Del Rio on Karl Joseph: "I'm excited to see him play."

May 31, 2016; Alameda, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders coach Jack Del Rio reacts at press conference at organized team activities at the Raiders practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Jack Del Rio shared some praise for Karl Joseph, following practice on Friday. That, and other notable quotes from the Oakland Raiders leading up to their Week 3 contest against the Tennessee Titans.

It was a busy week with plenty of notable quotes, so let’s jump right into it.

Del Rio was asked about rookie first-round pick Karl Joseph, who is yet to log a defensive snap through two weeks:

Del Rio continued his praise for Joseph, particularly his attitude:

Asked if Joseph and sixth-round rookie linebacker Cory James would start against Tennessee or not:

Typical Del Rio to not tip his hand, which certainly makes sense in this situation. It’d be nice to know if Joseph and James were going to replace Keith McGill and Ben Heeney, but we’ll just have to wait and see how much that actually happens.

Here are some notable quotes from earlier in the week. Starting with Thursday’s post-practice presser.

Jun 15, 2016; Alameda, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave at minicamp at the Raiders practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Notable Quotables: Bill Musgrave

Offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave spoke on the offense’s slow start to games.

The slow start to games is a bit concerning, but it’s very low on the list of problems the team should be concerned about. As an example, Derek Carr was 17 for 20 for 116 yards in the first half of Week 2, but finished the game 34 of 45 for 299 yards and three scores.

Oakland has scored an average of 23.5 points per second half, likely because they’ve shown more urgency while trailing in the second half. If they can find a way to play with that type of aggressiveness for all four quarters, that will make this offense that much better.

Musgrave also commented on Carr’s progression, lauding his footwork:

Musgrave is spot on here, as Carr’s footwork is noticeably improved. Which says a lot, because Carr took a big step forward in this area in 2015. Just take a look at this play:

Lastly, Musgrave commended Latavius Murray and the great start he is off to:

Murray has caught all seven of his intended targets, totaling 57 yards. Not numbers that jump off the page, but he’s fourth on the team in both receptions and receiving yards, and is yet to suffer a drop.

If Latavius can continue to be reliable in the pass game, it gives the offense another dynamic, making them even harder to keep out of the endzone.

August 30, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. during the third quarter in a preseason NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals at O.co Coliseum. The Cardinals defeated the Raiders 30-23. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Notable Quotables: Ken Norton Jr.

Norton Jr. was asked why it’s taken time for the defense to gel. This was his response:

The “it’s hard to tell” part isn’t exactly the answer most fans hope to hear. When your defense is struggling, you expect your defensive coordinator to have answer. Norton Jr. does not.

But at least the defensive struggles aren’t from a lack of effort, or a lack of care. The team hasn’t quit, body language is fine. As Norton Jr. elaborated:

Asking about Karl Joseph was popular amongst the media this week, for obvious reasons. Norton Jr. had this to say when asked about the rookie safety:

So it just confirms what we already know. Karl Joseph will make his defensive debut, but we still need to know how much he’ll play.