EXCLUSIVE: Raiders LT Miller from the Locker Room Browns Week

EXCLUSIVE: Las Vegas Raiders LT Kolton Miller spoke with us Cleveland Browns week.

Las Vegas Raiders Superstar LT Kolton Miller / Darrell Craig Harris, Sports Illustrated

HENDERSON, Nev.—The Las Vegas Raiders (1-2) are a team chomping to return to action as they prepare to host the Cleveland Browns (1-2) this weekend.

Despite a tough start to the season, this organization has shown no signs of quitting or panicking. 

There is far too much talent on this team to move rashly, and the Silver and Black are ready to show Raider Nation that with fourteen games remaining on the season, this team has all of its goals ahead of it.

We spoke EXCLUSIVELY to superstar LT Kolton Miller from the locker room after practice, and we have the entire press conference for you to watch below:

On Thursday, OC Luke Getsy addressed the media, and here is a transcript of what he said:

Q: I know you guys obviously came out early in the game last week trying to establish the run. It seemed like it still wasn't clicking. Just after reviewing the tape, what do you think you guys need to do to turn it around moving forward?

Coach Getsy: “Well it's like anything, I think we’ve got to take the execution from practice, we’ve got to apply it to the field, and I think the execution has gotten better in practice each and every game. I think, and honestly, all relative, right? But I felt like the execution up front was a lot better this past week than it had been. So, I think that part of it's getting better, and then all tying together, everything has to flow together. I think when you see the offense start to roll, and kind of like that second half of the Ravens was, is when all the pieces are kind of flowing together. And the execution, you convert third downs. I think the one thing that was improved was it wasn't third and longs like it had been. And I think that part of it is a testament to improving that run game. So, we’ve got to keep sawing wood and then improve the execution on the practice field, and then we'll take that thing to the game field."

Q: As you evaluated last week, did you do you think there was times where, I mean, everybody knew you guys wanted to establish a run, that was talked about so much, was there times maybe you forced it when it didn't need to be forced?

Coach Getsy: “I don't think the word is forced. I think it's important to establish the run. I don't think we put ourselves in any un-advantageous positions to run. I don't think that. I think we got to do a better job coaching it, and players got to do a better job executing. And that's as simple as an answer as I can give, but it really is. I think that's simple. We just got to have greater attention to detail and we will."

Q: Zamir White last year when he took over, was one of the best backs in the NFL. So, when you see three games in still trying to adjust, how much of it is just still learning a new scheme, maybe having to change a little bit to his strengths, where's the balance there?

Coach Getsy: “Well any player that you have on your team, you want to always do things that help them be the best that they're capable of being. And then you want to make sure you're taking advantage of whatever the defense is giving you too, right? So, you always want to balance those things out. And it's not just Z [Zamir White], it's the whole group, right? We talk about it in our room all the time. It's 11 as one. Every person has a part in the run game, including the quarterback, making sure that we're in the right look, making sure everyone's hitting their aiming points the way they're supposed to, and when that clicks, it all feels and looks right. That’s what we're all hunting. It's not one particular person, it's not one particular unit. When you're running the football, it's 11 is one and always will be."

Q: Antonio Pierce kind of hinted that there would be some changes this week. He said we'd have to wait and see. Not asking for any specifics, but are we at the point of the season where things are still evolving offensively?

Coach Getsy: “They 100% are, right? I mean it's the beginning of a new season, of a new regime and a new system, and we're only three games into this thing. That's part of the growth man, everyone would be able to do it if it was all easy, right? And I think that's part of the challenge that we have here. We know we got the right people in the building; we got the right coaches, we got the right players. It's just going to continue to get better each and every week. And I know last week didn't look and feel the way anybody wanted it to, right? We were all on the same page there, but we feel like we're getting better. We feel like we had a really good day of practice yesterday. We're excited to get back out there and get another crack at it today."

Q: Following up on your last answer, you talked about execution and everything. I asked Antonio Pierce yesterday about third downs, if it's third and five, throwing three and he said you're not drawing those plays up, that's execution. So, how do you fix it? Is it simply telling guys you’ve got to get down the field?

Coach Getsy: "No, I think to answer the execution question it goes back to what you already asked before, right? It's about giving guys opportunities to go have success. It's making sure everybody is on the same page, and then it's going out and practicing it, gaining that confidence, and then taking it and applying it to the game field. And I think everybody in this building sees it every single day getting better and better, and I think we're excited, and the guys are excited. The brotherhood in that room is really strong, so we're leaning on that and it's going to keep continuing to get better and we're excited for it."

Q: When DJ Glaze has to go in on that third play to replace Thayer Munford, going from what you saw in training camp to that moment, what do you think is the improvements that DJ made? And also, how do you think he did?

Coach Getsy: "I thought he did a great job. I mean for a young guy, again, we're fortunate. Jackson [Powers-Johnson] went in there too and as a young guy. And then you've got Brock [Bowers], you've got a lot of young guys that are going in that are confident in doing what they're doing. So, they're prepared. And then the second part of it's not too big for him, I think that's cool. The poise and composure that those young guys are showing are really cool. And I think we're looking forward to continuing to grow all that stuff for all those guys. But speaking on DJ [Glaze] in particular, I thought just being able to go in there and handle that situation on the whim like he did and play as much as he had to play and have the whole game plan at his hands. It's not like we just said, 'Hey, this is your series, and you got these plays, and you're good, right?' So, he had to handle it all, and he did a really nice job."

Q: When you watch the film from Sunday, what are your takeaways from the offense and what's the next step for Gardner Minshew II?

Coach Getsy: "Yeah, like I said I think in the first half – it's one of those ones where the game went the way it went, so it felt worth worse than it was. You watch the film and you felt a little bit better about the way the first half came. We've got to continue to get better in the run game. We know that. These two, three-yard runs, they need to turn into seven, eight-yard runs. And we know that we're capable of it. We know that it's right there. And I think as far as evaluating the second half, when you're in that catch-up mode, it turns the game a little bit differently. So, now you're kind of not in the normal football anymore. So, we've had too much practice at that, we're ready to get this thing out in front of it and control the clock, whether that's run, whether that's completions, and then Gardner [Minshew] is a big part of that. We put a lot on his plate, he can handle all that, right? Whether it's the run checks, run to pass, pass to run, all that stuff that he does, he does a really good job with all of it. And then the consistency has been there; he's completing the football the way we're asking to, we've just got to nip those little turnovers in the bud. If he gets rid of those one or two plays a game, I think he's playing pretty strong football."

Q: After the loss against Carolina, Antonio Pierce said coaches will probably have to coach the players a little tougher and players will have to be receptive to that tougher coaching. Has there been a shift this week in preparation in that sense, and how do you go about that?

Coach Getsy: "I think as every coach does whenever things don't go the way you want to; you want to make sure you look yourself in the mirror first. And I think that's all that is, a reflection of you're making sure you're dotting all your I's, you're crossing all your T's. But these guys know we're going to be who we are. We're consistent every day, we bring the energy, we're the same person every single day, we're there for these guys, and we always will be. I think that we make sure we're all – you don't want to just keep doing what you're doing, you want to make sure you're looking in the mirror and make sure you're feeling really good about what you do. And maybe there is something here or there that you can kind of tweak and make it better, and we always do that."

Q: What have you seen from the Cleveland defense, obviously, a lot of talent on that side, and they've got Myles Garrett out there, but status, I guess, questionable. Do you prepare as if he's just going to be at full strength? Are there things you can do with or without him on the field?

Coach Getsy: "I mean, even if he's not full of strength, he's still the best player in the league, you know what I mean? This guy is unbelievable. And then you have Za'Darius [Smith] on the other side of it that does what he does. You take Coach [Jim] Schwartz' scheme, all that stuff, they've got a really good defense. They have had these – last year we got to play against them, too. And it's a good, solid group that they pose a lot of challenges. We're excited for the challenge. I think this is going to be a really good benchmark for us going against a really good defense. And we're excited for that opportunity. But yeah, it's never fun going against the best in the league; fortunately, we get to practice against one every single day, too."

Q: Clearly nobody wanted you to start 1-2 in this building. But how much do you have to, especially with young players say don't press the panic button. There are 14 games left, how much do you have to instill that?

Coach Getsy: "They've never even played 14, right? And they've already played three. Yeah, I think that's a huge part of this. The league that we're in is that way. Every week you're the best, and then the very next week you're the worst. And that's the reality of the society that we live in, and we signed up for it. We're all good with that, but to walk into a building as a young guy, that's a new perspective. And I think it's about coming to work every day and getting better. And we do our best to make sure we're focusing on the process and not necessarily that outcome, because we know that if we got the process right, then it'll turn into a bunch of wins in a row, and that's what we're looking for. We're not looking to just make it perfect right now. We want to make this thing sustainable, and we're on that right track."

Q: The offensive line has struggled this season; Antonio Pierce has mentioned it before. I'm curious as to how their struggles impact your play calling.

Coach Getsy: "Well, like I said, I think that they've gotten better each and every week, and I think the camaraderie part of it, the playing next to the same guy is going to make a big impact on being able to be more consistent on a game-to-game basis. Anytime you're playing different people in different spots, and then every game it's different or every whatever series it might be different, that's a difficult task. I think the brotherhood, the communication that you have to have up front and kind of the unspoken language that when you know you see something and you're able to react to it, that's how lines become elite. And so, I think just playing together, practicing together, playing together, this group's the right group, and I think we have a really good set of guys that are going to just continue to get better and better."

Q: Jackson Powers-Johnson, played well, Antonio Pierce said yesterday. He said he earned more. To be able to have two rookies on that line performing at the level they are, how much of a blessing is that as a coach, especially when you look at depth in this league?

Getsy: "Yeah, no, I think it's a testament to coach Cregger [James Cregg], Coach [Joe] Philbin, those guys are doing a really good job to get those guys mentally prepared for it, because this is not an easy task, right? The offensive line is a beast in this league, especially when you have the best position in the game is the defensive line right now, right? And you have to be able to respond all that stuff is really cool. And the composure of those two young guys is a testament to them and their preparation both before they got here and while they've been here. But I think the coolest part about them is their play style. I think when you see the way they're finishing, the way that they're running off the rock, like all that stuff is really cool to see. And we're going to be able to lean on them more and more as the season goes on."

Q: The national narrative on a lot of the talk shows this week, is offense is down, defense isso far ahead. What does offense have to do to catch up? Have you seen that? Is there a trend that you've noticed or anything to explain it?

Coach Getsy: "I can't honestly say that I've looked enough around the league to say that's true or not true or whatever. I think it's a general statement for what we're just talking about. When you have a new group of guys playing together that have never played together, it takes a little time. And if that's the case, whether it's a system or whether it's an offensive line or a quarterback or whatever, I think that stuff does take time. I just reflect on my past experiences, and that's always been the case. We had the best player in the league in '19 in Green Bay, right? But our offense wasn't very good. We had Davante [Adams], two of the best players in the league but it just took time. And then you saw in '20, it turned into the best offense in the league. And so, that stuff takes time. As long as your processes are right. As long as you're giving yourself an opportunity to go be successful in every single play you got to continue with that believe in that. And we do that here."

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