WATCH: Raiders OC Scott Turner on State of the Silver and Black Offense

The Las Vegas Raiders are set to host the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday in a game that carries significant consequences for both a win and a loss. Offensive Coordinator Scott Turner spoke ahead of the matchup, and we have all his comments for you.

Las Vegas Raiders OC Scott Turnerr / Darrell Craig Harris, Sports Illustrated

HENDERSON, Nev. — The Las Vegas Raiders (2-12) will host the Jacksonville Jaguars (3-11) at Allegiant Stadium this weekend. Both teams are out of contention for the NFL Playoffs but are vying for the number one overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

The Raider Nation's offensive coordinator Scott Turner spoke ahead of the matchup. We have the entire press conference, along with the transcript, for you to watch and read below.

Interim Offensive Coordinator Scott Turner

Q: Is it difficult to plan for one quarterback that's going to be under center, one that's not, how difficult is that on your job when you're not 100 percent certain what's going to happen?

Coach Turner: "Yeah, for sure. I mean, we talked about it a little bit last week because there was some uncertainty with Aidan [O'Connell]. Just again, we want to try to play to our guys strengths and how they can help. Who's playing in the game affects kind of your strategy and what gives you the best chance to win as a team, you know what I mean? So, we're always going to take that into account. Injuries happen, it’s part of the league, so it's not going to be anything that I'm going to come up here and complain about. Everybody has their issues that they deal with. And that's one of ours that we've got to prepare for and just kind of try to do as best as we can to get our guys going and get everyone moving the right direction."

Q: What was your assessment of Desmond Ridder's performance?

Coach Turner: "I don't know if he talked to you guys, but I think there were some things he did well. I'm sure there were some plays that he wanted back. Just a little bit of like patience and progression sometimes with him, and we communicated it. I mean, it's a tough situation for a guy that joined our team, the offense changed some during the season. He's been a backup. So, you guys know during the week there's not a ton of reps, so normally the guys that are getting ready to play. And he had a bunch of preparation for the last game and they gave us some different looks they really haven't shown. They did a great job, man. Coach Raheem [Morris] is a great coach and he had their guys ready. A lot of credit to them. But, yeah, I mean, there were some good things. There were some plays that we were really close on that I think kind of could get us going a little bit. We had some tough field position that we weren't quite able to get ourselves out of at times. And if you're in this league long enough, you're going to run into those type of games. We didn't want to do anything because of kind of the field position and some situations we were in that was totally going to totally blow the game open. And I thought we did a good job of being disciplined. And again, a couple plays go different, I think we have a chance maybe to be kicking a field goal at the end of that game. And obviously we got to throw in the end zone twice, but you're not preparing on or banking on Hail Mary’s. I was proud of our guys just the way that they fought and competed because it wasn't going well. I mean, you guys have watched it. So, they could have gone south quickly. But just a testament to our guys of fighting and giving us a chance late in the game."

Q: I know your focus is on the Raiders right now and these next three games, but your name did pop up with the University of North Carolina. Is there anything to that at all?

Coach Turner: "No. I mean, no one has talked to me other than the people that saw it on TV. So, I'm focused on the Raiders. I want to owe it to these players to just get them ready to go play and present themselves as best as they possibly can. These guys are busting their ass every week. I think you guys see that. We haven't been able to get it done, but no, my focus is 100 percent here. I just want to go win and have those guys have the feeling because they deserve it with how hard they work."

Q: With Desmond Ridder does it at times appear to you that maybe he thinks too much rather than playing the game? There was one particular time it looked like he had somebody and he almost thought too long.

Coach Turner: "Yeah, I think that that's the case with a lot of quarterbacks. But like you show them different looks in practice, you watch film, and he does an outstanding job of that. And this is not just Desmond, but like every play is different. So, you got to still read what you see and then kind of have that. And that's what I was talking about a little bit of, just like patience through progressions and understanding that it's not always going to go to this one player and see what the defense gives you and be able to read it out and trust your eyes. And it's a combination of your preparation and then also what are you actually getting into. But, again, he hasn't played in a long time. There were some good things and it's unfortunate there were a couple plays that were really close that we weren't able to get made."

Q: With Sincere McCormick out for the rest of the year, what’s the approach going in with the run game?

Coach Turner: "Yeah, I mean, Alex [Alexander Mattison] is back. We got Ameer [Abdullah]. We're still working through the rest of that stuff with the roster. Dylan [Laube] will have a chance. Those guys have stepped up when their numbers called. I mean, Ameer, freaking was unreal at the end of that game. He's a veteran guy that we know we can count on. So, we'll just roll through them and guys are getting opportunities."

Q: Did you think some of the late success was a result of maybe the way that they defended, or Desmond found a rhythm?

Coach Turner: "I think it's a combination of both. I think the clock is always an aspect, so they don't want to take an unnecessary risk and give up one play quickly. So, there were a couple deals where we got a couple completions and you get in a rhythm, and now all of a sudden, it's a real game again, you know? And that's the deal with timeouts and two-minute warning. And it's not about points, it's about possessions. We were only down two possessions, so we scored, and now we're down one possession and obviously what happened, like we had a real shot to get that ball back with a real chance. And we did have a chance with two minutes, but it's just hard with no timeouts. Yeah, so there is a little bit of that. We went tempo, which I think that helped Desmond [Ridder] a little bit as well. But, yeah, I think it's a combination."

Q: Despite their record, they have a pretty solid defensive front with Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker and Arik Armstead. When you look at that line, what's really difficult about them to block? And are you welcomed for the opportunity especially with the young offensive line?

Coach Turner: "Yeah, for sure. I mean, those are three first round picks you are talking about. They play extremely hard. They're real powerful players that obviously can rush the passer. So, we got to be ready for them. And then on defense, the linebackers are very active. They've had some guys in and out of the lineup with the secondary, but they're still competing. I mean, they almost won this past week. I told you guys this before, I truly believe this, there's no bad teams in this league. All these guys are professional athletes and you got to prepare every single week and get yourself ready to go play or you could be humbled very quickly in this league."

Q: You mentioned going up tempo. When you think about that in situational football, can that be more implemented during the course of the game? What's the risk of that?

Coach Turner: "Yeah, for sure. I mean, the risk of it, obviously, is like there's a lot of passing, so potentially negative plays. Not being on the field very much and now you're putting a lot of pressure on your defense. That's really not how we wanted to play this past game. We would have liked to flip the field early and then they're in the poor field position, but it just kind of didn't work out that way. But, no, that's definitely something that we've talked about of getting into the regular flow of the game and kind of mixing it in. And I think like what we're talking about too, you get in tempo late in the game and now the fourth down becomes an aspect. You're getting four downs instead of three, so that leads to a little bit of success. We had some success on fourth down, so there's more to it than just snapping the ball quickly."

Q: You've got three young offensive linemen - Jordan Meredith, DJ Glaze, Jackson Powers-Johnson – playing and getting better. Can that be a benefit coming out of a bad season for the future of the Raiders, the fact those three young offensive linemen are growing?

Coach Turner: "Yeah, for sure. I mean, you look at our whole offense. If you look at our starting offense when Aidan's [O'Connell] out there, six of our 11 starters are first- and second-year players. So, these guys are competing and fighting. I feel like they're getting better. I told you, obviously we're not getting the results that we want on the scoreboard, but I talk to the guys all the time saying, 'You can pull up our games and there's plays being made,’ but it's just an emphasis on finishing drives and finishing games. I mean, we finished this last game, but we just didn't put ourselves in a good position early. So, playing a complete game. But we got really two veterans on offense, and that's Kolton [Miller] and Jakobi [Meyers]. The rest of the guys are like I said, second year guys, or even third year, maybe guys that have kind of bounced around and now they're getting opportunities. But they're competing and that's what really, as a coach, that's all you can ask for. And you just keep coaching them and you keep trying to get them better."

Q: How challenging is it with the way teams are attacking Brock Bowers? And how do you try to decipher that?

Coach Turner: "Yeah, I mean, for sure. We came out this past game and we ran the ball a little more than we have been, so that took down some targets for him. He's got a big bullseye on him. They're going to try to take him away. So, I just got to do a better job with moving him around, trying to get some easy – I mean there's nothing easy in this league – but some less challenging catches, because he's so great with the ball in his hands. We just got to get it to him because he breathes life into our team. Obviously, he's a great player. So, that's something that I got to just make sure I'm doing a better job of. We did a good job of it and then these last couple games, teams have done a good job of kind of getting the quarterback off of him on the progressions."

Q: I talked to Brock Bowers yesterday about the 'rookie wall,' and he said he really hasn't hit it. Is he just a unicorn?

Coach Turner: "Yeah, I think I talked to you guys about this before, it's just about his approach and he takes care of his body. He's one of the first guys in the building every day, he's in the training room, he's so competitive. Obviously, you see that on game day, but he's competitive about making sure he's in the training room as much as possible to make sure he's as healthy as he can be. He studies and he just loves football. I mean, a lot of guys love football, but he loves football. And so, he's going to do everything he can to be ready. And obviously, he's incredibly talented, and he's a great athlete so that helps him, but no, there's no wall."

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