WATCH: Raiders' Defensive Mastermind Talks Broncos, Young Stars

The Las Vegas Raiders have a genius in defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. He recently spoke about the upcoming task against the Denver Broncos and more.

Las Vegas Raiders DC Patrick Graham / Darrell Craig Harris, Sports Illustrated

LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham is a genius and the Las Vegas Raiders are more than lucky to have him dialing things up.

On Thursday, the coach had his weekly media availability, where he discussed the Denver Broncos, Decamerion Richardson's growth, and more. We have the video in it's entirety right here:

Below is the full transcript from Antonio Pierce's Wednesday presser:

Q: What is the status of the health of your running back room and also Jack Jones? Coach

Pierce: "Yeah, so two running backs won't practice and neither will Jack Jones today. So, next man up mentality. Get some of these younger guys some reps, see how they do, and hopefully we get these guys back by the end of the week."

Q: What is the plan, I know the young guys, but in particular at running back if you don't have your top two guys on Sunday?

Coach Pierce: "Yeah, I mean you're looking at Ameer [Abdullah], looking at Dylan [Laube], and then we got Sincere [McCormick] there on the practice squad. So get him some reps, get him going. Obviously, with those two gentleman not practicing today, we'll definitely ramp up everybody else."

Q: I know that you're always comfortable with everyone on your roster, next man up mentality like you said, but when you've got Ameer Abdullah who's been in the league for a decade, is there an extra security there for a situation like this?

Coach Pierce: "Well, especially in a game like this. Because if you remember last time we played Denver, Ameer [Abdullah] had a really good game. Had some big plays for us, some great opportunities in the passing game, in the running game, obviously special teams. But if he happens to be the lead back this week, were going to feel really comfortable about him. I mean, he's an explosive player, he's a vet, he knows the system, very savvy. It's just making sure everybody's comfortable, especially up front in protection, being keyed in on that."

Q: What are you looking for for the offense to build off of the success that they had from last week?

Coach Pierce: "Yeah, I'd love to see the efficiency stay there, especially on third down. Want to pick up in the red zone, and I'm going to go back to it, you want to see the running game get going. Just need that balance. Can't keep throwing the ball 40 times a game. Just hasn't worked out for us for winning ball games. That's not our recipe for winning. So see the balance there, take care of the quarterback, especially in a game like this where their defense is really good, one of the best in league in sacking the quarterbacks. Keep Gardner [Minshew] free and allow our play makers to make plays down the field."

Q: Yesterday, Joe Philbin was very complimentary of you listening to him when you asked him, 'What do you think the problem is?' And he talked to you about communication. As a young coach, what does it mean to have guys like him on your staff?

Coach Pierce: "Well, that's why he was here. The role he was in initially, senior advisor, and obviously we made the change now as the O-line coach, he's seen it all. I actually played against - well, he coached against me when he was with the Packers and I was with the Giants. So, very familiar with his style, his approach, the way his O-line played, the way he coached the game, called the game. I'm sitting there upstairs, I'm always watching, and he's always talking and giving knowledge, not just to our O-line coaches at the time, but other coaches throughout our staff. So, there's a lot of wisdom there, a guy that's been a head coach in this league. He's seen a lot of ball, he's been through these kind of moments so to say where you've had change, and it's been very helpful to have somebody there that you can ask questions to and give you some feedback."

Q: The offensive line, the five guys that played last week, are you hoping those are the five guys going forward? What did you see on film from those guys?

Coach Pierce: "Those will be the five guys out there today. Need to keep it that way come Sunday. Just continuity, I said it last week, we’ve just been having so many different lineups in and out as far as with health and different things of that nature. It'll be good, I was just watching them in the walk through just here recently, seeing those same five guys. Just when you’ve got continuity, chemistry, all those words go together, and it really helps out not just your o-line group, but the offense because you don't have these mistakes and mental errors that we had early in the season."

Q: You've talked about leaning on Joe Philbin a little bit and that's why he's there for the experience. Are you able to lean on Marvin Lewis as well when you go through a stretch like this?

Coach Pierce: "Yeah, me and Marvin [Lewis] talk every morning at six o'clock about this. And I think the one positive, like you said, him going through that transition from coordinator then to the head coach of the Bengals, getting that organization up to where it was running. He had some dark days, and the one thing we talk about constantly, just keep working. Keep delivering the message, don't stop, don't get discouraged. At times you get frustrated. Not used to losing six games in a row, not used to be in 2-8. That's just not a part of something I've done in my life, but we're going to change that round, and all I know how to do is work like I told the players and keep improving. Trying to find different ways and moving pieces around so we can just get over that hump and feel what winning feels like again, because it's been a long time."

Q: With some of your corners nicked up, what do you want to see from Decamerion Richardson in practice and potentially on game day too?

Coach Pierce: "Yeah, just like what we've been seeing really to be honest in practice. And you've seen in the game, he's been consistent, physical, but making plays. Obviously, he's still going to get some reps on special teams if he's a starter. But now this is his fourth game playing a lot on defense, and you're looking just for that steady improvement. And he's doing it. And I think I've said this even back into training camp, this is around the time you expect some of your younger guys, your rookies, to really come along late in the season due to injuries or other factors that come into it. And he's in that role right now. And to be honest, he's had some good moments in games. He's been tested and he's been there, he’s been in the right spot. I think it's good sometimes, I always say, when you take a step back and you watch for months or weeks at a time, and then you get the opportunity and the game is not as fast for you."

Q: Dylan Laube is a guy that's rode that rookie roller coaster ride a little bit. What is he showing you behind the scenes with work ethic?

Coach Pierce: "I was about to say the key word right there is work ethic, because he's a scout team running back there, giving us a good look. Obviously, we had some fumbles early on, talked about that with the ball security. And again, here's a great example, right? Well, here's your opportunity. Are you ready? And we've been talking about that. I keep talking about rookies, our younger players, you never know when your name will get called, your number is going to get called. And if it's this week, be ready for it. But I will say this, he shows up every day, he's in building as early as most of our vets. He's prepared, he goes out to practice, practices hard. He gives us good looks, got a smile on his face, and he works.”

Q: You're not an excuse maker, but do you ever just take a moment and look at your injury list and think, "Dear God, can I buy a break?”

Coach Pierce: "No. This isn’t a break season for me. So, it's one of the ones you've got to just swallow, you've got to take it. And obviously we'll look back for all the reasons, right? There's been some noncontact injuries. There's been guys getting rolled up, think about the Cincinnati Bengals game, you get six guys with ankle injuries, that's kind of unheard of. Just been having some bad breaks, but nobody feels sorry for us. Nobody feels sorry for me. You've got to roll out there with 11 players, and that's what we're going to do come Sunday."

Q: With players like Dylan Laube, do you pay attention to the reaction sometimes? I mean, he fumbled and the playing time has been reduced since then. Do you keep an eye on how guys respond to that?

Coach Pierce: "Yeah, no, I do. That's probably the best thing I can do in the position I'm in, because I get to walk around a lot, and I get to touch the guys in locker room, training room, strength room, things of that nature. And you get to go up to them and just talk to them and just look at their eyes and see if they're down or they're out of it, or if not, you've got to give them a little pat on the butt and say, 'It's going to be okay." But I always go back to when I was a rookie, and I always try to explain that to them. l went through ups and downs as well, right? So, you hopefully play long enough in this league where you can make up for those mistakes. And the one thing I always say, and I just said a minute ago is, 'When that opportunity comes again, don't let it slip through your hands.’ He's a tough kid, right? He's from Long Island. He's got a little ish to him, so I don't really worry about the mental toughness to him. We've got to go out there and do it in practice where he has that confidence in himself. I can believe in him all I want, but he has to believe in himself."

Q: Is it important to maybe call a time out on him or whatever, don't throw away the key. The key is not being thrown away?

Coach Pierce: "It's not, that's why he's playing this week. I mean, we didn’t put him in the barn yard. I mean, we gave him looks, have him go against our defense, and we challenged our guys on the scout team. It's real football, we're not giving a look and just giving up. No, you run through tackles, you get the best opportunity you could, because I don't want those guys on scout team forever, right? Or our practice squad guys. You want to see the elevation. You want to see the development of your younger players, the bottom of your roster move up to the active roster and be productive. And I'm going to say it again, he has an opportunity this week."

Q: What were your impressions of Bo Nix in the draft process and what have you seen from him this year?

Coach Pierce: "Yeah, throughout college, winner. He was a winner as a freshman. He was a winner as a six-year player. All he does is win, come in the league. Won the quarterback battle there in Denver. Maybe they were keeping them tight on the leash early on, and now they're not. He has full control that offense. You can see that Sean Payton gives him opportunities to audible and make some adjustments. He's making throws, he's running with his legs, he's taking care of the football, and he's winning. That's all you can ask for from a rookie."

Q: Can you speak on the mindset of your players as they go up and face a rival after this past weekend, and then just the comments of saying things like, 'We're playing for pride. We're playing with our heart out there.' What has it been like?

Coach Pierce: "Yeah, a divisional game, we know these guys, right? We know them, and we had a great opportunity last time we faced them; 10-3, ball at the four-yard line, let's take advantage of this ball game and let's get this bad boy rolling. So, we know them, we talked about that today. The good part about when you're in the division is you know the roster, right? Because that's how we built our roster is based off of who we face in our division. So, we know about [Courtland] Sutton, we know [Pat] Surtain. Now with Bo Nix at quarterback, you understand Sean Payton, because he's been in the league a long time. So, it's really understanding your divisional foe, how they want to attack you and what matchups can we exploit more importantly.

Q: I know you said you hoped to Alexander Mattison and Zamir White could be back later in the week. With the cornerback that you were talking about missing practice, is there any prognosis on them for whether they can be back later in the week?

Coach Pierce: "Yeah, we'll see with Jack [Jones] and JB [Jakorian Bennett]. They won't practice today, but we'll see where they are later on in the week.”

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