New Raiders' Starting QB Jarrett Stidham Talks Transition
HENDERSON, Nev.--The Las Vegas Raiders have had a busy week. They have moved on from Derek Carr and given the reigns of the Silver and Black empire for the last two games to quarterback Jarrett Stidham.
Stidham addressed the team's state and looked ahead to this weekend against the San Francisco 49ers at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
You can watch the entire interview below and read the transcript:
Quarterback Jarrett Stidham
Q: When did you get the news, and what was your reaction when you got the news?
Quarterback Jarrett Stidham: "Yesterday morning, Wednesday; that's when I got the news from Josh [McDaniels]. He talked to all the quarterbacks."
Q: When you strip away everything else around it, I'm sure this has been a dream of yours for a long time to be a starter in the NFL. What does this opportunity mean to you?
Stidham: "Yeah, I mean, obviously you dream of playing in the NFL as a kid. And to start a game in the NFL, it's a dream come true. But at the same time, I've been preparing since my rookie year. I've tried to prepare the same every single week, whether I was the backup or the starter. Obviously, I've gotten to learn under a bunch of really good guys, players, coaches. So, I've always tried to treat the weeks the same and it's no different this week."
Q: Can you treat this week like any other week in terms of preparing for Sunday?
Stidham: "I mean honestly, like I said, every week so far this year for instance, I've been the backup and my routine has been the same, and I've tried to keep it the same. I feel like if you try to overdo or overthink things it can be detrimental. So, I've just tried to prepare the way that I know how and the way I feel good about going into the game with the game plan and so on and so forth. So, I've just tried to keep things the same and prepare how I know how to prepare."
Q: How much does it help that you've played under Josh [McDaniels] for so long now?
Stidham: "Oh yeah, it's been great. Obviously, been with him in New England for three years and now here for this year. Coming in the off-season, obviously that was good, having a good understanding of what was going on. But just like every week this year, just tried to prepare with whatever the game plan is and be as prepared as possible to go in and play."
Q: Following up on that -- I think everyone who talks about you from Coach [Josh] McDaniels to the receivers, they say you just have a better grasp on this offense then anyone from how long you've been on it. How do you think all that experience translates that you can channel it onto the field?
Stidham: "It's like anything. It's like anything in life, when you do something repetitively over and over again, you just get comfortable. At the end of the day, my job is to facilitate the offense in certain ways, and I've got to follow my rules and try and get the ball in these guys' hands and do my job. And that's something I've just been trying to prepare hard for and that's all I can do."
Q: Have you been pleased with the encouragement and support you've been able to get from your teammates and your coaches just since the announcements were made?
Stidham: "Yeah, for sure. Everybody has been very supportive, players, coach Bo [Hardegree] and Mick [Lombardi] and Josh [McDaniels]. Everybody has been very supportive and very helpful. Any questions that I have for them about the game plan or anything, it's been really good to have the support for sure."
Q: Obviously you don't have control over the decisions that are made and when they're made and how you get your opportunity, but do you get the sensibility of you're replacing Derek [Carr], who has been here a long time and has been a fixture around here and that just that part of it?
Stidham: "Obviously Derek [Carr] has been here for an extremely long time. I had a chance to speak with him, and I can't thank him enough for everything he's helped me with personally and professionally. Him and his wife both have been very supportive and very welcoming to me and my wife here in our time together. So, can't speak highly enough of Derek. I mean, he's just a great human being and obviously a great football player, too. He's obviously been here for a long time and stuff, so I'm just going to try to go out there and play the best that I can and I know how."
Q: What are the goals for you for these next two weeks?
Stidham: "I mean obviously to win. That's why we all play is to win football games. So, that's first and foremost, but my job is to facilitate the offense and run it how it's supposed to be run. That's all I can do is just be prepared and try to do that."
Q: Do you look at these last two games as an audition, since you haven't had a lot of snaps in the regular season?
Stidham: "I'm not really necessarily looking at it like that. Two great opportunities to go out there and play with the guys in this locker room. The NFL is a crazy business, so I'm just trying to be prepared the best I know how and I do the best I can for the guys in this locker room. But ultimately, obviously the goal is to come out here and win. So, that's what we're going to try to do."
Q: What kind of challenge is it that your first start is against the NFL's top defense?
Stidham: "Yeah, it's a great challenge. I'm a firm believe in whatever it is in life that you do, you're not going to get any better unless you do it against the best. So, it's going to be a great challenge for us as a team -- they're good in all three phases. It's going to be a lot of fun. I'm super excited about it, and I think would be a great challenge for us. I know we're looking forward to it."
Q: Any family and friends coming into town for this game now?
Stidham: "Yeah, I do."
Q: You said you got to speak to Derek [Carr]. Did he have any last-minute advice going into such a big moment for you? Anything you took away from that conversation?
Stidham: "Yeah, I mean obviously I'll keep most of it private between me and him, but the biggest thing and this is what I always appreciated a lot about Derek [Carr] was to always stay even. Never get too high and never get too low. Football is an imperfect sport, and you try to do obviously the best you can, you prepare hard each and every week, but to always just stay even."
Q: Even though it was such a long time ago, how much confidence do you have in yourself just based upon the success that you even had in the preseason? You have an undefeated record.
Stidham: "I think for myself, I've always been very confident in my abilities to play football and I'm just thankful for the opportunity to come out here and get my first start against, like I said, the best defense in the league. But like I said, I've always had confidence in my ability to make plays, throw the football and to facilitate the offense. That's my job, I've worked hard at it, and I'm excited to go out there and just help these guys hopefully get a win."
Q: What has Coach McDaniels talked about going into this game, not doing too much and just playing within your means?
Stidham: "I think that's just part of playing quarterback is just not trying to do too much at times and just doing your job. That's kind of been instilled in my brain since being in the league is just do your job, whatever that may be. One play it may not be much, then the next play it might be the biggest thing on the play. So, just trying to facilitate that the best I can."
Q: You went through some adversity of your own when you were injured and we were out for a good time of the year, right? During that time, what did that adversity teach you about yourself and how you overcome things?
Stidham: "I think any time something that you love is taken away from you, it kind of opens up a new perspective. Having surgery at the beginning of last year and going through all of that, you don't really realize that what you have until it's gone. So, just a super appreciation for just the game of football and being with teammates every day on the practice field and the game field -- I obviously missed that. So, just tried to pour my heart and soul into each and every day whether it be with teammates or out on the practice field, whatever it is. That's something I learned in that time where I didn't really get to do it."
The Raiders' game against the San Francisco 49ers is Sunday, New Year's Day, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas and kicks off at 4:05 p.m. EST/1:05 p.m. PST. It can be seen on FOX.
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