Raiders OC Luke Getsy Steelers Week

Las Vegas Raiders OC Luke Getsy spoke for his regularly scheduled midweek presser ahead of hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers this weekend at Allegiant Stadium.

Las Vegas Raiders OC Luke Getsy / Darrell Craig Harris, Sports Illustrated

HENDERSON, Nev. — The Las Vegas Raiders (2-3), despite Davante Adams’ drama, are moving forward as they prepare to host the Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2) on Sunday.

The team has announced a switch at QB1 from Gardner Minshew to Aidan O’Connell, and the Silver and Black are marching on.

Raider Nation’s OC Luke Getsy spoke today, and you can watch that in its entirety below:

Below is the complete transcript of Getsy’s press confernce

Q: Obviously going against a Steelers team with a quarterback that you're familiar with in Justin Fields. What are your thoughts about his play so far this season? What makes him difficult to game plan for?

Coach Getsy: "Justin [Fields] is an incredible guy. I mean, just an incredible competitor, great teammate. I can only imagine that those guys love playing for him. And yeah, he's a competitor, so he's going to bring it every single play. He doesn't have any back down. There's no excuses with that guy. That guy goes and balls, and so it'll be great to see him. I know that our defense will have a big challenge going up against him."

Q: Antonio Pierce said it's always part of the process to kind of pick the brain of people that know players and things like that. He said he did talk to you about Justin Fields. How does that go? Do you sit in on defensive meetings? Do you just give them information? Like, how does that process kind of work?

Coach Getsy: "Yeah, I think anytime that there's crossover anywhere when you're in those situations, those guys are professionals, and they're really good at what they do. And so whenever there's just a question or something, or maybe they have something that maybe that's like up in the air, then that's when maybe they just ask your opinion or whatever along those lines, and you're there to help them out. And so when you're talking about a particular player, I think those guys, they don't need much of my help. But when you're talking like schemes or maybe places you've been in the past, I think sometimes that that can go into a little bit of the conversation. Maybe you show a clip and say, 'Hey, why are they doing what they're doing?' And you can maybe have a little background for that stuff."

Q: When a quarterback change is made, it's probably self-evident that you want something to be better. What is it that you're looking to get better at the quarterback position as it relates to this offense?

Coach Getsy: "Yeah, just think on a whole as an offense, right? As you look at it, the part that we have to improve upon is the turnover part of it, right? I think if we can improve that, we're going to give ourselves a chance to win each and every game. And I think AP [Antonio Pierce] has made that loud and clear with our entire team, so not just that position. And so that's really important if we're going to have success, we’ve got to make sure we take care of the ball."  

Q: I asked Antonio Pierce yesterday about building a culture, because he's talked about rebuilding a Raider culture, and he talked about mental toughness. You guys came out with a great game plan, pick six, and it just seemed to collapse. As a coach, how do you build a culture of mental toughness from your side of the ball?

Coach Getsy: "Yeah, it started way back in April. And I think you start talking about what you want that environment to look like in the room, and the brotherhood that we have in that room. I think that's the starting point of it all. And there has to be this trust in one another as you go through the process. And we're putting in the work, players putting in the work, and everyone trusts in one another. And I think as you go through that process, that trust just builds and that brotherhood just builds. And I think that's the starting point of it all. And then, as you're building a new culture, you go through things, right? We talked about it before, where this game's a rollercoaster, your seasons are rollercoasters and there's these moments. It's not just the lows, it's the highs that you got to learn how to deal with too, and sometimes those are even more difficult. I think that's the important part of it is that you come into work every single day, you're consistent with your approach, the work ethic is there, the toughness is there, and you're there every single day and you prove it to one another, and then you're willing to go do more for your brother whenever that opportunity hits. And I think, I said it to our offense, the way that they finished the game and the mindset they had on the sideline and the togetherness, I thought that spoke really high about where we're going."

Q: What were you seeing with Gardner Minshew? He had a high completion percentage, but when he missed, he was missing pretty badly. What were you seeing as far as that goes?

Coach Getsy: "No, I think that's it. I think Gardner [Minshew] did a lot of really good things. He really did. I think the expectations of plays, he completely understood it. I think the grasp of the offense, he got it. His ability to function in and out of the huddle, all that stuff, I don't think we saw any of that stuff show up at all. And then, like I said, I think it just comes down to, we got to make sure we take care of the football. In this game, especially in the NFL level, it's usually determined by that. And then we just had a couple plays here and there that didn't give us an opportunity to win. And so as a whole, we just decided that we're going to try another thing."

Q: Aidan O'Connell is a pretty different play style from Gardner Minshew. More stationary, kind of traditional drop back passer. What do you think he brings to the table and how does it change how you operate as a play caller?

Coach Getsy: "Yeah, I think the nice part about going through that competition part of it through the offseason, was that we all got to know each other pretty well. It's still different, like you said, but at the same time I think the competitiveness that he brings, the leadership that he brings and that he has brought even when he wasn't the starter. He's into the game plans, he's been in all that stuff, so there's a confidence and there's a comfort in knowing we're just going to pick up and roll with this guy. There's no worry about any of that kind of stuff with Aidan [O'Connell]. And I think Aidan has a lot of traits that you guys all saw last year, and we're just going to build off of that and continue to grow. I think as much as anything, he's a guy who hasn't played a ton of ball, and he's going to just keep getting better each and every day. And we've seen that over the last five or six weeks, even when he wasn't the guy."

Q: When you assess the performances of Jackson Powers-Johnson and DJ Glaze on the offensive line together, can you just talk about how you think they've played together so far? And also, how much do you think that these reps against a really good Steelers defensive line could really play within their development?

Coach Getsy: "Yeah, I think both of them, I mean to have rookies play as early as they have to play, that's a difficult task. And they're both playing at a pretty good level, and their play style matches what we're looking for. I think the intelligence level, their ability to handle all the different things that they've had to handle, the caliber of players that they've had to handle. I think all that just speaks volumes to what they're doing in the O-line room, the culture we talked about that they're building in there, and the toughness and physicality that we're trying to bring in that room. And those two guys epitomize that. And I think it's really cool to see young guys just continue to grow and get better every week, and I think that's what we're seeing. They're getting comfortable with what they're doing. They're getting comfortable communicating across the board. And some young guys that are following really good leaders like Kolton [Miller] in the room, I think eventually, one day that'll be them too. They just keep getting better. And that's what we're just looking for. Everyone just keeps getting better every day."

Q: You guys say that about Brock Bowers as well, made some wild plays last week. Does he challenge your creativity a little bit? Like, what other ways can I get him the ball type of a thing?

Coach Getsy: "I think anytime you have talented guys around the room and in that unit room, I think that's the fun part of doing what we do. And yeah, Brock [Bowers] is one of those guys that allow you to do a bunch of different things with one person. And yeah, it's our job to try to keep making sure that he has the opportunity to make those plays. And the more and more he does, the more and more people are going to be affected by what he does. And we have to be ready for that stuff too."

Q: Is there anything that has surprised you about Brock Bowers?

Coach Getsy: "I wouldn't say surprised, because really since the day he got here, his professionalism, his approach and his humility and just the work ethic and the mentality of playing the game has always been just really consistent and strong. So, I think that part of it - it's really cool to see a young guy that has that kind of level of maturity within the game. There's an innocence behind it, and there's also this professionalism behind it. That's just really cool to see a guy just attack the each and every day the way that he does."

Q: In some ways do you feel like it was beneficial for Aidan O'Connell to be on the sideline, to be able to get an overview of your offense as he's kind of learning a new playbook in some ways with your offensive style?

Coach Getsy: "I think it's always beneficial for young guys to be able to watch, yes. I mean, that part of it is real. I've experienced that now in my career, too. When young guys get to see it done and go through those processes without having to do it, there's a huge benefit in that. And then there's probably a bigger benefit in being able to go out and practice that and do that and experience it yourself. So, there's definitely a benefit, whether it's more or less, I don't know the answer to that, but there's definitely benefit. And the way that he approaches every single day, honestly, is a testament to him and why he he'll be ready to go."

Q: Most offensive coordinators, if you lose your number one wide receiver, you go into panic mode, but you have two number ones. Will you talk about Jakobi Meyers and the importance of getting him involved in this offense?

Coach Getsy: "Yeah, like we've talked about in here, Kobes [Jakobi Meyers] is a dynamic guy, both mentally, physically and leadership wise. Talk about guys you want to build your culture around, he epitomizes all that stuff. He's done a great job, he goes and sets the tone in the running game, and then he sets the tone in the pass game on the perimeter. So, he's a huge benefit to have in your back pocket, and we're grateful to have him. He sets the tone, and the rest of the guys in that receiver room, there's no blinking, any of those guys. Like they're all ready to go, and no one sees themselves as a one or a five or anything in between. Those guys are ready to rock and roll, and we expect them to go perform at a high level, and Kobes is a great reason why, because they're following his lead."

Q: Is the job of the offensive line and pass protection different when you go from like a guy that wants to use his legs a little bit to a guy that's like back foot in the ground and throw it? Does their job change?

Coach Getsy: "Well, I think it's the responsibility of all 11 on the field to understand what the purpose of the play call is, right? So, there's a point of attack, there's a reason why you call a play, there's a reason why you check to the other play. And I think that's responsibility of all 11. And so in that regard, I think whenever there's somebody who has particular styles of plays or things that you're trying to accomplish, I would say yes, but when you're going up against the kind of defensive front that we're about to go against, I don't think you're thinking too much about which exactly guy that's behind you. It's more about handling what's in front of you. And so most of the time they're thinking about that more than their necessarily thinking about who is behind them."

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