Gallery returns, Murphy-Mitchell scuffle
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News and notes from Monday’s Raiders pracitce session:
– Robert Gallery returned from what what coach Tom Cable originally termed “appendix-itis,” getting some reps in with the first team a few days earlier than expected. He spent the first 12 days of practice on the non-football illness/injury list after an emergency appendectomy two weeks before camp started.
“I didn’t do a whole lot, but you’ve got to start somewhere,” Gallery said. “I know I’m a little rusty with the timing and that stuff but it felt good to be out there.”
Cable ruled Gallery out of the Cowboys game. Gallery is hoping to be ready to face the San Francisco 49ers the following week.
“I would hope the second. It is up to the doctors,” Gallery said. “ They will let me know. I hope to be back to full speed by the end of the week I hope, we will see.”
– On the day the Raiders reported for training camp, safety Mike Mitchell, tongue planted firmly in his cheek, announced he wanted a piece of fellow rookie Louis Murphy. Murphy, Mitchell explained was talking too much about Florida and not giving enough respect to Ohio.
So it was at least mildly interesting when Murphy and Mitchell tangled after a running play, with a shoving match escalating to a fight. Murphy lost his helmet, then unwisely took a swing, hitting Mitchell in the helmet.
Fortunately, no broken bones.
While Raiders coaches all the way back through Jon Gruden frowned on fights between teammates, Cable is more old school. If the fisticuffs aren’t beneficial, he believes they’re a necessary evil.
“Having little quarrels is good, remember that,” Cable said. “This is football and they’re men. If you have a brother you know it’s OK to settle some things once in awhile.”
Mitchell remembered the reporting day call-out and said it hadn’t gone exactly as planned.
“I didn’t want to get him like that,” Mitchell said. “I wanted to get him in the field. I should win in a wrestling match. He is a receiver.”
But seriously, though . . .
“Louis is one of my best friends, actually, in life. We bonded over the summer and he’s definitely one of my guys,” Mitchell said. “It was hot out there today. I don’t know, things happen, but we talked about it afterwards. He’s going through some stuff right now so it’s all good.”
Murphy said, “Me and Mitch, we’re good friends, we quarrel like good friends.”
Some teammates seemed willing to let the rookies mix it up until Murphy lost his helmet, amused at the youthful exhibition.
“When you get older you realize it doesn’t do you any good except get you tired,” Gallery said.
– Darrius Heyward-Bey had a practice that made his drop-filled opening sessions of a week ago seem like a distant memory.
After taking a day off with a sore toe, Heyward-Bey caught everything that came his way, including a difficult over-the-shoulder deep pass along the sideline from Charlie Frye that required a difficult in-flight adjustment.
“I thought maybe this was Darrius’ best day in camp,” Cable said. “Caught the ball well, caught everything, the underneath, the over the top, the big ball on the sideline, the one-handed catch. Those (help) his confidence. We want to keep that coming.”
– Kirk Morrison seemed to take his rose-colored glasses off for a minute when assessing the sudden competition for his job at middle linebacker.
Morrison was with the first team Monday, but has been pushed by Ricky Brown, who is also competing with Jon Alston on the strong side.
“I’m taking every practice like I’m trying to win my job,” Morrison said. “Trying to leave no doubt. I know how this business is. Especially going into a contract year . . . the organization is always trying to replace you no matter what . . . this league is always about, `What have you done for me lately.’ ”
Morrison cited the Baltimore Ravens releasing Trent Dilfer a day he was the starting quarterback in the Super Bowl as evidence, although he could have brought up his own ascension to the middle. That came when the Raiders pushed aside veteran Danny Clark for Morrison, who was a weak side starter as a rookie.
–John Bowie was held out with a groin injury, while Justin Fargas was out with a sore hip. Cornell Green and Cooper Carlisle were rested. Still no Jeff Garcia, out with a calf injury. Asked how he was coming along as he left the field house, Garcia said, “Slower than I thought.”
– We’ll have a better idea Thursday, but Cable said he’s seen enough to lead him to believe the Raiders have shored up their run defense through discipline and better gap control.
“I’ve certainly seen it get better. We’re starting to squeeze things, have people overlapping gaps where we’re supposed to be,” Cable said. But we’ll find out starting Thursday. Dallas is a big, physical team, likes to run in it, too.”
– It was your classic training camp conundrum. JaMarcus Russell, looking for Darren McFadden on a slant, threw the ball directly to Nnamdi Asomugha, who took it the other way for a would-be touchdown.
A poor throw by Russell or a heady move by the NFL’s top cornerback?
“I thought Nnam almost knew what was coming and read it, made a great break on the ball,” Cable said. “It was a front shoulder throw. It was where it was supposed to be. But really, that’s a great play by Nnam.”
It’s a common complaint by receivers, who feel teammates know their routes beforehand.
“That’s camp,” Cable said. “You also know when they make calls what blitz is coming, that sort of thing. That’s just camp. That’s the way it is.”
– Russell had some sequences where he threw some passes in the flat with a nice touch, plays which which could be big with McFadden and Michael Bush in the backfield. He also lofted a 25-plus yard beauty to Johnnie Lee Higgins on the sideline, dropping it in nicely rather than unleashing the full force of his arm.
– Javon Walker continued to work out hard and look very close to returning, although it could be another 10 days to two weeks.
“Obviously, they’re still taking their time with me,” Walker said. “I am going to get my chances in preseason. I’m not sure if it’s this week or the next week or the week after that. I’m just excited to . . . feel like my old self again, where nothing’s really bothering me.”
– Additonal practice highlights are available on my Twitter page.
– The Raiders practice twice today at 8:20 a.m. and 4:20 p.m., and once Wednesday for a walkthrough before the Dallas game.
