Las Vegas Raiders OC Mick Lombardi Week 7 Update
HENDERSON, Nev.--The Las Vegas Raiders find themselves coming off of their bye week at a disappointing 1-4.
The Silver and Black return home to Allegiant Stadium to face the Houston Texans, and they have already moved on.
OC Mick Lombardi reviewed the film of the game versus the Kansas City Chiefs, he gave his analysis and looked ahead to this week's opponent, the aforementioned Houston Texans.
You can watch the entire press conference below, and read the transcript:
Offensive Coordinator Mick Lombardi
Q: The last couple of weeks before the bye week, it seemed like running game really started clicking. What do you think changed maybe from earlier in the season?
Coach Lombardi: “I think consistency in practice is a big part of it. Obviously, we had some things happen the first couple weeks in terms of we fell behind in some games and kind of had to get back in some games throwing the football. And I think these guys consistently perform well practice on Wednesdays and Thursdays in pads and really focusing on their assignment and stuff like that. I think that's really been showing up in games and I think that's really been a big part of where the running game has kind of come from."
Q: Are you starting to solidify an offensive line? Is it starting to appear better to you as far as the way it's looking?
Coach Lombardi: “Yeah, each week we try and do what's best we feel like for the team. And you guys have seen kind of the same guys in there the past couple of weeks, and that goes back to the consistency in practice. Whatever five guys we feel like give us the most consistent part of practice in the game, those are the guys that are going to play. Each week is a new week, but we feel pretty strongly about the guys that are playing right now in terms of the five or six guys we were rotating there on the offensive line."
Q: Alex Bars and Dylan Parham flip flopped at guard on Monday. Are you just still trying to figure out what you side might be the best for Dylan?
Coach Lombardi: “Absolutely. Dylan is a young player. And that's a tribute to Alex, too. Figuring out what side Dylan's best at, whether it's left guard, right guard. He obviously has played center for us as well. And then Alex, he's obviously a guy who’s played tackle, center and guard in the league before. Last week, we said, 'Hey, Alex, you're going to play right guard. Dylan, you are going to play left guard.' And those guys didn't flinch. So, a good testament to them in terms of figuring out what's the best combination for us moving forward. And we'll try and do that each week, and everything could change every single week because whatever they're playing or whatever we feel like is best for executing the runs we have for that scheme that week.”
Q: It seems like getting Darren Waller and Hunter Renfrow involved on a consistent basis isn’t quite there yet? Any reasons why that might be?
Coach Lombardi: “Anytime you miss a guy with injury, it's tough to kind of get him back in the flow of things. Hunter missed some time with injury and obviously Darren missed some time with the injury – most of the Kansas City game with his injury. So, we haven't really had a chance to have those guys on the field together as a collective unit. So, we're working towards that. We'll see how it goes this week, but it's an ongoing process that we're going to try and do in terms of what does the defense do this week in terms of covers to try and get the guys the ball, whether it's run game or pass game, and move forward from there. But we've got to get them out there first, make sure they're healthy and ready to go, and that's the first step."
Q: Josh Jacobs has 49 carries over the last two games, compared to the first three where he had 42. Can you describe how important he is to your offense and what specifically makes him special?
Coach Lombardi: “Josh has done a great job in terms of accepting his role and obviously playing well in his role. He played a little bit more on third down this past week against Kansas City, and that's a tribute to him in terms of knowing that protection, knowing the run schemes and knowing the passing game. So, he's just a guy who's really kind of I would say, taking his assignments that kind of growing forward from there. And just like the offensive line, showing consistency in practice. And obviously we have to try and get him the ball in terms of calling runs, and however the game goes, that's how it's going to play out. But he's taken advantage of his opportunities. You hand Josh Jacobs the ball and he does a good job reading the run, reads it the right way, stays true, follows Jak [Jakob Johnson], follows the tackles blocks, follows the guards blocks. He's done a good job and he's taking care of the football. I think that's the main thing that we like to see from running back, or anybody who carries the football. Are they taking care of it? Is the ball coming out? We preach ball security ad nauseam in here because it's important to win games. And he's done a great job of that. He's been trying to improve that because that was a big offseason goal for him and playing this season. So, he's proven that he can get positive yards, he can stay true to his assignment, and he can take care of the football. And any player that really does that, they're going to play."
Q: When you look at this Texans defense, I know they're extremely young. Are there some things even with the lack of experience that you like that they do, or players that you like when you look on tape?
Coach Lombardi: “You think it’s a young defense, but other than the two DBs, they're a pretty experienced group in terms of [Christian] Kirksey, Jerry Hughes. Those guys have four years of experience. They obviously have drafted two young players in the secondary, who they have been playing and playing very well for them. I think overall, the Texans defense is a very well-coached defense. Lovie Smith does a tremendous job with this group. He's always done a tremendous job his entire career. They flow fast with the football, they're good fundamentally, they tackle, and they force turnovers. So, they really put stress on you as an offense in terms of focusing on your fundamentals, in terms of getting positive plays, staying true to your assignment and taking care of the ball. Because if you don't focus for one second, the Texans are going to make you pay. And they're well coached, they stay true to their assignment, and they play fast, and they play hard. They play hard for Lovie Smith, and you can tell that they really take his coaching, and they really try and execute it every Sunday."
Q: They've been known to give up some yards between the 20s, but in the red zone they get really sturdy. How difficult is it going to be to punch it in?
Coach Lombardi: “Very tough. It's a very good red zone defense. They were a good red zone defense last season. I think it goes back to the fundamentals. They really play their scheme very well. And really, at the end of the day, when it comes to situation football for us – no penalties, taking care of the football and executing your assignment. So, I think if we do those three things, no matter what scheme we call or play we call, we have to make sure we do that on third down, in the red area, and in two minute and four minute. And if we focus on our job and our assignment, then we'll be okay and we’ll be fine. And I think that goes back to focusing on us in terms of our assignments; situation football as opposed to the opponent. Because if we take care of our job, and what our job is, we should be just fine."
The Raiders return to action in Week 7 when they host the Houston Texans. That game kicks off at 1:05 p.m. PDT and can be seen on CBS.
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