Roster
The Oakland Raiders have made some key moves to help protect aging quarterback Carson Palmer. The Raiders resigned tackle Khaliff Barnes. The team still has holes on the offensive line that they hope to fill in the draft and within free agency. The Raiders also signed linebacker Kevin Burnett to bring back some of the toughness that were personified under former head coach Hue Jackson and former Raiders owner Al Davis.
Changes
The fact that the team released former first round pick Darius Heyward Bay may be a sign that the team is putting less emphasis on speed when it comes to wide receivers. The team may be looking for the full package from now on under head coach Dennis Allen. People of course are wondering whether the Raiders will take the time to resign a veteran like Richard Seymour on the defensive line. The fact that the Raiders just released Tommy Kelly may increase the urgency associated with the possible re-signing of Seymour. Seymour brings a steady hand to an unproven defensive line.
The team also released a quality defensive back in former University of Texas star Michael Huff. Huff was quick to sign with the Baltimore Ravens and the Raiders should be hoping that he doesn’t sign within a team in the AFC West.
Offense
Oakland did fire offensive coordinator Greg Knapp. This is the second time that Knapp has worked for the Raiders and there are questions about how much control head coach Dennis Allen truly had in picking Greg Knapp’s replacement, Greg Olson. The team has also made changes to their linebackers coach, special teams and the offensive line coach. The heavy amount of turnover is not good for a team that is looking for a certain amount of consistency. The Raiders did hire Bobby April as their new special teams coach, April had a very successful run as the special teams coach of the St. Louis Rams.
Expectations
The Oakland Raiders are still expected to finish last in the AFC West. The reasoning behind this is because of the great structure of the Denver Broncos roster and the wholesale changes that Andy Reid is expected to make with the Kansas City Chiefs. The San Diego Chargers are going to try to create a new, high flying offense under new head Mike McCoy as well.
Recent Developments
The signing of Alex Barron as a part of the offensive line doesn’t seem to symbolize a “just win” attitude. The Raiders are known for that “just win” attitude, but the fact that they didn’t re-sign an emerging star like Brandon Myers at the tight end position may make you question whether the team really wants to win. The team did re-sign Mickey Shuler as a tight end and they do hope that Travionte Session can also play a key role at the wideout position. The fact that the Raiders were unwilling to offer a serious deal to Mike Mitchell may be a sign that they are not worried about the safety position either.
It should be noted that the Raiders need to work hard to re-sign Cooper Carlisle. There are a lot of question marks out there about the Raiders roster.
After the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Oakland Raiders 42 to 32 on November 4, 2012, the Buccaneers advanced to 4-4, second in the NFC South, four games behind the undefeated Atlanta Falcons. Tampa Bay’s Doug Martin rushed for 251 yards and scored four touchdowns. The Raiders made the game exciting in the fourth quarter, but the Bucs held on. The Raiders fell to third in the AFC West (3-5), two games behind the Broncos.
The Buccaneers recovered their own fumble in the first quarter but neither team capitalized on opportunities much in the quarter. The Buccaneers had a field goal blocked by Lamarr Houston for the Raiders. Carson Palmer went to work as Raider quarterback, hit Mike Goodson for a first down, setting up the game’s first score, which was a 29 yard field goal by Sebastian Janikowski. The Raiders concluded the quarter with a 3-0 lead.
Josh Freeman threw a touchdown pass to Vincent Jackson for the Buccaneers in the second quarter, raising the score 7-3. The twenty yard play was a deep pass to the right. The Raiders then used up the clock as Palmer moved the team to the Tampa Bay 25. From there Palmer connected with rookie Rod Streater on a 25 yard scoring play, as the Raiders took a 10-7 lead. In the final minute of the half the Buccaneers were able to get the ball to the Oakland 36, but Connor Barth’s attempt at a 54 yard field goal fell short.
Early in the third quarter Freeman threw a short pass to D.J. Ware, who turned it into a 12 yard gain to the Oakland 45. On the next play Doug Martin ran the ball up the middle, gaining 45 yards and a touchdown, expanding the Tampa Bay lead to 14-10. The Raiders then went three and out. The Bucs struck back on the next series when Freeman connected with a short pass that turned into a 37 yard gain by Mike Williams. The drive concluded with a four yard touchdown pass to Williams. With a 21-10 lead Leonard Johnson of the Bucs seized more momentum by intercepting Palmer and returning the ball to the Tampa Bay 38. A few plays later Doug Martin ran for a 67 yard touchdown, widening the Bucs’ lead to 28-10.
The Raiders came back to life with a scoring drive early in the fourth quarter, with a short pass from Palmer to Brandon Myers for a touchdown, narrowing the Bucs’ lead to 28-17. The Buccaneers answered with a one play drive from Doug Martin, who ran for a 70 yard touchdown, giving the Bucs a 35-17 lead. Palmer moved the Raiders again, connecting with Denarius Moore on a 26 yard play. The drive culminated with a one yard Palmer pass to Brandon Myers for a touchdown, cutting the Bucs’ lead to 35-24.
The Raiders recovered a Freeman fumble and capitalized with another touchdown drive. The drive included a 20 yard gain from Marcel Reese, who also caught the 13 yard touchdown pass from Palmer, followed by a two point conversion. The Bucs responded to the 35-32 score with an inability to covert on third down, so they punted. A few plays later Palmer threw a critical interception that gave the Buccaneers the ball on the Oakland 22. Martin then ran three times before getting the ball in the end zone for the winning touchdown.
Both Freeman and Palmer had big passing days, but Freeman was more consistent, completing 18 or 30 passes for 247 yards. Doug Martin rushed for 251 yards on 25 carries. The Raiders acquired most of their yardage in the air. They will need to improve their ground game to stay competitive in the AFC West, although it appears that the team may be leaning on Palmer more.
Entering the 2003 draft, one thing was certain, USC's Heisman winning quarterback Carson Palmer was the most sure thing in the draft. Palmer set his first season in Cincinnati, learning the game from QB Coach Hue Jackson and the Bengal's coaching staff, while Palmer watched Jon Kitna run the team on Sundays.
["Image by Erik Eckel via Flickr"]
This is a luxery no longer afforded to rookie QB's; Andrew Luck, the first overall pick in 2012 was penciled in as Indianapolis' starting QB as soon as he was drafted, as was Washington's new QB Robert Griffin III who was taken with the third pick. Yet Palmer was given the oppurtunity to grow and develope over the course of a year. He was supposed to be the next Peyton Manning or Tom Brady. One of the elite QB's in the NFL. Despite having the gift of time to study and hone his craft, Palmer never developed into the QB many thought he was certain to be.
This season will have an unprecidented number of QB's who have either one year, or no experience in the NFL starting week one for their clubs. Palmer is one of the key reasons as to why. Not only did Palmer refuse to play in Cincinnati in 2011, he forced the Bengals front office to commit to starting 2nd round draft pick Andy Dalton. Dalton was not the most exciting QB to watch in Cincinnati in 2011, but QB's are measured on winning, and Dalton did just that in 2011 going 9-7 in the regular season earning a playoff birth, for an otherwise unstable franchise.
Dalton's sucess has the Bengal fan base believing that he is the guy who can lead Cincinnati to becomming the best team in the heavily contested AFC North, the way Palmer once did before Palmer injured his knee in his first playoff appearance.
The knee injury that Palmer took from Steeler's Defensive End Kimo Van Olhoffen, started a downward spiral for Palmer. In 2008, Palmer began having problems in his throwing shoulder and elbow. He hasn't had the same velocity on his throws since then, yet hasn't changed his aggressive QB nature. Palmer is never affraid to put it all out there, and he knows what the throw needs to be. But as his body has deminished in his pro career, so has his passing numbers. Palmer hasn't thrown over 4,000 yards since 2007. Yet his interception to td numbers have sky rocketed. From '05-'07, Palmer had 86 Tds to 45 interceptions, nearly throwing two TDs to every pick. Since then, Palmer has 63 TDs, to 53 interceptions, a near 1-1 ratio.
With the penalties the Raiders have dealt with in the past few seasons, Palmer must protect the ball better for Oakland to have a chance to win. And as Jerry McDonald from the San Jose Mercury News shows us, he hasn't done a very good job securing possessions for Oakland that have turned into points.
If Palmer continues down this careless road of turning the ball over, another first over all QB from USC, Matt Barkley may be the starter next season in Oakland.
["Image by Monica's Dad via Flickr"]
TEN POSSESSIONS, NO TOUCHDOWNS
How the Raiders have fared in Carson Palmer's 10 preseason possessions against the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals:
Possession 1: vs. Dallas: 38-yard drive in four plays, ended with interception to Gerald Sensabaugh.
Possession 2: vs. Dallas: 35-yard drive in 11 plays, ended with Marquette King punt….More at Oakland Raiders: A glance at 10 preseason possession with Carson Palmer at … – San Jose Mercury News
RT @FauxJohnMadden: Carson Palmer says Raiders do not need Chad Johnson. He's right, the Raiders need a quarterback.
— M_Criswell12 (William Criswell) (@M_Criswell12) Wed Aug 22 2012
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Friday Night’s preseason game opened with the same high flying offensive play the Raider Nation saw Monday Night. Palmer on his first pass of the night was nearly intercepted by Adrian Wilson, his next pass was incomplete, and then the Raiders ran a short draw play for a minimal gain before punting.
The special teams and defense didn’t look very sharp either on their first times out. The offenses’ three and out was set up by a Jacoby Ford taking the kickoff out of the end zone to the 14 yard line. Then on the ensuing punt Patrick Peterson gave the Arizona Cardinals great field position with a 46 yard return. It only took seven plays for QB Kevin Kolb and the Cards’ offense seven plays to score a three yard touchdown run by second year player Ryan Williams.
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Palmer sharpened up on his second drive hitting Ford and Darius Heyward-Bey for big pass plays, before Darren McFadden carried the ball 22 yards to get inside the red zone. A pass interference call gave the Raiders the ball on the three yard line. After two failed McFadden rushes to get into the end zone, Palmer threw the ball away under pressure on third down and Oakland had to settle for just three points.
The defense and special teams stood up too for Oakland on their second trip on the field. The Kickoff team pinned the Cardinals on the five yard line, three plays later; Defensive Tackle Tommie Kelly sacked Kolb for a safety.
Starting on the Arizona side of the field for Oaklands’ third possession, Palmer set up a screen pass to McFadden for 17 yards. Three plays later, Sabastion Janikowkski hit from 40 yards for his second field goal of the night.
["Image by deb roby via Flickr"]
Palmer finished the night going 13 of 27 passing for 107 and one interception. The first team offense didn’t score a touchdown in the first half. Darren McFadden did show lots of explosion tonight rushing for 34 yards on 9 carries, and pulling in 1 reception for 17 yards. McFadden also had a pass that was called incomplete that, in the regular season, may have been successfully challenged.
The first team defense was however successfully challenged the Cardinals offense getting three sacks, (one for a safety), five tackles for a loss and an interception.
There is still a long way to go for the Raiders if they want to stay out of the AFC West’s basement.
@Michael_Fabiano how come nobody wants to talk about how poorly carson palmer is playing, i see some people have their favorites
— CINCYTHUNDERCAT (bryan keith scott) (@CINCYTHUNDERCAT) Sat Aug 18 2012
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Quarterback Carson Palmer talked today after practice about his performance Monday night, his relationship with his receivers and how he is developing in the preseason.
One of the toughest things about this year’s preseason is the turn around the Raiders are facing after playing last Monday night against the Cowboys, and the upcoming game just four days later against the Arizona Cardinals.
“It’s a little bit of a funny schedule, but it is good because you have Thursday night games during the season. You have some Monday night games and short weeks, said Palmer. It is good practice for us to have to turn around right after a game and have a hard practice Tuesday after a Monday night game and then be ready to play in a couple days and get your body right. It’s good preparation for the season.”
After Monday night’s loss to the Cowboys, it’s obvious the Raiders’ offense does need more preparation for the regular season.
Darren McFadden was one of few bright spots during the preseason opener. McFadden, who sat out the last nine games of 2011 with a Lisfranc injury, started the game out gaining the Raiders’ first 38 yards. McFadden had 4-yard run, an 18-yard reception and a 16-yard run before Palmer tossed a wounded duck, deep down field towards Jacoby Jones that Gerald Sensabaugh intercepted.
“The interception was my fault,” said Palmer, who in 2011 had 16 interceptions in just 10 games. Monday night, Palmer was 3-6 passing for 33 yards. Including the interception, Palmer’s other two incomplete passes were thrown to WR Jacoby Ford who dropped both passes.
[Image By: Jeff Chiu/ AP Press]
Palmer isn’t concerned with Ford's drops Monday night, “The drops, those are part of the game. I have thrown Jacoby a lot of balls and those are the only two balls I remember being dropped from last year, this offseason, OTAs, mini-camps, this training camp.”
For the Raiders offense to be successful this year, they will need Palmer to cut down on the turnovers from 2011, the offensive line to be less penalized and for McFadden to stay healthy. Palmer knows there will be times of inconsistency in the preseason considering how Oakland is using these games in an experimental way.
The play in which Palmer threw the interception, Palmer was supposed to take a seven step drop, and look for Jones to come off of a double move to get past the defense for a big play. Palmer knows that he didn’t give Jones the opportunity to make that play.
“Looking back at the film, I learned a lot from the play holding the safety with my eyes; being better with my head, (being aware of) where my eyes are, before the play. You need to take those shots in the preseason to see how guys run on double moves. Are they better off running the deep post or just a straight go route?”
The good news coming out of the lackluster performance Monday night that saw the Raiders get shut out in front of their home fans, was that Palmer needs this time to develop, and work some of the kinks out. Last year Palmer didn’t start for the Raiders until Week 7, after being traded from Cincinnati. Palmer is looking at this season very optimistically.
“I have a ton of more confidence. There is no comparison to where I will be at Week 7 or 8 this year, as opposed to last year. Just getting the experience and the reps I need now will pay off come Week 1.”
Fantasy Football Quarterback Rankings for 2012: High on Carson …: Carson Palmer in 2012 feels to me like one o… http://t.co/mM0NJu6k
— 1StopShopFF (One Stop Shop FF) (@1StopShopFF) Thu Aug 16 2012
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Today we will be breaking down Head Coach Dennis Allen’s post practice thoughts from Wednesday August 8. The players are on an off day today, (Thursday Aug. 9) to rest up a little after several days of wearing full pads in the Southern California sun. On Wednesday the team practiced just in “shells,” or helmets, shoulder pads and shorts for those of us not up on our NFL practice lingo.
“We were going to go full pads today but we felt like the team’s been giving us everything they got and it was time for us to kind of take a little bit off of them,” said Allen. “The guys obviously appreciate it when you cut it back a little bit on them and you give them a chance to recover some
While, today is a day were the players get to rest up a bit, it’s business as usual for Coach Allen and his staff. “We’ll spend most of our day talking about personnel, talking about the schedule with the upcoming games, different play-time scenarios. So there’s a lot of things behind the scenes that we’ll be doing on players’ day off.”
With Darren McFadden’s injury history, and the unknown status of RB Mike Goodsend, the one player likely to get an opportunity to prove himself will be Lonyea Miller. Miller, an undrafted RB from Fresno State has spent two years in the NFL as a backup/ practice squad player for the Dallas Cowboys in 2010, and then in Oakland in 2011. Miller is yet to appear in a NFL game, but that could change going into 2012.
[Image By:Ed Zurga-Associated Press]
“I’ve been impressed with what Lonyae’s been able to do. He’s a different type of back than the other backs that we got; he’s a little bit more of a downhill, pounder-type guy. He doesn’t have quite the same explosiveness as those other guys but he’s been a consistent runner. What I’ve seen and what he’s done in the zone scheme is he’s understood what his reads are and he’s made the proper reads, gotten his pads downhill, and made some yards.”
The bruising power back, could benefit from Michael Bush’s departure in 2012, it is highly unlikely that the Raiders will look to McFadden as a goal line back. It’s not exaggerating to say that a lot of Miller’s future will depend on how he preforms in Monday night’s preseason opener against the Dallas Cowboys. “I would expect that he would be tired after Monday night’s game,” said Allen in response to the expected playing time of Allen. With McFadden being limited and Goodsend out, he will be the main ball carrier Monday night.
Another player who might help take a load off of Miller Monday night will be Fullback Marcell Reese. Reese has seen time recently in camp as a HB, Coach Allen explains why the lead blocker has been used in practice as a rusher.
“Some of it is trying to put him back there and handing the ball off to him and see where he’s at and see how he fits in the scheme. And some of it is also out of a necessity with some of the running back injuries. Just making sure that we’ve got enough bodies we can put back there and hand the ball off to,” said Allen.
As for help in the rushing game outside of the players on the team, Coach Allen is excited for what Offensive Coordinator Greg Knapp brings to the team.
“I think it was extremely important to get a guy like Greg Knapp. He is a guy that I have worked with before, and I have a lot of respect for. (When)You look at what he has done from a running-game standpoint. He has done a nice job as an offensive coordinator from the run-game standpoint. So he was one of the guys that I was extremely interested in when I got this job and I tried to get him to be the offensive coordinator. “
[Photo By:AP Press]
[New Offensive Coordinator Greg Knapp with Backup QB Matt Lienart]
Another player whose future is in the balance is Cornerback Ron Bartell. Bartell signed as a free agent after being released by the St. Louis Rams after Bartell suffered a neck injury early on in 2011.
“Early, especially in OTAs and mini-camp, we talked about (Bartell) a lot, it’s knocking the rust off and getting back in the groove of playing football,” Said Allen. Bartell can be a big contributor to Oakland’s defense if he is healthy and showing signs of improvement after spending a year away from football.
“It takes a little while. It’s not an easy game. It’s a tough game played by tough people so it takes a little bit of time to knock the rust off. Fortunately for us we’ve got a lot of time to get him ready for the opening Monday Night game.”
Another cornerback who has spent some time away from football is Pat Lee. Lee was a second round pick in 2008 by the Green Bay packers out of Auburn. In his final season of college ball, Lee was an All-SEC defender who the Packers had great expectations for. Lee however spent most of his time in Green Bay as a special teams player not being able to crack the top four spots on the CB depth chart. Lee is getting a second chance to prove his NFL talent in Oakland and Coach Allen likes his improvements.
“He’s been improving everyday and that’s the thing we look for. When guys step up and make some plays they earn the right to move up the depth chart some. Like I said before, nothing right now is set in concrete. When guys earn that right we will move him up and give him the opportunity and see what they do with it.”
Undrafted rookie Rod Streater is another player that fans will get a chance to become acquainted with for the first time Monday night. Streater, a free agent from Temple University, has been impressing coaches all through camp and is quickly climbing his way up the depth chart.
“He still is making an impression. I think he has done a real good job. I am very pleased with Rod. He is a big, athletic wide receiver. He gets in and out of his cuts well. But as with all the rookies, you still look up and he is making silly mistakes. We are going to stay on him and keep working with him. But if he just continues to work on getting better every day, he is going to be fine.”
To some, it was a surprise that Streater wasn’t a more sought after draft pick. The 6’4” WR who ran a 4.46 40 yard dash at the NFL combine averaged 18.0 yards a reception in his two years at Temple scoring 7 touchdowns. The thing that caused Streater’s draft stock to plummet, was his injury concerns. Streater had surgery in college to repair his shoulder, that surgery limited Streater in his senior season to only catching 19 passes. But, a player with his size and speed is always something a NFL team could use, regardless of his draft position.
[Image By: Paul Sakuma/AP Press]
“You never really know about the Draft. It’s not a perfect science. But he was a guy that we had on our board and he was a guy that as the Draft continued to go on that we were looking for where he was at. Unfortunately we weren’t able to draft him. But fortunately we hit free agency and we knew he wasn’t drafted and he was one of the primary guys that we were trying to get.”
So, now that we know a little bit more on the situations facing Oakland’s backups, Raiders fans can now have a little story line to cheer for after the big names hit the benches in their opener Monday night.
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Running back Mike Goodsend was carted off the field during Tuesday's practice after a helmet to helmet collision with linebacker Phillip Wheeler. Goodsend laid on the field motionless for a couple seconds after the hit, and Oakland Raiders trainers immediately took attention to Goodsend. As a precautionary measure, emergency personnel escorted Goodsend to the hospital for further evaluation.
["Image by kyle tsui via Flickr"]
After camp, Raiders coaches initially knew little about Goodsend’s condition, aside from that the running back had feelings in his arms and legs, and was able to move them.
Goodsend’s agent, Kennard McGuire told ESPN’s Bill Williamson, that Goodsend was doing extremely well in the hospital and that all treatments so far were done in precautionary reasons.
As of right now, the extents of Goodsend’s injuries are still unknown, as is the time table for Goodsend’s return to the Raiders.
During the first week of training camp, Goodsend has impressed the Raiders coaching staff. Goodsend was traded to Oakland this year from Carolina, where Goodsend spent time as a backup to James Stewart and DeAngelo Williams. Goodsend a fourth year player this year, has seen limited playing time in his career, but last year he averaged 4.4 yards per carry on his 103 carries for 452 yards and three touchdowns.
Goodsend’s injury comes on the heels of an offseason centered around the NFL’s concern of player safety. Several starters and former New Orleans Saints players have been suspended for their role in the “Saints Bounty Gate,” including Middle Linebacker Jonathan Vilma for the entirety of the 2012 season. Saints’ Head Coach Sean Payton has been suspended as well for the 2012 season, and former Defensive Coordinator Greg Williams has been suspended indefinitely for his alleged leadership in the bounty system.
["Image by Tulane Public Relations via Flickr"]
[Jonathan Vilma with Greg Williams at Tulane University]
Vilma, who is has a pending legal battle with the NFL for defamation of character, has been recently been offered a settlement of a mere eight game suspension to keep the case out of court. League Officials representing Roger Goodell, are denying the existence of the offer.
If the NFL is really offering Vilma the settlement, it makes you wonder their motivation. One could assume that this case would just further tarnish the image of the NFL, having one of its star players taking the league to court. However, if the league felt just in its original suspension of Vilma, it should stand that it has nothing to lose in the court of public opinion, unless it has other information on player safety that the league hasn’t been upfront with.
If the NFL and goes to court with Vilma, Vilma and his representation, and the NFL Players Association would have access to all information the league has obtained regarding player safety. The league could be hiding findings on studies done on how football effects the human mind and body over time, or other players and teams that have been known to have bounty systems in place that haven’t been penalized to the extent of the New Orleans Saints.
The most tragic story of the NFL Offseason, has been the suicide of former Linebacker Junior Seau. Seau who retired in 2010 took his own life with a gunshot to his chest. In his suicide note, Seau said he wanted his brain to be studied for research purposes related to the long term side effects of concussions.
["Image by Scott's View of the World via Flickr"]
The good news though, was the extreme care and concern shown by the Raiders Training and Coaching Staffs. Hopefully, Goodsend who has shown a lot of promise in camp, will be healthy and back to playing football soon.
“Mike Goodson had a neck injury; we're not sure of the extent of it right now,” coach Dennis Allen said after practice. “He did have feeling in his extremities, which is good news. We'll monitor that throughout the night.”
Goodson caught a short pass during an individual drill inside the 20-yard line, turned up field and was met by a crunching blow by Wheeler. The force of the hit knocked out Goodson's mouth piece.
The running back was immediately tended to by Raiders trainer Rod Martin and the athletic training staff. His face mask was removed, and teammates Denarius Moore and Taiwan Jones knelt down beside him as he was treated….More at Oakland Raiders player Mike Goodson taken to hospital – San Jose Mercury News
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- Should the Oakland Raiders Add Plaxico Burress or Mike Wallace? – Gather.com
- Toughness the most impressive item on Oakland Raiders guard Mike Brisiel's … – San Jose Mercury News
San Jose Mercury News Writer Jerry McDonald takes a look at how QB Carson Palmer is developing in practice. This year Palmer, who had reconstructive knee surgery in 2006, will be expected to do more role out and bootleg plays this season. Palmer, knows he's not the fastest QB in the league, but plans on using technique and proper execution to thrive in this mobile offense. McDonald also gives us a couple notes in this article of who else is excelling in Raiders pratice, as well as injury concerns, and some quotes from Head Coach Dennis Allen.
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NAPA — It was a routine third-and-6 play Tuesday during a non-contact 7-on-7 drill, but it might serve as a glimpse of the future for Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer.
With his receivers covered, Palmer broke to his right, turned the corner and made it past the first-down stake before stepping out of bounds.
The Raiders traded a first-round draft pick in 2012 and a second-round selection in 2013 for Palmer on Oct. 18 at the behest of then-coach Hue Jackson for reasons that had nothing to do with evasive action….More at Oakland Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer works on footwork – San Jose Mercury News
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Inside the Bay Area Buzz Writer Steve Corkan, evaluates the progress that is being made inside day four of Oakland Raiders Camp. If the Raiders are going to be a better team this year, they will need to improve in two fields; limiting penalties and staying healthy.
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The good news so far, there isn’t a great concern for injuries. Starting Center Stefen Wisniewski is recovering well from shoulder surgery in the offseason and has been inserted back into practice with the rest of the starting offensive line.
Wide Receiver Denarius Moore, who stood out as newly acquired QB Carson Palmer’s favorite target last year, is still rehabbing a hamstring injury. Moore suffered the injury over the summer time and the team is slowly nursing him back to health by holding him out of practice right now.
Like Moore, Head Coach Dennis Allen is holding out Defensive Tackle Travis Ivey from practice as well. Ivey who has not passed his physical conditioning test yet, is being held out of practice until Allen feels it is safe to allow Ivey to practice.
The better sign out of practice is that the starting offensive line is working together well. There hasn’t been a lot of attention shown to the offensive line so far; meaning that they are getting their job done. If the offensive line can play in the regular season like this, the Oakland offense could flourish. When a three yard pick up on 3rd and 2 yards to go, is negated by a holding penalty, your whole team feels the ripple effects.
Another day, another solid practice for Raiders
By Steve Corkran
Saturday, August 4th, 2012 at 7:35 pm in Oakland Raiders.For instance, the offensive line has remained the same throughout the offseason — with the exception of center Stefen Wisniewski missing all of them while recovering from a shoulder surgery — and the first week of training camp….More at Another day, another solid practice for Raiders – Inside the Oakland …
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Jerry McDonlad writer for the Bay Area News Group examines the changes being made after the passing of legendary Owner Al Davis. Davis built a team that was known for being the tough guys in NFL. New Head Coach Dennis Allen and General Manager Reggie McKenzie plan on changing that image to a more fan friendly product both on and off the field. McDonald shows how changes made in open practices, media availabilty and personell; will make for a better Oakland Raider experience for fans. ["Image by rocor via Flickr"]
NAPA — A sign at a corner gas station next to the Napa Valley Marriott reads “Welcome back Raiders.”
For the first time, the Raiders are responding in kind.
Over the next three days they'll welcome more than 3,000 fans onto the grounds of Redwood Middle School to watch practice.
Except for an annual meet-and-greet that was discontinued in 2001, this is the Raiders' only major interaction with the public during training camp since the team returned from Los Angeles in 1995.
The open sessions are representative of an organizational transformation that began with the death of Al Davis last October….More at Oakland Raiders move on from Al Davis era – San Jose Mercury News
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