Raiders' Josh McDaniels Final Thoughts Before Patriots

The Las Vegas Raiders saw their NFL Playoff hopes shattered last week, and with those dreams on life support, Coach Josh McDaniels discussed the state of the Silver and Black.

HENDERSON, Nev.--The Las Vegas Raiders (5-8) are ready to take on the New England Patriots (7-6) on Sunday, when they return to Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Raiders Coach Josh McDaniels spoke about the state of the Silver and Black and looked ahead to this weekend's game moments ago.

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

Head Coach Josh McDaniels

Q: I know you got a chance to see Darren Waller and Hunter Renfrow out there in practice. Is it looking good for them to be activated for Sunday?

Coach McDaniels: “I think one more day would be good for us. Yesterday was their first time in pads. Being able to come back off of that, obviously both of them had an injury. So, today will be an important day for us, just to see how their bodies respond to it and if they're able to, I'd say, continue to make progress here as we head toward game day. So, today will be a big day, and then we'll have an opportunity to make a good decision. But both guys are trying everything they can do to make sure that they're ready to go. I know they're both chomping at the bit, and we'll see how today goes and then make a good choice."

Q: When guys are returning from injury, would you rather it be: 'Well, if you're going to be on a pitch count, then we can't use you on Sunday?'

Coach McDaniels: "No, I think whatever we think is the best thing to do is for us to have a chance to win whatever game it is. We've had some of those this year, where we knew we probably couldn't exceed a certain number of plays with a specific player or two. And that just gets into rotational depth and being able to make sure that you can give the guy a break or a blow if that's what it is, and do it proactively. The thing I wouldn't want to do is go the first 37 plays and then we're done, you know what I mean. So, regardless of who that would be coming off an injury, I think if you're concerned about that, you want to try to do it proactively and get ahead so you have a chance to complete the game with the player out there. That's all part of the equation right now, I'd say, for these guys returning. Nate's [Hobbs] was a little different because [his] thumb wasn’t really affecting, I'd say, cardiovascular and those kinds of things. But the guys who have had muscle injuries or those kinds of things, it's a little trickier to manage that."

Q: Josh Jacobs had the hand injury last game. What have you seen from him and how could that impact maybe catching passes and blitz pickup and that sort of thing?

Coach McDaniels: "We're trying to figure all that out. He's had a good week. We've been smart about him in general and obviously he's played a lot of snaps for us and done a lot of things in terms of being physical. So, we'll make a good choice on that as well and if there's something that we need to limit, then we'll try to. But right now, he looks like he's going to be able to handle that."

Q: You guys signed Netane Muti to the active roster earlier this week. How has he come along on short notice?

Coach McDaniels: "A very interesting guy. We had obviously some feeling for him for a while now and if that situation presented itself on the roster, if we needed to do something like that, we kind of have Dave [Ziegler] and his crew -- Champ [Kelly], those guys -- who have those lists ready to go at all times if it becomes shorthanded. Yesterday was a good day for us to be able to see some of those guys in pads, doing some blocking and those types of things. So, we're excited about working with him, for sure. We only have what we have on the roster, so there's a chance that he's going to be active and if we have to do it in a pinch, then we would. He's on a crash course right now, that's this time of the year in general with guys who just got added to your football team. We have somebody on the staff who's kind of helping him catch up as much as we can, and he's really doing a good job of cramming. We also have some other guys on the practice squad who have already been through this who are being very unselfish with their time and spending extra time with those guys at night. So, it's being a good teammate."

Q: Jermaine Eluemunor has been a bit of a chess piece for you on the offensive line and has played guard. Is there a possibility that that could be part of the game on Sunday?

Coach McDaniels: "Yeah, I mean, he's done it. He's done a lot of things. He's played on both sides of the line of scrimmage, right and left. He's played tackle, he's played guard. So, those players I would say, just in general terms, they always add more value to your team because the more you can do, the more hats they may be able to wear. And then it gives you some depth, even though it might not say guard beside his name, you can do that. The players who can play center and guard, the players who can play guard and tackle, they're not rare, but they're harder to find. And when you have a handful of them, it just gives you more versatility if you incur injuries, which everybody does. So, Jermaine has been very unselfish with: 'Wherever you want me coach. I'll go in there and do the best I can.' And he has to study at multiple positions, communicate at multiple positions on both sides of the ball with a lot of different people. So, give him a lot of credit for that. We have we have a handful of guys who do that. Dylan [Parham] obviously did it earlier in the year and [Alex] Bars has played on both sides. The more they can do, the more value they bring."

Q: Do you enjoy competing against friends? You have so much respect for Bill Belichick and you've praised the Patriots. Is it fun to compete against people you love and care for?

Coach McDaniels: “Absolutely. I think that's why we all do this. Competing against people doesn't mean you have a disdain for them or that kind of stuff, but you can certainly want to beat them as bad or worse than they want to beat you. I mean, I'm sure as I'm sitting here, that's the way they feel about us. It's a football game on Sunday. It's really not a reunion, that's not really what this is about. And I think our team has had a great approach to it. There will never be a game that will be about me or some other person, specifically. This is about the team, and it's a big game for us, a big game for them. The thing that excites me is that we know what kind of a challenge this will be. In all three phases, they’ll be well prepared, they'll be very well coached, they'll do the right things and try to play the game the right way, and that's a great opportunity for us to see where we stand. We're going to need to do that in all three phases to beat them, so that's exciting. The challenge will be significant, and the competition will be too."

Q: You're going up against a quarterback who had a Pro Bowl season under you as a rookie. When you put on the tape, what is it about Mac Jones that you appreciate about his game? Without giving away too much, how do you play against a quarterback like that?

Coach McDaniels: "Mac is very bright. It's hard to fool him, he's very accurate, he sees things very well, plays with anticipation in the passing game, has great touch and accuracy. From his college career, what he did there to last year to this year, just has a knack for winning, making big plays, continues to fight and press on even when there's some adversity -- he's very tough, very tough, standing there and taking a shot in the mouth and keep playing. So, I've got a lot of respect and admiration for him, what he did last year, what he did in college and then what he's doing this year. He's just a solid player in every way you want to look at it. He's a solid player at that position. It's hard to rattle that kind of a guy. He's just a competitive guy. So, we're going to try to do the best we can to play our defense, whatever the call is, the best we can on that snap and continue to try to do that. Make it as hard as we can as tough as we can, but we know there's going to be some plays made on both sides of the ball. So, we're going to have to keep fighting and keep playing like he will."

Q: The locker room after the Colts game as compared to after the Rams Game was very different in terms of the emotion. But the response after the Colts game was three straight wins playing really good football. Is there a way to tell like from a reaction of how guys are going to handle that or bounce back from it?

Coach McDaniels: “I don't think predicting it is, one, I haven't thought a whole lot about it, and I don't think that's really something that is necessary, honestly. We're around each other every day, so you get the sense of a football team that's committed to trying to do everything we can to give ourselves the best chance to win. They've done it all year. We've had our share of adversities, as you guys know, and I think our leadership has been great. Our captains have been phenomenal. We’re leaning on that, and we've leaned on it all year. I think our guys have practiced this week with the same energy, effort, execution, detail. They want to do it right. There intentions are great. So, I don't really worry about them because I think, like I said, we have we have a high character locker room.”

Q: How does the league inform you guys about the kickoff rules? Do they just send a letter, a memo, or does somebody call you? How does that work?

Coach McDaniels: “Yep. They sent a memo. There's a rule, but I would say like, again, we communicated very clearly prior to that. We asked the questions that we needed to ask because the clarification a handful of weeks ago was that you were actually able to do that because there was a little gray in the rule and all that. So, we were just checking with that. Honestly, I thought more people would do it. The rule as it is now, is what it should be. We were just using it because if that was what was going to be able to be used, we were going to try to do it if that helped us. So, no qualms with it at all, what they did. They clarified it and we'll do what we plan on doing.”

Q: Do you feel like that's kind of a sign that the NFL just wants more touchbacks?

Coach McDaniels: “I mean, again, I don't get into clarifications or in predicting what their reasoning was. I know they are obviously trying to make the game as safe as possible. So, if that's what it is, then that's great. I think honestly it was just a gray area within the rule.”

Closing Statement: “One other thing, I just think this is great. Our captains brought this up today. (Josh Jacobs) didn't have a full off-season, all the rest of it, but through his leadership, his commitment, his effort, his unselfishness, his willingness to do whatever is asked to help the team win, his recovery, his rehab, his ability to stay out there on the field and do that; our captains mandated that Josh Jacobs join them. So, he will be a captain moving forward and I'm proud of him for doing that.”

The Raiders return to Allegiant Stadium on Sunday, when they host the New England Patriots. That game will kick off at 4:05 p.m. EST/1:05 p.m. PST and can be seen on FOX.

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