Las Vegas Raiders OC Mick Lombardi Talks from Training Camp
HENDERSON, Nev.-The Las Vegas Raiders hired Josh McDaniels to lead the Silver and Black. Known as an offensive savant, his hiring of Mick Lombardi to lead his offense says a lot about the respect he has for him.
Lombardi spoke after practice and you can watch that press conference below, or read the entire transcript:
Offensive Coordinator Mick Lombardi
Q: Any early impressions on where the offense is right now??
Coach Lombardi: “Yeah, I think when you come into training camp you hope to see guys have great attitudes, their willingness to work hard, and then obviously some retention from the spring. Being a new system, we put a lot of new stuff in that they are not used to and how much of that really sunk in and how much of it didn't? Really encouraged so far by the guy’s attitudes, it's been extraordinary, both in the meeting room on the field. And then you go out there and look at their effort. I can't speak highly enough of them so far these last two days.”
Q: It seems like more of a veteran team. Does that help expedite any process?
Coach Lombardi: “We have a lot of new guys here and obviously a lot of new coaches. So, I think everybody has almost a rookie mindset, where it's going into each day saying, ‘You know what, I don’t know anything today,’ both coaches, players and staff, ‘And I'm going to try to learn my best and try to work as hard as I can.’ Because when you have a new staff, new system, new culture, you're just trying to start from the ground up and put the right step forward every day.”
Q: Yesterday, Foster Moreau mentioned you doing a good job of breaking off and working with other positions. Have your prior roles in your career as offensive assistant helped you with that?
Coach Lombardi: “Yeah, no question. I think you guys asked about this in the spring, but I think a benefit for any young coach is being able to coach any position. Speaking of myself, I know a lot of people in New England have this background as well coaching on the other side of the football. I was blessed enough to do that in San Francisco and coach multiple positions as an offensive assistant, whether it's quarterbacks, working with the offensive line. As a young coach, you’re basically trying to sink in everything, take as much information as possible, so hopefully when that time as you grow older, look, I don't have all the answers right now. I'm still learning and still growing as well, just like everybody is in this building, but I'm blessed enough to have done that in my career, and I think it's benefited me so far.”
Q: Do you anticipate Derek Carr getting out of the pocket more to keep pass rushes off balance?
Coach Lombardi: “I think when you coach any position, whether it's quarterback, receiver, you're looking at the strengths of your team, right? And whatever you can do each week to, your strengths and put them at a higher level and then take the team's weaknesses and put them out at a lower level. And so, I think every week we go into it with a different mindset, ‘Hey, maybe this will work versus this. Maybe that will work versus that.’ And obviously when you have players like Derek and Davante and Darren [Waller] and Demarcus Robinson, Josh Jacobs, and the guys we have on offense, who work extremely hard to try and do things right and exactly what you tell them on a Wednesday morning in an install meeting, that makes it a lot easier as a coach as you try and switch things up week to week”
Q: This offense isn't going to do much unless that offensive line comes together. How are you seeing that come together with what you have as far as personnel?
Coach Lombardi: “Yeah, I think that goes back to competition that coach talked about yesterday, right? So, there's multitude of spots, whether it's receiver, whether it's running back, whether it's offensive line, they're working really hard to try and solidify their roles. Because at the end of the day, the role is what they make it, but that offensive line group, man, they're really buying in. They're really working really hard. You can see it. I mean, they're going against bags the past few days and they are coming off the ball with great effort, great force, and they care. I think at the end of the day it relies on communication. So, we talk every time about offense, what makes an offense great? Well, it can’t start without communication, especially for offensive line. The right guard has got to talk to the right tackle, the center has got to get a call out, left guard has got to talk to the left tackle. And I think the guys have really bought into doing that and solidifying themselves a unit, whether it's the first guy or the 15th guy on the roster. They're working really hard to do that. I think it starts with communication first, then obviously their effort has been extraordinary.”
Q: When you looked at last year’s film, was communication the biggest mistake you saw with the offensive line? Or are there other things that you saw that needed to be fixed?
Coach Lombardi: “Yeah, I don't really know what they were coaching last year. I obviously wasn't here, but I know that a big thing that we preach on our offense here as we move forward is that communication. So, that's what we're doing, and I'm not really concerned about what they did last year. I'm just concerned about what we're trying to do the next day and moving forward as an offense here in 2022.”
Q: Having worked with Derek now, is there anything that has stood out or surprised you at all about him?
Coach Lombardi: “Just his willingness to work hard and accept anything and do whatever is necessary to help the team win. And I think that's been the case for not only him, but for most the guys in the offense. Showing up early, staying late, spend some extra time with some people, whether it’s helping the running backs, the receivers. That’s the quarterback’s role and I think not only Derek does that, but Jarett Stidham, Nick Mullens and even Chase Garbers, they bought into being that role as a quarterback and saying you know what, I have to take some ownership in what I'm doing every single day because all eyes are on me from that position.”
Q: You worked under a lot of coaching staffs in San Francisco. How much of an advantage has that provided in your new role as you have already coached on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball?
Coach Lombardi: “Yeah, it goes back to the previous question. With Jim Harbaugh, I coached on offense, and with Jim Tomsula, I coached on defense and then with Chip [Kelly] back on offense. So, it goes back to not only coaching players from a technique standpoint, but also from a scheme standpoint. Obviously different schemes are run by different coaches, and we run coach McDaniels scheme here, as the Raider system. There may be different ideas and week to week we might want to try new things, and it may come from something I've done before or another coach on another staff has done before. I don't really think it's me, but I think it's all the coaches on the staff because they have a multitude of experience, whether it's Coach Kennedy [Polamalu] or Coach Edgar [Bennett], they've been in different systems as well. So, I think that collective unit of saying our way that we've done things in this system isn't the only way. We can try different things and do them because that's what's best for our team, and that can make us better.”
Q: Jarrett Stidham is a guy who does know the system. How much does that help out there on the field, not only just for you guys, but also just for the players around him?
Coach Lombardi: “Sure. I think it helps him, it gives him an advantage, but also at the end of the day all these guys come in here and they had a practice in the morning, they have a heavy installation in the evening. They have a walk through in the evening and the installations isn’t the same as the ones he's had previously in New England. It’s something that he has to learn that evening and study that night to really get. Now, obviously the operation stuff gives him some advantage, but how does he take advantage of that? Knowing that it is taking it to the next step of doing the actual things we talked about as a quarterback. The communication standpoint from the offensive line, that can start with the quarterback. So, those little things that are not only assignment based, but also from a big picture base, are the things that I think any player with any experience in any system needs to really focus on.”
Q: The last few years we’ve seen Josh McDaniels offensive system kind of have to adapt pretty drastically going from Tom Brady to Cam Newton and then Mac Jones. What would you say are kind of the core principles of just his offensive approach in general?
Coach Lombardi: “
I think that's it. I think every single week, not only as an offensive stat but defensive staff and special teams staff, we are going to do what's best for the team to win that specific week. Whether it's run the ball more, throw the ball more, whatever it may be, but take advantage of something. We have to make sure that we do the best thing for the team, not on a daily basis, but on a weekly basis in terms of opponent because we can't just go in there and say we're going to do one thing and that's going to be okay. We got to make sure that we're doing the right thing for the team and the organization by saying, this is the best chance for us to win a game, whether it's X, Y or Z and do that every single week.”
Q: How do you kind of balance making sure everybody gets involved enough offensively and gets their targets?
Coach Lombardi: “Yeah, at the end of the day we talk about mental toughness, right? And doing the best thing for the team when it’s not perfect for you. Each player in here wants to do one thing and they want to win. They're not concerned about targets; they’re not concerned about rushes. They want to win a game. They want to win a championship, but I think at the end of the day, if they come in here and work hard, accept that role and accept that challenge, which I think they all have, then everything should take care of itself, which I think is what they're all doing.”
Q: As Josh [McDaniels] said yesterday, you're one play away from maybe Nick or Jarrett being the most important guy on the field. What are their biggest strengths that stand out about each of those guys?
Coach Lombardi: “First of all, those guys work so hard. They meet extra with Coach [Bo] Hardegree on a daily basis during special teams and whenever there's an opportunity to meet. And then they're meeting on their own, they're pushing each other. I think that competition can bring out the best in each one of them. As opposed from physical attributes, but their mental attribute is something that we really enjoy coaching and their eagerness to learn is something that I would think that is one of their strengths.”
Please make sure you tell us your thoughts when you like our Facebook Page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.
Want to talk about this? Want to air your opinion about all things Las Vegas Raiders? Maybe you like to talk about other sports that aren't Silver and Black related? We got your back. Join our 100% FREE message board, a brand new option, when you CLICK RIGHT HERE.
Want the latest breaking Las Vegas Raiders news delivered straight to you? CLICK THE FOLLOW button at the top of the page. Don't miss any of the latest up-to-the-second updates for your Las Vegas Raiders when you follow on Twitter @HondoCarpenter
