Las Vegas Raiders DC Patrick Graham of OTAs

HENDERSON, Nev. – Under the influential leadership of coach Antonio Pierce, the Las Vegas Raiders are riding a wave of optimism, firmly positioned in the heart of the NFL OTAs.

Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham spoke after a recent OTA practice; we have your transcript.

You can watch the entire press conference below, or if you prefer, you can listen by clicking here.

Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham

Question: Third year in a row in your system. I think you bring back the nine of the 11 starters and one new one in Christian Wilkins. There is a lot of continuity here compared to what you built last year. Do you feel like where the starting point is a little bit different this year than where it was in your early years? Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham: “Every season is so different, and the players, it’s great to have some of the leadership and signal calling back, that’s positive in terms of the relationship I have with them and they’re a extension of me But does it feel a little different, yes, but we know what awaits us and I’m excited about that.”

Q: With all the mid-season changes, how much do you get to change your defense this year? It obviously worked very well, but you are known as a tinkerer. Coach Graham: “I enjoy being in the lab, and with the players we have with high football IQ, embracing the challenges of tinkering, I think, it’s definitely fun for me and again, it is different every year, and if you try to stay the same, people will overtake you and then we’ll get passed at the start of the season, and hopefully it will continue to improve.”

Q: Some of that tinkering brought Tyree Wilson in a little more as the year went on. Can we expect a little more of that, and what are your observations of Tyree now that he’s had an offseason where he can really focus solely on football? Coach Graham: “Well, moving the defensive end inside, that’s always been a part, just like any starting edge rusher, both for myself and Robbie Leonard, our D-line coach who does a great job. It teaches them to use their hands because they have to deal with the more direct block of the guard or the center, so I thought that was really crucial for the development of Tyree (Wilson), that would help him on the edge before, we used that before in the past, in the different places I’ve been, so that was good. And in the offseason he does what everyone else does. I don’t want to rule him out, but they’re all working hard kinship or camaraderie in that D-line room and it’s contagious and it spreads throughout the defense, and you always feel those guys out there on the field, whether you hear him or feel him. ”

Q: How big of a deal is Tyree Wilson being healthy? He doesn’t have to worry about his rehabilitation; he only has to worry about football. Coach Graham: “Okay. That’s an easy answer. I could go on, but okay.”

Question: What does a disruptive force like Christian Wilkins do to the middle of your defense and basically everyone else on the defense? Coach Graham: “Christian, the good thing about it is he’s had success in this league in the past. I was fortunate enough to be there in Miami his rookie year and just to see the player he’s developed into pretty amazing to see. And that’s great, of course.” another tool that we can use on defense that will be positive for us in the sense that I think he is someone who needs multiple hands on him – or dare I say, more than two pairs of hands on him. So that’s positive. You’ve got him, you’ve got Maxx and then the other guys, John Jenkins, he’s hard to block one-on-one. It’s something we preach with our defense. We can’t get blocked one on one, and the more guys you have that can know that, get that done and can make production out of that, the better off we are when it comes to our pass defense, the defense all together.”

Q: You talked about how contagious that line of defense is. What are the changes you have noticed in Christian Wilkins’ development, not only as a player but also as a leader? Coach Graham: “Even when he was a rookie – I don’t want to live in the past – he was vocal, he had leadership. He knew he was good. That’s why he got called up where he was called up. And now you see he is just maturing as a man, and not to say he was immature before, but it’s just fun to see guys develop and grow for a reason, whether it was Chris (Grier) or Flo (Brian Flores) in Miami they drafted him for a reason to see him mature. And where he is in the NFL in terms of being one of the better players in the interior, it’s just fun to see that development.”

Q: When new position coaches are added, a lot of coaches or general managers make that decision, but Antonio Pierce wanted to get you involved. What did you like about Ricky Manning that really stood out to you as a cornerbacks coach? Coach Graham: “Ricky, he’s very respected in terms of his football knowledge and his energy. He played the position, was lucky – I like that we’ve had DB coaches Jason Simmons who’s in Washington now – guys who have that I’ve been more of a frontman my whole career. It’s always an advantage for those players to have someone who has done it, and I think players are as attracted to that as they have been the last two years.”

Q: What kind of challenges does that bring when you’re dealing with an offense involving two tight ends? Coach Graham: “First of all, they can have two surfaces for three people. It’s an advantage for us if you have an open surface. So what I mean by an open surface – a surface for two people. That’s the advantage, how do we they do that?” Deal with that? Especially when you have a player like Maxx (Crosby) or a player like Malcolm (Koonce), who is on the edge, how are they going to leave him as a single, or not? are you going to transfer someone? Once you go to 12 men you have the opportunity to close down both edges, which makes it more difficult on the pass rush, rather than the check-with-me-run game that comes into play there as you use the unique situation where there are tight ends, one time the formation may look like traditional 12 personnel, the next time it may look like traditional 11 personnel. So it can look like 21 staff a lot of communication, and it’s good to get that work.”

Q: I know it’s a small sample size so far, but what have you seen from Decamerion Richardson, and what do you expect from him to develop into a consistent contributor this year? Coach Graham: “Like most rookies, he still has a lot to learn, but he’s tall, he’s fast and he’s willing to work. So those three things there, I’m good with. They’re positive. So if you’ He is long, fast and you’re willing to work, I mean it’s something to work with, but he still has a long road ahead of him as a rookie. He just doesn’t know it yet, that’s the only thing.”

Q: In that sense, Trey Taylor is a presence that I think he’s had as a leader and as a player throughout his college career. What have you seen from him and what are your expectations from him at this level? Coach Graham: “Again, I don’t want to single out the rookies, but fortunately they’ve all worked very hard here, and I believe his leadership – whether he was a leader or not, that will continue to push him into a leadership role as a safety. have to have communication conversations, they have to talk to the corners, they have to talk to the linebackers, they have to talk to the front how it plays out This is the second day you’re on the field with the vets It’s going to be a lot different to talk to whoever it was in the Air Force or one of those rookie mini camps, and now you gotta make a call to Malcolm (Koonce), you gotta call to (Robert) Spillane These are grown men you gotta say that it was an authority, get it out, be right, otherwise they’ll turn around and look. So he’s got a lot to learn, but luckily we have GA (Gerald Alexander), a great coach, and he works with those guys.”

Q: You mentioned some of the younger cornerbacks and defensive backs, but Jakorian Bennett went through that process last year, and there were some good issues, typical for a rookie. What have you seen in terms of the growth for him and how it applies to where he is now? Coach Graham: “Part of it is getting the reps. You gotta see it. You dream about playing in the NFL, you played high school ball, played college ball, you get here and you just realize this is so is.” another game, it just is. I mean, there’s still tackling, blocking, all that stuff, but it’s a different game, and when you see the route combinations, you understand that they’re going to try to isolate you from the run game. with crack replacement situations. So what I’ve seen is the film study. I’ve seen him ask the right questions. I’ve seen him determine what his focus is at phase three and really focus on that so he can hone his craft and then lead in training camp.

Q: Where have you seen the biggest growth in Malcolm Koonce from maybe the time you met him until now? Is there a key characteristic that you’ve really seen him develop? Coach Graham: “Two weeks ago we were doing drills during the phase two process, and I was sitting in the back of the D-line group, and I just saw him coaching one of the younger players. And I mean, coaching them with authority : “It’s like this, do that.” Once you see that, it shows that you’ve mastered his craft. And when you hear that, as a teacher who happens to teach football, I tell you all the time, I mean, I was just proud. I was just giddy. I don’t know if a defensive coordinator should use the term giddy, but I was giddy. I mean, just to see him do that, I was impressed by the real mastery of his craft that he brought to others can coach with authority.

Q: Something a few players said quite often last season is that you pushed them not just to be a good defense, but to be a great defense. What do you think you need to accomplish this year to make that leap? Coach Graham: “Do your best. Do your best, keep expanding the goal a little bit every day. I know all the guys talk about one percent every day, that’s what we have to do. Just do your best.” , keep pushing that line a little further, and we’ll see how the chips fall. But that’s the most important thing, and fortunately we have some guys on the team who are high achievers, I like to think. I’m someone who wants to achieve high goals, and we set those goals, and we do what we have to do to achieve them.”

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