HEAD COACH PETE CARROLL
Postgame Press Conference
Sunday, September 7, 2025
PC: Good win. Really important first day for us to get off and come from behind and win the game in the second half and believe the whole way through that we were going to find a way. Defense did a tremendous job in the second half to hold them down, getting off the field on the third downs and all of that, just playing tough as heck. And, really excited for our guys. We've worked really hard to get to this point, and to get in that locker room and have that kind of fun and cheer on one another and all that. But it's East Coast, I don't know, East Coast, we don't mind coming out here. Maybe we can keep that going.
Q: You've seen Geno Smith do this quite a few times before, but today talk about the statement game from him. In terms of what he can do and stabilizing —
PC: Yeah. For him to complete over 70 percent of his passes again, I mean he's been doing this. Geno had a regular game today. I don't think it was a big statement game or anything like that. I just think it's just what he does. And we'll do better than that. We got rushed a little bit today a couple of times, and that really kind of changed his opportunities to have even a bigger day. But the fact that we had so many big plays — somebody said we had nine plays over 20, like tied the record or something like that. I can't believe that now. I can't believe with all the guys we've had in the years here at the Raiders we'd have more than that. But it was still a big day for us, and he did a great job.
Q: Toward the end of the first half, offense kind of hit a lull there, seemed like coming down to the third quarter, Geno particularly still maintained that level of confidence. What goes into that for a player being able to have some moments and then shake it off and get back to it?
PC: He's a star player in the NFL. He's been doing this for a long time. That was a normal response by him to just not worry about it. We took a couple of sacks on pressures that we didn't need to take. I wish we'd have gotten rid of the football instead of getting hit. But other than that -- and there was a couple of penalties in there, it felt like that made a difference and we were 2nd-and-20 or something like that, or 1st-and-20. Really hard to play from there. But other than that, shoot, I thought we were fine. I wish we'd have run the ball better. They did a nice job up front against us. We didn't get much going. But we stayed with it enough to give us the play passes that we needed to throw the football around. Jakobi [Meyers] had a different game running after the catch and getting pounded and then making more yards. I thought that was special. Tre [Tucker]'s touchdown was perfect with the protection they picked it up versus a pressure, and we hit a touchdown pass. So, a lot of good things happened across the board, and we're really happy about it.
Q. You guys lost Brennan [Jackson], but it seemed like the linebackers the communication stayed true and they stayed with it even with that loss?
PC: Yeah. He sprained his elbow, and we'll see what that all means. He's tough as nails, and if he can come back, he will. Yeah, but those guys have been rolling a lot. John Glenn has been moving those guys through so that we have fresh callers and guys that can communicate really well. So it wasn't that far off for us to deal with that properly. Tommy [Eichenerg] got a little playing time in there, which was great. But I thought the whole group played really well.
Q: What's your level of concern with Brock Bowers, the injury?
PC: They're looking at his knee. He wanted to go back in and they wouldn't let him go back in. They thought, let's watch the game, see how it goes; we didn't have to do that. But he's an incredible player. So, yeah, we need to have him.
Q: Are you guys game planning? How do you think you guys stuck to that game plan?
PC: Well, this first game you really don't know what you're getting. We saw them in preseason, and they saw us in preseason. We didn't motion one snap in preseason this year. We were moving a lot today, if you noticed. They, likewise, they did things that they hadn't done. So, in this first game and even the second game and the third game, these are all games that are a little bit loose on what you're planning for because teams can change and they haven't really showed their hands. Some of the clubs that have been together for a long time is a little bit different. But the new teams, brand new team, we didn't know what they were going to do and Josh [McDaniels] had a lot of good calls in there, a lot off good stuff that he did against us.
Q: Pete, you mentioned that the ground game wasn't quite there, but you did have success with the play action passing game.
PC: Well, they still got under the run. They were getting fired up and hyped up about stopping it. I thought Chip [Kelly] called a great game to take advantage of that. Their aggressive style at the line of scrimmage allowed us to get a few plays out of them. And that's just kind of how we play. Hopefully we can keep that going. But we'll need the running game a lot more formidable than that.
Q: You preached compete since you got here, and today towards the end of the first half when the team got behind, you could tell they were frustrated, but they never quit competing. Is that why you do it from day one? You install it. You just can't turn it on, on game day?
PC: Yeah. That is the essence of why it's the central theme in the program is so that you never call it at any one point. You just keep competing and you just keep battling, play after play after play. We don't pass judgment. We just keep rolling. And these guys were talking like that at halftime. They were talking like it on the sidelines, and they keep talking about just keep doing the right thing, and we'll work our way out of it. That is the conversation that we're trying to develop on a regular basis so there ain't nothing that we can't handle. So, it was a good illustration of that. Thanks for pointing that out.
Q: The 20-yard play was on third-and-20 in the fourth quarter. Can you talk about that?
PC: That was a huge play. That really swung the game where we really were in command of the game from that point on. That was a huge job by the guys up from, because Geno had some extra time there, and he got a chance to throw it down there on a really nice, unusual play that Dont'e [Thornton Jr.] makes the catch on. It was a very significant play in that game, and fortunately worked out. We still could have won the game without that one, but that play really kind of put us on top of the game for us.
Q: Also Michael Mayer, talking about at number two tight end I guess.
PC: He ain't number two tight end. We got ones. Those guys can all play and do stuff. Mike made some big catches today and held onto the ball great. Unfortunately, we had one fricking ball tipped today and they get a pick on it. But we played with the ball in our hands really securely all day long, which is what we've been doing everything in our power to own once we get to these games. I was really proud of that today.
Q: What do you think of your young corners? I mean, they just stepped up today.
PC: I thought they did fine. Really, we had two PIs called on us. I think you could go to both of them, and you could see the offensive guy ran into Eric [Stokes], I think it was, and knocked him back, and the guy, the side judge couldn't see it really. But I thought that was one that didn't have to get called. And I thought Kyu Blu [Kelly] did a nice job fighting to the hands without making something that impeded that receiver. So I challenged both of them, and I thought those guys played really well.
QUARTERBACK GENO SMITH
Postgame Press Conference
Sunday, September 7, 2025
Q. Congratulations on your first win as a Raider, Geno. You know Pete [Carroll]'s system. You know his compete, compete, compete, but at the end of the first half when they ware ahead and things were not going well, your teammates there was nobody hanging their heads. You could see it. They were just hanging in there. How proud are you of your teammates that they bought in to Pete's compete, compete, compete, compete?
GS: Yeah. I'm extremely proud of the guys. First of all, it's always a blessing to get a win in the NFL. And, yeah, I mean, the Patriots have a good team. It's the NFL. There's going to be ups and downs, ebbs and flows throughout the game, but I think the message that Coach sends us is that you've got to stay even keel, and you've got to never pass judgment. You've got a four-quarter game you've got to go play. And so, I thought we did a really good job of coming back in second half, into the locker room regrouping and then executing in the second half.
Q. You've been involved in these East Coast games, and his record is ridiculously good. Why do you think that is?
GS: Yeah. I think Coach has a really great way of going about it. The two-day trips, just all the things that we do, it really works, and you can see it. And obviously the guys have got to go out there and execute and it's got to be right, but Coach has a style about him. He has a way about him. He understands exactly what he wants, and the message is clear. And so, when we get out here, we know what we're doing. Business trip. We take two-day trip, study, study, study and then get out on the field and get it done.
Q. Geno, it's third-and-20 late in the fourth quarter and you find Dont'e [Thornton Jr.] on that first down throw. What's going through your mind on that play? Was that the play that was called or did it --
GS: Yeah. Obviously in those situations, man, game on the line, I love the ball in my hands. That's what I live for, man. That's what I play this game for. And we were running a lot of plays, a lot of end cuts, and I felt like we could have taken advantage of some things earlier, but I feel like that was the perfect timing for it. And so Dont'e made a great play, ran a great route. The protection held up. They were in coverage zero. So, we got a chance to take a shot on an aggressive corner, and it worked out for us. And those are the things we can count on from Dont'e and from our O line.
Q. Geno, for you personally as an individual when you have something like that interception early in the game, what goes into maintaining that confidence and sort of moving on to the next round?
GS: I think I say it all the time, I'm me. You know what I'm saying? That's all I think about. I don't think about nothing else. I'm me. I know who I am. I know what I can do. Mistakes happen. Things happen within the game. There was a tipped pass. I made the right read. Could have made a better throw. But those guys made a play on it, and the ball tipped up, guy made a play.
I'm not going to hang my head. I'm going to keep going. I'm me. And Coach tells the story about Rick Barry, and one day I'll get to that with you guys. I just know who I am. I know what I can do on that field, so I never worry.
Q. You had a few moments out there where they were getting after you and you still made those plays. I think the pass where you hit Michael Mayer. What goes into sort of being aware of your surroundings in those moments?
GS: Yeah. Just anticipating the aggressiveness, knowing the situations. And most coordinators are going to be aggressive in those situations. They've got to get the ball back, got to find a way to get a stop. So, typically, they're going to be aggressive. They have to. So, when you're out there, you're playing, you've got to make a play. Those are when I think the better players show up is when you've got to make the play. Everyone knows the situations. There's no secrets. You've just got to go out there and make it happen.
Q. You've been around Brock Bowers at least since March or so. It looks like you guys have been playing for five years out there today. What kind of an asset is Brock Bowers?
GS: Man, Brock is a tremendous asset. He gives us the advantage in personnel because he's just a tremendous player all around. And so D coordinators, they've got to figure out how they want to guard him, and we've got to adjust to it. And Brock's a great player, but I think all our guys showed up. I thought Jakobi [Meyers] had a great game today. I though Tre [Tucker] had a great game. You see the big plays that Dont'e made. Tough running by Ashton [Jeanty]. It's hard to do that in a four-minute situation when the whole stadium knows we're running the ball. But our O-line played well. I thought they gave me a ton of time back there to get through my reads. Chip [Kelly] called a great game. I think it's a collection of all of us having to do those things but having Brock obviously makes my job a lot easier.
Q. Earlier in the game you had already targeted six of your teammates and obviously it was even more than that by the end of the game. In Chip's system how much does it help that if you're on the roster, you're part of the offensive game plan so they have to watch everybody?
GS: Oh, yeah. I mean, that's how we want to play football. We want to make sure that we make the right reads. I want to make sure that I'm making the right decisions and getting the ball into the hands of the play makers. We got a lot of great players, and that's something we can take advantage of. So, I'm going to spread the ball around, if need be, but I'm going to find the open guy first and foremost.
ADDITIONAL RAIDERS PLAYERS
Brock Bowers, Tight End
(On what happened with his potential injury)
"Oh, I don't know, my knee was a little sore, but it is okay. Maybe I just fell on it. I don't really know. I just got up the next play and I'm a little sore, so I just came out and got it looked at. We have practice this week and we'll see what happens."
(On being back out on the field and the success of the passing game)
"It's fun to get back. Man, I think it is just all the work we put in throughout the off season and during training camp and I think it really all kind of came together today and we were able to showcase what we've been doing."
(On Coach [Pete] Carroll being animated after the game and playing for him)
"It has been awesome. I mean, Coach Carroll's is "the man", he brings the energy, brings the juice, and I mean, really happy to have him here."
(On the approach against the Patriots Defense)
"Oh, man. I mean we weren't totally sure what they were going to look like because of all the new parts and everything. So I think we did a good job at kind of recognizing what we needed to do and kind of adjust on the fly and I think we had a good plan coming in here."
(On having Jakobi Meyers on the team)
"Like you said, he is reliable. He catches everything and gets open pretty much every time. I mean, he is just an all-around great guy, great receiver and just great everything. So it's awesome."
Jakobi Meyers, Wide Receiver
(On the importance of coming out and getting a win in Week 1)
"That was the most important thing to us, honestly. We needed this win and we really felt like we needed it. We played hard and practice hard. We just wanted an opportunity to go get somebody else and show what we've been working on all this time."
(On level of happiness to be here right now)
"It was great, honestly. Like, my family was here and I know they got the chance to enjoy the game. My boys came back and it is like bringing your friends home almost, you know what I mean? Like, it was cool to just bring them here and see where I started out and now we are going to go back to Vegas and get ready for the next week."
(On what it means to come here and leave with a victory)
"Honestly, that was the most important thing, man. You didn't want to come out here and then take that five hour flight back home thinking about how you messed up and what was hurting, so getting that "W" with the guys, especially after everything we've been through last year. Just starting fresh and it's like a new breath of air. You know what I mean? So I'm happy for everybody."
(On what it means to come back here and play well)
"Once I am on the field, I am on the field, so you are going to get what you get every single time. Hopefully, you know, but outside of that, like just being in the hotel, and being around the city, that was cool to just think about everything that I've been through and getting to this point. So I would say that."
(On the few players left on the Patriots that he played with and the turnover)
"It is what I am learning, is that is the NFL, unfortunately. I mean, it's a young man's league, so we all grew up at some point and kind of move around, but for the guys who are still here, I'm extremely proud of them. They played hard and played well. I thought in my opinion, and it was just really good to see them, man. They also, I'm just so proud of them."
(On how happy he is to be a Raider)
"I'm happy to play football. I'm happy to be with my boys. I'm happy to be a Raider, but like I said, man, wherever the job takes me and whoever needs me to win and whoever want me to be there, I'm going to be there proudly."
Isaiah Pola-Mao, Safety
(On his interception)
"Good thins ghappen when the pass rush and coverage go hand in hand. I think it was matched. We got pressure and the coaches joke about it all the time. I just have to catch it. It's in the air and I just had to come down with it. That is everything we needed right there. We preach that it is all about the ball and that gave us a little bit of juice, especially coming outside the half. We didn't have our best first half, so I think that (interception) brought a little bit of juice."
(On his big hit on TreVeyon Henderson)
"I'm just doing my job. They brought me down and I was able to get a good hit on it. He's going to be a nice player though. I think it is the coaches doing a good job of putting us all in good position to make plays. You just have to capitalize."
(On the defense)
"Everybody is talking about the defense is going to be the weakness of our team but it was great to come out and have that type of game for our defense. You've got to build off that. It's over now."
Tyree Wilson, Defensive End
(On his sack)
"I just got off the ball and tried to get a jump on the stack. I kind of drove my guy back and I saw the QB step up so I just fell off inside and made a good play."
(On the play of the defense)
"I just feel like it could come from practice. That is where we work. I feel like we are not where we want to be yet, and we are going to keep striving each and every week to get where we want to be. But that is a good first game."
Maxx Crosby, DE
(On how it feels to come out with the win)
"Amazing, it's amazing. This is what we work for, you know what I mean? It's been a hell of an offseason. The culture, it's something you want to be a part of. So, going out there and starting the season strong is what it's all about."
(On Pete Carroll's culture and competition)
"It's consistency. I mean, all the most successful people I know are consistent at what they believe in and how they work, and that's what Pete's all about. So, everyone's bought in on that because he's the same guy every day. That's what it really all comes down to. So, it's been a great start."
(On how he feels personally going through so much last year)
"Amazing. I feel blessed. I knew Josh [McDaniels] was going to throw some heat at me. But that's my guy, man. I respect the hell out of Coach McDaniels. He was always great to me. So, I have nothing but good things to say, but yeah, he definitely made it hard. But, like I said, you've got to find a way. That's what it's all about. Yeah, I feel incredible and healthy and that alone is just a blessing."
Dylan Laube, RB
(On how special it was to have some of his former teammates also playing in the NFL)
"Yeah, so I just saw a post from UNH. We have four guys now in the NFL. It's cool, like when you grow up and your dream is to be in the NFL and coming from a small school, we don't really have a lot of opportunity. Just seeing that we're getting more and more chances in the league, it's really special."
(On if it still feels surreal in year two that he's in the NFL coming from an FCS school)
"It's been really special, man. There's been some days where I'm struggling and then like I just sit back and I'm like, 'You know what, I'm playing in the NFL and it's such a surreal thing for me.' So, coming from that small school and everyone kind of backing me up and it is super, super, special."
(On his background as a sixth-round pick from an FCS school and if it has helped him in the NFL)
"100%. Coming from year one to year two and a complete coaching staff change and once again, I had to prove myself again. I had to make this team from the bottom of the depth chart and prove myself over and over again."
Ashton Jeanty, RB
(On how it feels playing in his first NFL game, scoring his first touchdown and getting his first win)
"It felt really good. It's hard to win in this league. It's exciting to see our team's success and come away with the win."
(On how frustrated he was on the third-and-1 play where he slipped in the backfield)
"Yeah, I mean, just as a running back, you live for those moments. The offensive line did an impeccable job, the receivers blocked perfect. All I had to do was make the guy miss but I just lost my footing."
(On how easy or how hard it is to get the ball rolling again after starting off really well, then kind of stalling and then taking off in the second half again)
"Yeah, I think just communication, execution. There's certain things I could have did better. As a team, we came back together, regrouped ourselves at halftime and came out firing. I mean, it's not like they were doing anything out of the ordinary to beat us. It was more of us beating ourselves."
(On how impressed he was to see Geno Smith bounce back after the interception?)
"I mean, that's just Geno. He's not going to hang his head over one play. I mean, he's a leader, he's leading this team, and, obviously, he balled out. One play doesn't define the game."
