Below is a transcript of everything coach Antonio Pierce said during his final press conference of the week on Friday:

Q: What did you learn about your team this week by watching their reactions last Sunday?

Coach Pierce: “Character. That’s what we talked about this week. True character meets adversity and difficulties, and we are humble. I think we all understand that you always do your best, not that we don’t, but you will always be at the top. And when there’s something that’s missing details or something, it gets revealed. I think it was obviously a good wake-up call. I don’t want to wake you up, but that’s how it was and that’s how you react. So character is a big word for us this week.”

Q: At all times in your life you have been known as a leader. These are your leadership skills, I don’t want to say they’re tested or anything like that, but leadership plays a big role in it. How do you think you react to it and how do you help the team through it?

Coach Pierce: “Yes. I mean, I think we all go through it. This is the first time I’ve encountered this situation as a head coach, right? A bit disappointing. But like anything else, we’re talking about a 24-hour rule for players, there has to be a 24-hour rule for coaches, and then a new opponent shows up, right? We have a new target this week with the Cleveland Browns at home, which is another great opportunity for us. And when I say something to the players and talk about character, for example, I’m also talking to myself. And then, how to deal with adversity? How do you deal with situations you haven’t fully seen? So you go back, you really reflect, you understand, you move on and you move on. And every week is not the same. There are always different things and different obstacles that you have to go through. That’s a really big part. Like you said, my leadership: getting these guys going, getting them ready to play and making sure we put a good product on the field.

Q: What are the expectations for Maxx Crosby’s game on Sunday? Coach Pierce: ‘He’ll be out of the game’ Q: Davante Adams?

Coach Pierce: “He’s out.”

Q: Michael Mayer?

Coach Pierce: “He’s out.”

Q: Back to this. No disrespect to Cleveland, but is this game more about the Raiders than the Browns? Con

Coach Pierce: “Every game, honestly. I said it last week against Carolina. I didn’t mean any disrespect when I said that. It’s always about us, right? We are always worried about ourselves. We don’t worry about who doesn’t play in the opposing team and what problems they experience. We have our own, as I just announced. It’s about us getting better and getting the best XI and having the best team ready to play situational football at the end of the half, at the end of the game and to play the full game with the effort and passion that we showed.”

Q: You just mentioned that two of your best players won’t be in this match, and Michael Mayer will be in at the end. A chance for some younger players, other players, to step up.

Coach Pierce: “We’re excited about it. I mean, great opportunity, Harrison Bryant, (John Samel) Shenker, Brock Bowers, feel good about those three. And then talk about Davante (Adams), but you have Jakobi Meyers, who we feel really good about. And of course, like most teams, he will be number one there, and this is a great opportunity for him to show that too. But I don’t think they should all be Davante Adams. I don’t need another Davante, there’s only one, right? I just need the best version of Jakobi Meyers, Tre Tucker, DJ Turner and all the rest.”

Q: Do you know what happened with Davante Adams as far as his hamstring is concerned and how long it might last?

Coach Pierce: “No, I don’t know. I just know he won’t be there this week. But he’s kind of like Maxx (Crosby) that you have to give these guys week after week, really day after day. You never know how they will respond. They have done this for a long time in their career, but I know he will be sidelined this week.

Q: Did this happen yesterday in training?

Coach Pierce: “Yes.”

Q: You had a couple of other guys, Divine Deablo and Thayer Munford, did they drop out?

Coach Pierce: “They’re out.”

Q: What is the difference you’ve noticed between motivating a group of guys as a player and as a head coach?

Coach Pierce: “Everyone is different. I mean, I don’t talk to quarterbacks like I do to linebackers, right? But the message for the team is about the team and our way of thinking. Again, the attitude this week was about character, being professional and having another chance at home. We really want to take advantage of this. I believe the fans will survive. I know they were disappointed, as we were, but we expect them to come out strong and be loud and Raider Nation to show out, but as a player you probably see face to face more often, like here, eye to eye, and as a team you have to look at the bigger picture and you can’t. And I don’t think I’m really doing it. They understand it and then we just move on. It’s nothing personal. And they do the same to me. True? They call me: “AP, you are not the same today, what is happening to you?” I think that’s the good part about it. The lines of communication are open all week long, especially at times like this when we have outsiders picking on us and trying to turn us against each other. It won’t happen.”

Q: There is a saying: be ready so you don’t have to get ready. But that means some of the guys who have started coming in over the last few days and maybe didn’t expect to start over will make it, so who might have to step up now?

Coach Pierce: “I think obviously this Davante (Adams) thing that just happened is newer, but in training you have a lot of reps where you give the athlete one or two reps that maybe Davante isn’t involved in. I think it’s example: Edgar Bennett and many of our coaches do a good job of keeping players around. You hear this word, especially during training camps, these mental repetitions, during training we do a lot of development things to give the boys opportunities. Our scout team is not a team that focuses on “looks”. The reality is that we compete and try to best reflect what our offense wants our defense to do. we can give but stay within our technique and pattern, so there is a lot of teaching that is happening all the time. A large part of our morning portions are activities with the development group, either the guys are not active or they are exercising. squad, the opportunity to contact coaches and train better, right? So we’re doing well with it. So we’ll see what will happen on Sunday. But we really feel like we’re giving these guys the last 12 hours, today and tomorrow, to prepare for the game.

Q: You talked about Tyree Wilson earlier this week, but other running backs like Janarius Robinson and Charles Snowden, what are the things you really need to see from them this week to really want to be in the movie?

Coach Pierce: “Just be them. I’ll say it again: «Don’t be Maxx Crosby, but don’t worry about being Maxx Crosby. Don’t put on a cape, don’t try to be Maxx Crosby. 98, be number 9 (Tyree Wilson), 44 (K’Lavon Chaisson), 49 (Charles Snowden), 97 (Janarius Robinson) and just give it your all. Don’t try to be that guy, but be the hero of the game. Just play as a team. If you have to set an advantage, set an advantage. If you need to get inside a trick, just do it correctly. Just do your thing. I think if we make it broad enough, we’ll get the results we want.

Q: In the case of Michael Mayer, it was a personal reason. Can you shed light on this or is it a family reason?

Coach Pierce: “It’s just personal, I just have to keep it personal.”

Q: More of a community question, you mentioned the crowd in one of your answers a while back, but there will be a Little League World Series team in attendance this Sunday and of course Adam Johnson is part of your staff is here with the Raiders. Why is it so important to simply connect with the community while gaming? Coach Pierce: “I mean, that’s great. I mean, because of that connection to the community, you’re talking about kids, young men who went to the World Series, they’re just like us. They admire the Raiders, right? They shouted “Raiders” in their little chants and on social media. So we also invited them to one of our training sessions. I mean, look, when they played, we were all connected. Every television station was watching these young men play and they were representing the state of Nevada. I think it’s huge. “And again, our fan base is obviously nationwide, but you have to take care of the base, and the base is Nevada and Las Vegas.”

Q: DJ Turner is a guy you really missed coming back to training camp. Of course you don’t want to lose Davante Adams, but how big of a chance is it for him to just get into the top three?

Coach Pierce: “It’s big. Just think about when Davante (Adams) was absent for personal reasons from training camp and the first game. Who showed up? DJ Turner. We are very excited about it. For us, he is a solid and strong special teams player. He was always ready when called upon, wasn’t he? But obviously he has bigger heads ahead of him and now he has an opportunity in front of him and I expect him to make the most of it. He was always professional when his name and number were called. It is usually ready and prepared.

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