Greetings Silver and Black Pride community. Once again I pleased to bring to all of you our player/fans interaction and interview with Tyvon Branch with #05 in the weekly installment of the series: Talkin' With Tyvon 2010
This week's interview follows the Raiders enormously disappointing chip shot loss to the Cardinals. Tyvon feels he and the team have learned from a loss like that and it will only make them better as a team going forward. In addition to following Tyvon here on a weekly basis, you can also keep up with Tyvon and his thoughts by following him on his twitter page @tyvonbranch.
You are invited to pose all of your questions to Tyvon in the comments section and as time permits, Tyvon will be back here to answer all of your questions.
Full interview after the jump.
Hey Raider fans. What a game this week in Arizona. We played with a lot of emotion and seemed to be in position to win the game, but we all know this don’t always work out that way. It was a great team effort, and let’s hope the progress follows us this week. It was a good day of film and meetings yesterday. We learned some things, and we definitely have some things to correct.
TB
TRW: The game in Arizona was probably one of the toughest losses to handle as a fan because it was such a winnable game. You’ve said before that you need to have a short memory, but how do you avoid having any lingering effects going into next Sunday after a hugely disappointing loss as the Arizona game was?
TB: For me, I will use that game as motivation. I think after talking to the guys yesterday they feel the same. A short memory is very important, but so knowing and learning from our mistakes. We have to be better. That’s the bottom-line.
TRW: The team really played hard, kept scratching and never gave up, but it seems like there is still an issue of discipline or lack thereof, which are resulting in far too many penalties. How do you believe the Raiders can get a handle on the team discipline issues and avoid such crucial penalties?
TB: You said it in the question. We have to be more disciplined. This comes from repetition and fighting through fatigue. Most penalties come when guys get tired and they begin to stray from the fundamentals.
Saint: How do you deal with a loss like this? It seems that you outplayed the Cardinals in every facet of the game, but got beat by things between the lines. Penalties on DBs and O-Linemen, game management (Grad blowing it at the 1 on 2nd and Goal) and special teams mistakes (3 MFG and a KO returned for a TD). Are folks held accountable or is the attitude that, "We are professionals and we will be better next week"?
TB: People are definitely held accountable. From a general perspective throughout the league, people are held accountable with their job on the line. As you all know, contracts aren’t guaranteed and you have to always perform at a high level. Obviously, we want to get better each week, but if coach doesn’t think myself, or anyone for that matter, is performing up to an NFL level, then we get benched or cut.
TRW: The defense held Arizona to 227 total yard and 17 points on the road which is pretty good. The defense seems to be making in-game adjustments to what they are facing much better than in previous years. Do you attribute this to better players on the field or is the coaching just better than previously?
TB: I think it has to do with both. As a unit, we are getting a bit older and more mature. We also have some additions that add depth and skill. Coaching is also a factor. With that growth and knowledge acquired over the years, we are able to understand more complex defenses and really react to new schemes.
TRW: The Texans are coming to town this Sunday and once again the Raiders defense will have to face an elite running back in Arian Foster to go along with the rest of the Texans’ high-potent offense. You may have to be the one handling Arian Foster and Owen Daniels on passing situations. It seems that there are some coverage issues going on with the safeties, what do you attribute that to and how do you clean that up?
TB: I think there has been some miscommunication. We see it on film, and we cleaning it up. I have to be more disciplined and do my job. That touchdown that went over my head against the Titans was me biting on a fake. Mistakes like that just can’t happen.
Thanks Tyvon and good luck Sunday against the Texans.