What players and coaches are saying ahead of Raiders versus Bengals in Week 11

In Week 11, the Raiders take on the winless Cincinnati Bengals. Riding a two game winning streak, the Raiders are the heavy home favorites this week. As is the case each week, players and coaches met with the media in preparation for the game.

Here are some of the highlights of those conversations.

Head coach Jon Gruden on facing the Bengals:

“We’ve had tough moments around here. So, we’re familiar with tough moments. We’ve got a lot of respect for the Bengals. You ever heard of the Evansville basketball team? They just went into Lexington and beat the number one team last night. This is pro sports, this is the national football league. I don’t really care about anybody’s record. We got a lot to prove. We’ve got to keep on getting better and keep working hard and hopefully we can find a way to win another game.”

Saftey D.J. Swearinger on what he brings to the Raiders defense:

“Like I said, I played in the same system in Arizona, so I’ll adjust well. I’m a physical player. I like to diagnose things before it happens. I’m very smart, that kind of gets overlooked. But, you know I’m a physical leader. I’m going to give you 110 percent every time I step on the field. I’m a fiery, passionate guy and just always wants to win.”

Bengals Head coach Zac Taylor on the Raiders:

“Oakland is a tough opponent. They’ve got some momentum going right now. Two wins these last two weeks and coming off a mini bye. Third straight home game, so they are doing some good things. We’ve seen a team make a lot of progress in the two years they’ve been there. A team I followed. I’ve got a lot of connections to that staff, obviously we hired two coaches from that staff. So, it’s a team that we’ve always followed closely and they’ve done a nice job in a lot of areas. You look at the offense and they’re really top ten in rushing, they’re doing a great job in passing, third down, red zone. Statistically, they’re doing a great job in all areas. Defense, they’ve done a really nice job. Their rushing defense is up there. I know they’ve battled through some injuries, but you can really see a team that’s done some good things and created some momentum for themselves right now.”

Quarterback Ryan Finley on the problems the Raiders present:

“They are very different in how they’re ran so it will be a good test for us, but very different than last week, which is good. So, a lot more zone coverage, a lot more two-high. So, it gives us an opportunity to take advantage of some stuff that we did in the preseason. I think we’ve got a really good plan, and so it will be exciting.”