Raiders Coach Pierce Entire Monday Press Conference

Las Vegas Raiders Interim Coach Antonio Pierce spoke earlier today after a disappointing loss to the Minnesota Vikings and we have it for you.

HENDERSON, Nev.--The Las Vegas Raiders (5-8) have a short turnaround this week as they host their AFC West rival Los Angeles Chargers (5-8) on Thursday Night Football.

There is frustration in Raider Nation, and not just from the fans.  Everyone in "The Nation" knows that the Raiders beat themselves on Sunday, and they are chomping at the bit to get back on the field and get back to winning.

Earlier today Coach Antonio Pierce held his Monday press conference and we have it all for you.

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

 Interim Head Coach Antonio Pierce 

Q: You said a lot of things would be evaluated. Anything in relation to the quarterback spot going on Thursday or still evaluating? 

Coach Pierce: "We're still evaluating. We're going through that process now. We’ll see how the week goes." 

Darrell Craig Harris, Raiders Today

Q: When you looked at the game film, did anything stand out to you that you didn't see from down on the field level? 

Coach Pierce: "No, no. It was very clear, it was evident. The opportunities there in the first quarter, especially offensively. We hurt ourselves with penalties, then we got down to red zone, and had a  penalty and then a turnover. And then, defensively at the end of the game, we were doing a really good job for the most part. Everybody saw it, but we just needed one more stop, right? One more stop and we didn't get it. We were close, but obviously it wasn't good enough. And special teams had a big punt return, and a penalty knocked us out of it right there at the 30-yard line. So again, like I told the guys, the Raiders beat the Raiders." 

Q: You mentioned the evaluation you're going to continue throughout the course of the week. With it being a short week, how quickly do you have to make some decisions? 

Coach Pierce: "Not quickly. We’ll just go through the process, we're not going to rush to make any decisions, not doing anything emotional based off what I read or what anybody is telling me. I'll go off my gut." 

Q: Any update on Josh Jacobs? 

Coach Pierce: "No. All these guys are just coming in now." 

Q: How concerned were you with the lack of attacking downfield to make the defense stretch a little bit to create some room? 

Coach Pierce: "Yeah, that's something we've talked about each and every week since I've been here. I think I said that, run the ball, play action, take shots. We've got to call it, got to throw it, got to execute it. And that's going to be continued as long as I'm here. We'll talk about it and hopefully it shows up on game day." 

Q: Can you give your overall assessment of how you felt the defense played throughout the game? And also talk about AJ Cole’s performance and how he was able to put the defensive in good field position? 

Coach Pierce: "I thought the defense -- it was a winning performance. I mean, whenever you get the numbers getting after the quarterback. I mean, you saw Tyree Wilson, name them, Robert Spillane, Maxx [Crosby], they're all flying, J-Rob [Janarius Robinson]. I mean, these guys, they let it loose when we thought we could take advantage of their offensive line in the passing game. And I thought defensively, early on we got after [Justin] Jefferson. Wanted to be physical, and on the first play, Jack Jones had an opportunity there. And then [Marcus] Epps put a big hit on him and then obviously we had to do a good job with the tight end (T.J. Hockenson) as the game went on. But I thought the defense gave us an opportunity,  obviously a chance to win the game. AJ [Cole] has been outstanding all year long, changing the field position. We've just got to be careful with certain things we do as far as maybe not out-kicking our coverage sometimes. He has such a good leg there, but it's a great weapon to have when you have a guy who can really flip the field." 

Q: You mentioned Jack Jones. Would you talk about after reviewing the film what you thought about his performance? 

Coach Pierce: "I thought, just being here for a couple of weeks, jusr got in, learned the system, got in the playbook. Jason Simmons worked with him. Like I said, the second play of the game, a great opportunity right there on [Justin] Jefferson. If it's a good ball, it's going the other way. He had some really physical tackles, I thought he was active. I know there's a play or two he wants back, like we all do. But that's just good to see that whole group. Not just Jack, I thought Nate Hobbs showed up, Amik [Robertson]. I mean, those guys, they really were challenged. We changed some things up defensively scheme-wise with what we wanted to do with a new group of corners out there, and it showed up." 

Q: With the short week, were you forced to move on pretty fast? 

Coach Pierce: "No, we started on the Chargers on Friday. Our coaches got ahead on Friday." 

Q: From a psychological standpoint with the players, do they feel like they have to put this game behind them quickly? 

Coach Pierce: "Yeah, we're not even watching this game. We're on to the Chargers, a divisional game at home, Thursday Night Football, and we're excited about it." 

Q: With quarterback Justin Herbert likely being out, how much time in the film room is going to be spent these next couple of days on Easton Stick, somebody who you might not be as familiar with? 

Coach Pierce: "It's a short week, right? So, are they going to throw the whole playbook at him? No. What did he do in that second half? What did he do in the preseason? We'll go back and look at all his film, but more importantly, the scheme. Kellen Moore is going to stick to what they do well. Defensively, we're dealing with a very good group of players on that side of the ball. So, we're looking for a team effort from the Chargers. They're coming off a disappointing loss, like us. It's a divisional game, and neither team likes each other, so it should be fun." 

Q: You mentioned rookie defensive end Tyree Wilson. What did you see from him on the inside? 

Coach Pierce: "He’s coming along, right? You've seen it the last couple of weeks, that length, that size, you see the get off, everything is happening a little bit fast for him. It’s odd. He's going in  the opposite direction, as most rookies hit the rookie wall in November, but he's gotten better the last couple of weeks, and we hope that improves with him." 

Q: Obviously, yesterday was a different kind of feeling than the other games you guys have played. How did you handle it last night? How did you react? What was your thought process leaving the stadium and going about your night? 

Coach Pierce: "It hurt. Disappointing. It was unexpected. I thought we did a good job during the bye week, self- scouting, looking at ourselves, looking at the opponent. I thought I did the same. I thought we did a decent job preparing, but obviously that didn't show up. And whenever you're shut out and the game is played where the defense is pretty much dominating the game, it can go either way. Look, we could have won that game, 3-0, right? But it didn't happen. It's disappointing to let opportunities slip by. And again, it is what it is, but you look at the last three losses in the fourth quarter, 20-13, 21-17, 0-0, to start. We talk about finishing the fourth quarter and we've got to do better there, but obviously it was a rough night." 

The Silver and Black will turn around quickly and host their AFC West rivals, the Los Angeles Chargers, on Thursday, December 14, at 8:15 p.m. EST/5:15 p.m. PST.

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