Have you talked with Jed? Has he passed along his feelings about what happened?

“To me, that’s not significant. What’s significant is we move on without excuse and get it right, make it right. That’s our jobs.”

Are there practical things that you’re changing that you can talk about, particularly in your offense? Is offensive coordinator Greg Roman going to remain the play caller?

“Yes. Have unwavering support for all our coaches and our players.”

Has management or ownership asked you to do anything with your coaching staff or make any changes?

“No.”

Do you think your future is in question here beyond this season?

“I don’t worry about my future. Haven’t participated in any of that speculation. I think I have a recessive gene for worrying about my own future. What I want is – I want to attack this week. I want to get this right.”

Do you believe that the conversation, it’s constant, obviously, and you’ve referred to it as not being that logical, but the constant conversation about your future, about where the team’s going, what the ownership thinks of you, what the general manager and you, do you think in any way that has caused some of this, has been a distraction, has caused some of the problems that we’ve seen on the field?

“Again, I’m not going to speculate. It’s our job to move on without excuse, without apology and get it right. Make it right. That’s our intentions.”

Can you confirm which of the two teams you’ll be coaching Sunday?

Have you spoken to Jed about your employment status?

“Have I?”

Spoken to Jed about — ?

“When? In the last –?”

Weekend?

“No, not in the last weekend, no.”

You talked about trying to get things right. What are you going over with QB Colin Kaepernick and trying to get him back on track?

“Again, we’re going to attack it. We’re going to get it right. There will be improvements that are made and I have great confidence that we can do that.”

Everybody saw what he did against the Seahawks in the championship game, all the running. He didn’t do any running, really, against them on Thursday. Why the difference in plans of attack against that defense?

“Again, we’re not going to make excuses. There’s nothing we can do about the game. We weren’t happy, none of us. None of us were happy that we lost the game. But we can’t do anything about that. It’s attacking this ball game. That’s what we want. We want to get it right this weekend.”

Colin took a lot on his shoulders. Said he that made some bad throws in that game. When you guys look at that film, were there plays out there to be made that just the execution wasn’t there that should’ve been made?

“Again, not going to make an excuse or apology. It’s onward.”

How would you characterize your relationship with Jed York right now?

“I wonder. I’ve gotten three questions from [San Jose Mercury News writer] Mark [Purdy], from [Santa Rosa Press Democrat writer] Grant [Cohn], from you. Do you really want my answer?”

Yes.

“Or, are you just asking for your own pleasure?”

No. I actually want to hear your answer.

“What I want is to attack this week, get it right.”

So, you’re not going to comment about your relationship?

“I kind of think some of these questions are for your own pleasure. Something on the ballgame?”

Yes. Is it difficult to prepare a team for an opponent that just loss by a score of 52-0 in terms of getting people ready to be as sharp as possible?

“They’re all good teams. There’s no bad teams in the National Football League. The NFL has done a great job making each game a test. And they’ve exceeded in expectations in that regard.”

From your time with the Raiders and working under Mr. Davis, what were some of the greatest things you learned or maybe some areas of growth that have prepared you for this?

“In so many areas. Had a profound, positive impact on my life. And it’s pretty well documented. I could elaborate more, but we’re competing against that team this week and we’ve got to prepare for that.”

But we want you to elaborate more. Any specifics you can share?

“[San Jose Mercury News writer] Cam [Inman] and I talked about this last week. He did an in-depth. We spent some time. Has that come out yet?”

The story will run soon.

Suspend the suspense.

You mentioned your unwavering support for Greg. When you talk about attacking and looking at the offense, do you think structural changes need to be made just in the philosophy in what you do?

“We just have to do better. We have to do a better job, and that’s what we understand.”

What’s T Anthony Davis, his status. Have the symptoms subsided?

“I think better.”

Do you have any opinion about Raiders QB Derek Carr? Have you gotten a chance to see him, their rookie quarterback?

“Yes. I think he’s a fine player. He’s handled his business. He’s done a fine job in the role.”

Did you work him out a little bit?

“No.”

LB NaVorro Bowman going to be able to get on the field this week?

“I think we’re looking at another week of rehab.”

Do you expect him then to go on season-ending IR?

“No. I have no expectation today what’s going to happen.”

Have there been any setbacks or just continuing to stick with what’s been working?

“Continue to do the rehab as I understand it.”

What about DL Glenn Dorsey? Where is he going into this week?

“Similar. Could be another week.”

Any word on WR Michael Crabtree? How did he come out after being examined?

“He’s working through some things. Talked to him this morning. He said it was going well.”

A few weeks back when WR Anquan Boldin said the whole ‘one-game season,’ how tough is it when you have that approach to then regroup after a loss and get back in that same mindset?

“To win the next game, that’s the mindset and I still feel that’s the right approach. It is a one-week season, this week.”

You’re familiar with the atmosphere in Oakland given your experience there. Does that present any special challenges with those fans and that kind of crazy scene?

“Yeah, every week, as I said before, every week is a test, a challenge. We have to prepare for it.”

Is this week more, as you said, every week’s a one-week season, more sticking with what this offense knows and trying to do it better or maybe looking for new, not re-writing the book, but looking for new ways, new things that you can do for this offense these last four games?

“Well, we’re preparing for that now. As I said earlier, I’m not going to explain. We’re going to work hard to get it right. Attacking it today and in our preparation all week.”

Do you have to go over with your players and let them know what the playoff picture looks like to let them know that there’s still a chance here that you guys can get in and even win the division?

“Well, we’ll treat it as we said. What we want to do is get it right this week.”

WR Stevie Johnson has been one of your most efficient receivers, but he’s had so many fewer snaps than Anquan and Michael. Why is that? Because with his opportunities, he seems to have made the most of them.

“Yeah, he’s done a fine job. And continue to do a good job getting the ball spread around to our receivers and continue to do better. We didn’t have a great performance by any stretch and as we said, we’re not happy about that. We’re looking to do something about it.”

Recently, you said TE Vernon Davis is ready for a breakthrough. What did Thursday’s game tell you about him? Was that a regression for him?

“None of us were happy about losing the football game.”

Do you still feel he’s ready right there?

“I do. Yeah, I do. I believe he’s doing a good job. Think it’ll happen.”

You guys have had a lot of injuries at tight end throughout the season. Just about every one of your tight ends has been injured at one point. How much does that shape what you’re able to do on offense, your game planning, your philosophy on offense, not having your full contingent of tight ends?

“Again, we’ve had that, but it’s not an excuse and it’s our job as players, coaches, to get it right.”

What do the Raiders do well, how can they be dangerous?

“Do a lot of things well.”

Could you name two things specifically that the Raiders do well?

“Yeah, they’re a very physical football team up front. They do a great job of running to the football. Two things.”

I ask this because I truly want to know the answer. Do you want to be back here next year?

“What I want is to attack this week and get it right.”

You expressed your support for the coaches. What are the things they’re doing that have been really good this year because your game the other night wasn’t so good? 

“Yeah, we could dwell on that and I choose not to. I choose to look forward. What can we do this week to put us in the best position that we can possibly be in to win the football game? That’s our job. That’s our responsibility to get it right.”

Did Skuta have to play those extra special teams phases because TE Derek Carrier was hurt?

“Yes.”

How is Carrier and what’s the state of your tight end position going into this next game?

“We’ll see. Haven’t talked to Derek yet today.”

What about TE Garrett Celek? Is he close to being able to bring back to the 53? He’s an option this week?

“Yes.”

The sequence at the end of the first half, you guys seemed pretty calm. Was that something that you guys have been working on as far as letting the clock go down, knowing to take the one shot on fourth-and-two?

“We work a lot of end-of-game scenarios. We had not worked on that particular, well, let me take that back. We have worked on that, yeah. But that particular sequence, we have end-of-the-half scenarios, but that was a particularly unique one. Just made a battlefield decision to – it’s fourth-and-two, let the clock run down to about 13. I thought I called a timeout at 13. I was shooting for 13 seconds on the clock. It ended up being 11. The idea was take our shot to get the first down and still had a timeout left if we happened to get enough yards, once we got a first down, to get a throw and a timeout in and get a field goal. The object was to get a field out of the half. The risk was leaving them the ball at their own 48-yard line with time to throw a Hail Mary themselves.”

But not allow them enough time to run a play and get a field goal?

“That was the idea. And it worked out good. We’re going to get our shot, they may get a shot but that’ll be the risk if our shot doesn’t work. Worked out. Players made it right.”

Do you remember being in that situation before and doing that?

“No. Think it was a first timer. Nice adjustment, [WR] Michael Crabtree and [QB] Colin [Kaepernick]. Michael adjusted his route and Colin really threw a beautiful, beautiful throw and one of Crab’s better catches. And staying in bounds was a great play. That were important points for us right there before the half in a tight scoring ball game.”

Aldon said postgame that he feels like he’s continuing to make good progress but left some plays –

“That was fun. I’m sorry, [Associated Press writer] Janie [McCauley]. That was fun talking football, talking situational football. Kind of a little back-and-forth there. We haven’t had a lot of that this year. It’s always been on other topics.”

Let’s do it again next week [laughter].

“Absolutely. I like those kind of [conversations]. Feel like we’re talking football. It’s great. Thank you for that. Sorry, Janie.”

No, it’s OK. I thought you were done with that thought. What strides can Aldon continue to make? He felt like he left a handful of plays out there that he should’ve made. Are you liking his progress after just two games?

“Yes, I am. As we talked about yesterday, from my vantage point and the defensive coaches’, felt that he played extremely well. Keep going. He’s a very talented player. He gives great effort and made plays. I thought he added 10 percent to our defense in creating that pressure and the sacks, the hurries. If he feels like he can bring more, all the better.”

He talked about how he popped his finger back in himself. Were you witness to that?

“No, I wasn’t a witness to that but heard about it after. That’s pretty cool. That’s pretty cool. If I did that I’d tell somebody, too.”

Have you ever done it?

“I did. I have done that before.”

Take us through that.

“I dislocated my finger and pulled it back in. That’s a good battle scar to have.”

Are you noticing other guys on the defensive front being put in more advantageous situations, matchups, with Aldon back on the field?

“They’ve been playing really well – Justin, Ray. You go back to the last so many weeks, they’re playing extremely well. I think better and better, too. Ahmad Brooks has been playing very well. [LB] Aaron Lynch has been playing very well. And they played very good in this game, the two. Yeah, I think it adds. It’s addition by addition, absolutely.”

Starting Thursday, you have this series of really formidable opponents, really good teams. Why are you confident that your offense can continue to get better or get better to be able to compete in these games?

“Excited about the matchups. We’ve been talking about how we’re playing these as playoff games for some time now. And we’ve played quite a few teams that are going to be in the playoffs this year, are projected to be in the playoffs. Now we’re going to be in a stretch of playing more of those type of teams that you project to be in the playoffs. Excited about that. If we’re good enough to be in it then we’ll know. We’ll know soon enough. So, that gets the motivation up, gets the energy up, gets the awareness going. Playoff-type of games against playoff-type of opponents. It’s as good as it gets. Let’s go.”

You added a couple of receivers in the offseason, WR Stevie Johnson, WR Brandon Lloyd. Do those guys give you something that you haven’t had going into a Seattle game? Do you have more at wide receiver and do you feel like that puts you in a better position to take on that defense?

“I feel good about the way our wide receiver position has played all year. I feel good about all of our wide receivers. The execution in the passing game I feel good about. So, yeah, glad we’re going through this stretch that we have a very healthy and productive receiving corps.”

You talked in the offseason about augmenting that group. Was the Seahawks part of that, beating them, beating that defense? Did you feel like you needed more at that specific position to get up, get over the hump against that team?

“I get the feeling like you’ve got the story already written here and you’re trying to get me to fill in a few blanks here. I feel good about our receivers. That was specifically to make our offense better. No more, no less.”

Was anything learned with LB NaVorro Bowman’s visit with Dr. James Andrews and what’s your plan for him this week?

“Yeah, (we’ll) take it week-by-week with NaVorro. And, this week will be another week of rehabilitation and continuing to do what he’s been doing. Don’t anticipate any practice for him this week.”

How do you feel about having two games against the Seahawks in three weeks and also one of those being a Thursday night game? Does it matter to you?

“Good. Feel good. Excited.”

As a scheduling quirk or whatever, they’re obviously trying to get you guys to play later in the season. It’s kind of cool you guys are playing two out of three weeks. But, I’m wondering as a coach if it’s easier or harder or if you’d rather have it spread out somehow?

“No opinion on it. Excited about the game. We’re taking it one game at a time, one play at a time.”

If you had your druthers would you play on Thursday nights?

“If I had my druthers would I or wouldn’t I play on Thursday nights? Everybody plays one Thursday night game a year.”

Do you like them?

“I do. I like them.”

What do you like about them?

“Thursday night. Monday night. Sunday night. Sunday afternoon. Sometimes Saturday.”

Bring it.

“Yeah. Anywhere, anytime. Get to play football.”

I hate to ask what could be perceived to be a negative question.

“Why do you hate to do that?”

It hurts me a little.

“Why?”

Because I know it hurts you.

“Let’s see what your question is and then we’ll see.”

The last three games you guys have allowed two 100-yard rushers which is unusual. Obviously, you’re missing some key guys in the middle. As well as those guys have played, does that just speak to the absence of guys like DL Glenn Dorsey and NT Ian Williams and Bowman and LB Patrick Willis?

“I like the way our guys are playing up front. As I said, Ray and Justin Smith had very fine ballgames. [DT] Quinton Dial has added quite a bit. [DT] Tank Carradine’s getting snaps. And [DT] Tony Jerod-Eddie, he does a very good job, especially against the zone schemes. So, I’m excited about that. This is a good matchup for him. But, you don’t have to hate to bring up the negatives. Actually, we take it as a compliment. What this organization has accomplished, where it’s built itself to, is a credit to all of the men and women in the organization. Even if a win isn’t enough and there’s criticism or negativity associated with that, really we should take that as a compliment because we built it to where the expectations are very high. So, I think that’s a compliment to everybody in the organization.”

Well in that case …

“I think I’m out of time. Aren’t I?”

There were two third down, third and short, third and five and third and six, that passes were completed to TE Vernon Davis and stopped short of the first down. I know the second one was pretty darn close. But is it his job on those to know where the sticks are and make sure he gets beyond the sticks for Colin?

“No. We don’t change the route depth or the timing based on where the sticks are. We’re trying to execute the play and catch and if we call the route or play that’s going to be caught before the sticks then you’re hoping for the run after catch. Both of those were pretty darn close right at the sticks. But no we’re not asking him, or any receiver, because of where the sticks are to change the timing or the depth of the route.”

Have you been places where they do it when you were playing, is that common that you wouldn’t have a guy be cognizant of where he has to get to for a first down?

“I’ve seen it done that way and seen others done that way. I believe that is not something that you want to do to change the depth and the timing. That throws off that part of the execution. Others can do it differently. There’s probably two different ways to do it there. That’s my view of it, my argument on it.”

What stage is T Anthony Davis in in his concussion protocol?

“I believe he is still reporting symptoms today.”

So, his availability is still up in the air?

“Yes.”

The Seahawks are known as just kind of playing their defense, it’s not terribly exotic. Is it easy them being a division opponent? And if that’s true about their defense, is it in that sense easy to prepare for them on a short week just because you’re fairly familiar with what they do?

“No. I would never associate easy, preparing for the Seahawks as being easy. I would never associate that. They’ve been more multiple in their scheme this year than in the past. But, no I wouldn’t associate easy with the Seahawk defense.”

When you guys were preparing to face the Giants I figure you saw the Seahawks tape on them from the week before. What jumped out at you about Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch? He had four touchdowns that game and just how he carries that offense.

“Great football player. ‘Beast Mode.’ I’ve heard him referred to that complimentary. He is a ‘football player.’ Hard. Aggressive. Tough runner. Talented.”

What are you going to eat on Thanksgiving after the game?

“I don’t know. Haven’t thought of it. We’re in discussion on that right now. We were watching the Sunday Night football game, Dallas and New York last night. We were planning on having turkey, but then they showed this piece where they were showing all the turkeys and everything and my son Jack and Katie and Addie, ‘Look at the turkeys. Look at all the turkeys there.’ And they were getting excited looking at the turkeys. And then the next shot was they had loaded the turkeys onto a truck and they were driving them away and the kids were like, ‘Where are they going?’ And we kind of thought maybe we won’t have turkey this year for Thanksgiving. So, we’re in discussion on that. We’ll have some tofu or something.”

Do you consider the Seahawks your primary rival or do you not categorize teams like that?

“You know, we’ve been categorizing them as every week. That’s the way we’ve got to play. However you look at it. If you look at it as this is your playoff game, think of it as your college rival what that felt like. Stanford versus Cal or Michigan-Ohio State or at LSU. The guys at LSU told me they’re Alabama and Auburn, etcetera. If that’s the way you think of it. If you think of it as a playoff-type of game. That’s how you’ve got to think of it though. I mean, every single week and that’s how we’ve been approaching it each week.”