OAKLAND RAIDERS OFFSEASON THREAD
- Thread starter Solitary 1
- Start date
aranoid:
I would say the raiders three big questions are QB how well will he play in his frist real year WR who will step up and how will this group pan out with javon, curry, and first & second year wr's and DL how will the raiders stop the run will Sands and Kelly step it up with the loss of vet leadership in Sapp and not many upgrades in the draft or with free agents. I think if the the offense can put up more points this year it will make the D look so much better cuz the last few years it didnt matter how well the D did the offense would give the ball right back and the D would be on the field all damn day. Im hopeing for a playoff year since its been so long but I think 7-9 is more like it.
Name some teams that don't have big question marks? What about your squad huh.... How will Vince Young do in his 3rd year? Will he throw more TD's than INT's? Is fat boy Lendale White in shape now? Who will be your top 3 wide receivers (excluding Alge Crumpler)? Who's going to replace the "great" Pac-Man?
Roster scramble begins
By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Thursday, May 8th, 2008 at 1:52 pm in Oakland Raiders.
The cold reality is that of the 35 or so players who will participate in this weekend’s Raiders minicamp, two appear to be dead-solid locks to be on the 53-man roster come September.
Only running backs Darren McFadden and Michael Bush, health permitting, can be reasonably assured to have 510 area codes fourth months from now, although others will surely join them.
The rest of the smallest draft class in Raiders history _ defensive back Tyvon Branch (fourth round), wide receiver Arman Shields (fourth round), defensive end Trevor Scott (sixth round) and wide receiver Chaz Schilens (seventh round) joined McFadden _ will be represented on the final 53, but chances are someone won’t make it.
The Raiders served notice last training camp they were willing to cut a draft pick when third-round selection Quentin Moses, the No. 65 overall pick, failed to make the final cut. He was the highest drafted player who did not make a Week 1 roster.
They’ll all be trying to make a good first on-field impression, joined by a congregation of undrafted free agents hoping to become the next Barry Sims, Tommy Kelly or Chris Carr, plus a handful of players on hand for no more than a weekend tryout.
Other than McFadden, if you’re looking for major impact on the 2008 Raiders, odds are you won’t find it in Alameda this weekend unless Bush can work his way into the running back rotation or ascend on the depth chart due to injury as he joins McFadden and Justin Fargas.
Last season, Bush was off on a separate field each day with the athletic training staff. He got in some practice time during closed in-season practices last season, but was never activated.
Both running backs are scheduled to talk with the media Saturday in a structured availability schedule. Friday’s interview subjects will be Branch, Shields, Scott and Schilens.
Players will begin Friday, Saturday and Sunday with meetings and a practice walkthrough which is closed to the media. Interview sessions on Friday and Saturday are from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., with practice from 1 p.m. to 2:30. Coach Lane Kiffin will be available for questions following practice sessions.
Reports will be filed following practice, with breaking news filed as soon as possible.
There is no player availability scheduled for Sunday.
By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Thursday, May 8th, 2008 at 1:52 pm in Oakland Raiders.
The cold reality is that of the 35 or so players who will participate in this weekend’s Raiders minicamp, two appear to be dead-solid locks to be on the 53-man roster come September.
Only running backs Darren McFadden and Michael Bush, health permitting, can be reasonably assured to have 510 area codes fourth months from now, although others will surely join them.
The rest of the smallest draft class in Raiders history _ defensive back Tyvon Branch (fourth round), wide receiver Arman Shields (fourth round), defensive end Trevor Scott (sixth round) and wide receiver Chaz Schilens (seventh round) joined McFadden _ will be represented on the final 53, but chances are someone won’t make it.
The Raiders served notice last training camp they were willing to cut a draft pick when third-round selection Quentin Moses, the No. 65 overall pick, failed to make the final cut. He was the highest drafted player who did not make a Week 1 roster.
They’ll all be trying to make a good first on-field impression, joined by a congregation of undrafted free agents hoping to become the next Barry Sims, Tommy Kelly or Chris Carr, plus a handful of players on hand for no more than a weekend tryout.
Other than McFadden, if you’re looking for major impact on the 2008 Raiders, odds are you won’t find it in Alameda this weekend unless Bush can work his way into the running back rotation or ascend on the depth chart due to injury as he joins McFadden and Justin Fargas.
Last season, Bush was off on a separate field each day with the athletic training staff. He got in some practice time during closed in-season practices last season, but was never activated.
Both running backs are scheduled to talk with the media Saturday in a structured availability schedule. Friday’s interview subjects will be Branch, Shields, Scott and Schilens.
Players will begin Friday, Saturday and Sunday with meetings and a practice walkthrough which is closed to the media. Interview sessions on Friday and Saturday are from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., with practice from 1 p.m. to 2:30. Coach Lane Kiffin will be available for questions following practice sessions.
Reports will be filed following practice, with breaking news filed as soon as possible.
There is no player availability scheduled for Sunday.
Rookie minicamp report
By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Friday, May 9th, 2008 at 4:00 pm in Oakland Raiders.
There were some encouraging signs, but “fantasy camp” being what it is, there was nothing shocking about the first day of the Raiders rookie minicamp other than the sight of Rob Ryan with short hair.
The “fantasy” reference, used by some teams around the league, has to do with the miniscule chance many of the campers have of actually making the team.
Ryan got the haircut for charity _ the friend of one of his children urged him to visit the barber for “Locks of Love,” a non-profit group which provides hairpieces for financially disadvantaged children who have lost their hair due to a medical condition.
As for the rest of Day 1, the thing coach Lane Kiffin seemed most pleased about was a relatively smooth 90-minute practice with 41 players who had never set foot on the field as a team at the same time.
There was only one turnover _ an interception thrown by quarterback Jeff Otis to Ronnie Pentz, a linebacker out of the University of San Diego in on a tryout basis.
“So many of these, you see guys going the wrong way, run into each other, balls on the ground and guys are getting lined up (improperly),” Kiffin said. “I was very impressed with the players today as far as their carryover from what they learned last night and this morning.”
Among the Day 1 snapshots:
– Running back Darren McFadden seemed to handle the ball less than either Michael Bush or Louis Rankin, the latter an undrafted free agent out of Washington. Kiffin said the three were getting snaps on an equal basis.
McFadden made a couple of nice bursts up the middle and once was stacked up outside before breaking free, as defenders are not allowed to make tackles. He never caught pass in a scrimmage situation, at one point flaring into the open as quarterback Brian White, an undrafted free agent out of Portland State, went in another direction.
– Bush ran with a smooth athleticism that belied his size at some 250 pounds, and looked natural catching a pass over the middle and pulling away from a linebacker. He glided through holes, and it will be fascinating in July to see what happens the first time a defender really attempts to lay him out.
– During one receiving drill, wide receivers Drisan James, Marcel Reese, Todd Watkins, Chaz Schilens and Arman Shields all had drops, getting varying degrees of critique from wide receivers coach James Lofton.
Things went much better in actual scrimmage or seven-on-seven drills against defenders. James got loose behind undrafted free agent David Lofton for a long gainer with White connecting on the pass. Lofton came up injured on the play and left the field with the athletic training staff.
Lofton, who played at Stanford and last season in the Canadian Football League, is the son of James Lofton.
– Sam Keller, an undrafted free agent in on a tryout basis, got a handful of snaps and threw the ball as well as White and better than Otis, with Erik Meyer getting extremely limited work at quarterback.
His best pass might have been a touch pass into the middle of the field which glanced off the hands of undrafted free agent tight end Darrell Strong of Pittsburgh.
Keller, a local high school star at San Ramon Valley High, started at Arizona State but transferred to Nebraska when Sun Devils coach Dirk Koetter reversed an earlier position and made Rudy Carpenter the starting quarterback instead.
Carpenter not only had the support of his teammates, but of former Sun Devil quarterback Andrew Walter. Keller and Walter would be teammates again if he earns a contract this weekend.
– Keller was in Tampa for a tryout with the Bucs last week. The Bucs, with seven quarterbacks under contract, did not offer to make Keller the eighth but he he remains on file because of his knowledge of the system, having played under Bill Callahan at Nebraska.
With the Raiders holding their rookie camp a week later than most teams, it gives them a chance to have players in who tried out for other teams but were not signed.
Rookies present at the current minicamp will not be eligible to be in Alameda next week when veterans begin coming in for organized team activities.
– Pentz, the linebacker who came up with the lone turnover of the practice, found success is a play-to-play proposition. He was victimized on the next two plays, the first a pass from Otis to Bush over the middle and again when White hit Rankin on a flare pattern to the right.
– The linebacker who seemed to be getting to the ball first most often, although unable finish plays, was Malik Jackson of Louisville, who was drawing praise from Ryan and linebackers coach Don Martindale.
– Kicker Andrew Larson of Cal was brought in, and he spent almost all of his time alone with one member of the supporting staff, attempting field goals.
– During scrimmage sessions, the offensive linemen getting the most work were Noah Sutherland (UCLA) at right tackle, Jonathan Palmer at left guard, Adam Speiker (Missouri) at center, Jesse Boone at left guard and Brandon Rodd at left tackle.
– Sutherland was one of 15 players not under contract who was brought in for a tryout. He was joined by Keller, Larsen, cornerback Brandon Hampton (Cal), cornerback Tim Sims (Stanford), cornerback Brian Williams (Washington State), David Lofton, defensive back Dominic Patrick (Arizona), Pentz, linebacker Greg Van Hoesen (Cal), defensive end Tranell Morant (Arizona), offensive lineman David Howell (Portland State), offensive lineman Shannon Tevaga (UCLA), defensive lineman David Faaeteete (Oregon), defensive lineman George Chukwu (Rice) and wide receiver Marcel Reece (Washington).
– When Kiffin first saw Ryan, he felt his defensive coordinator and his twin brother Rex, the defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens, were playing a prank.
“On Monday, when he came in, I really thought it was his brother in my office and Rob was around the corner,” Kiffin said. “I thought maybe his brother was coming to visit and they were playing a trick on me . . . I’ve never seen him with short hair. He looks exactly like Rex.”
– Safety Tyvon Branch, a fourth-round pick whose skill as a tackler was lauded by Ryan, said he didn’t know for certain he’d been switched to safety until he arrived at minicamp and saw himself listed as a strong safety on the depth chart.
Branch said he is more concerned with getting the opposing player down than he is delivering the big blow.
“I’m more of a wrap-up guy. I follow through on my tackles but I still wrap up,” Branch said. “I’m not one to throw my shoulders out there.”
– At 208 pounds and climbing, Branch, competing for the job of kickoff return specialist vacated by Chris Carr, will provide a bigger, more physical presence. Branch had two 97-yard kickoff returns for touchdowns last season at UConn.
“One of the returns I scored off was like a straight line return, one cut,” Branch said. “Then I had one where I made a couple moves, made a couple miss. I have a lot of versatility back there. It’s a thrill. It’s an adrenalin rush. Everybody’s coming out to kill you so you’ve got to do your thing out there or you’re going to get hurt.”
The Raiders did some special teams drills, but did not return any kicks Friday.
– Either Sheilds or Schiens have the physical stature to be the kind of big, fast outside receivers the Raiders are seeking in the JaMarcus Russell era, and both had their moments during scrimmage sessions.
With Shields playing just one game before suffering a torn posterior cruciate ligament, Kiffin likened him to Bush as a player who would have been drafted much higher had he not been hurt. Shields was taken with the Fabian Washington pick in the fourth round.
Kiffin said Schilens was taken largely on the strength of his postseason workouts and sounded like more of a work in progress.
“Schilens, after the season, ran a really good time and really impressed us in some workouts that he had after the season,” Kiffin said. “His film wasn’t as good, necessarily, but his offseason workouts were and we really felt he improved enough to take a chance on him.”
– “Chaz” is not short for Charles, but for “Chazeray” Schilens.
– Absent from practice was wide receiver Jonathan Holland, a seventh-round draft pick last season who spent the season on injured reserve because of an injured shoulder.
Kiffin said Holland was not allowed to play by the athletic training staff and would be re-avaluated.
– If Scott is going to play much this season, chances are it will be as a situational pass rusher. He said he weighs 255 pounds and was told by Keith Millard to stay at a weight which will help him retain his quickness, so he isn’t likely to morph into a base end any time soon.
A left end in college, Scott is lining up at right end with the Raiders, the opposite side of where Derrick Burgess starts.
– Visitors included wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff, who spent most of practice talking with Mark Davis, son of Raiders owner Al Davis, and former Raiders linebacker William Thomas.
Thomas spent practice with scouts Jon Kingdon and Calvin Branch, and is said to be interested in working in a personnel department. Thomas, one of the league’s top coverage linebackers with the Eagles and Raiders, retired after the 2001 season.
By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Friday, May 9th, 2008 at 4:00 pm in Oakland Raiders.
There were some encouraging signs, but “fantasy camp” being what it is, there was nothing shocking about the first day of the Raiders rookie minicamp other than the sight of Rob Ryan with short hair.
The “fantasy” reference, used by some teams around the league, has to do with the miniscule chance many of the campers have of actually making the team.
Ryan got the haircut for charity _ the friend of one of his children urged him to visit the barber for “Locks of Love,” a non-profit group which provides hairpieces for financially disadvantaged children who have lost their hair due to a medical condition.
As for the rest of Day 1, the thing coach Lane Kiffin seemed most pleased about was a relatively smooth 90-minute practice with 41 players who had never set foot on the field as a team at the same time.
There was only one turnover _ an interception thrown by quarterback Jeff Otis to Ronnie Pentz, a linebacker out of the University of San Diego in on a tryout basis.
“So many of these, you see guys going the wrong way, run into each other, balls on the ground and guys are getting lined up (improperly),” Kiffin said. “I was very impressed with the players today as far as their carryover from what they learned last night and this morning.”
Among the Day 1 snapshots:
– Running back Darren McFadden seemed to handle the ball less than either Michael Bush or Louis Rankin, the latter an undrafted free agent out of Washington. Kiffin said the three were getting snaps on an equal basis.
McFadden made a couple of nice bursts up the middle and once was stacked up outside before breaking free, as defenders are not allowed to make tackles. He never caught pass in a scrimmage situation, at one point flaring into the open as quarterback Brian White, an undrafted free agent out of Portland State, went in another direction.
– Bush ran with a smooth athleticism that belied his size at some 250 pounds, and looked natural catching a pass over the middle and pulling away from a linebacker. He glided through holes, and it will be fascinating in July to see what happens the first time a defender really attempts to lay him out.
– During one receiving drill, wide receivers Drisan James, Marcel Reese, Todd Watkins, Chaz Schilens and Arman Shields all had drops, getting varying degrees of critique from wide receivers coach James Lofton.
Things went much better in actual scrimmage or seven-on-seven drills against defenders. James got loose behind undrafted free agent David Lofton for a long gainer with White connecting on the pass. Lofton came up injured on the play and left the field with the athletic training staff.
Lofton, who played at Stanford and last season in the Canadian Football League, is the son of James Lofton.
– Sam Keller, an undrafted free agent in on a tryout basis, got a handful of snaps and threw the ball as well as White and better than Otis, with Erik Meyer getting extremely limited work at quarterback.
His best pass might have been a touch pass into the middle of the field which glanced off the hands of undrafted free agent tight end Darrell Strong of Pittsburgh.
Keller, a local high school star at San Ramon Valley High, started at Arizona State but transferred to Nebraska when Sun Devils coach Dirk Koetter reversed an earlier position and made Rudy Carpenter the starting quarterback instead.
Carpenter not only had the support of his teammates, but of former Sun Devil quarterback Andrew Walter. Keller and Walter would be teammates again if he earns a contract this weekend.
– Keller was in Tampa for a tryout with the Bucs last week. The Bucs, with seven quarterbacks under contract, did not offer to make Keller the eighth but he he remains on file because of his knowledge of the system, having played under Bill Callahan at Nebraska.
With the Raiders holding their rookie camp a week later than most teams, it gives them a chance to have players in who tried out for other teams but were not signed.
Rookies present at the current minicamp will not be eligible to be in Alameda next week when veterans begin coming in for organized team activities.
– Pentz, the linebacker who came up with the lone turnover of the practice, found success is a play-to-play proposition. He was victimized on the next two plays, the first a pass from Otis to Bush over the middle and again when White hit Rankin on a flare pattern to the right.
– The linebacker who seemed to be getting to the ball first most often, although unable finish plays, was Malik Jackson of Louisville, who was drawing praise from Ryan and linebackers coach Don Martindale.
– Kicker Andrew Larson of Cal was brought in, and he spent almost all of his time alone with one member of the supporting staff, attempting field goals.
– During scrimmage sessions, the offensive linemen getting the most work were Noah Sutherland (UCLA) at right tackle, Jonathan Palmer at left guard, Adam Speiker (Missouri) at center, Jesse Boone at left guard and Brandon Rodd at left tackle.
– Sutherland was one of 15 players not under contract who was brought in for a tryout. He was joined by Keller, Larsen, cornerback Brandon Hampton (Cal), cornerback Tim Sims (Stanford), cornerback Brian Williams (Washington State), David Lofton, defensive back Dominic Patrick (Arizona), Pentz, linebacker Greg Van Hoesen (Cal), defensive end Tranell Morant (Arizona), offensive lineman David Howell (Portland State), offensive lineman Shannon Tevaga (UCLA), defensive lineman David Faaeteete (Oregon), defensive lineman George Chukwu (Rice) and wide receiver Marcel Reece (Washington).
– When Kiffin first saw Ryan, he felt his defensive coordinator and his twin brother Rex, the defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens, were playing a prank.
“On Monday, when he came in, I really thought it was his brother in my office and Rob was around the corner,” Kiffin said. “I thought maybe his brother was coming to visit and they were playing a trick on me . . . I’ve never seen him with short hair. He looks exactly like Rex.”
– Safety Tyvon Branch, a fourth-round pick whose skill as a tackler was lauded by Ryan, said he didn’t know for certain he’d been switched to safety until he arrived at minicamp and saw himself listed as a strong safety on the depth chart.
Branch said he is more concerned with getting the opposing player down than he is delivering the big blow.
“I’m more of a wrap-up guy. I follow through on my tackles but I still wrap up,” Branch said. “I’m not one to throw my shoulders out there.”
– At 208 pounds and climbing, Branch, competing for the job of kickoff return specialist vacated by Chris Carr, will provide a bigger, more physical presence. Branch had two 97-yard kickoff returns for touchdowns last season at UConn.
“One of the returns I scored off was like a straight line return, one cut,” Branch said. “Then I had one where I made a couple moves, made a couple miss. I have a lot of versatility back there. It’s a thrill. It’s an adrenalin rush. Everybody’s coming out to kill you so you’ve got to do your thing out there or you’re going to get hurt.”
The Raiders did some special teams drills, but did not return any kicks Friday.
– Either Sheilds or Schiens have the physical stature to be the kind of big, fast outside receivers the Raiders are seeking in the JaMarcus Russell era, and both had their moments during scrimmage sessions.
With Shields playing just one game before suffering a torn posterior cruciate ligament, Kiffin likened him to Bush as a player who would have been drafted much higher had he not been hurt. Shields was taken with the Fabian Washington pick in the fourth round.
Kiffin said Schilens was taken largely on the strength of his postseason workouts and sounded like more of a work in progress.
“Schilens, after the season, ran a really good time and really impressed us in some workouts that he had after the season,” Kiffin said. “His film wasn’t as good, necessarily, but his offseason workouts were and we really felt he improved enough to take a chance on him.”
– “Chaz” is not short for Charles, but for “Chazeray” Schilens.
– Absent from practice was wide receiver Jonathan Holland, a seventh-round draft pick last season who spent the season on injured reserve because of an injured shoulder.
Kiffin said Holland was not allowed to play by the athletic training staff and would be re-avaluated.
– If Scott is going to play much this season, chances are it will be as a situational pass rusher. He said he weighs 255 pounds and was told by Keith Millard to stay at a weight which will help him retain his quickness, so he isn’t likely to morph into a base end any time soon.
A left end in college, Scott is lining up at right end with the Raiders, the opposite side of where Derrick Burgess starts.
– Visitors included wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff, who spent most of practice talking with Mark Davis, son of Raiders owner Al Davis, and former Raiders linebacker William Thomas.
Thomas spent practice with scouts Jon Kingdon and Calvin Branch, and is said to be interested in working in a personnel department. Thomas, one of the league’s top coverage linebackers with the Eagles and Raiders, retired after the 2001 season.
Raiders draftees eager to prove worth
By Steve Corkran
ALAMEDA -- The Raiders conducted their first organized practice of the year Friday, a day otherwise known as running back Darren McFadden's coming-out party amid a sea of players from which few will make the opening-day roster.
Officially, Friday's 90-minute session was for rookies and players with fewer than four games on the 53-man roster of an NFL team. The first of three practices came as part of the team's rookie minicamp. The veterans won't join the on-field fray until early June, when the Raiders hold their mandatory minicamp.
First-round draft pick McFadden was among the 40 or so players who donned Raider jerseys and, in most cases, received their first taste of life as an NFL player.
This camp is one of the many avenues through which Raiders coach Lane Kiffin and his assistants base their opinions when deciding which 53 players to keep on the opening-day roster.
To that end, there is plenty to be gleaned from a gathering of rookies, players who weren't even selected in the NFL draft or deemed talented enough to make more than a token appearance last season
"Guys will always look different than what you thought they were going to," Kiffin said in response to the value of such minicamps. "It's going to happen. You're going to have some guy in a drill, who is a free agent, and he's going to look better than some guy you drafted in the third or fourth round. It's fun to evaluate them."
The Raiders spent inordinate time evaluating McFadden in the months leading up to the NFL draft last month. Even so, there is something to be said for seeing McFadden in person, Kiffin said.
"The quickness shows up so fast, he just looks so much quicker than everybody around him," Kiffin said. "He's so fun to work with because he's a football guy. He loves it. You can see it in his eyes. He wants to learn. He's out there and if pads were on, you would have heard a lot of noise from him as well."
McFadden is but one of five Raiders draftees seeking to open eyes and make waves on the field the next four months.
Arman Shields and Chaz Schilens were selected in the fourth and seventh round, respectively, based mainly upon their above-average speed and potential as big-play wide receivers.
Both made several nice catches during the team's first organized practice. It's not a stretch to say both looked more impressive than Carlos Francis and Johnnie Morant, receivers the Raiders selected in the fourth and fifth rounds, respectively, in the 2004 NFL draft and released last year after three unproductive seasons.
In Shields and Schilens, Kiffin sees two potentially big, fast targets for second-year quarterback JaMarcus Russell to connect with, when he isn't throwing to the likes of Ronald Curry, Javon Walker and Drew Carter.
"Shields would have gone much higher if it hadn't been for him missing (most of) his senior year," Kiffin said.
Schilens opened plenty of eyes with an impressive predraft workout. The Raiders took note.
"His offseason workouts were (impressive), and we really felt he improved enough to take a chance on him," Kiffin said.
Schilens said Friday that his potential transcends his pedestrian statistics during his career at San Diego State.
"I always felt that I was a player who got better year to year and game to game," Schilens said. "I feel like I'm constantly learning."
Tyvon Branch played mostly cornerback at Connecticut. He is working at safety and kick returner, his likely ticket to a roster spot this season, given the departure of Chris Carr and Dominic Rhodes.
"It's definitely a great opportunity for me," Branch said. "They lost both their returners, so I'm looking forward to stepping up and competing for that job."
Notes: The Raiders worked out San Ramon Valley High School graduate Sam Keller on Friday. He wasn't selected out of Nebraska in the NFL draft last month. He worked out for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week but was not offered a contract. The Raiders already have five quarterbacks on their roster -- JaMarcus Russell, Andrew Walter, Jeff Otis, Erik Meyer and Brian White. ... Raiders defensive coordinator Rob Ryan is sporting a new hairdo for the first time in years. His long, flowing mane is gone, replaced by a close-cropped look. He donated much of his hair to Locks Of Love, an organization that provides hairpieces to children with hair loss as a result of any medical condition. ... The Raiders will host their 8th Annual Youth Skills Camp on June 7-8 at their year-round facility in Alameda. The event is open to boys and girls ages 8-14. Raiders coaches and players, as well as Bay Area college and high school coaches, will spearhead the instructing. Registration forms and additional camp information are available on the Raiders Web site at http://www.raiders.com, and on the site's Kids Zone at http://www.raidersforkids.com. ... The Raiders re-launched their Spanish web site, Raidersenespanol.com. The re-launch was designed to allow more Raider fans to interact with the Raiders in a platform developed in the Spanish language. ... The Raiders entered into a joint relationship with the Austrian Football League's SWARCO Raiders football team. The two teams will engage in several marketing and promotional endeavors during the 2008 season. The Oakland Raiders and the SWARCO Raiders will collaborate with regard to Web site content, marketing and coaching.
By Steve Corkran
ALAMEDA -- The Raiders conducted their first organized practice of the year Friday, a day otherwise known as running back Darren McFadden's coming-out party amid a sea of players from which few will make the opening-day roster.
Officially, Friday's 90-minute session was for rookies and players with fewer than four games on the 53-man roster of an NFL team. The first of three practices came as part of the team's rookie minicamp. The veterans won't join the on-field fray until early June, when the Raiders hold their mandatory minicamp.
First-round draft pick McFadden was among the 40 or so players who donned Raider jerseys and, in most cases, received their first taste of life as an NFL player.
This camp is one of the many avenues through which Raiders coach Lane Kiffin and his assistants base their opinions when deciding which 53 players to keep on the opening-day roster.
To that end, there is plenty to be gleaned from a gathering of rookies, players who weren't even selected in the NFL draft or deemed talented enough to make more than a token appearance last season
"Guys will always look different than what you thought they were going to," Kiffin said in response to the value of such minicamps. "It's going to happen. You're going to have some guy in a drill, who is a free agent, and he's going to look better than some guy you drafted in the third or fourth round. It's fun to evaluate them."
The Raiders spent inordinate time evaluating McFadden in the months leading up to the NFL draft last month. Even so, there is something to be said for seeing McFadden in person, Kiffin said.
"The quickness shows up so fast, he just looks so much quicker than everybody around him," Kiffin said. "He's so fun to work with because he's a football guy. He loves it. You can see it in his eyes. He wants to learn. He's out there and if pads were on, you would have heard a lot of noise from him as well."
McFadden is but one of five Raiders draftees seeking to open eyes and make waves on the field the next four months.
Arman Shields and Chaz Schilens were selected in the fourth and seventh round, respectively, based mainly upon their above-average speed and potential as big-play wide receivers.
Both made several nice catches during the team's first organized practice. It's not a stretch to say both looked more impressive than Carlos Francis and Johnnie Morant, receivers the Raiders selected in the fourth and fifth rounds, respectively, in the 2004 NFL draft and released last year after three unproductive seasons.
In Shields and Schilens, Kiffin sees two potentially big, fast targets for second-year quarterback JaMarcus Russell to connect with, when he isn't throwing to the likes of Ronald Curry, Javon Walker and Drew Carter.
"Shields would have gone much higher if it hadn't been for him missing (most of) his senior year," Kiffin said.
Schilens opened plenty of eyes with an impressive predraft workout. The Raiders took note.
"His offseason workouts were (impressive), and we really felt he improved enough to take a chance on him," Kiffin said.
Schilens said Friday that his potential transcends his pedestrian statistics during his career at San Diego State.
"I always felt that I was a player who got better year to year and game to game," Schilens said. "I feel like I'm constantly learning."
Tyvon Branch played mostly cornerback at Connecticut. He is working at safety and kick returner, his likely ticket to a roster spot this season, given the departure of Chris Carr and Dominic Rhodes.
"It's definitely a great opportunity for me," Branch said. "They lost both their returners, so I'm looking forward to stepping up and competing for that job."
Notes: The Raiders worked out San Ramon Valley High School graduate Sam Keller on Friday. He wasn't selected out of Nebraska in the NFL draft last month. He worked out for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week but was not offered a contract. The Raiders already have five quarterbacks on their roster -- JaMarcus Russell, Andrew Walter, Jeff Otis, Erik Meyer and Brian White. ... Raiders defensive coordinator Rob Ryan is sporting a new hairdo for the first time in years. His long, flowing mane is gone, replaced by a close-cropped look. He donated much of his hair to Locks Of Love, an organization that provides hairpieces to children with hair loss as a result of any medical condition. ... The Raiders will host their 8th Annual Youth Skills Camp on June 7-8 at their year-round facility in Alameda. The event is open to boys and girls ages 8-14. Raiders coaches and players, as well as Bay Area college and high school coaches, will spearhead the instructing. Registration forms and additional camp information are available on the Raiders Web site at http://www.raiders.com, and on the site's Kids Zone at http://www.raidersforkids.com. ... The Raiders re-launched their Spanish web site, Raidersenespanol.com. The re-launch was designed to allow more Raider fans to interact with the Raiders in a platform developed in the Spanish language. ... The Raiders entered into a joint relationship with the Austrian Football League's SWARCO Raiders football team. The two teams will engage in several marketing and promotional endeavors during the 2008 season. The Oakland Raiders and the SWARCO Raiders will collaborate with regard to Web site content, marketing and coaching.
Rookie minicamp report, Day 2
By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Saturday, May 10th, 2008 at 4:00 pm in Oakland Raiders.
After keeping Darren McFadden in the garage for a day, the Raiders took him out for a spin to see how he could perform on the open road Saturday.
Practice ended with McFadden taking a pitch from quarterback Brian White and beating a linebacker to the corner and streaking downfield for an offensive “win.”
It’s no secret that McFadden is fast.
What I wanted to see was the receiving skills Lane Kiffin had been raving about, the ones which McFadden insisted he had even though they were rarely exploited at Arkansas.
Nothing is for certain until McFadden actually catches some passes in traffic in full-contact situations, but indications are that the Raiders have themselves their first legitimate threat out of the backfield since Charlie Garner, with the added bonus being that Michael Bush looks fluid and natural catching the ball as well.
McFadden caught passes out of the backfield. He caught them split out as a wide receiver. He sliced inside a helpless Brian Williams for a catch and run. He even lined up as quarterback taking shotgun snaps less than 24 hours after Kiffin cautioned about throwing too much at the rookie too soon.
“I thought Darren had a really impressive day, adding a lot to the offense,” Kiffin said. “We got him outside and did some really good things, as well as Michael Bush outside as well.”
Before taking the field, McFadden, in an interview session compared himself with Vikings rookie star Adrian Peterson.
“We’re both big, fast guys,” McFadden said. “He’s probably a little more physical than I am but as far as just natural play-making and talent, I feel like I have an edge on any running back. Not saying it to be cocky or anything but I feel like I’m very versatile and I can play a lot of different positions.”
More Day 2 snapshots:
– San Ramon Valley High product Sam Keller continued to get extensive work during his tryout, which ends Sunday. He made soem good throws but wasn’t as sharp as on Saturday.
He had one pass batted down by defensive lineman Tranell Morant of Arizona.
“You either produce or don’t produce,” Keller said. “They either like you, or they say, `get out of town.’ I’m going to enjoy my three days and see what happens.”
– McFadden expressed confidence that his contract should not be a problem and that he would be at training camp on time. There is no reason to think that won’t be the case.
Last year’s fiasco with JaMarcus Russell, the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, was the only time the Raiders have ever had trouble bringing in a draft pick. The market for McFadden’s deal will be set both those immedately after and before him, and chances are it will be a much easier exercise.
– Fullback Matthew Hahn dropped an easy swing pass from Jeff Otis, but that didn’t prevent linebacker Malik Jackson from getting scolded for being a late arrival.
“You’re making it hard on yourself,” linebackers coach Don Martindale said. “You’ve got to close that gap.”
– Raiders defensive backs were generally victimized by receivers for the second straight day, even though the quarterback play was spotty.
Todd Watkins made a couple of nice catches, including one over the middle with hands high at the top of a leap.
Watkins is 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, and draftees Arman Shields (6-1, 195) and Chaz Schilens (6-4, 225) are bigger than the defensive backs that cover them. Marcel Reece, in for a weekend tryout, is 6-3, 235). Only Drisan James (5-11, 185) qualifies as a smaller receiver. Oakland’s veterans are also on the large side other than last year’s third-round pick Johnnie Lee Higgins (5-11, 185).
The Raiders should have plenty of large targets to choose from for quarterback JaMarcus Russell.
– McFadden kept the ball securely tucked in his right arm throughout practice and did not have anything close to a fumble.
Running backs coach Tom Rathman said McFadden’s mechanics were flawed in college.
“I told him he’s got to lock his elbow down,” Rathman said. “A lot of times his elbow wasn’t locked to the side, and obviously if you don’t have that point, which is the most critical point in my opinion, as far as the four points of pressure, you’re going to have some issues.”
By Rathman’s count, four of McFadden’s fumbles came at Arkansas while at quarterback, and two on kickoff returns, making his fumble stats seem worse than they really were.
– Rathman’s assessment of McFadden’s running style: “You talk about running to a spot, putting a foot down and accelerating, that’s what he is. Very similar to Justin Fargas, in style. A little more upright, as a runner, kind of an Eric Dickerson style, shoulders up, great slasher, can accelerate, separate from a defender. It’s going to be great this year. It really is.”
– The offensive line of right tackle Noah Sutherland, right guard Jonathan Palmer, center Adam Spieker, left guard Jesse Boone and right tackle Brandon Rodd kept quarterbacks clean for the most part.
Offensive line, considering the Raiders scheme, would be one of the most likely positions for an unknown commodity to make a run at the 53-man roster.
– Kiffin compared the situation of Bush this season to the one Fargas experienced last year. Fargas, seemingly buried behind LaMont Jordan and Dominic Rhodes, had his breakout season with 1,009 yards.
“I actually talked to Justin about it, he said, ‘It’s OK, just hang in there,’ ” Bush said. “And I wasn’t really nervous about not playing. I was just worrying about where would I stand in an offensive standpoint. But things happen. They released Dominic, which I didn’t think they was gonna do. Things turn out differently.”
– Rathman talked glowingly of the stable of running backs, but stressed the Raiders won’t hesitate to move backs in and out based on production.
“I don’t care if you were the fourth round pick, one of the top guys of the SEC that have ever come out as a runner, I don’t care if you’re Justin Fargas ran for 1,009 yards,” Rathman said. “I mean, we have a standard here of the play that we want to present as a group of running backs, and we’re going to hold everybody that suits up and steps out on that field to those standards. When you’re not able to get it done to those standards, we’re going to go to the next guy.”
By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Saturday, May 10th, 2008 at 4:00 pm in Oakland Raiders.
After keeping Darren McFadden in the garage for a day, the Raiders took him out for a spin to see how he could perform on the open road Saturday.
Practice ended with McFadden taking a pitch from quarterback Brian White and beating a linebacker to the corner and streaking downfield for an offensive “win.”
It’s no secret that McFadden is fast.
What I wanted to see was the receiving skills Lane Kiffin had been raving about, the ones which McFadden insisted he had even though they were rarely exploited at Arkansas.
Nothing is for certain until McFadden actually catches some passes in traffic in full-contact situations, but indications are that the Raiders have themselves their first legitimate threat out of the backfield since Charlie Garner, with the added bonus being that Michael Bush looks fluid and natural catching the ball as well.
McFadden caught passes out of the backfield. He caught them split out as a wide receiver. He sliced inside a helpless Brian Williams for a catch and run. He even lined up as quarterback taking shotgun snaps less than 24 hours after Kiffin cautioned about throwing too much at the rookie too soon.
“I thought Darren had a really impressive day, adding a lot to the offense,” Kiffin said. “We got him outside and did some really good things, as well as Michael Bush outside as well.”
Before taking the field, McFadden, in an interview session compared himself with Vikings rookie star Adrian Peterson.
“We’re both big, fast guys,” McFadden said. “He’s probably a little more physical than I am but as far as just natural play-making and talent, I feel like I have an edge on any running back. Not saying it to be cocky or anything but I feel like I’m very versatile and I can play a lot of different positions.”
More Day 2 snapshots:
– San Ramon Valley High product Sam Keller continued to get extensive work during his tryout, which ends Sunday. He made soem good throws but wasn’t as sharp as on Saturday.
He had one pass batted down by defensive lineman Tranell Morant of Arizona.
“You either produce or don’t produce,” Keller said. “They either like you, or they say, `get out of town.’ I’m going to enjoy my three days and see what happens.”
– McFadden expressed confidence that his contract should not be a problem and that he would be at training camp on time. There is no reason to think that won’t be the case.
Last year’s fiasco with JaMarcus Russell, the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, was the only time the Raiders have ever had trouble bringing in a draft pick. The market for McFadden’s deal will be set both those immedately after and before him, and chances are it will be a much easier exercise.
– Fullback Matthew Hahn dropped an easy swing pass from Jeff Otis, but that didn’t prevent linebacker Malik Jackson from getting scolded for being a late arrival.
“You’re making it hard on yourself,” linebackers coach Don Martindale said. “You’ve got to close that gap.”
– Raiders defensive backs were generally victimized by receivers for the second straight day, even though the quarterback play was spotty.
Todd Watkins made a couple of nice catches, including one over the middle with hands high at the top of a leap.
Watkins is 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, and draftees Arman Shields (6-1, 195) and Chaz Schilens (6-4, 225) are bigger than the defensive backs that cover them. Marcel Reece, in for a weekend tryout, is 6-3, 235). Only Drisan James (5-11, 185) qualifies as a smaller receiver. Oakland’s veterans are also on the large side other than last year’s third-round pick Johnnie Lee Higgins (5-11, 185).
The Raiders should have plenty of large targets to choose from for quarterback JaMarcus Russell.
– McFadden kept the ball securely tucked in his right arm throughout practice and did not have anything close to a fumble.
Running backs coach Tom Rathman said McFadden’s mechanics were flawed in college.
“I told him he’s got to lock his elbow down,” Rathman said. “A lot of times his elbow wasn’t locked to the side, and obviously if you don’t have that point, which is the most critical point in my opinion, as far as the four points of pressure, you’re going to have some issues.”
By Rathman’s count, four of McFadden’s fumbles came at Arkansas while at quarterback, and two on kickoff returns, making his fumble stats seem worse than they really were.
– Rathman’s assessment of McFadden’s running style: “You talk about running to a spot, putting a foot down and accelerating, that’s what he is. Very similar to Justin Fargas, in style. A little more upright, as a runner, kind of an Eric Dickerson style, shoulders up, great slasher, can accelerate, separate from a defender. It’s going to be great this year. It really is.”
– The offensive line of right tackle Noah Sutherland, right guard Jonathan Palmer, center Adam Spieker, left guard Jesse Boone and right tackle Brandon Rodd kept quarterbacks clean for the most part.
Offensive line, considering the Raiders scheme, would be one of the most likely positions for an unknown commodity to make a run at the 53-man roster.
– Kiffin compared the situation of Bush this season to the one Fargas experienced last year. Fargas, seemingly buried behind LaMont Jordan and Dominic Rhodes, had his breakout season with 1,009 yards.
“I actually talked to Justin about it, he said, ‘It’s OK, just hang in there,’ ” Bush said. “And I wasn’t really nervous about not playing. I was just worrying about where would I stand in an offensive standpoint. But things happen. They released Dominic, which I didn’t think they was gonna do. Things turn out differently.”
– Rathman talked glowingly of the stable of running backs, but stressed the Raiders won’t hesitate to move backs in and out based on production.
“I don’t care if you were the fourth round pick, one of the top guys of the SEC that have ever come out as a runner, I don’t care if you’re Justin Fargas ran for 1,009 yards,” Rathman said. “I mean, we have a standard here of the play that we want to present as a group of running backs, and we’re going to hold everybody that suits up and steps out on that field to those standards. When you’re not able to get it done to those standards, we’re going to go to the next guy.”