Las Vegas Raiders QB Derek Carr Week 16 Update

Quarterback Derek Carr gave his state of the Las Vegas Raiders address for Week 16.

HENDERSON, Nev.--The Las Vegas Raiders (6-8) are headed to a collision in the cold against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium on Christmas Eve, Saturday.

Moments ago, quarterback Derek Carr looked ahead to this weekend versus the Steelers and discussed the franchise's state.

You can watch the entire press conference below and read the transcript as well:

Quarterback Derek Carr

Q: When going into a loud environment, you can simulate that, but you can't simulate cold or snow. So what do you do to prepare for this?

Carr: "I mean, it is what it is. Any time I've ever gone into one of these games, usually if it's raining or stuff like that, you can prepare. But just cold, 90 percent of it's mentality or probably more. You just set your mind because you know they're playing in it, you're playing in it. At the end of the day, you have to execute at a high level. And so for us, it's all about the execution of the football plays and trying to win the football game no matter whether it's inside, outside, whatever that is."

Q: I know that you grew up a sports fan. Your dad was a big sports fan. Any memories of Franco Harris and all that?

Carr: "Well, absolutely. Obviously, I wasn't alive to watch when he played, but my dad would have some really cool memories, and some against the Raiders obviously, as we all know. And just our prayers go to his family -- 72 I think he was, so still young. He dedicated so much of his time to help football and the next generation of football, and to their organization, everyone who's been impacted by him there and in that community. So, anytime someone loses a life, it puts things in perspective real quick, that we're just playing a game. Obviously, there's a lot riding on certain games and things like that, all the games and what we do and all that kind of stuff, but at the end of day it's life. Someone lost their life, so your heart always goes toward their family, and I just hope that they're doing OK, because that's never easy. I've lost -- we've all probably lost loved ones -- and it's never easy. No matter when or how old or how young, it's never easy no matter what."

Q: The team has played a ton of close games this year. The last five games there have been some crazy endings and I think that speaks to the margin and how close it is in this league. Can that be frustrating? Can that be exciting? What emotions go through you when you know that it's one or two plays?

Carr: "Well, when you finish on the good side of it, you're like: 'It's good.' Whenever you lose the game, you're like: 'This sucks.' But I've always thought that the NFL, free agency, the draft, the way the salary cap, everything is set up is designed to make it as even and as fair as possible, to make it close games. I don't know the stats on it, but I would say that NFL games are probably so close compared to other sports on average. It's almost every week it's a two-minute drive for somebody or a field goal at the end or something. And so for us knowing that, in the NFL it's not like college where there's like six teams on your schedule you know you're going to win at least by 20. It's not like that in the NFL. So for us as professionals, that's why the off-season matters, that's why OTAs and the work that goes in and the time that you have off -- what are you doing during that time? Are you helping your team? Are you helping be ready and conditioned? All those little things add up. So that's why as you get years into the NFL, you focus on little things you can do to be better, because you know how close games are, and you're focus on those things to try to help your team win the next season. So, it's exciting because you know it doesn't matter what the records are, I've always said that. The records never matter. It's pro football, it doesn't matter who's playing. When you go out there, you've still got to play."

Q: You joked after the game that anyone who has been around this franchise for a while has seen their fair share of crazy endings -- I think even more you guys than the rest of the NFL, it seems like you've had all these close games. Was there ever a point you kind of became -- I know it's always still exciting and probably stressful but did you become more numb to it? Your breathing slows down, do you become more used to it over the years?

Carr: "Yeah, honestly. Over the years -- the perfect example is last game. We didn't execute on that four-minute when it was four minutes left. And we're like: 'Well, the defense has got to get the ball back." Not sitting there stressing out or anything like that. We get the ball back with a certain amount of timeouts, one timeout, whatever the situation. It's the next play, you've got to execute the next play. And as a football player, in practice it's that way. Whether it goes good or bad, just execute the next one. We'll talk about that one later, the one you just did. So, I think you just get so caught up in a routine of how football goes that -- it's been nine years, I've almost played a decade of football in the NFL and so many close games and all that kind of stuff. At some point it's just like: 'Alright well, whatever the situation is, I gotta try my best.' If there's eight seconds left: 'OK, I've got to throw a Hail Mary.' Whatever it is, you just focus on your job at hand and you don't worry about anything else."

Q: On some of those big drives this year, including on Sunday, Mack Hollins has made some plays. He's kind of become a trusted guy for you. He came here wanting that opportunity, so what does it say about him that he's seized it and become more than just a special teams guy?

Carr: "I'm very proud of him. He trusted, he bet on himself, he wanted a chance, he worked really hard for it and he got it. He hasn't been absolutely perfect, no one this year has, but he's made some really big plays. We've needed him, especially with all the injuries we had. We've needed him in big moments, and I found someone I trust. I found someone who will do the right thing more times than not and come down with the ball for me and all that stuff. So, I'm proud of him. I think he's got career highs in everything, and you know what that means to me, having a guy come in and be able to help be a part of that with somebody. That means a lot to me, because there's a lot of hard work that goes into that. And so, the way he's been able to play for us has been awesome, not just special teams, but on offense and going to him on the most crucial down -- fourth-and-10. If we don't get it, it's over. And we go right back to him, and he makes a great play for us -- two in a row actually. So, he's someone that we have trust in, and I'm really proud of the work that he's put in."

Q: Did you know he was playing safety on the Chandler Jones fumble recovery?

Carr: "So, I didn't know it at that moment. I didn't know if they did Hail Mary [coverage]. I knew he was on that unit, but I was watching the jumbo-tron, so I didn't see him trot out there. But after he told me, he was like: 'Bro, I thought I was going to make that tackle.' I was like: 'What tackle are you talking about?' Yeah, a good thing. But he's good special teams player, so he would've been alright."

Q: With how big you guys are on the interior line, does that make establishing the run even more vital early to set up play action pass?

Carr: "I think everything's open -- speed option, triple option, flea flickers, reverses, big passes, all that stuff. I think everything in the playbook is open when anything is going on on the front."

Q: If you get the triple option, are you going to keep it?

Carr: "Absolutely, I would. Absolutely. I had a lot of quarterback sneaks in my day."

Q: You've talked about the playoff possibilities -- it all involves you guys just winning your games so you're focused on that. But how important is it to have a non-zero number when you see that playoff possibility? It's not a zero, how important is that to kind of drive you the next day and keep you guys coming to work and have something out there like a carrot to go for?

Carr: "Just going off of experience of last year, just trying to focus solely on this game, because I know I want to talk about it, and as a human I could have things to say, but it really doesn't matter unless I handle my business today. So, just going based off of how -- I thought I did well and things I didn't think, mindset and all that kind of stuff, this year I'm just trying so hard to focus on the Steelers. Because I know that if we take care of business, then we focus on the next one -- it's not going to be easy, we've got a tough team that we've got to go to their place on the road. It's a good defense, they've got a good, upcoming offense, young guys. So for us, we're so focused on this. The numbers and all that, it's hard to stay away from it with how the world is today, but you try and stay away from it as best you can."

Q: You've been in positions where there was this much time left and it was zero. How different is it to come to work knowing that it's possible no matter what? Even if you're focused on this game, you know there is a possibility?

Carr: "I mean, all you want is a chance, right? All you want is a chance to keep competing for goals and all that kind of stuff for sure. That's something that any competitor would ever ask for is just a chance."

Q: With these cold weather games, do you go in thinking about things you can and can't do? What's your preparation like?

Carr: "For me, over the years, I've learned so much playing in Denver, playing in Kansas City in certain weather games -- the playoff game last year. You learn so many things on how to do certain things to where like it is just football. Me being a West Coast guy, I've been in California or Texas my whole life, so it's been a little bit of different climates. But I've learned through my career to do certain things to where it is just football, to where I don't have to do anything different, the team, we don't have to do anything different, you can just play football. And Josh [McDaniels] and all of their experience too helps for sure."

The Raiders return to action on Christmas Eve, on Saturday in Pittsburgh versus the Steelers. That game kicks off at 8:15 p.m. EST/5:15 p.m. PST and can be seen on NFLN.

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