The Official 2011 Oakland Raiders offseason thread
- Thread starter Defy
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Training camp practice highlights, notes and quotes
By Steve Corkran
Sunday, August 14th, 2011 at 7:37 pm in Oakland Raiders.
Raiders coach Hue Jackson says time and again that, “It’s all about performance.” Rookie wide receiver Denarius Moore is on the verge of putting that idiom to the test.
Every day, Moore not only is the best wide receiver on the field, oftentimes he is the best player, period. It has reached the point where this isn’t some one-week wonder, flash in the pan or fluke. The man can flat out play.
That’s what Jackson says he is looking for, playmakers. No one personifies that more than Moore, a fifth-round draft pick out of Tennessee.
On Sunday, Moore was at it again. Not once, or twice, but three times he had fans and teammates oohing and aahing over his ability to get open, adjust to the ball flight, get position on the defender and make a play on the ball.
The first time, Moore slowed up, outleaped rookie cornerback Sterling Moore and snared the ball at the highest point as people gasped. Moore came down with the ball, but it came out as he hit the ground. The play likely would have been ruled an incompletion, but it’s worth pointing out because few other receivers would have done the things necessary to make it close to a reception.
A bit later, Moore worked the left sideline, positioned himself just inbouns and made an outstretched catch of a dart in front of the defender.
On the third play, Moore beat cornerback Jeremy Ware with a double-move, with Moore continuing toward the end zone as Ware slipped to the ground. Safety Jerome Boyd made a sensational diving play to prevent the wide-open Moore from scoring.
To hear Moore tell it, there’s nothing to see here. What he’s doing is what he always does. Don’t be so surprised.
“I hear it here and there,” Moore said after practice. “Coaches say I’m doing a good job, players say I’m doing a good job – they actually talk to me more. So, I guess I’m fitting in pretty well with the team right now.”
Fitting in? Jackson is going to have some explaining to do if Moore isn’t starting Sept. 12 against the Denver Broncos, of if Moore isn’t on the field a ton. There are 31 coaches and general managers grilling their scouting departments on how they let Moore slip past in the draft.
“It goes without question what he’s doing,” Jackson said. “For me to talk about him, there’s no reason to. … You get to see his plays because he jumps over people and he makes these fantastic catches and he runs with punts and all that.”
*Quite a sight after practice, with second-year left offensive tackle Jared Veldheer and rookie offensive linemen Stefen Wisniewski and Joseph Barksdale getting in some extra work with assistant offensive line coach Steve Wisniewski long after the other players hit the showers.
Perhaps it’s no wonder that Jackson is so high on those guys. As for the two rookies, Jackson said: “Those guys are getting it done.”
And Wisniewski? “We drafted the right guy.”
Wisniewski has been so impressive, Jackson said, that the Raiders have to find a starting spot for him on the line, even if it mean moving him to left guard.
“I’m just trying to, again, just keep finding the right pieces, as you continue to watch the tape each and every night and see what’s gonna’ be our best fit for him,” Jackson said of Wisniewski. “Because he’s a very tremendous player. We drafted the right guy. He has all the qualities that we were looking for. He’s everything that I thought he would be, and he’s gotta’ be up there somewhere. So, if it’s not at center, obviously, he has the capability of playing guard.”
*Barksdale showed his fiery side midway through practice Sunday when he delivered several punches to defensive tackle Tommie Hill at the end of a one-on-one pass-protection drill.
“I’m very all right with it,” Jackson said. “That’s competing. I keep telling you. I’m going to create an environment where our players get better every day. I don’t know any other way to do it. Our players have bought into it.
“We saw iron sharpens iron, and the more you work at it it’s going to get hot, it’s going to get testy, but they all love and respect each other when they go in that locker room. But out there between the lines there’s a job to be done and I think they understand what it takes to get it done.”
Barksdale shrugged off the dustup between he and Hill.
“It happens, man,” Barksdale said. “That was actually self defense. I didn’t start that, if you were watching. But it happens, it’s unfortunate. We are teammates and, at the end of the day, we’re still cool. It gets hot. Things happen.”
*More reason to be giddy over Denarius Moore? Watching him and Nick Miller field punts offers some insight into Moore’s athleticism, grace and versatility.
Moore fields just about every punt with his hands. You wouldn’t hear a sound if you had your eyes closed. Miller tends to field punts against his body, with the sound of the ball hitting his pads quite audible from a distance.
Don’t be surprised to see Moore as one of the primary receivers and the punt returner come Sept. 12.
*Backup defensive tackle Desmond Bryant “has something going on” with his left hand, Jackson admitted.
Something, indeed. Bryant’s left hand had a huge wrap Sunday, though it didn’t seem to affect his ability to play the position. The wrap points to Bryant suffering a fracture of some kind, though that hasn’t been revealed.
*Steve Wisniewski isn’t being shy about his first foray into coaching in the NFL. At one point Sunday, he presided over a drill that featured defensive linemen against offensive linemen as offensive line coach Bob Wylie and defensive line coach Mike Waufle watched and listened in on.
*Rookie receiver Eddie McGee returned to practice after a lenghty absence caused by an undisclosed injury. He has his work cut out for him in terms of doing enough within the next two to three weeks if he is to make the 53-man roster.
*Offensive lineman Stephon Heyer is wearing a protective sleeve on his upper right arm. He said he suffered a strained triceps in practice Saturday and that he won’t be out for too long.
Heyer was signed to compete for a starting spot on the line, and he has made the most of his opportunity so far. He is working at guard and tackle as a means of making himself more versatile.
“I felt good (before the injury),” Heyer said. “Moving around better. Felt like I’m in good shape right now. Definitely was making strides at either position. Just a minor setback. I’ll get some time here to heal up a little bit and get back to work.”
*Turns out, rookie cornerback Chimdi Chekwa has dislocated his left shoulder before. He said he did it three years ago at Ohio State. He played the next game.
Raiders trainers forced Chekwa to sit out several days until they were certain that he is ready for full contact and not at heightened risk of reinjuring his shoulder.
“My approach is to ease back into it, but my mind is telling me to make up for lost time,” Chekwa said. “Every rep I get I try to make the most of it. I’m a little bit harder on myself because I’m just getting to start in practice for real and every time I mess up I get hard on myself, but it’s good to get out there and run around a little bit.”
Missing Oakland’s first exhibition game was the hardest part, Chekwa said.
“It was tough, watching some of the other rookies, (Sterling) Moore and DVD (DeMarcus Van Dyke) out there playing a little bit. I wanted to get out there and compete with them but I couldn’t. I need to be patient. I had an injury, so I had to be patient and kind of ease back into it.”
*Running back Darren McFadden (orbital bone), receivers Chaz Schilens (knee), Murphy (hamstring) and Ford (hand) and defensive end Trevor Scott (knee) missed practice once again. No firm timetable on the return of any of those players, Jackson said.
*Approximately 100 fans attended practice Sunday. This marks the second straight day that the Raiders welcomed a small contingent of fans, when normally their practices are closed to the public.
*Jackson said Sunday that he and managing general partner Al Davis are in constant contact about the state of the Raiders.
“Absolutely! This is his football team, and he lets me drive the engine,” Jackson said. “I talk to him all the time about what we’re doing, where we are, how I feel we are, where we’re getting to. This team has made a lot of strides. … I want them faster. We all do, but it’s been three weeks.
“But I give him my input and, trust me, he listens. And he gives me his input, and on we march. And that’s what this things all about. It’s about working together, and the best way to work together is to be able to communicate. And we do that, and we do that well.”
*The loss of Hiram Eugene to a dislocated hip brings about the need to find a replacement as the gunner on punts. Jackson said that’s not an easy task.
“It’s very important because Shane (Lechler, punter) depends on those guys to go down there and make plays for him,” Jackson said. “And we have some very young talented players and some veteran players that can do it. We’ll see how that unfolds but, obviously, it’s a tough … job. It’s a job that guys are vying for. They want that job. They want that opportunity because we know how important it is to our football team.”
By Steve Corkran
Sunday, August 14th, 2011 at 7:37 pm in Oakland Raiders.
Raiders coach Hue Jackson says time and again that, “It’s all about performance.” Rookie wide receiver Denarius Moore is on the verge of putting that idiom to the test.
Every day, Moore not only is the best wide receiver on the field, oftentimes he is the best player, period. It has reached the point where this isn’t some one-week wonder, flash in the pan or fluke. The man can flat out play.
That’s what Jackson says he is looking for, playmakers. No one personifies that more than Moore, a fifth-round draft pick out of Tennessee.
On Sunday, Moore was at it again. Not once, or twice, but three times he had fans and teammates oohing and aahing over his ability to get open, adjust to the ball flight, get position on the defender and make a play on the ball.
The first time, Moore slowed up, outleaped rookie cornerback Sterling Moore and snared the ball at the highest point as people gasped. Moore came down with the ball, but it came out as he hit the ground. The play likely would have been ruled an incompletion, but it’s worth pointing out because few other receivers would have done the things necessary to make it close to a reception.
A bit later, Moore worked the left sideline, positioned himself just inbouns and made an outstretched catch of a dart in front of the defender.
On the third play, Moore beat cornerback Jeremy Ware with a double-move, with Moore continuing toward the end zone as Ware slipped to the ground. Safety Jerome Boyd made a sensational diving play to prevent the wide-open Moore from scoring.
To hear Moore tell it, there’s nothing to see here. What he’s doing is what he always does. Don’t be so surprised.
“I hear it here and there,” Moore said after practice. “Coaches say I’m doing a good job, players say I’m doing a good job – they actually talk to me more. So, I guess I’m fitting in pretty well with the team right now.”
Fitting in? Jackson is going to have some explaining to do if Moore isn’t starting Sept. 12 against the Denver Broncos, of if Moore isn’t on the field a ton. There are 31 coaches and general managers grilling their scouting departments on how they let Moore slip past in the draft.
“It goes without question what he’s doing,” Jackson said. “For me to talk about him, there’s no reason to. … You get to see his plays because he jumps over people and he makes these fantastic catches and he runs with punts and all that.”
*Quite a sight after practice, with second-year left offensive tackle Jared Veldheer and rookie offensive linemen Stefen Wisniewski and Joseph Barksdale getting in some extra work with assistant offensive line coach Steve Wisniewski long after the other players hit the showers.
Perhaps it’s no wonder that Jackson is so high on those guys. As for the two rookies, Jackson said: “Those guys are getting it done.”
And Wisniewski? “We drafted the right guy.”
Wisniewski has been so impressive, Jackson said, that the Raiders have to find a starting spot for him on the line, even if it mean moving him to left guard.
“I’m just trying to, again, just keep finding the right pieces, as you continue to watch the tape each and every night and see what’s gonna’ be our best fit for him,” Jackson said of Wisniewski. “Because he’s a very tremendous player. We drafted the right guy. He has all the qualities that we were looking for. He’s everything that I thought he would be, and he’s gotta’ be up there somewhere. So, if it’s not at center, obviously, he has the capability of playing guard.”
*Barksdale showed his fiery side midway through practice Sunday when he delivered several punches to defensive tackle Tommie Hill at the end of a one-on-one pass-protection drill.
“I’m very all right with it,” Jackson said. “That’s competing. I keep telling you. I’m going to create an environment where our players get better every day. I don’t know any other way to do it. Our players have bought into it.
“We saw iron sharpens iron, and the more you work at it it’s going to get hot, it’s going to get testy, but they all love and respect each other when they go in that locker room. But out there between the lines there’s a job to be done and I think they understand what it takes to get it done.”
Barksdale shrugged off the dustup between he and Hill.
“It happens, man,” Barksdale said. “That was actually self defense. I didn’t start that, if you were watching. But it happens, it’s unfortunate. We are teammates and, at the end of the day, we’re still cool. It gets hot. Things happen.”
*More reason to be giddy over Denarius Moore? Watching him and Nick Miller field punts offers some insight into Moore’s athleticism, grace and versatility.
Moore fields just about every punt with his hands. You wouldn’t hear a sound if you had your eyes closed. Miller tends to field punts against his body, with the sound of the ball hitting his pads quite audible from a distance.
Don’t be surprised to see Moore as one of the primary receivers and the punt returner come Sept. 12.
*Backup defensive tackle Desmond Bryant “has something going on” with his left hand, Jackson admitted.
Something, indeed. Bryant’s left hand had a huge wrap Sunday, though it didn’t seem to affect his ability to play the position. The wrap points to Bryant suffering a fracture of some kind, though that hasn’t been revealed.
*Steve Wisniewski isn’t being shy about his first foray into coaching in the NFL. At one point Sunday, he presided over a drill that featured defensive linemen against offensive linemen as offensive line coach Bob Wylie and defensive line coach Mike Waufle watched and listened in on.
*Rookie receiver Eddie McGee returned to practice after a lenghty absence caused by an undisclosed injury. He has his work cut out for him in terms of doing enough within the next two to three weeks if he is to make the 53-man roster.
*Offensive lineman Stephon Heyer is wearing a protective sleeve on his upper right arm. He said he suffered a strained triceps in practice Saturday and that he won’t be out for too long.
Heyer was signed to compete for a starting spot on the line, and he has made the most of his opportunity so far. He is working at guard and tackle as a means of making himself more versatile.
“I felt good (before the injury),” Heyer said. “Moving around better. Felt like I’m in good shape right now. Definitely was making strides at either position. Just a minor setback. I’ll get some time here to heal up a little bit and get back to work.”
*Turns out, rookie cornerback Chimdi Chekwa has dislocated his left shoulder before. He said he did it three years ago at Ohio State. He played the next game.
Raiders trainers forced Chekwa to sit out several days until they were certain that he is ready for full contact and not at heightened risk of reinjuring his shoulder.
“My approach is to ease back into it, but my mind is telling me to make up for lost time,” Chekwa said. “Every rep I get I try to make the most of it. I’m a little bit harder on myself because I’m just getting to start in practice for real and every time I mess up I get hard on myself, but it’s good to get out there and run around a little bit.”
Missing Oakland’s first exhibition game was the hardest part, Chekwa said.
“It was tough, watching some of the other rookies, (Sterling) Moore and DVD (DeMarcus Van Dyke) out there playing a little bit. I wanted to get out there and compete with them but I couldn’t. I need to be patient. I had an injury, so I had to be patient and kind of ease back into it.”
*Running back Darren McFadden (orbital bone), receivers Chaz Schilens (knee), Murphy (hamstring) and Ford (hand) and defensive end Trevor Scott (knee) missed practice once again. No firm timetable on the return of any of those players, Jackson said.
*Approximately 100 fans attended practice Sunday. This marks the second straight day that the Raiders welcomed a small contingent of fans, when normally their practices are closed to the public.
*Jackson said Sunday that he and managing general partner Al Davis are in constant contact about the state of the Raiders.
“Absolutely! This is his football team, and he lets me drive the engine,” Jackson said. “I talk to him all the time about what we’re doing, where we are, how I feel we are, where we’re getting to. This team has made a lot of strides. … I want them faster. We all do, but it’s been three weeks.
“But I give him my input and, trust me, he listens. And he gives me his input, and on we march. And that’s what this things all about. It’s about working together, and the best way to work together is to be able to communicate. And we do that, and we do that well.”
*The loss of Hiram Eugene to a dislocated hip brings about the need to find a replacement as the gunner on punts. Jackson said that’s not an easy task.
“It’s very important because Shane (Lechler, punter) depends on those guys to go down there and make plays for him,” Jackson said. “And we have some very young talented players and some veteran players that can do it. We’ll see how that unfolds but, obviously, it’s a tough … job. It’s a job that guys are vying for. They want that job. They want that opportunity because we know how important it is to our football team.”
Coach Saunders Media Session
Coach Saunders: We’re up in Napa Valley and this time of the year is just absolutely beautiful. Everything is going well and we’re making progress on a daily basis. I’m really excited about the direction that we’re going in now.
Q: What appealed to you about this job?
Coach Saunders: Well, I was raised in Oakland. I grew up, went to elementary school and went to high school here. I played at San Jose State and got my master’s at Stanford, as I’m a Bay Area guy. I was a ball boy for Al Davis at Frank Youell Field in 1963. The Raiders, truth be told, you grow up with a team as a kid and it was just the right time for me. I love Hue Jackson and we worked together in Baltimore. I’ve been around some great head coaches in the National Football League. I’ve worked with guys like Joe Gibbs, Dick Vermeil, Don Coryell and Marty Schottenheimer. In college, I worked with guys like Johnny Majors and John McKay. I think I’ve had some experience with some special people and I think I would really love to see Hue have a great deal of success here. As a kid, this was my team. You get to the tail end of your career and there are a lot of things that are more important in what you do. I would really like to see this franchise return to the way it was when I was a kid growing up going to Frank Youell Field and seeing those guys play. I’d like to help the guy that I was a ball boy for years ago and maybe return this franchise to the class and quality is was years ago. I’d really feel great if I could make a contribution in that regard.
Q: Have you had interviews with Mr. Davis before when you were with other teams?
Coach Saunders: I’ve talked with Mr. Davis since 1963 and there are times in your life when it’s the right time to do things. I’ve worked for some great people and have always had the opportunity to really be in some great organizations. This was really the right time for me to be here given my life and my career. I’m real excited to be a part of this organization.
Q: Talk about the history of you and Jason Campbell.
Coach Saunders: I was back in Washington where Jason was our backup quarterback for one year before developing into a starting role. Unfortunately, he got hurt halfway through the season when we went to the playoffs. I have a great deal of respect for Jason Campbell with what he is as a person. When he came here to the Raiders, he was over in our house in Virginia and we were having a barbeque with him and his family. He was talking about what options he had and I said the best situation for you is to go to the Oakland Raiders with Hue Jackson with the football team that it is and the opportunity you might have there. He chose to do that last year and I decided it would be fun to join him. It was one of the main reasons that I decided to come here in addition to the affinity that I have for the city of Oakland. I also care for the people in the organization with Dick Romanski when I was a ball boy many years ago. Jason is a special guy in my mind and if I can make a contribution to him and his success, I’d be happy.
Q: What is holding Jason Campbell back from making this next step?
Coach Saunders: He’s progressed every year. This has been well –documented and I think that everybody knows this. He spent four years in college in the same system. He’s been in the National Football League for five or six years and he has had a different system every year. You don’t think that’s any big deal but if you’re a golfer or a tennis player and you have a different instructor every year, you do different things at a different way. Coaches really believe in the techniques that they teach, so now you are learning one technique one year and then another language and technique another year. It’s really hard in times of stress to fall back on a concept of doing anything. So, the thing that has kind of curtailed what he is as a quarterback is that if he was in one system ever since he’d been in the league with one coordinator and position coach, he’d be far more developed than he is now. This is his third year in this kind of a system since Hue and I come from the same background with the language being similar and we’ve put together a language that’s unique to the Oakland Raiders. We both have a real good feel of what Jason is and what we believe he can be. I’m hoping he can continue to make strides like he’s made. We’ve been here 13 or 14 days and he’s gone back and looked at every throw he’s made since he’s been here. His mechanics with getting the ball out of his hands and his decisions are getting quicker. With a quarterback, you have to work on two things. You work from the neck up and the waist down. You work with the decision-making process so that he can make quicker decisions and get rid of the ball quicker. You work with his lower body so that he can make those throws each time. Every day, I’m just so excited to see his development and his progress. He’s completing over 76 percent of his passes here at training camp in a competitive environment and we’re going against a pretty good defense with a pretty good secondary. I’m excited about it.
Q: What about Hue’s offense made you think it would be suitable for Jason?
Coach Saunders: Well, we both worked in Baltimore together. That offense is very similar to what I was nurtured in with Don Coryell in San Diego many years ago and of course in St. Louis with Dick Vermeil. That offensive system was one we used in Kansas City when I was there. The thing with Jason does real well that Al Davis believes in is the vertical passing game. He worked for Sid Gilman, who was an influence on me as well as Don Coryell. So, we’re in the same philosophy of football with attacking the seams and getting it up the field going from deep to short, rather than going from short to deep. There are sometimes when we do that, but that’s what Jason does best. He’s going to develop his skills as a touch passer and does it every day. It’s the kind of system that we think allows him to be successful and becoming what he’s capable of becoming in the National Football League.
Q: Red zone efficiency and spreading the ball up the field have been important things. How do you work on those things with Jason given the style of quarterback that he is?
Coach Saunders: Well, in the red zone to get better you have to run the football. When you get inside that 15-yard line, the most effective way to be a good football team is to run the ball. I can think back to the days in Kansas City when we led the league in offense those five years and we were probably the most effective team in the red zone those years. We had Priest Holmes and he was a very effective runner, but what we majored in was running the football. On third downs and long distance situations, you have to be an accurate passer, your decisions have to be quicker, your angles have to be sharper by the wide receivers, and you just have to be real accurate at what you do. You have to narrow down the concepts of what you do down there because the field is shorter and the defenders have less distance to react. You don’t have the ability to move people around like you do in the open field and create special relationships. We’re working really hard on his accuracy and those decisions from the neck up so the ball is coming out before the receivers get open. To be an effective team in the red zone, you have to be a really good running football team and that’s our strength. I think that will be one of our areas that we’ll be very, very good on.
Q: You think as Offensive Coordinator, even though Hue will be calling the plays, you can be that positive voice all the time?
Coach Saunders: I never gave that any thought. I’m animated in the way I coach, I enjoy the game and I love the players. I think when somebody does something really well; they have to know they did it well. When they did it wrong, they have to know they did it wrong and how to correct it right away. I always felt that it was important to let people know that they did something well that we taught them during the week. Yesterday, Darrius [Heyward-Bey] had a couple of routes and a couple of catches that he hadn’t made in a week. All of a sudden, he made that catch. Goodness gracious, that’s like seeing your kid, he has his concert, he’s playing the piano and he does it right. You’re excited, you’re fired up and that’s kind of the way I am. I love this game, I love the people that play it and I really enjoy seeing people accomplish the things that you’re trying to get them to do well. It’s not an orchestrated thing; it’s just the way I am and my personality.
Q: How does that coaching relationship with Hue help you?
Coach Saunders: Well, it’s awesome. I have a great deal of respect for Hue and my role in this organization is to help him do everything he can to be an effective head football coach. Every day, as a staff, that’s what our job is and whatever he needs me to do, I’ll do. I’ll do it to the best of my ability and with the experience I’ve had, with 30 years in the league, I’ve been around a lot of great people and great offenses. There are things when you’re a first-time head coach and I was that at 35 years old. I know what that is and Hue is a young guy with tremendous upside. He’s the right man for this job and I want to do everything I can to take some weight off his shoulders because there are so many things on his plate. There are so many experiences I’ve had in the National Football League that can ease his burden in a lot of areas.
Q: What do you see in Darrius Heyward-Bey and how can you bring the best out of him?
Coach Saunders: The thing that I see in him after being around him for two weeks is a guy who can run fast and a diligent worker on and off the field. It’s very important to him and part of coaching people regardless of the sport, is to be a teacher. We’re teachers and our forum happens to be on a field like this as a classroom talking about X’s and O’s. If you have a willing student, then you have a chance to make that guy better. He is a willing student and he’s got some talent. He made some catches yesterday that were just outstanding and I told him I watched every single play that you’ve run here with the Oakland Raiders. There’s unlimited talent in that body and, as coaches, we have to do everything we can to put him in a position where he can do the things he does best. We have to look at the things he needs to learn and develop and spend time developing those skills. He uses his feet sometimes when he catches the football and it changes his sightlines. That’s part of our job as coaches to keep him on the ground and catch the ball on an even-keel at times. Yesterday, he made catches and that’s the guy you’re looking for. He can do it and he’ll get better, so we’re excited about him. I like those fast guys that can go down, make plays and catch the football.
Q: Marcel Reece used to play wide receiver. What are some things you are doing to find better ways to get him the ball?
Coach Saunders: That’s a good question and the game is all about matchups. When you can matchup people and matchup people that you know you have an advantage over physically, that’s what we would like to do. Depending on people’s defensive structure, we can put players like that, that are a matchup advantage for us, in positions on the offensive line to be an eligible receiver and take advantage of one-on-one coverage. The whole precept in this organization is to draft speed and get guys that can run fast. As coaches, we have to make sure that they’re in the right places to run fast and beat people that they can run by.
Q: What do you see in Darren McFadden?
Coach Saunders: Darren is a very gifted player and he demonstrated that last year. He has tremendous explosion and in the open field, there aren’t many players that have that explosive speed to stop and start. I think his potential is unlimited and, usually, your running game is directly proportional to your runners. You have Marcus Allen, Priest Holmes, and Marshall Faulk in St. Louis and you don’t have to block and he can still make five guys miss in the open field. McFadden has that ability to do that and we’re excited to watch him develop for sure.
Coach Saunders: We’re up in Napa Valley and this time of the year is just absolutely beautiful. Everything is going well and we’re making progress on a daily basis. I’m really excited about the direction that we’re going in now.
Q: What appealed to you about this job?
Coach Saunders: Well, I was raised in Oakland. I grew up, went to elementary school and went to high school here. I played at San Jose State and got my master’s at Stanford, as I’m a Bay Area guy. I was a ball boy for Al Davis at Frank Youell Field in 1963. The Raiders, truth be told, you grow up with a team as a kid and it was just the right time for me. I love Hue Jackson and we worked together in Baltimore. I’ve been around some great head coaches in the National Football League. I’ve worked with guys like Joe Gibbs, Dick Vermeil, Don Coryell and Marty Schottenheimer. In college, I worked with guys like Johnny Majors and John McKay. I think I’ve had some experience with some special people and I think I would really love to see Hue have a great deal of success here. As a kid, this was my team. You get to the tail end of your career and there are a lot of things that are more important in what you do. I would really like to see this franchise return to the way it was when I was a kid growing up going to Frank Youell Field and seeing those guys play. I’d like to help the guy that I was a ball boy for years ago and maybe return this franchise to the class and quality is was years ago. I’d really feel great if I could make a contribution in that regard.
Q: Have you had interviews with Mr. Davis before when you were with other teams?
Coach Saunders: I’ve talked with Mr. Davis since 1963 and there are times in your life when it’s the right time to do things. I’ve worked for some great people and have always had the opportunity to really be in some great organizations. This was really the right time for me to be here given my life and my career. I’m real excited to be a part of this organization.
Q: Talk about the history of you and Jason Campbell.
Coach Saunders: I was back in Washington where Jason was our backup quarterback for one year before developing into a starting role. Unfortunately, he got hurt halfway through the season when we went to the playoffs. I have a great deal of respect for Jason Campbell with what he is as a person. When he came here to the Raiders, he was over in our house in Virginia and we were having a barbeque with him and his family. He was talking about what options he had and I said the best situation for you is to go to the Oakland Raiders with Hue Jackson with the football team that it is and the opportunity you might have there. He chose to do that last year and I decided it would be fun to join him. It was one of the main reasons that I decided to come here in addition to the affinity that I have for the city of Oakland. I also care for the people in the organization with Dick Romanski when I was a ball boy many years ago. Jason is a special guy in my mind and if I can make a contribution to him and his success, I’d be happy.
Q: What is holding Jason Campbell back from making this next step?
Coach Saunders: He’s progressed every year. This has been well –documented and I think that everybody knows this. He spent four years in college in the same system. He’s been in the National Football League for five or six years and he has had a different system every year. You don’t think that’s any big deal but if you’re a golfer or a tennis player and you have a different instructor every year, you do different things at a different way. Coaches really believe in the techniques that they teach, so now you are learning one technique one year and then another language and technique another year. It’s really hard in times of stress to fall back on a concept of doing anything. So, the thing that has kind of curtailed what he is as a quarterback is that if he was in one system ever since he’d been in the league with one coordinator and position coach, he’d be far more developed than he is now. This is his third year in this kind of a system since Hue and I come from the same background with the language being similar and we’ve put together a language that’s unique to the Oakland Raiders. We both have a real good feel of what Jason is and what we believe he can be. I’m hoping he can continue to make strides like he’s made. We’ve been here 13 or 14 days and he’s gone back and looked at every throw he’s made since he’s been here. His mechanics with getting the ball out of his hands and his decisions are getting quicker. With a quarterback, you have to work on two things. You work from the neck up and the waist down. You work with the decision-making process so that he can make quicker decisions and get rid of the ball quicker. You work with his lower body so that he can make those throws each time. Every day, I’m just so excited to see his development and his progress. He’s completing over 76 percent of his passes here at training camp in a competitive environment and we’re going against a pretty good defense with a pretty good secondary. I’m excited about it.
Q: What about Hue’s offense made you think it would be suitable for Jason?
Coach Saunders: Well, we both worked in Baltimore together. That offense is very similar to what I was nurtured in with Don Coryell in San Diego many years ago and of course in St. Louis with Dick Vermeil. That offensive system was one we used in Kansas City when I was there. The thing with Jason does real well that Al Davis believes in is the vertical passing game. He worked for Sid Gilman, who was an influence on me as well as Don Coryell. So, we’re in the same philosophy of football with attacking the seams and getting it up the field going from deep to short, rather than going from short to deep. There are sometimes when we do that, but that’s what Jason does best. He’s going to develop his skills as a touch passer and does it every day. It’s the kind of system that we think allows him to be successful and becoming what he’s capable of becoming in the National Football League.
Q: Red zone efficiency and spreading the ball up the field have been important things. How do you work on those things with Jason given the style of quarterback that he is?
Coach Saunders: Well, in the red zone to get better you have to run the football. When you get inside that 15-yard line, the most effective way to be a good football team is to run the ball. I can think back to the days in Kansas City when we led the league in offense those five years and we were probably the most effective team in the red zone those years. We had Priest Holmes and he was a very effective runner, but what we majored in was running the football. On third downs and long distance situations, you have to be an accurate passer, your decisions have to be quicker, your angles have to be sharper by the wide receivers, and you just have to be real accurate at what you do. You have to narrow down the concepts of what you do down there because the field is shorter and the defenders have less distance to react. You don’t have the ability to move people around like you do in the open field and create special relationships. We’re working really hard on his accuracy and those decisions from the neck up so the ball is coming out before the receivers get open. To be an effective team in the red zone, you have to be a really good running football team and that’s our strength. I think that will be one of our areas that we’ll be very, very good on.
Q: You think as Offensive Coordinator, even though Hue will be calling the plays, you can be that positive voice all the time?
Coach Saunders: I never gave that any thought. I’m animated in the way I coach, I enjoy the game and I love the players. I think when somebody does something really well; they have to know they did it well. When they did it wrong, they have to know they did it wrong and how to correct it right away. I always felt that it was important to let people know that they did something well that we taught them during the week. Yesterday, Darrius [Heyward-Bey] had a couple of routes and a couple of catches that he hadn’t made in a week. All of a sudden, he made that catch. Goodness gracious, that’s like seeing your kid, he has his concert, he’s playing the piano and he does it right. You’re excited, you’re fired up and that’s kind of the way I am. I love this game, I love the people that play it and I really enjoy seeing people accomplish the things that you’re trying to get them to do well. It’s not an orchestrated thing; it’s just the way I am and my personality.
Q: How does that coaching relationship with Hue help you?
Coach Saunders: Well, it’s awesome. I have a great deal of respect for Hue and my role in this organization is to help him do everything he can to be an effective head football coach. Every day, as a staff, that’s what our job is and whatever he needs me to do, I’ll do. I’ll do it to the best of my ability and with the experience I’ve had, with 30 years in the league, I’ve been around a lot of great people and great offenses. There are things when you’re a first-time head coach and I was that at 35 years old. I know what that is and Hue is a young guy with tremendous upside. He’s the right man for this job and I want to do everything I can to take some weight off his shoulders because there are so many things on his plate. There are so many experiences I’ve had in the National Football League that can ease his burden in a lot of areas.
Q: What do you see in Darrius Heyward-Bey and how can you bring the best out of him?
Coach Saunders: The thing that I see in him after being around him for two weeks is a guy who can run fast and a diligent worker on and off the field. It’s very important to him and part of coaching people regardless of the sport, is to be a teacher. We’re teachers and our forum happens to be on a field like this as a classroom talking about X’s and O’s. If you have a willing student, then you have a chance to make that guy better. He is a willing student and he’s got some talent. He made some catches yesterday that were just outstanding and I told him I watched every single play that you’ve run here with the Oakland Raiders. There’s unlimited talent in that body and, as coaches, we have to do everything we can to put him in a position where he can do the things he does best. We have to look at the things he needs to learn and develop and spend time developing those skills. He uses his feet sometimes when he catches the football and it changes his sightlines. That’s part of our job as coaches to keep him on the ground and catch the ball on an even-keel at times. Yesterday, he made catches and that’s the guy you’re looking for. He can do it and he’ll get better, so we’re excited about him. I like those fast guys that can go down, make plays and catch the football.
Q: Marcel Reece used to play wide receiver. What are some things you are doing to find better ways to get him the ball?
Coach Saunders: That’s a good question and the game is all about matchups. When you can matchup people and matchup people that you know you have an advantage over physically, that’s what we would like to do. Depending on people’s defensive structure, we can put players like that, that are a matchup advantage for us, in positions on the offensive line to be an eligible receiver and take advantage of one-on-one coverage. The whole precept in this organization is to draft speed and get guys that can run fast. As coaches, we have to make sure that they’re in the right places to run fast and beat people that they can run by.
Q: What do you see in Darren McFadden?
Coach Saunders: Darren is a very gifted player and he demonstrated that last year. He has tremendous explosion and in the open field, there aren’t many players that have that explosive speed to stop and start. I think his potential is unlimited and, usually, your running game is directly proportional to your runners. You have Marcus Allen, Priest Holmes, and Marshall Faulk in St. Louis and you don’t have to block and he can still make five guys miss in the open field. McFadden has that ability to do that and we’re excited to watch him develop for sure.
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Try that, that's the link that was emailed to me
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