Q. Matt, the quarterback was excited about the third quarter drive. Basically said after the game that's how you guys want it to look.
MATT CANADA: Sure.
Q. Did you interpret it that way?
MATT CANADA: I like that we scored. There is no great answer. Obviously it was a good drive. We made some plays. We got to stay on field find a way to convert on third down. We did a few of those things in that drive. Had a good run to get down there, and then had a good play at the end.
For us to be successful and be who we want to be, different guys have to make plays and different areas, different units, positions of the unit have to make plays. That drive kind of did that, which was good.
Q. Did you feel in a rhythm?
MATT CANADA: Yeah.
Q. Do you get that way as a playcaller? Is it easier sometimes than others?
MATT CANADA: It's easier when they work.
Q. (Indiscernible.)
MATT CANADA: Sure. Yeah. That's what we want it to be, right? We ran the ball. We had miss direction. We want to be a balanced offense that takes advantage of what the defense gives us.
Q. How do you carry that over?
MATT CANADA: We just continue to work, and same answer that it's not magical or anything else. There is no -- said it last week when you guys asked. We certainly have great belief in what we're doing, great belief in players, great believe in coach. Until things are right consistently, we're not going to be happy.
Found a way to win. That's really, really good. We did some things much better. There is some things we can do much better. So just we'll keep trying to stack days, stack wins, get ourselves back to consistent place where we want to be and take it from there.
Q. (Regarding play-action/Kenny outside the pocket.) In what ways did that help you?
MATT CANADA: I think it's very effective. Again, those are part of -- that's part of having a running game, right? I know however it gets portrayed, we did not -- we got ourself in a position in that first game where we didn't run the ball enough. Play-action took it down. They don't have the same effect.
So that's a game where we tried to control the line of scrimmage. Our offensive line did that. Our running backs did that. Therefore, they had to respect the run and try to stop the run, and that opens those things up. That's not what anybody wants to hear, but that's why those things happen. That comes first in that respect.
You look back at success last year, that's what we have to do to get those plays.
Q. Was Kenny moving more of a Raiders game plan thing or would you like to get him a little more...
MATT CANADA: I think some of it is game plan and some of it is effectiveness of the run.
Q. How is the menu for the run game at all simplified? And if so...
MATT CANADA: I don't know if it was simplified. Obviously, again, prior question, game plan was there are certain looks we think will be effective. I think we were more effective and did a better job up front creating some holes. Backs did pretty good. I wouldn't say it was simplified.
We knew what we were going to do and we did plays we thought we should execute and run. (Background noise.) Executing it better. Not to perfection or not to hopefully our final picture.
Q. What did you guys do differently on the offensive line that opens up some of those holes?
MATT CANADA: Nothing dramatic. You know, improved our technique. Maxx hit the holes. Nothing -- no major changes.
Q. What kind of improvement have you seen in Jalen when he doesn't the ball in his hands?
MATT CANADA: That's not an improvement. I mean, Jalen became Jalen for us because of his amazing blitz pickup. Go back to last year, as he came in here was a guy nobody knew about. His ability to pick up blitzes is elite. I'm sure you remember the touchdown pass. Crosby gets loose and he's there and blocks him. He's done that. That wasn't surprising to any of us. He does it all the time. Certainly something we don't want to mention, but his blitz pickup is varsity as coach likes to say. It is elite and we're very fortunate to have it.
Then all of a sudden he does that and gets the ball, and showed he is going to be an explosive guy with the ball in his hands as well.
Q. Going back to questions about Kenny's mobility. I know there is balance there. Blitz this off-season was not great from the pocket. How has he done in terms of knowing when to make a subtle move or...
MATT CANADA: He's done well. Everything points to Kenny all the time. I said last week or sometime. Quarterback gets all the credit and all the blame. Sometimes he breaks the pocket. Everybody sits there and watches and freeze frame clips, that's pretty easy to say what might or might not be the right thing to do.
Kenny's work ethic is unbelievable. He's made a lot of plays. We have to continue to improve our efficiency in a lot of aspects of our offense, and part of it is with him.
It all doesn't fall there. We will continue to try to do a good job getting him in those spots.
Q. When you look at the distribution of snaps Jalen and Najee, Najee has a few more touches. Is that the balance you envision or was that more game circumstance, maybe the first game getting away and having Jalen in more?
MATT CANADA: I think we came in -- obviously we are looking for a lot of games, a long season, trying to manage touches and do those things. Not saying it's exactly balanced. Fair point.
First game is what it was. We didn't execute early. We got ourselves down by three scores and the game got out of hand. It wasn't anywhere close to the plan we wanted to run and the things we wanted to so and so we lost the game.
I think that's the biggest thing around here, is that once we're inside the building all that matters is winning that game at the time. Then you go on to win the next game the next week.
So long-term, how that balance plays out, it's not like a major focus. I think we want to be balanced to a point. Obviously Najee is our guy. He's going to have the workload and the majority of carries in a lot of instances.
But unbelievable. We think Jalen is a great talent and does a lot of things, and when he spells Najee good things happen too.
Q. Do you think they're skillsets complement each other?
MATT CANADA: I think they very much do.
Q. You said a little bit ago, Tomlin was saying too, there is really nothing really mystical. Difficult to answer big picture questions every week. What do you tell your players or how good is the delivery?
MATT CANADA: Very.
Q. How so?
MATT CANADA: If I didn't want it to be different I would tell you.
Q. We've asked a lot about Jalen. What have you thought about the way Najee has played through three games?
MATT CANADA: I though he's played well. Again, opportunity -- everybody on our offense, on our team, not just speaking about the offense, everybody wants their role to be magnified and they want all their touches. We got a lot of guys who fit that role. Najee we're talking about game one wasn't quite what any of us wanted.
Oh, man what's wrong with the -- it wasn't that he didn't have opportunities. We didn't do anything well enough as an offense, anybody.
So Najee is coming on and doing what we ask him to do. Had a couple really, really big runs, right? That run started back from the conversation in the first question, third quarter drive. Do all the things you do. That big run down the sideline gets us down there. It's a huge run, sets it up.
Come down on the run we're running naked, popping in the back, it's a touchdown. So all of those things are what Najee brings to the table, and it takes a lot of people to bring him down.
Obviously everybody's productivity, everybody wants their own productivity to be great. We want everybody's productivity to be great. Every game is different. That's not a probably the answer because everybody wants everybody to be good.
When we leave the field we want to win. We want to be better, more efficient, have better numbers. All we care about is win.
Q. You're YAC stats are up. How much of a focus has that been for you guys to get those opportunities, and how much does it open a menu for guys like George?
MATT CANADA: Yeah, great credit to our coaches and players. That was a focal point for us back in training camp, OTAs, phase one. We been talking about that. We weren't good enough at that last year.
For what reasons? Goes back to his question. Doesn't matter. We're working on it and talking about it. Credit to our players and all the good stuff goes to our players, so credit to them.
It opens things up obviously, and hope it continues to get better. We still feel like there is a couple opportunities could have been a little bit better.
Q. Coach, how do you feel like George has embraced his role in the offense?
MATT CANADA: Oh, yeah. George shows you he can be whatever he wants to be. He is talented. We got to continue to find ways to get him the ball and get him in the right places and help them through those things. Unbelievable talent as you guys all know.
Q. Aside from the 72-yard touchdown, how is Calvin?
MATT CANADA: I think Calvin coming along, and that's big time play. Game on the line. Had we not got going third down and 7, he comes out, great read by Kenny, protection was what it was, Jalen steps up, Crosby is loose, stops him right there.
So all those things are a product of it, but you still got to finish the play. Calvin did that. He's added a lot to a lot of different things we do. To the prior question about Tay beng out for a couple weeks, Calvin's role has ascended, their rep count has ascended, and that's a credit to those guys.
Q. Coach, thoughts on just how your tight ends have been doing after three games?
MATT CANADA: I think they're doing well. Obviously the more opportunities we can get to them the better. Pat stepped up when he had opportunities to get him the ball; blocking very well. That's part of their job, right? The fun part is catching passes and doing those things. The tough part is blocking.
I think they've done a great job jumping into that and doing a great job with that.
Q. Kenny talked about being comfortable going to the left. Usually quarterbacks rolling out or whatever, they like to go to their dominant hand because it's an easier throw. Does that make Kenny unusual? Have you had to tweak anything? Is he sort of just good at that?
MATT CANADA: He's worked at it. Something he's worked at and done a good job with. It adds to having a full field opportunity instead of only rolling to your right. Something he's worked at, been good at. He understands the benefit of being able to do it and has put in the time to do it, as has Mitch and Mason.
Q. Speaking of Kenny, speaking about the role, change at all this season?
MATT CANADA: No. Nothing at all. I'm the coordinator. I work with him out there. Sully and I do I think do a really good job of if I talk to him on the field I tell Sully what I said. We have a meeting, he tells -- we want to do a great job having one voice.
Nothing changed. Kenny and I have known each other. Got a great relationship. Sully and I have a great relationship. All we're trying to do is find a way to be more efficient. That's all we do every week.
Q. How is her Herbig assimilated into your group?
MATT CANADA: Herbig has come in very well. He's a tough guy. See where we are when we get to game time. We were excited to acquire him and have him on our offense, our roster for opportunities if this does go the wrong direction in a sense, he'll be ready to go.
Q. (Background noise.)
MATT CANADA: Yeah, I mean, there is a lot of things. Obviously what's the balance, the correct balance? Is it doing more or having opportunity or mistakes and not quite knowing what to do, or prior question, you know, simplify and that's why it was better.
So there is a balance there of doing more, different things, different looks to execute, which we've got a lot in our bank here of plays we've run at camp, and also getting our guys comfortable.
So yeah, we can do a lot more things. Again, got to find a way to win this week anyway we can. We'll just keep trying to add to it from there.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports