WATCH: Raiders' Punter AJ Cole Speaks After Falcons Loss

The Las Vegas Raiders fell to the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night. Punter AJ Cole spoke after the loss.

Las Vegas Raiders P A.J. Cole / Darrell Craig Harris, Sports Illustrated

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- The Las Vegas Raiders fell to the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football, 15-9.

Punter AJ Cole has been a crucial part of the Raiders' special teams. As one of the best punters in the league, he helped the Silver and Black to great field positioning defensively against the Falcons. Things ultimately did not go the Raiders' way, and Cole spoke from the locker room:

Below is the full transcript of Antonio Pierce's Tuesday presser:

Q: I saw that Aidan O'Connell went through an on-field workout before the game yesterday. Do you feel like he'sin line to be able to get back out there against Jacksonville, or has Desmond Ridder earned a chance to get another start?

Coach Pierce: "Yeah, he had a good workout. Just wasn't there quite yet to put him out there in that position. So, we kept him as emergency quarterback, and I would say he's trending upwards to play this week."

Q: As you watch these losses all come from a multiplicity of reasons, is there something behind the multiple different reasons that you're putting your finger on and identifying?

Coach Pierce: "The number one problem is turnovers. Number two would be execution in situational football, third down and red zone on both sides of the ball, and then penalties. Those are things that's kind of been an outlier throughout, but that's not to say that that's been the case in each and every game. There's been moments where we've had really good moments on third down and in the red zone. Go back a couple weeks against Kansas City we held them to 1-of-5. Last night, on third down, we did a really good job versus Atlanta. But then there's other opportunities where, again, we have an opportunity and we get a turnover, or a play and got the ball at midfield, and we're not taking advantage of those. Opportunities that we could offensively put points on the board."

Q: In your discussions with Mark Davis, have you gotten a sense of where he stands asfar as yourstatus goes?

Coach Pierce: "Me and Mark Davis talk often, and the conversations have been the same as they always are, very positive."

Q: I know as reporters, we can't know the nuances and what's behind play calls, but the shotgun handoffs in the endzone, are those a little dangerous you think? Or what was your thoughts on those calls last night?

Coach Pierce: "That was the call. That was a plan. That's what we had worked on throughout the week. Each quarterback is different, and that's what we went into the game with."

Q: By looking at the film, were you able to identify what was going on with the special teams and why the Falcons had so much success getting to block the kicks?

Coach Pierce: "Yeah, there was miscommunication between our personal protector, our guards, and the center."

Q: Just going back to the positive conversations with Mark Davis, do you feel like you'll be back next year? Do you feel like you've made that case for yourself?

Coach Pierce: "I'm under contract."

Q: I know you were pretty shorthanded on the defensive line yesterday, but Jonah Laulu, a local kid, had a pretty big night on Monday Night Football. What do you think of how he played?

Coach Pierce: "I think he's been improving each and every week. Really excited about just watching his growth, his development throughout the season. I think Robbie Leonard and those guys have done an outstanding job of just kind of building him up slowly, not throwing him out there to the wolves right away. And each and every week, he's kind of shown up. I thought last night, I know he had the sack, but there's been moments, not just last night, the last couple weeks, where he's been around a quarterback, being disruptive. He really has a unique knack of rushing a passer. That's kind of probably his thing that he's the best at right now, but he's done a really good job at run game. We actually use him as like a big defensive end, because we were obviously light last night at D-end."

Q: What'd you see from the D-line as a whole without Maxx Crosby last night? How did they respond and what did you see from other guys up front?

Coach Pierce: "Yeah, I thought they were relentless. I thought they played with good technique, good fundamentals, setting the edge. Really difficult tasks with that offense, offensive line, that running back, because he could hit you at every angle. But I thought, for the most part, guys were getting off blocks. And then I thought the pass rush, we want to be disruptive, not just with sacks, but the pressures, being around the quarterback, making him uncomfortable. I thought you saw that last night as well."

Q: It took a bit for the wide receivers to get involved yesterday. What changed in the fourth quarter that was able to help them produce? And what did you see early on in the game that was holding them back?

Coach Pierce: "I think just the way the game flow went. Obviously, early on we want to establish to run. So you saw a lot of that stuff. You saw some quarterbacks, some RPO stuff, things of that nature, quarterback movement. And as the game flowed on, just getting familiar to what they were doing defensively and how they were handling Brock Bowers and Jakobi [Meyers]."

Q: Specifically about DJ Glaze, Jackson Powers-Johnson and Jordan Meredith, your three young offensive linemen, can you discuss what you continue to see from them as maturation?

Coach Pierce: "Yeah, improvement. I mean, there's always ups and downs, and each week there's always corrections, but I just think guys are getting familiar. Each and every week, they're getting different schemes, different concepts, games, stunts. I see the communication and continuity amongst them three really picking up though. They're comfortable. They played a lot of football now, they've started 10-plus games, they're almost getting there to that end of that rookie year. And I know it's kind of wearing on them a little bit, but I think they're doing a good job of taking care of their bodies and just constantly improving and grinding."

Q: Has there been an update on Sincere McCormick?

Coach Pierce: "No different than from last night."

Q: You talked about the miscommunication on the punt team, but there was only 10 guys on the field for the extra point. I guess, how doesthat happen at this pointin the season, and what happened there?

Coach Pierce: "Shouldn't have happened."

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