Oakland Raiders Head Coach Jack Del Rio said his team put on a gritty performance in a win over the New Orleans Saints. He said the team is learning how to win and close games.
“Let’s win it right now. I thought that we took some clock there at the end so they would not have as much (time). That is why we went for two after the score…..I let them know early in that drive (that we would go for it). I said, ‘When we go score here, we’re going to go for two and we’re going to win it right here.’ I said that right when the drive started.” The Raiders coach said about his decision to go for a two-point conversion that would decide the game.
Quarterback Derek Carr on the playcall:
“When I got the call, I took a deep breath, made sure my footwork was right, and just lobbed it up for Crab. That’s just my thought process. I say lob it up, but obviously trying to put it in a certain spot where he can make a play.”
Receiver Michael Crabtree said that the team practices that play so much that it becomes routine.
“He (QB Carr) gave me a great ball there, and he did that the entire game. That shows he trusts me. And it wasn’t a gutsy call at all, not at all. He (Coach Del Rio) has a lot of trust in us, and we have a lot of trust in him. I mean when you put in so much work in camp and in the preseason, I feel like all we have to do as players is execute.” Crabtree said after the game.
Added, the receiver said the team showed heart by not giving up when they were down late.
Fellow receiver Amari Cooper also said the team is learning how to win.
“When we got down late in the game, no one got upset about it,” said Cooper. “We just kept going. We were resilient today. We all knew we just had to keep playing and make plays.”
In the end, the Raiders offense proved they could keep pace with the high-octane New Orleans Saints offense. More importantly, the team never seem rattled. Despite sputtering on both sides of the ball in the second-half, Oakland seemed like they were the better team. The Silver and Black proved it by taking the win via the two-point conversion.
*Quotes released by the team website.
