<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Camp wrap ‘08: defense By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer Thursday, August 14th, 2008 at 5:37 pm in Oakland Raiders, Preseason (2005), Raiders features Impressions gathered from viewing 24 of 26 training camp practices over the course of 21 days: – Not long after camp opened, Lane Kiffin offered a preemptive strike, musing about the importance of the offseason program in light of the fact that his two best players weren’t even participants. Cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha walked into camp on time, signed his exclusive free agent tender and was so good he looked like a bargain at $9.7 million. Defensive end Derrick Burgess put on eight to 10 pounds of muscle working out on his own, showing up only to the mandatory minicamp, and was essentially unblockable. Raiders tackles found themselves getting nothing but air or simply being shoved aside by one of Burgess’ perfectly sculpted arms. Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan is flopping sides with Burgess now and then, moving him from his more familiar left side to the right. The idea is to get him an a single blocker from time to time, rather than the double-team plus a chip treatment he has received so often the last two years. The truth about training camp defense is it is can be extremely deceiving because there is no actual tackling. Tackling only happens to be the most important thing about defense. But there was no mistaking what Asomugha brought to pass coverage and Burgess brought to the pass rush. If health is not an issue, and Asomugha’s sore foot is at least a little troubling, the Raiders have two cornerstone defensive players to help build a viable defense. – Training camp restrictions being what they are, there is no way to know for sure if the Raiders have repaired the gaping hole in the middle of their defense which opposing runners ran through repeatedly in 2007. They should be better, but how much better? Do they go from giving up an embarrassing 4.8 yards per carry to the 4.0 range, or could they actually do even better and be above average. Two reasons for optimism _ Tommy Kelly’s brief but dominating appearance against the San Francisco 49ers, and the presence of Gibril Wilson at strong safety. Kelly has a ways to go in terms of conditioning, as witnessed by his feeble yet comic attempt at taking a lap the other night after being called for offsides. Kelly was collapsing the 49ers line almost single-handedly, but to do that for four quarters he will need more stamina. Rehab from knee surgery put him behind, and Kelly needs to catch up. The Raiders aren’t paying him all that money to be a part time player. Wilson has been a guy who plays bigger than the 210 pounds or so he weighs, and his presence in the box will be a welcome one in a division featuring LaDainian Tomlinson, Larry Johnson and whoever is the Broncos runner of the week. – More optimism regarding the run defense _ linebacker Thomas Howard looks a little bigger and a little meaner without sacrificing the speed and ability that makes him one of the NFL’s best pass coverage linebackers. He and Kirk Morrison are intent on shedding their reputation as pass defenders who give ground against the run. They need to be much, much better than a year ago. The two or three series they play against a hard-nosed Tennessee running game will be a good litmus test. – The Raiders brought a lot of pressure during training camp, which makes aggressive amateur defensive coordinators salivate with the possibility of more blitzing. Much of the additional pressure was to prepare JaMarcus Russell for what the Raiders think he’ll see. Kiffin could have been sandbagging, but more likely he was telling it like it is the other day when he was addressing Stanford Routt’s role as a nickel back and said, “We’re not very complicated on third down, our defense. We don’t blitz very much so he doesn’t have to do very much.” – The play of Raiders’ offensive tackles makes it a tough call, but there may be some help for Burgess in terms of a natural rush. Jay Richardson, a decent point-of-attack player as a rookie and tall enough to take away passing lanes, has had some success getting deeper into the backfield. Kalimba Edwards has practices where it looks as if he will fit nicely into the Chris Clemons role as a situational rusher. – The resurrection of Terdell Sands to be the kind of inside force he was as a part-time player in 2006 is still far from complete. Sands conceded he went into an understandable funk last year after the death of his mother and let his weight get out of control. He is lighter this year _ how much, no one will say _ but he has already had a knee drained and is missing practices. It’s tough to get into shape that way. Sands will probably continue to back up Gerard Warren, who through most of his career has been either impressive or invisible _ sometimes from one week to the next. – In early practices, sixth-round pick Trevor Scott looked like he might be a wasted pick. Later, he looked like he might be a find. Line coach Keith Millard beams like a proud papa when Scott’s progress is the topic. Yet you see Scott in person and it’s almost alarming. He physically resembles Stuart Schweigert, and in fact doesn’t look much bigger. Listed at 255, Scott, in truth, is slightly under 250. He won’t be 260 until next year at the earliest. – When camp started, Michael Huff looked liberated to be at free safety and making the occasional play with the kind of anticipation the position requires. The plays became more infrequent as time went on. It’s nearing make-or-break time for Huff to justify his No. 7 overall selection in 2006, and it’s a tossup as to which way it will go. – The whole strong side linebacker issue makes for interesting reading, being that it’s a starting position and all, but the truth is the winner will be the first player off the field when its time for nickels and dimes. That’s why the Raiders didn’t make a serious run at Takeo Spikes, who wound up in San Francisco. They’d rather pay the veteran’s minimum for an Adam Archuleta than invest another half-million or so into a player who would be an ideal strong side linebacker but spend too much time on the sidelines to justify the money. Not saying it’s right, and in fact it probably isn’t in this case. – DeAngelo Hall is going to catch some heat, both from opposing quarterbacks as well as the home fans. Teams are still going to avoid Asomugha, and Hall will be there for the taking. He will also occasionally make a break on the ball and make a big play, and has a knack for being in the area when balls are deflected. If you’re expecting a shutdown corner, guess again. There are precious few of those around. – Routt has had an excellent training camp. He could have been miffed by Hall’s acquisition but instead has appeared to elevate his performance in practice. Now it has to carry over into games. One of Hall’s strengths is he forgets when he just got beat and it doesn’t prevent him from coming back to make a play. Routt has had a habit of letting the failures which come with the territory affect him for the rest of the game. Routt will need to be at the top of his game, because things get extremely thin after that at cornerback. – Bad break for Tyvon Branch, with his right thumb encased in a cast. He could still end up being a defensive contributor at some point during the season, if his goal line hit against the 49ers’ Cam Colvin is any indication. ******** Camp wrap ‘08: offense By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer Thursday, August 14th, 2008 at 11:14 am in 2005 Regular Season, Oakland Raiders Impressions gathered from viewing 24 of the 26 training camp practices over the course of 21 days: – Running back Darren McFadden began to show signs of physical and mental fatigue in the last few practices, but this is the best looking Raiders rookie I’ve seen since the club returned to Oakland in 1995. The Raiders will no longer be dependent on multi-play drives to score. They’re in position every time he touches the ball. McFadden will have to be accounted for on every play, wherever he lines up, and his presence should open up things for others. I’ve been told the Raiders think he is even better than they thought he was when they picked him and are pinching themselves for their good fortune. This should be fun to watch. – Justin Fargas and Michael Bush will get their chances as well, but if McFadden cuts into their work load, it’s a great problem to have. More likely, attrition will work things out. Lane Kiffin are Greg Knapp are firm believers that you can’t have enough depth at the position. Bush may not fit as neatly into the power back mode as Kiffin would like, but he’s very skilled and like McFadden, will be an asset in the red zone because of his receiving skills. – The Raiders should be a good run-blocking line. It is the hardest working unit on the team, and when you add the element of cutting to the movement, plus the talent of the backfield, an average of 150 yards per game on the ground should be attainable. – Offensive line depth is an issue. Mario Henderson, a third-round pick last year, is the backup left tackle and Kiffin does little to hide his disappointment with his performance. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of confidence in Paul McQuistan. Fred Wakefield, shuffled all over the place, moved to offense and instantly began getting reps. – The Raiders will need every one of their rushing yards, because the passing game is, to put it mildly, a work in progress. To put it less mildly, it has been a disaster. JaMarcus Russell came advertised as someone who can throw every pass, from the feathery drop-ins to backs coming out of the backfield to the difficult cross-field out patterns to the laser-guided deep ball. In fact, Russell’s pure passing, except for their first night practice during double sessions, has been a disappointment. It’s not all his fault. Tight ends Zach Miller and John Madsen and wide receiver Todd Watkins have been relatively sure-handed, virtually everyone else has been prone to to the occasional drops. Sometimes more than occasional. Russell has also missed his share of open receivers and doesn’t yet look like the 60 percent passer the offense needs to make for an efficient passing game, although repeated dumpoffs and checkdowns could make his percentage deceiving. That said, Russell seems to handle himself with confidence and resolve. You don’t see him slapping his helmet after a bad throw, riding his receivers for a drop or delegating blame. He puts everything on his huge shoulders, and that’s a big intangible for a quarterback. – Regarding Russell’s passing, the company line continues to be the elbow he injured banging it off McFadden’s helmet early in camp is not an issue. He does, however, still wear a protective sleeve with a pad on the elbow. Maybe Russell is fine. Or maybe, a year from now, at training camp, he’ll say something like, “My elbow was bothering me all through training camp last year.” – Pass blocking will be a big problem if the Raiders get behind by 10 or more points. If you’re running the ball well and the game is tight, it is easier to control the heat. If not, Oakland will be vulnerable to an edge rush with Kwame Harris and Cornell Green as the tackles. The Raiders have done a lot of blitzing during practice, in large part to prepare for Russell for what he will see _ and it’s another reason the passing game has looked so shaky. They don’t handle it well. Fullbacks Justin Griffith and Oren O’Neal will be counted upon to slow the charge, and it could also cost tight end Zach Miller 15 to 20 receptions off his total. – Javon Walker doesn’t have it yet. His play has been better of late, but I’ve seen elite receivers in training camp before _ Randy Moss in his first year with the Raiders, Jerry Rice in any season, Tim Brown _ and Walker is not anywhere near that standard. The Raiders were privately concerned about Walker’s burst even before the whole “retirement” issue. They went out on a limb when they paid Walker an $11 million signing bonus and $1 million in salary this season, with another $5 million due in March. Other teams were interested, the Cowboys for example, but they weren’t going to pay any more than a few million, figuring they could lock Walker up if things worked out. This is one of those instances where the Raiders went their own way and took a calculated risk. They did that a few years back with Derrick Burgess and it worked out. Other teams had concerns about Burgess’ body type and susceptibility to injury. Score one for the Raiders. They did it with LaMont Jordan and it did not. Other teams had concerns about Jordan’s ability to be a lead back, given that he had never carried the ball 100 times in a season. The other teams were right. – Allowing for the fact that things could change behind closed doors at practice, Watkins has got to make the team. When you preach that performance counts, than it has got to count _ even if it means draft picks Arman Shields and Chaz Schilens don’t make the 53-man roster. – Drew Carter and Ronald Curry both faded in terms of performance as camp went along. Carter appears to pulling out of a lull the past couple of days. Curry hit the weight room hard and lost some body fat, but it hasn’t helped hold up as well as the staff would like. Every once in awhile Johnnie Lee Higgins does something exceptional as a wide receiver, then he almost always follows it with a drop, a blown route or a failure to get open. Jerry Porter went from a “talent” to a useful No. 3 receiver in 2002 when he finally started practicing well every day under offensive coordinator Marc Trestman. Higgins has yet to take that step. – Andrew Walter improved a great deal and has even done some good things on the perimeter. But he occasionally reverts to the big mistake _ he had a terrible practice Tuesday _ still doesn’t seem to have the complete trust of his head coach. Marques Tuiasosopo has difficulty with throws beyond 20 yards and I’ve heard the Raiders are seriously considering going with two quarterbacks on the 53-man roster.</div>
my favorite: <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Marques Tuiasosopo has difficulty with throws beyond 20 yards and I’ve heard the Raiders are seriously considering going with two quarterbacks on the 53-man roster.</div>
