Raiders' Jarrett Stidham Entire Week 18 Update
HENDERSON, Nev.--As the Las Vegas Raiders' disappointing season ends this weekend, the NFL was almost merciful in announcing that the 2022 season will end one day sooner, on Saturday.
Jarrett Stidham spoke on the state of the franchise, the NFL, and the Silver and Black this weekend.
You can watch the entire interview and read the transcript below:
Quarterback Jarrett Stidham
Opening Statement: "First of all, before we get going I just wanted to give my condolences to Damar Hamlin. Him and his family obviously and the Bills organization, the Cincinnati organization. I know from a player's perspective, we all compete every week but at the same time the NFL is a brotherhood, and to see our brother go down like that, it was very, very scary. Obviously, we take all of that extremely seriously. All our thoughts and prayers to Damar and his family, the Bills organization, Cincinnati’s organization. Just wanted to say that before we get going."
Q: Now that you've got the first start under your belt, are the nerves a little different this week, or is it still just as exciting?
Stidham: “It's just as exciting. Anytime you get to go out and play football, it's exciting. That's how I look at it, and it's another opportunity against a great football team, so that's how I'm looking at it."
Q: As a player, with the Damar Hamlin situation, how do you have that fine line of thinking about it but not thinking about it when you're out on the field?
Stidham: “I mean, it's tough. Obviously, something like that is so scary for anybody. It'll probably be in the back of people's minds, and everybody handles things differently. It's something that's just extremely scary that has happened. You just try to protect yourself as best you can. Football is a very physical sport, and it's very sad what happened and like I said, very scary."
Q: We saw you making some plays with your legs on Sunday. Going back to high school you were a dual-threat quarterback. Has that always been part of your game? What's the fine line of utilizing it but also staying in there when you have to stay in there?
Stidham: "I've never really been a runner first. I've always tried to be a passer first and there's just some instances throughout the game where if there's an opportunity to run, I just took off or whatever. And that's kind of how I've always viewed running the football. I would like to make plays with my arm not necessarily my legs, but whatever can help the team in that moment, that's what I'll try and do."
Q: But you're also making plays with your legs where it's not necessarily taking off running, it's maneuvering in the pocket. We saw the one where you rolled to your left and then made the throw. Breaking off what the original play is called to do in order to then scramble, what's the process in that – deciding when's the right time to do that?
Stidham: "I think it's just a feel thing. Obviously the guys up front, they did a tremendous job all day on Sunday. I think it's just a feel thing. I mean, sometimes it's just taking a subtle step to your right or to your left or up or back or whatever may be. Sometimes it's taking your drop and maneuvering up and then out of the pocket and just feel space or whatever it might be. I think it definitely just comes down to how the game feels, how the rush is feeling, how the protection is. There are just a lot of factors that kind of go into that."
Q: With your first start in the NFL you get through the 49ers effective pass rush and now you're facing the Chiefs who are just as good. What're you seeing on tape from them that you're going to be seeing on Sunday?
Stidham: "Obviously, Kansas City is a great football team. The last time we played them it went down to the very end of the game. That's what the NFL's all about – there's a lot of really good players on every team, and we're obviously super excited for the challenge, specifically with their front. Their front four are explosive, they've got fast linebackers, they've got guys in the secondary that can move around and make plays on the ball. So, it's going to be a tremendous challenge for us, and we're really excited about it."
Q: How important is it for this team with the roller coaster that this season has been to end it on a high note on Saturday?
Stidham: "I think every team wants to win every game and unfortunately that's not the way things work. But each week you've got 17 opportunities in the regular season to make things work, and obviously we want to try and end this year on the right note and go into the off-season feeling good about where we're at. And that's what we're going to try and do is just do our job and do the best we can to go out there and make plays, make plays for each other and ultimately try and come away with a win."
Q: How do you balance focusing strictly on Saturday with also knowing there might some uncertainty that comes after the season?
Stidham: "I mean I'm just focused on this week, focused on – we have I guess really three and a half days left of the season, four days of the season left and that's really all I'm focused on, doing the best that I can for the guys in the locker room, doing what my role is, what my job is. That's all I can really do right now and just try and give my best effort the next four days and leave it all out there on the field on Saturday."
Q: During your personal experience playing for two colleges, playing for two franchises in the first four years, what has that taught you about football and just about life as a professional?
Stidham: "There's a lot of different things it's taught me. There's been a lot of different perspectives that I've pulled away from all four different places in college and obviously here in the pros. Adversity hits in all sorts of different ways, and I just to try to keep a level head, keep balanced as a person and a player and try to work as hard as I possibly can each week to continue to get better. And that's kind of just been my mindset through all of it."
Q: Along those lines, being that you were such a touted prospect out of high school and into college and throughout your journey -- when you had that opportunity to finally walk out into Allegiant stadium as the starter, now that you've had time to reflect on it what was that feeling like for you?
Stidham: "As a kid, you grow up wanting to be an NFL starter, and there's little milestones that you hit along the way or that I've had along the way, whether it's starting on varsity as the quarterback, and then getting recruited and starting your first game in college. It was just little milestones you try and hit along the way. Obviously still the ultimate goal is of playing in the NFL. So looking back on it, it was definitely a great moment. It didn't turn out the way we wanted to obviously, but that's the great thing about this week, we have another opportunity to try and go out there and get a win."
Q: There's been a lot of camaraderie, a lot of bonds you've had with these guys. When you came back to the sideline I saw Coach McDaniels giving you high fives on that opening drive. For you, just feeling that camaraderie and the coach's acknowledgement, how's that feeling?
Stidham: "It's been great. I mean to me, football is ultimate team sport, and I always try to look at it as you're playing for the guys next to you and they're playing for the guys next to them. So, I always just like to love on my guys, be positive, and ultimately we're the ones out there playing. There's only 11 guys out there at a time, so we’ve all got to be together, be as one. It's been great all year long. These guys have been tremendous, we have a tremendous locker room, tremendous support staff, coaching staff. I mean, this has been probably the most fun I've had playing football in a long time. And like I said, it's really just about the people, and it's always good to be around really good people."
Q: How's the arm?
Stidham: "Great. I feel great."
The Raiders' final game of the season is at Allegiant Stadium against the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday, Jan. 7, and kicks off at 1:30 p.m. PST/4:30 p.m. PST. It will be available to watch on ESPN and ABC.
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