Teams Las Vegas Raiders - The Black Hole

Remove this Banner Ad

First-round OT Kolton Miller opened training camp as the Raiders' first-team left tackle.

Last year's starter at left tackle, Donald Penn, is still out with a foot injury. However, it seems likely that Miller will win the job outright, which would make Penn a goner. Former Texan Breno Giacomino worked as the starting right tackle during Friday's session.

Source: Michael Gehlken on Twitter
 
Raiders placed DE Khalil Mack on the reserve/did not report list.

It makes Mack's holdout official. There hasn't been much progress on extension talks for Mack, so this has potential to get messy. In the final year of his rookie deal, Mack wants to be one of the highest paid defensive players in the league.

Source: James Palmer on Twitter
 

Log in to remove this ad.

No Khalil Mack, as expected, but day one in Raiders’ camp goes smoothly

By Vic Tafur Jul 28, 2018 13

NAPA — Jon Gruden’s first training camp practice back as Raiders coach went smoothly enough. He lost it a couple of times Friday morning when backup quarterbacks Connor Cook and EJ Manuel struggled, but for the most part it was uneventful as players ran from drill to drill, and showed that most of them were in very good shape for the journey ahead.

The pads don’t go on until Sunday, but the intensity was there simmering nicely thanks to the coach who is returning to the sidelines after almost 10 years in the broadcast booth.

“He’s like a player on the field,” newly signed inside linebacker Derrick Johnson said. “He’s very energetic. He’s loud, he’s talking trash. He wants to win. You can see his passion as a player. I can appreciate that. He’s all in. There’s a different kind of sense of urgency that we have going out to practice on the first day. It’s pretty exciting.”

The only real news Friday was who was in Napa and who wasn’t.

Receiver Martavis Bryant, who the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported a month ago might be suspended, was indeed at practice and participating. The Athletic reported back then that Bryant — who has been suspended twice for violating the league’s substance abuse policy — hadn’t failed or missed a test and was expected to be at camp. He was.

Bryant, the former Steeler who could give Derek Carr a long-sought deep threat, didn’t have a great first day as he had a couple of dropped passes early. Gruden gushed about him this spring, but dialed it back after his new toy’s sputtering start.

“I think it’s a work in progress,” Gruden said of Bryant after practice. “He’s obviously very talented and he’s in a competitive situation right now. We’ve got a lot of good wideouts in the camp.”

Meanwhile, Khalil Mack was not at camp, as expected. The Raiders defensive end is holding out, entering the last year of his rookie deal, as he and Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald (also holding out) are vying to be the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL.

Gruden has not met with Mack, and has not been involved in the negotiations, deferring any updates to general manager Reggie McKenzie — who just doesn’t give updates. Gruden did clear up some of the hot talk show fodder, saying he has indeed talked to Mack, back when he was hired in January.

“Those (national reporters) aren’t always 100 percent accurate,” Gruden said, when asked by a reporter to address the “drama.” “I talked to Mack when I got the job. I just haven’t talked to him lately. Not much to talk about right now, sorry.”

Tank Carradine took Mack’s place, lining up outside of Justin Ellis and Mario Edwards Jr. and on the other side of Bruce Irvin, who is having a ball out there. Irvin moved from linebacker to defensive end and has never been happier, not only because he gets to torture and toughen up first-round left tackle Kolton Miller, but because he thinks defensive coordinator Paul Guenther will help him finally achieve his goal of 10 sacks in a season.

Guenther does like to mix in blitzes and fake blitzes, and on one stunt Friday Irvin dropped back into coverage, right in front of receiver Griff Whalen and picked off Manuel’s pass and ran it back into the end zone.

Later, Irvin punched the ball out from running back Marshawn Lynch, and after Lynch went down to unsuccessfully try and recover the ball, Irvin jumped on him and unleashed a barrage of play-punches.

“For Kolton to (go against Irvin) every day, that’s going to make him work,” Carr said after practice. “Bruce has a similar skill set to what Von (Miller) can do and some of the other guys can do in our division, so it’s good for Kolton to see, get a taste of that and try and lock that up as hard as it is. …

“I love Bruce, I think he’s a great player and going to have a great year.”

Miller will get all the first-team reps at left tackle until Donald Penn returns from his rehab after foot surgery.

“He’s getting close,” Gruden said of Penn’s progress. “He still has to prove that he can change directions explosively and wake up the next day and do it again and again.”

Gruden also gave an update on rookie defensive tackle P.J. Hall, who like Penn and defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes started camp on the active/physically unable to perform list. Hall has a strained pectoral muscle and will be re-evaluated after a couple days.

Raiders assemble their deepest wide receiver corps in years
Amari Cooper, Jordy Nelson, Bryant, Ryan Switzer, Seth Roberts (who for all the knocks against him, has had some pretty clutch catches to win games), Johnny Holton, Dwayne Harris … even Isaac Whitney.

I asked Carr if this is the deepest group of receivers in his five years here.

“I would say yes,” Carr said, “because even the undrafted guys … we came in for the pre-camp and Coach Gruden said, ‘If you see something, audible, I don’t care. They have to play. They have to know.’ We’re audibling, changing stuff, doing these things with undrafted rookies that you would think they’re trying to learn where to line up. …

“They’re on it. They went on their routes. Now, obviously they have a lot of work to do. They’re not all All-Pros or anything like that, but they all have a chance to be very extremely helpful players.”

Amari loves the gym
Cooper has again added more muscle, and now weighs in at 220 pounds, up from 210 two years ago.

“He comes back bigger and faster every year,” Carr said. “It’s like ‘Coop, hey man, chill out a little bit. (laughter) Don’t get too big, we’ll move you to running back or something.’”

What about this Whitney guy?
Whitney is buried on the depth chart, but he had more nice catches than anyone on Friday, showing the height (6-foot-2) and speed downfield. The USC product spent most of last season on the practice squad but did play in two games.

“He’s definitely more confident once you break the huddle,” Carr said. “Last year as a young guy, terminology, it’s tough for everybody, but having that year to learn, he played a little bit. I actually threw him ball, a deep ball, against the Giants. Just the fact that I even threw it to him let him know that, hey man, if you’re in there, we have to play.”

Whitney knows what he is doing now.

“As long as he can keep those mental errors down, because his speed, his athleticism, it’s elite man,” Carr said. “He’s fast. He can go. He can do certain things. He can run all the routes. I think for him, it’s just the mental side of things. … He can handle it, he just has to prove it every day.”

Mission accomplished Day 1.
 
Raiders alumni believe fans more accepting of Las Vegas move

By Ed Graney / Las Vegas Review-Journal
July 28, 2018 - 8:53 pm
Updated July 28, 2018 - 9:15 pm

NAPA, Calif. — A group of Oakland Raiders players had just finished a round of golf in January 1980, meaning a beer or two or 10 had been consumed, when the news broke.

Al Davis was on TV telling the world that his franchise would be relocating to Los Angeles.

Nobody at the course believed it.

So they made their way to a barbecue at the home of center Dave Dalby, at which a beer or two or 10 was consumed, and eventually a reporter from the Oakland Tribune called for comment regarding the Davis announcement.

“I was the last one on (the phone),” former Raiders linebacker Phil Villapiano said. “I don’t know what I said, but the next day’s headline was, ‘Villapiano Won’t Go.’ Mr. Davis never said a word, but he made sure Villapiano didn’t go. In those days, the worst teams to be traded to were Green Bay and Buffalo.”

He was shipped to the Bills before the next season.

“Hey, man, I’m not going to do that again,” Villapiano said. “I love going to Las Vegas. I can’t wait. As much as I love Oakland, when the game is over in Oakland, the game is over. I think when the game is over in Vegas, the game is just beginning.

“l live in New Jersey, but already have four season tickets in Vegas and paid the Personal Seat License. My son told me, ‘Dad, you’re the fourth quarter (of life). Come on. Send them the money.’”

I’m thinking Phil never really left that barbecue.

There isn’t an NFL club close to treating its alumni with the love and respect as the Raiders, an organization that actually employs a team historian and for the fourth time has gathered former players at training camp to honor them and allow those who came before to watch those now in uniform.

The Raiders don’t just enjoy tradition.

They cherish every ounce of it.

That means more than 100 alumni have descended upon the Napa Valley Marriott, men as young as 30 and as old as 83, included in the gathering three Hall of Famers and players from each of the organization’s three Super Bowl-winning teams.

An official alumni announcement read: Who’s Invited? Everybody.

They know more than anyone else the hurt and betrayal Oakland fans felt when the Raiders departed a first time and understand how such resentfulness resurfaced with an impending move to Las Vegas for the 2020 season.

They know how deep the pain burns.

But if anger among fans about the move was a central theme at last year’s training camp — just months after NFL owners voted to approve the relocation — such a sentiment has now seemed to move toward more of an acceptance.

The Raiders on Saturday practiced in front of more than 6,000 cheering silver and black souls at a local high school, their first look at Jon Gruden as coach since his return to the franchise.

The gathering in no way suggested such passion for those on the field would waiver a few years from now.

Once a Raider …

“Growing up in the (Bay Area), being a Raiders fan, I knew how bad it got with the move to Los Angeles,” said former linebacker Jerry Robinson, who played for the team from 1985 to 1991. “Now with another move … there is a lot of emotional attachment. It’s like the breakup of a relationship. The initial shock first has to wear off before you can start getting over it.

“I think that’s what is happening now with the fans in terms of Las Vegas. They know it’s happening, and they will follow. Once a Raider, always a Raider goes for the fans, too. Business is business, but this is their team and there are fans of it all around the world.

“Who wouldn’t want to come to Vegas for a game in an awesome new stadium? Vegas is going to be the spot, and the fans here will support it because it’s the Raiders.”

They will be back Sunday, the alumni, when training camp really gets going with the first day of pads, back meeting any fans in attendance, back helping a franchise progress toward its eventual move.

I’m thinking Villapiano will enjoy it more than he did Saturday’s noncontact practice.

“I didn’t hear a thud,” the 69-year-old said. “One guy ran into another and they both fell over. That’s the only hitting I saw. This is the way things are now — you can move to Vegas and not hit anybody and play football.

“We don’t get concussions anymore. Go get a concussion every once in a while. It’s fun. Go around not knowing where you’re at for a few hours. That’s kind of cool.”

Phil Villapiano is ready for Las Vegas.

I’m just not sure it’s ready for him.
 
Oakland Raiders Training Camp: Daryle Lamonica talks alumni weekend, Derek Carr’s skill set

By Ryan Gorcey on July 28, 2018 11:03 pm

NAPA, Calif. — During his first year as a Buffalo Bill, Daryle Lamonica had a house in Buffalo, with an exceedingly long driveway. A native of Clovis, Calif., Lamonica had never had to shovel snow.

So, when the first snow of the winter came, Lamonica walked out of his door to head to practice, and saw the entire driveway covered in the white stuff, and his car blocked in. He spent half an hour shoveling himself out, and was late.

When he finally arrived, the coaching staff asked why he was so late, and he sheepishly told them. In no uncertain terms, he was told he had to build shoveling time into his morning schedule. Four years later, he was back home in sunny California as an Oakland Raider. On Saturday, he was one of over 100 Raiders alumni to return to Napa for the fourth annual Raiders Alumni Weekend, as the Raiders embarked on their second full day of training camp.

“We just saw practice, and I saw a lot of positive things,” Lamonica said, before turning his attention to fellow Central Valley native Derek Carr. “Derek has a lot of talent. He’s got a lot of good talent around him, and if we throw the ball down the field and we score, I think we’ll do OK. I really do.”

Late owner Al Davis used to preach about the necessity of the vertical passing game. One reason: If you make a mistake deep, the other team has longer to go in order to score. He also preached ball security, so he wouldn’t be too thrilled with the fact that Marshawn Lynch fumbled for the second time in two days on Saturday.

“He asked me after every game, ‘What was the most important thing you had?’ No INTs and no fumbles,” Lamonica said. “The team with the best turnover ratio — fumbles, interceptions — won 93 percent of the time then, as it does today.”

Carr didn’t make many mistakes in that regard on Saturday, as the Raiders took a field trip from their normal Napa training grounds to Memorial Stadium, hosing upwards of 6,000 fans for a two-and-a-half-hour practice. Carr completed his first seven passes in 7-on-7, and eight of his first nine, with the only miss coming off a breakup by Antonio Hamilton.

During 11-on-11 work, Carr and E.J. Manuel both dropped back and fired seemingly off-line passes, but both were intentionally lofted halfway up the stands to some lucky fans. Carr was one of several players — including Bruce Irvin and Rodney Hudson — who hyped up the crowd before practice began.

“Derek Carr has the ability to always keep us in all the games,” Lamonica said. “Whatever it’s going to take, we have the talent on the field, and I think the coaching staff will prove themselves. [Head coach Jon] Gruden has proven himself in the past, and I think with the players that we have, at least what I saw today on the field, we’re going to be very competitive.”

Carr is just getting used to some of his new toys, including receiver Martavis Bryant, who had a superlative day on Saturday.

As Carr rolled to his right on a broken play during 7-on-7 work, he pointed down field. Bryant broke off his route and dashed to the right sideline, and as Carr released, Bryant dove parallel to the ground, extended his arms, hauled in the pass, and slid out of bounds.

It wasn’t Bryant’s last big play of the day, as he reeled in a touchdown in the far right corner of the end zone during 11-on-11 work. For a player who was staring at a suspension before camp opened, and was referred to as a “work in progress” by Gruden on Day 1, it was a coming out party.

“He’s been good,” said offensive coordinator Greg Olson, who was given his first coaching job by Gruden back with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and served as Raiders offensive coordinator back in 2014 under Dennis Allen and Tony Sparano. “This is what we expected when we traded for him. [He’s an] explosive player. He’s had a good first three days.”

In June, Bryant, 26, was reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal to be in line for a suspension by the NFL for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. The 2014 fourth-round pick out of Clemson missed the entire 2016 season due to a violation of the policy, but totaled 126 catches for 1,917 yards and 17 touchdowns for the Pittsburgh Steelers over three seasons.

The Raiders traded a third-round pick for Bryant in late April, and it looks like he could pay off as a big deep threat for Carr, and could slot in as the No. 3 target behind Amari Cooper and Jordy Nelson, with Ryan Switzer in the slot.

“He’s obviously very talented and he’s in a competitive situation right now,” Gruden said on Day 1 of camp. “We’ve got a lot of good wideouts in the camp.”

Another wideout who’s showing out is Cooper. The 6-foot-1 receiver came into camp at 223 pounds — 13 pounds bigger than he’s played at in the past.

“He comes back bigger and faster every year. It’s like ‘Coop, hey man, chill out a little bit, don’t get too big,'” Carr said on Friday. “No, I don’t know what else to say about him, he’s awesome. He’s healthy, he looks great, he feels great. You see him catching balls and finishing all the way down to the goal line. He’s practicing on scoring long touchdowns.”

Just like Al would have wanted.

Notebook:

Olson said that the backup quarterback competition is an open one between Manuel and second-year Michigan State product Connor Cook.

“He’s got to be much more consistent,” Olson said of Cook. “We’ve seen some good things from him, but he’s got to do a much better job of taking care of the football, and add more consistent play.”

*****

In injury news, left tackle Donald Penn (foot), defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes (knee) and defensive tackle P.J. Hall (pectoral strain) were still sidelined while on the PUP list. Hall worked off to the side of the main action.

Notable by his absence was cornerback Gareon Conley. With Gruden unavailable to the media afterward, the Raiders did not give a reason for the no-show.

With Conley out, the top two cornerbacks Were Rashaan Melvin and Daryl Worley.

*****

The Raiders added Oday Aboushi to the roster on Saturday, and he suited up for practice, wearing No. 60. Aboushi worked as the third-unit right guard.

The top line remained steady, with Breno Giacomini at right tackle, Gabe Jackson at right guard, Hudson at center, Kelechi Osemele at left guard and rookie Kolton Miller at right tackle.

“Kolton looks real good right now,” Osemele said. “We’ve still got a lot of work to do. It’s our first time working together, so it’s knocking the rust off on double teams and stuff like that, making sure we’re going the right way, just the little things rookies go through.

“Physically, his development, his understanding of our play calling, the game, our scheme, he’s way ahead of where I would have been at this point in training camp my rookie year. He’s looking good.”

The second unit consisted of Ian Silberman at right tackle, Denver Kirkland at right guard, Jon Feliciano at center, Jordan Simmons at left guard and David Sharpe at left tackle.

*****

Oakland will put on pads for the first time on Sunday in a 9:15 a.m. practice, which will give the lines and running backs a real chance to finally show what they can do in real football situations. Running back Doug Martin — who signed a one-year contract in March after playing six seasons with Tampa Bay — is particularly excited.

“This is probably the best line that I’ve ran behind,” Martin said. “The holes are there, they’re wide open, and I can’t wait to run behind these guys … It’s going to be real exciting. I can’t wait to get the pads on. It’s been a while. It’s been a long time. There’s going to be a lot of guys arguing with each other, may be a couple fights. Hopefully not, but it’s all in the fun of the game.”

Martin, who at 5-foot-9, 223 pounds, has one of the more colorful nicknames in the league — “Muscle Hamster” — could be making a move to be the No. 2 back behind Lynch, or at the very least, the No. 3. He’s had a solid camp thus far.

“Growing up I used to watch Marshawn,” Martin said. “I modeled my game after Marshawn. I don’t think he knows that, but I guess now he will.”
 
“I like Ateman. Ateman makes plays every day,” Gruden said during media availability Monday. “The kid makes a play, three days in a row, he’s gotten behind people and adjusted on the back shoulder. That’s why we brought him here. He did it at Oklahoma State, too.”

Ateman will give his NFL offense a mismatch with big size that makes him difficult to defend. Given his height and length, Ateman is able to make receptions over cornerbacks, even when he is covered. He uses his thick size to box out defenders and present a big target for his quarterback. Ateman is skilled at walling off coverage to give his signal-caller a larger window for completing passes. With Ateman's height and long arms, he has a large catch radius to create completions when passes aren't thrown accurately. Ateman tracks the ball well downfield, and with his size, he is dangerous for back-shoulder throws or working the deep sideline. In the red zone, Ateman is a real weapon and an asset for his offense because he can beat cornerbacks with his size on fade passes.
 
The Raiders are counting on Hurst and second-round pick P.J. Hall to improve an interior pass rush that was almost non-existent last season. Both rookies have gotten work in with the starting defense during practices and will get an extensive look when preseason games begin next week.

“They don’t want us to be rookies,” Hurst said. “They want us to come out and play right away and play effectively, and come out and just dominate and do what they expected us to do. Just be a vital part of this defense.”
To help accelerate his growth, the Raiders have had Hurst play against starting center Rodney Hudson and guards Kelechi Osemele and Gabe Jackson. Hudson and Osemele were Pro Bowl picks last season while Jackson was an alternate in 2016.

“They throw a few crumbs every now and then,” Hurst said. “They don’t want you to beat them every time. But they’ve been extremely helpful. Every day I get to go to work I get to play the best guys in the country. That’s only going to make you better every day.”

Hudson said Hurst’s natural instincts have made for a smooth transition.

“He’s got a lot of ability,” Hudson said. “Smart rusher. He’s always attentive and asks questions. He’s got a lot of God-given ability. He’s quick and he uses his hands well to be so young.”
 
Raiders waived K Giorgio Tavecchio.

Jon Gruden has cleaned out Rich Bisaccia's special teams room, parting ways with last year's starting placekicker, punter (Marquette King), and top returner (Cordarrelle Patterson). Mike Nugent was signed as veteran competition, but the Raiders appear likely to roll with UDFA Eddy Pineiro out of Florida.
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

I basically expect that to happen. Nelson is the man.
=======
I don't expect him to lose his job to McDonald or Hamilton. Gruden loves vets, but if Wright can't stay on the field and Leon Hall can't run anymore at 48 years old i'd say Nick Nelson has a clear path to lots of playing time. Especially if Glass Conley can't get right physically
======
That's all it takes sometimes. But Nelson is also a damn good corner. A huge steal from us. Ironic that the injured late round cb we draft could end up a franchise corner after wasting two high picks on Hayden and Conley
 
GG.exe said:
I basically expect that to happen. Nelson is the man.
=======
I don't expect him to lose his job to McDonald or Hamilton. Gruden loves vets, but if Wright can't stay on the field and Leon Hall can't run anymore at 48 years old i'd say Nick Nelson has a clear path to lots of playing time. Especially if Glass Conley can't get right physically
======
That's all it takes sometimes. But Nelson is also a damn good corner. A huge steal from us. Ironic that the injured late round cb we draft could end up a franchise corner after wasting two high picks on Hayden and Conley
Click to expand...

Nelson the new Carrie
 
Raiders explore Reno as possible training camp home in 2020

Las Vegas Review-Journal
August 4, 2018 - 8:59 pm

Updated August 4, 2018 - 9:52 pm
NAPA, Calif. — The Raiders are searching for a new city to call their summer home.

“The Biggest Little City in the World” has their attention.

While the team plans to hold training camp in Napa next year, the Raiders continue to explore other opportunities for 2020 and beyond. A departure from Napa, where they have trained every summer since 1996, would coincide with the franchise’s scheduled relocation from Oakland to Las Vegas.

Reno looks to be the in-house favorite.

Days ago, a group of officials from Reno visited the Raiders’ camp headquarters at the Napa Valley Marriott, team president Marc Badain said. Those officials grew increasingly familiar with the structure and breadth of the club’s current operations. Not only does the team practice on fields adjacent to the hotel, but other uses include meetings, a weight room and more than 100 alumni who are able to be entertained one weekend each year.

This list of venue requirements is not considered exhaustive. The search for Napa’s potential successor is.

“I anticipate we would find a location in north Nevada,” Badain said, “but there are a lot of factors that go into that.”

Among those factors, the Raiders must find a venue that can house all their needs. Reno presents an interesting added dynamic, as the city sits at about 4,500-feet altitude. Determining how elevation impacts three weeks of training, for better or worse, is among the variables in play.

The franchise does seem decided on one aspect of its training-camp home: It won’t be in the Las Vegas area.

It is owner Mark Davis’ preference for camp to be away from the team’s normal headquarters, he said recently, as he believes camaraderie forms more naturally when players and coaches are away from home. Napa is more than an hour north of the Raiders’ practice facility in Alameda, California. Their new team headquarters will be constructed in Henderson.

Next year will mark the franchise’s 24th training camp in Napa.

As the search continues, it could double as the last.
 
manureid said:
Will give conley this season still to not be a Hayden bust.... but my faith is not strong
Click to expand...

Conley never had any injury history in college. Hayden's medical history was vastly different. Conley has also shown a lot more talent wise than DJ.
 
GG.exe said:
You can see with Gruden's comments on Penn and Bryant that he is not tolerant of guys missing practice and work. Conley is sinking on the depth chart FAST.
Click to expand...

Incorrect. Conley is still considered by the team as a starter. Once he's healthy, which won't be long (he's already working on the field with the trainers) they'll put him straight back with the 1s.
 
Chewy316 said:
Conley never had any injury history in college. Hayden's medical history was vastly different. Conley has also shown a lot more talent wise than DJ.
Click to expand...
Until he can consistently get on the field talent means squat. Like I said, lets see how this season goes. Hope he can get that talent on the field.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

FrontnCentrePod
MVP Watch in the Playoffs 🏆
Replies
0
Views
328
FrontnCentrePod
FrontnCentrePod
manureid
Fantasy The Terrible Fantasy Manager / Bad Beats Thread
3 4 5 6 7
Replies
174
Views
5K
Constantgin
Constantgin
The Cardtrader
Aussie Punters a hit in the Canadian Football League global draft
Replies
0
Views
439
The Cardtrader
The Cardtrader

Remove this Banner Ad

Back
Top