The Raiders are feeling confident after a big win on Monday Night Football against the Denver Broncos. While the game has been broken down and analyzed multiple times by the good guys at SB Nation Bay Area, here are a few of the highlights from what head coach Hue Jackson had to say after the victory:
Q: Why do you think you guys had so many penalties?
Coach Jackson: I'm not going to make an excuse about it, obviously, we committed them so it's something we have to address. I keep saying that, I'm harping on it and we talked about it first and foremost after the win. It's something we have to do and we have to get corrected. There were some questionable, some people would say some were questionable, but I'm not going to subscribe to that. When we get really good, we are not going to talk about penalties in this room. Fifteen penalties will not be the issue but we need to play better and do things fundamentally correct so that we don't get called and that's the truth.
As for the penalties, it was one of only a few flaws from a pretty solid overall game from the Raiders. With a lot of newcomers and inexperience on both sides of the ball, the amount penalties should decrease in the coming weeks as players get more comfortable and the coaching staff is able to drill in the fundamentals.
Q: How many yards are you willing to let Sebastian Janikowski kick a field goal?
Coach Jackson: [Laughs] Well, who knows? I'm just kidding. I feel very comfortable with him and when those guys come to tell me where the mark is for him to attempt a kick, I think about it and I feel very comfortable that they are being honest and upfront. It is not one of those things where they come up and say, ‘Let me try one from 65.' They're being very sincere. Those guys are true pros, they know what they can do and can't do, and I just felt it was right. They said, ‘Coach, we can do this.' Let's do it and sure enough he did it.
For as close and intense of a game that the two teams played on Monday, one of the headlines was Janikowski tying an NFL record with a 63-yard field goal. With the wind blowing the the turf soaked with rain, it was pretty incredible to see the leg strength of Oakland's kicker. Without his multiple field goals the team does not win and even though he did not receive a game ball after the contest was over, he probably should have. Janikowski's pursuit to break the NFL kicking record may be worth the price of admission alone in the coming weeks.
Q: You're now being asked to go on the road again to start the NFL season with two road games in seven days. What is the most important factor in you being able to accomplish that?
Coach Jackson: Prepare, rest, and prepare. We have another mission and our mission is Buffalo. They're coming off of a huge win and it's going to be their home opener, no different then last night. They're going to take their best shot and we have to be ready to go.
As for the game itself, the Bills are coming off arguably their biggest win in five years. No one expected that team to come away with a blowout victory in Kansas City last week and yet another road win for Oakland would be huge. If the team is able to cut down on penalties and Darren McFadden can have another big game, a victory is possible.
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