protect the quarterback, protect the ball, we didn't protect the ball to have two turnovers and be minus two. Look they're a good team. They played better than we did today. They coached better, they played better, they earned it. We have to take our lumps today and deal with it and move on."
Q: On the second interception, was that just a good defensive play by them?
Coach Del Rio:"I wanted to take a shot into the endzone prior to the two minute. I don't know if he left it a little inside or not, but [Terence Newman] made a nice play."
Q: Kick coverage had been good so far this season. Did you see what happened on the Cordarrelle Patterson touchdown return?
Coach Del Rio:"I did not. I agree with you, it has been. It will continue to be. It's something we emphasis, we believe in. We knew it was going to be a challenge because they have talented guys. With that direction, we're attempting to put it on the ground to squib it, and it just ended up being deep enough that it turned into almost a normal return."
Q: You fought to take the lead and then you gave it back. Was that a guy punch?
Coach Del Rio:"No, there was a lot of football left. It was certainly a momentum breaker. We had really captured the momentum and were playing well at that time, so it was definitely a blow."
Q: Do you think Derek Carr was off target today?
Coach Del Rio:"I think he's a good player. He's not always going to be perfect, but he's a good player for us. You have to give them credit, they did make some plays."
Q: Any reasons why you didn't take timeouts on a crucial third down?
Coach Del Rio:"Not sure what you're referring to."
Q: Did you change up anything today with Tony Bergstrom starting for Rodney Hudson?
Coach Del Rio:"What do you mean?
Q: The plays you might call. Is there any change when you change a center?
Coach Del Rio:"Well the stats are going to adjust to the people that we have playing in terms of planning, but I don't think there was anything other than normal adjustments that you make. I'm not sure where you're going with that."
Q: With the last Peterson touchdown, do you think the team switched off?
Coach Del Rio:"No. They didn't switch off at all. We were aggressively looking to get a stop and he popped the line of scrimmage and took off."
Q: Do you like Carr being aggressive with the deep throws?
Coach Del Rio:"I think Derek's a good player. I like Derek. We're going to throw the ball down the field. We're going to make decisions, he makes a heck of a lot of good decisions. The things where we don't do it as well as we can will be learning opportunities and we'll do that and move on."
Q: How did the offensive line look today?
Coach Del Rio:"Well, it's hard to say right now today, sitting here looking back. We'll look at the tape and know better. We've got big strong people in our trenches, offensive and defensive lines. It's key to everything we're about, everything that we do. We'll take a hard look at it when we get to the tape."
Q: Did you see any trends with the penalties?
Coach Del Rio:"Yeah, I don't have an answer on the penalty count. I don't have an answer for you. I thought we were fairly disciplined. I think there were some calls that I would have liked to have seen go the other way, but all in all I think it was decent."
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Q: It seems like the offense has gotten more aggressive with getting the ball down field the last few weeks. How do you feel about that today?**
Coach Del Rio:"There were certain things, different approaches to how they're going to try to defend you, lend itself to. They were really more cautious in terms of how they approached us. They didn't try to send a lot of numbers after our guy. They played a lot of even coverage. We had our opportunities with it, but it's a different ball game. Every week it unfolds, every week is different. It's a week to week league. Every week that unfolds, whether it's how you're playing, how they attack you, what they do, what your injuries are. And those aren't excuses, those are just factors that go into each opponent that you break down, each opponent that you work on. So it's a different week and obviously we feel like as a football team we didn't get it done today. We know we're capable of being better and we'll have to be better going forward. That's the bottom line."
Q: How deflating was the punt return touchdown at the half?
Coach Del Rio:"We have plenty of bounce back in us. We have a good group in terms of being resilient. I don't think there's any question about that. So there's a lot of football ahead of us that we knew that we had really played very well in that second quarter to get ourselves back in front. To get ourselves very much back in the game. So we were approaching it like that."
Q: Was Sebastian Janikowski's squib kick, was that the plan or was it not executed right?
Coach Del Rio:"Anytime you have it go all the way for a touchdown, it certainly wasn't executed the way you were looking for it to be executed."
Q: Was that because of the wind?
Coach Del Rio:"Yeah. Well the wind, cause the want to squib, the squib maybe went a little deeper and all the way to the top guy. I would have preferred to see one of the up-backs pick that up and keep it out of that guy's hands. But it went through. It rolled through. He got it. They blocked it well. He's a good returner, and he made us hurt. He made us pay."
RAIDERS QB DEREK CARR
Q: The last few weeks the offense has been very explosive. Was there just no rhythm off the bat today?
Carr:"They did a good job of changing up some looks. They played a lot of two-high, trying to take away the big play opportunities, trying to play it safe, that kind of thing. Make us go down the field and long, long drives kind of a deal. We expected them to kind of do that, but they came out and just tried to play it soft and keep everything in front of them."
Q: Did the wind cause you to miss some early throws or were you just not sharp?
Carr: "No. I can't remember. Long game, but I don't think it was the wind. If I could remember certain routes exactly, I could tell you exactly what happened."
Q: The first interception?
Carr: "The guy made a great play."
Q: On the second interception, Andre Holmes said that he needs to make the play and get up there and get that ball. What did you see on that?
Carr:"It was the one time finally on that drive we kind of got a one-on-one so I just gave Andre a chance and again 23 (Terence Newman) made a great play. He did."
Q: You were aggressive with the long ball. What did you see on the Amari Cooper play that made you want to do that?
Carr:"They went to like a single-high look and just in that situation that was the read, and that's where to go with it. We had Amari on that certain look and we got it that time. Whenever you get that you do your best to make that play. I told Amari on the sideline I let it rip and I thought I was going to overthrow him and then it got hung up in there. I'm just glad he came down with it."
Q: What sort of throws were you conscious about the wind?
Carr: "I think honestly that was the only one. When you launch one that far and that high, if it has any flutter at all. It couldn't even look like a floater and it will turn into one. On that play that one did, but that was really the only one."
Q: What did the kickoff return for the touchdown did to the team?
Carr:"Man. That was a huge play by them. It kind of caught me off guard. I was sitting there doing the drive review and getting ready for the next series and I looked up and the guy was already on their side of the field. Knowing who their returner was, when he gets in the open he's so fast. He made a great play. Obviously they probably blocked it up really well. That's always hard, but to us our whole mindset literally when that happened was just hey at least we get the ball back and another chance."
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Q: How easy is it not to panic after losing a couple tough games?**
Carr: "When you lose, it's hard. You just have to rely on your foundation. You have to rely on what you believe in. This team and everybody believes in one another. I just continue to stay the same person. You're never going to see me too high or too low in my attitude and how I go about my business day-to-day. I'll just always stay levelheaded and keep working. That's all I know how to do is to work hard."
Q: You and Teddy Bridgewater were drafted at the same time. Do you mark your career against his in any way?
Carr:"Oh gosh no. It's two totally different teams, cities, all that kind of stuff that you can't. If we were lined up next to each other and the game was played with two quarterbacks then we could. I root for Teddy. I wish him the best and I think he's a heck of a player."
Q: How did it go Tony Bergstrom in at center?
Carr:"I thought he did a good job. Obviously I have to watch the film because I'm not watching him or anything like that, but I felt like he did a good job. I thought he made great calls. He definitely knew what he was doing. Coach [Mike] Tice and Coach Tim [Holt] did a great job with preparing him and he does a great job of preparing every week regardless so I thought he did really well."
Q: After a slump like this, do you look ahead and say you have winnable games?
Carr:"We never look too far ahead that's one thing I've learned especially in this league you can't because each week you play somebody it's a fight out there every time. We're focused on the next week but we're absolutely confident in that locker room that we can go out and play well. We can play good football. It's not always going to be pretty it's not always going to be flashy and big plays and all those things sometimes we're going to have to grind them out and kind of deal and we're learning that as we grow. We're very confident that there is not a lack of confidence from player to player, player to coach, none of that. That's how I know we're a good football team."
Q: How do you get around them using two deep safeties?
Carr: "it's just normal football stuff. Run at the ball, just try to take a safety from out of there bring him down in the box, those kinds of things. But in certain looks and certain situations also, they know they can just play a certain way and then you have to take short passes kind of like how we got into a lot of times last year. It's kind of what we saw with those kind of things but I know our coaches and we'll be able to be ready for that."
Q: You took a pretty good hit in the third quarter, any thought of coming off? Did you feel it at all?
Carr: "Oh never. I tried my best to ever. I definitely felt it when he hit me. He's a big guy, he's a good player, but I was fine."
**Q: Did you feel the blocked field goal was a pivotal play at that time when you were down six?
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Carr: "it was huge. It was a huge play. He made a great play on that. He's a good player, he's really long so he's good with using his arms on those kinds of things so he made a great play there. We did feel very confident when he did that we we're fired up."
Q: What did you see on the play where Amari took the big hit?
Carr: "No, they play they just cover six they covered four, they covered two. That safety, his responsibilities are over the top. I turned to throw it to Amari and that guy just kind of left and came and made a play. I always feel bad when that happens. You try to protect them as best as you can but Harrison just came out and his responsibility, he just made a play on him."
RAIDERS LB MALCOLM SMITH
Q: You guys kept Vikings RB Adrian Peterson fairly bottled up the whole game, but with someone like that, is there always that feeling that you can't relax for a minute?
Smith:"You have to be sharp the whole game with him. Obviously, he made us pay. We just have to be sharper, more detailed and just finish better. Obviously, that's been kind of our downfall."
Q: Did it feel like you guys came out flat in the first quarter?
Smith:"No, man. They're a good team. They have a good offense that's been working well. They gave us some punches and I feel like we responded back better and put us in a position to win the game for a little bit, and then you saw how it went."
Q: Did that kick return for touchdown take something out of you guys?
Smith:"Yeah, it put some points on the board, obviously. It hurts when that stuff happens, but I feel like we responded back and we still had a chance. We just have to finish. That last long run, we could've given the offense the ball back."
Q: It didn't always result in a sack but it seemed like the pressure was pretty solid on Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater all game. Did you feel that way?
Smith:"He does a good job of kind of avoiding those sacks and avoiding plays. We had to be there. We would've loved to get him down some more; it might've changed things for us. But, I feel like we did a good job containing his running ability."
RAIDERS WR ANDRE HOLMES
Q: Right before your touchdown, WR Amari Cooper had the long reception and it seemed like your offense had really started to click. Did it feel to you that couldn't continue that momentum for long stretches today?
Holmes:"We didn't move the ball as much as we thought we would. We just have to get better. We have to make the plays that come to us. That's the way you move the ball, you just make plays."
Q: Was it just good coverage or did you guys feel out of sync as an offense?
Holmes:"I don't know. I think we just have to make the plays. That's about all I can say about it. Just make plays."
Q: Late in the fourth quarter, QB Derek Carr threw an interception that was intended for you. What did you see from your vantage point on that?
Holmes:"I just have to come down with it. That's the bottom line right there. I didn't go as aggressive as I thought I would. Really, I'm not even sure what happened. Just didn't come down with it."
Q: When you guys were 4-3 there was so much hype around this team. After losing two straight, where do you think this team is at right now?
Holmes:"We still have confidence. There are a lot of games left. We can still win, obviously. We've been winning all season, so we can't hold our heads down just because we've lost our last two games. There are a lot of games left, especially in our conference."
RAIDERS S CHARLES WOODSON
Q: What happened out there today?
Woodson:"We lost."
Q: If I said you came out flat, would I be right?
Woodson:"Yeah, I think they came out and executed early in the game. Defensively we allowed them to go down there and score a touchdown on the first drive. After that first drive, I thought we settled down pretty good."
Q: Would you say the defense suffered from a lack of fundamentals?
Woodson:"Every week we come in, we emphasize something that we need to work on. This week was the passing game and we did well passing, but we allowed them to run all over us for 200-plus yards or whatever it was. You put your finger over one leak and something else pops up, so we've got to find a way to eliminate more than just one phase of the game."
Q: What makes Adrian Peterson so efficient?
Woodson:"He can do it all. He's a big back. He's fast. He's patient. He finds holes in defenses like no other running back does. Then once he hits it, man, it's lights out. He's one of the best in the game and he showed that today."
Q: Peterson is a tough closer, so is it tough to be behind the Vikings in the fourth quarter?
Woodson:"He's a workhorse, man. He's been doing it for years. He hasn't let up yet. Again, he's one of the best to ever play this game."
Q: Is there a feeling this team is letting something slip away over the last two weeks or is missing an opportunity?
Woodson:"Of course that's the reality of it. We find ourselves coming in today at .500. There is still a lot at stake for this football team. We've got to go out and win games in order for us to get where we want to go at the end of the season, we've got to win these games. We were right there in this game. There was a tough blow right before halftime, giving up a touchdown on a kickoff return, but still we went out there and kept the game close. Then all of a sudden, the top gets blown off of it late in the game. We're close, but not close enough, so we've got to keep on grinding."
RAIDERS G/T TONY BERGSTROM
**Q: With Vikings DT Linval Joseph right in the middle at 329 lbs., that guy's pretty much a load for your first start.
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Bergstrom:"Yeah. Well, that guy's a load for everybody. He's been making centers around the league look pretty bad. He's a good player. He is a load and you have to give him every bit of credit that you can. He went out and he played pretty well today. He was a test; that was definitely the test this week. We had him pegged as probably their best guy up front, and he was a great test for us out there."
Q: There were times when you guys would just march right down the field and other times when it was tough going. Is that a lot to do with them or something to do with you guys?
Bergstrom:"We always like the have the mentality that it's on us.* *I think everyone has that Coach Wooden mentality that you're the only one who can stop you. We had times when we could run the ball really well and other times when we weren't. It was just hard to get going. We couldn't really get in a groove. That's what we needed to do, get in groove. We just couldn't get that swagger going."
Q: How do you think you played today?
Bergstrom:"Coming out, you always feel pretty good about it. But, I'll be honest, maybe it's just me, but I go home and I'll spend the next 24 hours in my head going through the worst of everything. But it's never as bad and it's never as good as you think, so we'll see. I have to see how I graded out. I feel like as far as the calls I made, they were all pretty solid. But we'll see how it went. I have to watch the film on that one. That's going to be a great game to learn from."
RAIDERS S NATE ALLEN
Q: How did it feel to get back on the field?
Allen:"It felt good to be back out there. Got through it healthy and it was a plus. It felt good and I feel like I'm 100 percent."
Q: What do you think went wrong defensively?
Allen:"It's hard to put a finger on one thing. We just gave up too much. Missed communication on some things. Just do a better job of tackling and just like you said, fundamental stuff, being in our gaps. We've just got to do a better job all around."
Q: Against a team like the Vikings, do you really have to bring you're A-game on every play?
Allen:"You've got to stay disciplined as far as your run fits and everything. We've got to be on top of our communication, because one misstep in that and a guy like A.P. [Vikings RB Adrian Peterson] and the rest of those weapons they have, they'll make you pay for it."
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Q: Speaking of Peterson, is he great?**
Allen:"Oh yeah. He's a great runner. We've got to do a better job of working on the fundamentals of tackling, but yeah, nothing away from him. He's a great back and they had a great (day) up front. They got us today."
Q: How did the Vikings getting multiple weapons going early help Peterson?
Allen:"You've got to respect all of them, [Mike] Wallace and all of those guys. They are all weapons and they complement each other. Yeah, we've just got to do a better job executing."
RAIDERS WR AMARI COOPER
Q: What were your thoughts on the game?
Cooper:"I just thought we didn't execute in all three phases of the game. I feel like that's why we didn't win."
Q: How deflating was the kickoff return before halftime?
Cooper:"Things like that occur in the game. You just have to bounce back from it if you're going to win and we just didn't do that today."
Q: Why weren't you guys able to get going in the second half?
Cooper:"We just couldn't move the ball. We just didn't do the right things that we needed to do. That's all that really comes down to."
Q: What is your sense with the team right now? You've had a couple of losses after a few big wins. Going forward, is this team still in a good position?
Cooper:"Oh yeah. We're definitely still in the mix. We just have to get back to the drawing board, practice the right way and the wins will follow."
Q: Did they do anything you didn't expect defensively?
Cooper:"Coming into the game, we already know they had a plethora of different coverages."
RAIDERS DE KHALIL MACK
Q: I know you haven't gone back and looked at the tape, but based on your initial reaction, was it more them or was it you guys just not executing the plays?
Mack:"Man, I feel like it's always on us. It's always on us, man. We prepared, but schematically it didn't come out the way we wanted it to."
Q: You guys had Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater three or four times where it looked like you guys were going to drop him but he was able to get away. How frustrating was that?
Mack:"It was frustrating, but we wanted to create more of those situations. When you don't stop the run, you don't have many more of those opportunities. This was the game to get those opportunities."
Q: For a while, you guys kept Vikings RB Adrian Peterson in check. Is that just how good he is that they just keep hammering at him?
Mack:"Oh man, he's a great player. Great player. He made plays today to win the game. You can't give up those long runs. He had a lot of them."
Q: One game into the second half, now 4-5, do you just try as hard as you can to focus on that next game and that game only?
Mack:"Man, it's a week-to-week league. You see the teams that won this week and the teams that lost. It happens week to week. You have to bring you're A-game every week. You can't worry about those losses or it will pile up on you for real. We have to look at the film, correct it and come out and get ready for Detroit."
