Head Coach Kevin Stefanski Cleveland Browns Vs. Las Vegas Raiders Postgame Zoom Interview Week 8 11-1-20

Head Coach Kevin Stefanski Cleveland Browns vs. Las Vegas Raiders Postgame Zoom Interview Week 8 11-1-20

Head Coach Kevin Stefanski: Opening statement: “Injury wise, (DE) Myles (Garrett) came out there with a knee injury that we will get an MRI on in the morning. I know you saw (DT) Vincent Taylor come out. He is getting evaluated for a concussion, but do not have an update on him.

“We got beat. They came in here and beat us so credit to the Raiders. They possessed it for 38 minutes. We did not do enough of the things that you have to do in those conditions to go win, and I do not think anyone can use that as an excuse. They found a way to put 16 points up on the board, and we did not. Credit to them. Disappointed with the loss. We will try to learn from it and get better for our next game.”

On if Garrett’s injury was related to the previously sustained ankle injury: “It was unrelated to the ankle from this week.”

On specifics of Garrett’s knee injury: “Do not really know. I will know more in the morning.”

On how disappointing it was to not be able to adapt to the weather conditions: “I wish we were able to put some drives together there and extended drives, but if you do not possess the ball and you leave the defense on the field that long and they do not get off the field, it is just hard to win. They did a nice job. They earned that victory.”

On if WR Jarvis Landry was evaluated for a concussion late in the fourth quarter and Landry’s status: “I think he is OK.”

On how much weather affected the gameplan and if the team did not throw it as much as planned: “I think we talked about that going into this game and doing the things that we felt would move the ball. Obviously, the wind was a consideration, but bottom line, we just did not make enough plays on offense or defense.”

On how disappointing was the Browns’ time of possession: “Yeah, very disappointing. Time of possession is a great team stat. Offensively, you have to possess it by sustaining drives, making first downs on the third down or finding ways to just get first downs. Obviously, we did not do that on offense. Defensively, I do not know the exact numbers, but they were much better than us on third down and the sustained drives.”

On defensive adjustments the Browns tried to make in run defense to get the Raiders off the field: “You can play some safeties lower or you can move the front, but we were just getting knocked back so that is something we will look at. Ultimately, we have to stop the run, whether we play shell or single high. They late in that game were running it, we knew that they were running it and we were not able to stop it so that is something that we will look at long and hard to find a way to get better.”

On Landry nearly coming down with two TD receptions:

“I have very high expectations for Jarvis. He has tremendous ball skills. I think he will make those plays. I did not have a loss of any faith whatsoever in him. I think he will always tell you every ball that comes his way, he should catch. That is just his mindset.”

On if Garrett sustained the knee injury in the second quarter when seen going into the injury tent: “That is when it occurred. I do not have any more information on what caused it or anything like that.”

On if he is optimistic about Garrett’s long-term status since Garrett returned to play after that time: “Yeah, I think he was able to play, probably did not play as much as he would have liked or we would have liked definitely. Something that we will let the medical staff kind of guide us on that one, pending the MRI we will have more for you.”

On if the bye week is coming at an opportune time for the Browns, given the injuries on the team: “Anytime you have guys that are injured, they are working very, very hard to get back on the field. We are no different than any other team really in that regard. We will find out if those guys can help us next week.”

On QB Baker Mayfield’s performance today: “I thought he handled the conditions pretty well. He made some plays with his feet. We mentioned the drops earlier. That is a team stat in terms of when you are able to get third downs and your pass game requires all 11 people for precision. It was not precise enough, again, scoring only six points.”

On frustration as a play caller when not getting an ideal number of possessions in a game: “I think it is frustrating for the entire offense when you want the ball, but again, that is a team’s time of possession. I know they possessed it for 38 minutes, but the offense certainly plays into that and the special teams plays into that, as well.”

On comparing the TD calls between WR Jarvis Landry’s, which was overturned, and Raiders WR Hunter Renfrow’s, which stood as called, given they looked similar: “You are at the mercy of the officials.”

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QB Baker Mayfield Cleveland Browns vs. Las Vegas Raiders Postgame Zoom Interview Week 8 11-1-20

QB Baker Mayfield: On how bad the weather conditions were today: “It affected a few throws. The wind got a hold of a couple of them. We talked about how the conditions were not going to be an excuse, and they were going to have to deal with them, too. They executed what we were trying to do – just take care of the ball, move the ball down the field, find the completions and find a way to win any way.”

On how frustrating it was that the Raiders were able to stay on the field and keep the chains moving on offense: “This game is a lot of fourth downs going for it. They just kind of stuck with the run game and controlled the clock. We have to be better in the first half. We had three possessions, and we have to capitalize. We will look back at a few key plays that we offensively could have made, but they won. They did everything right today and handled it.”

On his message to the Browns offense when there is a significant drop that stops a drive: “The ball is coming back to them. The ball always finds a way back to them at some certain point in the game. Like I always say, the most important play is always the next one so pick your head up and move on. Those are things, those guys make routine catches so it is one of those that everybody knows every once in a while it happens. We had a few of them today, but it is what it is. We will move forward, and we will get better. We will look at the film and learn. It is the bye week. Hopefully, get some guys back and keep getting better.”

On assessing where the Browns are at the midway point of the season: “Not anywhere close to where we want to be. We have a 5-3 record. It should be a lot better. We believe that. That is why our locker room is pissed off. We believe in this locker room, and we are going to continue to get better and hopefully going on a streak right after this bye week, like I said, be healthy and focus on getting better. We know what we can improve, and after we watch this film, we will do that even more so.”

On the two plays to WR Jarvis Landry in the end zone: “Tough to say on the review for the potential touchdown. I just thought that it looked pretty similar to the one to (Raiders WR Hunter) Renfrow. Obviously, they are going to make the calls and they are going to do what they do. That is a tough one in man coverage with the safety over the top, trying to put it where he can get it. That is a tough one. He got a shot in the ribs, and he was hurting right there. Not many people can make that play, but I know Jarvis is going to beat himself up.”

On challenges playing without DE Myles Garrett for much of the game: “It always sucks to lose a guy like that. We pride ourselves on the next man up mentality, but like we said about (WR) Odell (Beckham Jr.), it is not a one-man job to fill his shoes. That is a guy that we love having here and love having on this team. The bye week is coming at a good time for us. Hopefully, it is nothing too serious and he can come back and continue to help us in a huge way like he has been.”

On how good it is to have the bye week now to allow Browns players to heal from injuries: “It is pretty good timing to be honest with you. I think everybody needs it. Obviously, we would have loved to have gone into this bye 6-2, if not better, but we are where we are. We can only deal with that, move forward and continue to get better. It is about putting in the work one week at a time until we reach that end goal.”

On saying the Browns are not where needed and if that comes down to consistency:

“In any game, no matter if it is a close game or a blowout, you can look at some of these key plays and see where the momentum changes or what potentially could have been, but it is what it is. There are no ‘what ifs’ because we have to move on and just learn from those plays. That is why you take every play and you play at 100 percent because you never know which one of those you are going to look back on and say that was the one that made the difference. We will learn and get better.”

On if he noticed the Raiders defense playing with a different gameplan without Beckham: “The Raiders kind of do what they do. They are going to play a two-shell safety defense until you force them to get out of it in the run game. They eventually started bringing some of those safeties off the edges and bringing some pressure to try and stop that run game. They just do what they do. They play hard. We just did not make enough plays today.”

On how disappointing the loss is after the momentum gained from last week’s game: “We win as a team and lose as a team. This league is hard. It is hard to win. We have to be more consistent to be able to accomplish that, and like I keep saying, just to learn from this film, move forward and get better, that is all we can do. We are going to do all of that as a team. We are going to put the work in as a team and get better as a team.”

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RB Kareem Hunt Cleveland Browns vs. Las Vegas Raiders Postgame Zoom Interview Week 8 11-1-20

RB Kareem Hunt: On if the Browns battling injuries, including DE Myles Garrett, played a role in today’s result: “You have to overcome that stuff. There are no excuses and there will not ever be. We have to find a way to win.”

On the Browns being 5-3 entering the bye: “Definitely disappointed. That is a game I feel like we definitely should have won, but hats off to them. Those guys did a good job of managing the clock, running the football and doing a good job to keep us out of the end zone on offense. We have to learn from it and get better.”

On the Raiders defense stopping the run today: “They just did a good job of playing hard at their positions. It is all good.”

On if he is disappointed that the Browns offense could not run the ball in this type of weather: “Most definitely. They beat us at our own game. They did a good job. Hats off to them.”

On how tough is it when time of possession is strongly slanted between opposing teams: “It is very tough. Keeping the offense off the field and not letting us really get hot, it is definitely tough. We have to make the most out of each drive and opportunity we have, but we did not.”

On if it is accurate that Head Coach Kevin Stefanski values being able to control the clock: “Yeah, most definitely. They beat at us at our own game. If we would have flipped it and it had been the other way, I am pretty sure we would have won that game.”

On if it disappointing when Browns players drop passes with opportunities: “Most definitely. I always hold myself to be able to make every play. We have to do better and make those plays. It is nothing about that. Stuff happens. Everyone drops the ball here and there, but we have to be able to overcome them and make the plays when they are there.”

On the disappointment with inconsistency today, particularly given it is Week 8: “It was disappointing, but we are still 5-3 and we still have everything in front of us. We just have to keep getting better and find a way to win and win these ball games.”

On if he is looking forward to some serious resting over the bye week: “No question. It will be good to get some guys back all around – offensive and defensive guys. We will definitely take this and learn during this bye week, too.”

On how hard it was for the Browns to play without Garrett for much of the game: “You see it. He is an X factor. He is a big time player on our defense. We definitely need him, but those guys, you have to have the next man up mentality. We know those are big shoes to fill, but we still have to find a way to win that game.”

On if he feels that the team left a winnable game on the table: “Most definitely, but hats off to those guys. They did a good job of holding the ball and doing a good job of converting on third-and-short and stuff like that.”

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DE Myles Garrett Cleveland Browns vs. Las Vegas Raiders Postgame Zoom Interview Week 8 11-1-20

DE Myles Garrett: On the knee injury: “It is what it is. It is part of the game. You get hampered with things like that, and you just try to play through to the best that I can or best that I could. It just started wearing on me. Started going to third downs and then they were driving the field and we were in passing downs. Have to what it takes to get out there the run downs.”

On how the knee injury happened: “I took a shot. I took a cut. It was one of the first plays, and from that first shot, it just kind of started just wearing on me.”

On playing with the injury in the second half: “It was tough, but everybody’s is dealing with something… Just have to be better.”

On the Raiders’ time of possession and what the Browns could have done to get them off the field: “We have to bow up. We gave them too many manageable third downs by allowing them to rush well on first and second downs, and it came back to bite us. We could not get off the field. They were better and stronger up front.”

On if the knee injury is related to the ankle injury: “No, that is its own issue. Just have to take care of both during the bye week.”

On if the Browns’ injuries impacted today’s result: “We are not going to start now using excuses. It is a next man up league. Whatever happens on whatever team, you just have to take advantage of that. They took advantage of me being out and some of the guys we did have out. It is credit to them. They had a gameplan, and they succeeded in going through with it and executing it. We just have to move on to the next week or the week after that and get better.”

On the Raiders’ efficiency on offense: “We let them get through the front four or front five a little bit too easy. He (Raiders RB Josh Jacobs) was squeezing through and getting up to the backers and linebackers without having to change direction and having to slow down. Those are tough tackles to make. We just have to be better.”

On the Browns’ 5-3 record at the bye and if the team can regroup after the loss: “This is not a question on whether we can regroup. Nobody is going worried about this two weeks from now. It is just about getting the guys that we need back healthy and coming back and executing our gameplan. We did not execute today, and they did.”

On the severity of his knee injury, particularly given he returned to the game in the second half: “As long as I can walk on it or run on it, I am going to try to play on it. No matter how it feels the next two weeks, I will try to be out there unless they make a point of holding me out.”

On if he has an idea on the specifics of the injury: “No, we will be able to see tomorrow.”

On how close he was to a strip-sack on the first defensive series:

“I can’t recall. My right hand is numb because I took a numbing shot for something else that has been going on this year. I thought I got enough of it to get it away from him and I had the tackle hanging on my back, but I thought I had a good shot on him, but he was able to slip through and he made a good play.”

On if he touched Raiders QB Derek Carr’s arm or the ball on the play: “I am pretty sure I got the ball, but we will be able to see tomorrow."

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Cleveland Browns vs. Las Vegas Raiders Zoom Interview Week 8 11-1-2020

CB Denzel Ward: On how frustrating it was to not be able to stop the Raiders on third down, particularly in the fourth quarter: “It was very frustrating. That is our goal going onto the field is to be able to get off the field on third down, and make plays. We were just not able to do that.”

On how difficult it was to be without DE Myles Garrett following his injury earlier in the game: “Guys just have to step up, but we would love to have Myles out there on the field whenever we can. We have players who can play, come in a play and still get the job done. Players just have to be able to come in and step up.”

On if he agrees with QB Baker Mayfield that it is frustrating to be 5-3 heading into the bye week: “Yeah, it is a very frustrating loss. A lot of things we have to fix and work on. Just have to get better during this bye week and come back stronger.”

On taking any solace for being in a good position at 5-3: “I will see come bye week. We have a lot of work to do over this bye week and get better and get ready for this next game.”

On how frustrating it was that the Raiders had 208 yards rushing and 37:43 time of possession: “It was just a very frustrating game overall. We were not able to get off the field on third down. We have to do better stopping the run and find a way to come out with a win in the game.”

On if today’s game felt winnable and if there were missed opportunities: “I definitely believe so. It was a very frustrating game. I thought me personally that I did not do enough to help the team win or make enough plays. Just have to get better during this bye week and find a way to get the next win next game.”

On Raiders WR Hunter Renfrow’s TD catch that was reviewed: “To me, it looked like it was an incomplete pass, but that is just how the game goes sometimes. The refs looked it over, and you can only control what you can control so you have to play the next play.”

On if his forced fumble late in the fourth quarter that was recovered by the Raiders could have been a turning point in the game: “That was frustrating, too, that we were not able to get it. I could not get back in there to pick it up. That could have been a turning point in the game, but we just have to capitalize on opportunities like those next time.”

On if the Browns feel like a 5-3 team or a better team than the record reflects: “I definitely feel we are better than that, and a lot of these games are games we could have won. We just have to find a way to finish next time. Like I said, get better during this bye week and see what we can do to get the win next game.”

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Raiders Head Coach Jon Gruden Las Vegas Raiders at Cleveland Browns Postgame Zoom Interview Week 8 11-1-2020

Raiders Head Coach Jon Gruden: On controlling time of possession and the lines, especially in the elements: “I am really proud. We talked and made a big deal about the weather. We knew the weather was going to be really harsh today, and we kept talking about how we struggled playing on the road last year in bad weather against the Jets and the Chiefs. We really made a big deal out of it, but we kind of enjoyed it. I think our guys looked forward to the challenge of the weather more than anything. We ran the ball a lot of different ways – from a single-back set, from a two-back set a double tight end set. (Raiders QB) Derek Carr even got involved. It was a great job of protecting the football, running the ball, and possessing the ball, which was a key ingredient in winning.”

On the impact of the wind today: “You can’t imagine it. I can’t explain it. You thought when you were going one direction, you were with the wind and then maybe you were against the wind, but the wind was against everybody – Cleveland and Las Vegas all day today. Credit to (Raiders K Daniel) Carlson for being able to kick the ball and make some field goals. I thought Derek threw the ball intermediately pretty good. It was real obstacle for the kickers and the quarterbacks, for sure.”

On adjusting the Raiders OL on the fly and Raiders T Brandon Parker’s performance: “When Brandon Parker woke up today, he was inactive. He was not going to be active. (Raiders T) Trent Brown was the right tackle, (Raiders T) Sam Young was the swing tackle and Brandon Parker was eating breakfast thinking he was inactive. Then wouldn’t you know, he is pressed into service early in the game. We are fortunate to have him. You have to give the offensive line, and (Raiders offensive line coach) Tom Cable and (Raiders offensive coordinator) Greg Olson a great amount of credit. What they have been through the last two weeks is incomprehensible, but I think football people understand what we have been through up front in the last couple ball games is bizarre.”

On Raiders RB Josh Jacobs’ performance and if his comparison to Pro Football Hall of Fame RB Walter Payton earlier in the year rings truer after today’s game: “I shouldn’t have said that because you remember it. That puts a lot of pressure on people. That is what I remember growing up as a kid. I remember horrible weather, and I remember everybody in the stadium knowing that No. 34 (Payton) was going to get the ball and he made yards and got it done anyhow. That is what Jacobs and his level of talent is. He is a great runner. We just need him to break one long one to satisfy a lot of the statisticians. That was an impressive performance, he and (Raiders RB Devonte) Booker today.”

On the long touchdown drive at the end of the third quarter and into the fourth quarter and its importance in these conditions: “It is obvious, we had back-to-back drives and we didn’t have that at the 1-yard line and we would have had two 15-16 play drives in a row. It is a credit to the quarterback for being able to recognize some things and get us in the right play. The guys up front, you have to really tip your hat to them. I don’t want to underscore how important our defense was today. We made some changes, and they responded beautifully. It was a big win for us.”

On Brown’s status: “We are just going to say that he got ill here in the locker room. He is being evaluated right now, and we will update you as soon as we know something. I am told that everything is OK. We were expecting Trent to play today. He had a great practice on Friday. We will update you when we know something more extensive.”

On what he wanted to see from the Raiders defense: “Turnovers. We got the early turnover. We wanted to be able to get more hats to the ball, knock out the big plays. We can’t keep giving up the big plays. Eliminate the big plays, certainly. Try to create some turnovers. Those were priorities. Really just playing more consistently. That is what we are after. We still have a long way to go. We are hoping (Raiders CB) Damon Arnette can return soon. We did make some strides today. I thought we had a lot of contributors. We didn’t have as many mental errors. We just have to stay onside. Three offside in the first quarter were ridiculous, but after that, I think we settled down and played OK.”

On Raiders S Lamarcus Joyner’s pass breakup in the fourth quarter: “I am glad he has a good vertical. That was a touchdown. He got up and made a great play to deflect that pass. They were in an empty backfield set. We ran a three-man rush, and Joyner really timed that jump perfectly. Fortunately for us, he made that play.”

On today being one of Carr’s better managed games: “Yeah, it really was. Statistically probably not, but I thought he had a touchdown called back. I thought that was a touchdown in the end zone earlier in the first half. I thought he played a really good game. We went back in time a little bit to an old school attack. That is something that we have been trying to put together here, the ingredients, to allow us to play three-receiver sets. When we have to, we can get into some old school double tight end sets and run the ball like teams used to in this league. I am really proud of the job that our guys did and responded to our third tackle plan there in the first quarter.”

On the importance of Carr’s runs today: “That is what we have all been asking for. We have all been saying, ‘Hey, extend a couple plays. Why don’t you extend a couple plays?’ Today, he extended a couple plays. Those were, I think, the plays that were the secret sauce in the win today. One was a second-and-long call. Believe it or not, we ran a zone read, and he kept it and got a key first down. I’m really proud of Derek. It is unfortunate you guys don’t get to see him every day with his teammates because of this virus, but he has showcased a lot of leadership and poise for us during this tough time.”

On if he reminds Carr to slide after lowering his shoulder on a run or gives him an ‘atta boy’: “I don’t say, ‘Atta boy.’ I say, ‘Are you out of your mind? Don’t get carried away.’ He is a great competitor. I am just proud that he is finding all kinds of ways to move the team. We have had receivers come and go. We have had linemen come and go. He has hung in there, and he is finding ways to move the team. We are 4-3, and we have to get ready for the Chargers. I don’t know if we are going to get out of here tonight. It is really windy here.”

On whether he likes scores like this game or prefers higher scores: “To all the people back in Las Vegas, we haven’t seen a drop of rain in 193 days. It was raining here. It was snowing here. It was hailing here. All three in the same day. It was 38-45 mph winds. We will take any win we can get. We are just excited to get on a plane together and head home to Vegas.”

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Derek Carr Cleveland Browns vs. Las Vegas Raiders Postgame Zoom Interview Week 8 11-1-20

Raiders QB Derek Carr: On today’s win: “Obviously, our goal is to score points. The way we did this one today, I am not going to lie to you, but it was kind of fun. Mr. (General Manager Mike) Mayock texted me this morning and he said, like he always does, ‘Your job is to find a way to win’ because when we woke up, that wind was howling. We both said ‘nobody cares’ and that we need to find a way to win, whatever it takes. We found a way to win, and whenever you are able to do it the way we did where everyone has to deal with the conditions, it feels good. A team coming from Las Vegas and the desert, a team that comes from the West Coast and came out here into the cold and terrible weather, that is a good feeling, especially on the road.”

On Raiders Head Coach Jon Gruden discussing the Raiders previous struggles in cold weather: “If we are being honest, we haven’t been able to do that in a long time and not in my tenure year. When I was a rookie and I showed up here, everyone talked about we can’t win when we go to the East Coast or we can’t win in the cold weather. I remember all that from my rookie year so it has been around for a while. It gives us confidence because Mr. Mayock and Gruden have brought in the right kind of people. They can find a way to win. I have been in some locker rooms with some guys before where when it gets a little cold or a little windy or rainy, the look in their eyes turns a little bit different. Today in pregame, in the locker room, and as we took the field, I felt like there was nothing stopping us because of everyone’s energy and juice. We are just going to have fun. That is what we are here to do. I have been to the Pro Bowl and I have gotten paid big money and things like that, but I do not care about that stuff. I really don’t. I want to win football games, and that is why I have given everything I have so when we win a game like this, it makes me pumped, especially with the way we had to grind it out.”

On the Raiders OL’s performance: “It was unbelievable, right? I will tell you what, for some of you guys that have been around here for a while, we could write a pretty good book in just my seven years here. There has been some crazy stuff that has happened, and today was another one of those days. Honestly, I got a little scared for (T) Trent (Brown) today. I thought ‘Man, I hope he is OK.’ We had no clue what was happening. All of a sudden, we came in this morning and they are wheeling him out and I was trying to figure out what was going on. It was crazy. As a team, we prayed for him. We made sure he was OK and his family was OK because I am sure they were scared to death, too. Then you have to compartmentalize what just happened with we have to go win a football game in the worst weather I have ever played in in my life. I am really proud of our offensive line. I wish I could talk about them for 30 minutes. I am proud of those guys and what (Raiders offensive line) Coach (Tom) Cable and (Raiders offensive quality control coach) Austin (King) were able to prepare those guys for anything and everything and every situation. It is pretty unbelievable what they are able to do and it shows that we have good football character.”

On extending plays with his legs today: “They got mad at me because I was not sliding today, but I had to feel like I was helping out somehow. With how the weather was, anything over 10 yards, your guess was as good as mine as to where that ball was going to end up. It was ridiculous. It rained, it sleeted, it snowed and it was snowing sideways. Who knows what the wind was. Like I said before, Mr. Mayock texted me this morning and said, ‘It does not matter what it takes, just find a way to win.’ To me, there were a couple times where I could have sat in the pocket and tried to let something develop, but when it opened up, I just took off and did not have the

privilege to slide a couple of times because I had to get the first down. I had to try – just like last week – and I am just thankful those plays worked out. I feel like as a football fan, whenever the quarterback tries does that kind of stuff, it pumps the whole sideline up. It pumps the whole team up when the quarterback lowers his shoulder, even if he is being an idiot. It pumps the team up. I have tried to jump over people and I have tried to run over people, and I might not be the best at it, but I am going to try it. I felt like those moments right there ignite our sideline so if I am able to continue doing that, I might be a little more sore than usual, but whatever it takes to win is all I care about.”

On their previous struggles travelling east and playing in Cleveland: “Absolutely. I think we all agree that we have all probably made mistakes in our lives, and the first thing you must do is to admit it. You must admit that I have not been my best here or I have not been my best at this or that for whatever reason. This was an opportunity for us to take what Coach was saying and do something about it. I practiced with two gloves on. I practiced with no gloves on. I switched it up because the forecast was saying it might rain or it might snow or it might be windy so we prepared. That is what we do. We have our process of how to deal with those things. I have never played a game with a right- handed glove on, but I did that. I took it off when it stopped raining, then put it back on when it started again and then took it back off later. If you let that stuff get in your head, then you would be a headcase. At the end of the day, I do not care. I just want to win. Whatever it takes to win, we have to figure out how to do that and we have a group of guys that when we admit that we have not done it that well, we owned it in practice and owned it today. We owned it in a way that we were going to embrace it.”

On the Raiders’ defensive performance after recent criticism: “We do not point fingers around here on this team. Obviously, I have had struggles before and no one pointed fingers at me. The defense has had struggles before and no one points fingers at them. We are a close-knit group and we always have been. We try to stay that way because there is so much outside stuff that tries to tear you apart, not only as football players but as people. Whether you believe this way or believe that way or think this way or think that way, people are always trying to tear us apart so we try to do our best to stay together, no matter what, and try to be tight knit as a pack. As long as you keep that fist closed, nothing can get in. I love Pat Hill for that. It really showed me that no matter where the struggles are happening, you must stay closed and you must stay like a fist. When it happens and there is success that happens, it feels better. There is just more joy. You know you encouraged those guys and you encouraged somebody, just like I was encouraged early in my career when I was struggling. (Former NFL CB) C-Wood (Woodson) would pull me aside and talk to me and encourage me, (former NFL DE) Justin Tuck, all those guys. To see the way they played the football game today for us was awesome.”

On Gruden and today’s style of play: “He loves those type of football games. When he has his plays and is able to dial up all his cool stuff, where I can check things and throw for 300 yards he loves that, but I really think he loves this more. The toughness, the grit, the attitude, I am sure Pat Hill will text me the same thing. His favorite play is power and the power running game. I am sure I will get a text from him about the power running game. I think those two are the same guy. They love grinding it out like this and playing great defense and running the ball at people. They love that stuff.”

On Raiders RB Josh Jacobs’ performance: “That is Josh. He is one of the best running backs in the NFL. We have a lot of good players on our team, and Josh is one of them. The way he was able to run the ball really ignited us. I was joking around with him at the end of the game that I am an honorary running back today – we had four running backs today (laughter). He is the man. He is awesome.”

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K Daniel Carlson Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals Postgame Zoom Interview Week 8 11-1-20

Raiders K Daniel Carlson: On kicking in the wind and missing his first FG try: “Pregame, it wasn’t quite as windy. I had a really good pregame to try to figure it out. We got out there, and I really aimed at basically the right upright. That was by far the windiest game I have ever played in and I think most of this team has ever played in. I aimed at the right upright, hit it and basically an A+ ball exactly how I wanted, but didn’t factor in that wind quite enough. Luckily, able to learn from it, bounce back and have a good operation, good holds, good protection and get some points on the board the rest of the game.”

On if it was better kicking west than east: “Yeah, absolutely. That late kick for them going that way, that Dawg Pound end was really tough. I would say 30 mile per hour winds or whatever it was and doing the best with the operation, that snap and hold is tough when it is cold, when it is raining, when it is sleeting, when it is hailing or whatever it was. Those guys did a great job just giving me opportunities to get the ball down and put it through.”

On his conversation with Browns K Cody Parkey prior to the game: “We played at Auburn together. I redshirted his final year at Auburn. I was asking him a little bit about the wind pregame, and he said he has never seen any wind like that. He was giving me some pointers to the best of his ability. We were just kind of talking through what we were thinking with the wind. Just trying to figure it out as quickly as we could and do our best.”

On if Parkey should not have given insight about the wind or ‘kept his mouth shut’: “I think some guys do, but I’m going to figure it out either way. I think most specialists around the league are pretty friendly. Most of us kind of know each other, whether it is from different camps or just training throughout the years or playing against each other. It was pretty obvious that one end was extremely windy and extremely tough. We have to try to take advantage of it. I learned some lessons today, but I felt like I hit that first one pretty well. Just have to play that wind a little better next time.”

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Raiders WR Hunter Renfrow Las Vegas Raiders vs. Cleveland Browns Postgame Zoom Interview Week 8 11-1-2020

Raiders WR Hunter Renfrow: On what was the key to the long drives throughout the game: “I think our offensive line did a great job of moving the ball. I think whenever (Raiders TE) Jason Witten came over early to us, especially as a receiver, he said, ‘Look, this can be a seven-possession game. We might only get the ball seven times, so we are going to need to sustain those drives, take those third downs and keep the chains moving.’ And I thought the offensive line did an amazing job all day. Going into halftime, it looked like they were just battling and they did a fantastic to be able to finish the way they did. Impressive.”

On if he prefers games with long drives and a lot of short passes: “Whatever it takes to win that is what we prefer. I do not know if that necessarily answers your question, but it is different every week. And this week, the defense did a such a great job of getting the ball and not letting them score and we were just able to capitalize on it. But to answer your question here, every week is different and if we need to go score 50, then you need to be able to score 50 and great job by the defense today stopping them.”

On if he was confident they were going uphold his touchdown: “Yeah, absolutely. I thought I got my hands underneath it. It dragged a little bit at the end, but I thought I caught it initially. The ground kind of made it shake a little bit. It was a touchdown.”

On if likes to play in weather like today: “I am from the beach, so I did not. That was more waves than hurricane it seemed like. It was coming in sideways, backward and forward. You had to kind of gage which side of the field you wanted to take shots on. I have never been around something like that. I think this team did a great job of coming in early in warmups, in pregame, and just setting the tempo that we are going to have fun today and we are not going to let the weather kind of dictate how we play. We are going to go out there and have a blast and thankfully we won.”

On if he has a sense that Raiders Head Coach Jon Gruden enjoys old school games: “Yeah. He kind of likes the very efficient games. But he also likes to score at the same time. It is kind of catch- 22 for him, because he does like the grind-out, the go-get points when you can—field goals, field goals, but he also likes to score points. He likes to win, as well.”

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S Johnathan Abram Cleveland Browns vs. Las Vegas Raiders Postgame Zoom Interview Week 8 11-1-2020

Raiders S Johnathan Abram: On S Lamarcus Joyner’s performance on the last drive: “That is kind of what we talk about each week, going into the week—knowing what routes they are on. We kind of knew what the plan was. We knew that they were going to try to hit (WR Jarvis) Landry, so I felt like he was well prepared. We all were. We just kind of showed it today when we went out and played.”

On not being able to play on his birthday last week: “I was really heartbroken. I really wanted to go out there and not even, because it was my birthday. It was just the fact to go out there with my guys. To be able to go out against a really good team at home, I was very disappointed.”

On embracing Raiders Head Coach Jon Gruden’s challenge to go out in bad weather and compete and win: “The weather does not really matter. It does not matter where we go or where we are at. We can show up on the concrete at six in the morning and we are going to be ready to play ball.”

On Raiders T Trent Brown being on his mind during the game: “That is one of my closest friends. We talked about it pregame. We are going to go out there and get this W for him today. I know the one thing is it sucks when you have a guy go down and you end up losing. So we made sure that we went out there today and got the W for him.”

On the defensive changes and being able to blitz Browns QB Baker Mayfield: “Whenever PG (Raiders defensive coordinator Paul Guenther) calls my number, I just try to do it to the best of my ability, hitting the creases [and] making sure I’m low. We have different pressure. We have run pressure. We have pass pressure. So I was just trying to do my best and do what I was coached to do.”

On whether this win does anything for the team’s confidence: “We did not lose confidence last week, even with the loss. We do not really worry about the scoreboard. If we go out there and we play Raider football, it does not really matter what the score is. It shows in what we have done.

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RB Josh Jacobs Las Vegas Raiders vs. Cleveland Browns Postgame Zoom Interview Week 8 11-1-2020

Raiders RB Josh Jacobs: On how it feels to impact the game as much as he did, especially in these conditions: “I think it is about time we had a run game like that, where we finished with like 200 yards as a team. So it just feels good to be that dominant.”

On the weather: “To me, it felt good. It reminded me of growing up, playing football in Oklahoma. You get weather like that in Oklahoma, so I was good. I came out early and walked around the field and I was like, ‘yea, I am good for it.’ When we came out and it started raining, it just made the game more fun, because I knew we were going to run the ball.”

On the offensive line’s effort: “Like I say every week, I see the way that they work. I see the way that they prepare. I knew it was just a matter of time before we are clicking on all cylinders. We just happened to do that this week.”

On the goal line stand by the Browns: “That is my fault. I feel like always, when we are on the goal line, it is all about scoring. I do not care if it is a free hit or anything like that. I told the guys it is on me. We will try to come back out there next week and put it in.”

On how the win today feels after the loss last week: “It just feels good knowing that coming in after last week, like I said, it was embarrassing to me. I feel like I underperformed. Just being able to get that opportunity again this week and coming out here and making the best out of every play, it feels good.”

On Raiders QB Derek Carr’s performance: “Everybody in the offense has full confidence in D.C. Whether it is his audibles or him throwing the ball. We knew coming in that the statistics and things like that, and Coach (Jon Gruden) talked about how we need to be better in tough environments, especially in cold weather games, and things like that. Just to see us come out and perform, it was huge.”

On how fun it is to have long drives: “It is fun. I think we had what like a 13 or 15-play drive. That just showed our dominance and running the ball very physically. I feel like that is our style to play. I know that is my style to play. I know that is our mentality as an offense and as a running back—on the offensive line. Just to be able to showcase that this week was huge. We are trying to come out next week and duplicate it and improve a little bit.”

On playing against LB Mack Wilson and other former Alabama teammates: “It is funny to me, because I am used to going against him in practice in college. I watched him play the whole time in college and I still keep up with him, so just to go against him, like, ‘look, I want the bragging rights.’ So that when we all link up in the offseason, I can talk. It has been fun.”

On what goes through his mind when he sees Carr run the ball: “Slide. That is what I am thinking. Please do not take a hit. He is comfortable, man. He has looked better every week. Just to see him comfortable and trust that when the play breaks down and he can use his feet, That has been huge.”

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Raiders LB Nick Kwiatkoski Las Vegas Raiders vs. Cleveland Browns Postgame Zoom Interview Week 8 11-1-2020

Raiders LB Nick Kwiatkoski: On the weather conditions, the success in the run game on offense and the defense coming up with necessary stops and playing a physical game: “Yeah, absolutely. I used to play countless games in this type of weather. They are fun games, but weather definitely plays a factor in game plans and it comes down to being tough, stopping the run, getting the ball out, things like that. So, I mean, definitely a fun one.”

On making changes on defense this week and what changes worked: “There were a lot of different small tweaks here and there. It is hard to just pinpoint one. We do a lot of different stuff throughout the game. So, have to go back and watch film to really answer that question. But after that, watch the film and kind of carry what we did well into the next game, correct what we did wrong and go from there.”

On how big Raiders S Lamarucs Joyner was on the last drive: “He was huge. The whole game, he makes plays. He is a physical presence out there playing nickel. Making plays in the run game, pass game.”

On how the defense was able to hold it together and only give up six points: “Kind of what I said before, taking things from previous games. We have made mistakes and taking the good things we did and carrying them on. Building each week in practice. Emphasizing different things, turnovers or the run game each week. Just putting those emphases week by week and building on the good things.”

On if he gets the sense the HC Jon Gruden enjoys these types of games: “Yeah. I mean, he kind of preaches to us finishing. That is kind of what this game was. The weather played a factor. It was a lot of run, downhill runs, boots, things like that. It is a grind.”

On how big of a focus the defense put on forcing turnover: “That is kind of an emphasis for us every week. Turnover battles win games. But, for us to get a turnover early in the game is huge, giving our offense an opportunity. Get them off the field. During that time they were moving down the field. So, any time we can get off the field and give our offense an opportunity, it is huge.”

On if they came out of last week with a chip on their shoulders: “Yeah, absolutely. It is one of those things. Like, you take a loss, correct the things and move on. You cannot really harp on losses or wins. You have a game the following week. You just have to take the film and move on.”

On the impact Raiders S Johnathan Abram makes: “Yeah, he is a guy who does it all. On and off the field, he is a leader. He is vocal. When he comes down making plays in the run game, it is huge for us as linebackers with that help. Also, in the pass rush. When he gets an opportunity, he loves to blitz. Any time you can get him on a quarterback, it is great.”

On what he saw on the Raiders fumble recovery:

“It was a tight end screen. Really, I was kind of in the trail position. I had an opportunity to just swipe the ball. I tried to get it and I had no idea that it popped out, until after the play.”

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