The number of training camp days in Napa has officially hit double digits. On such an occasion, it was time to let the media speak with new secondary coach Rod Woodson. His appearance is a timely one as the team enters the week before their preseason game with an unsettled group of corners.
This team is itching to see some competition and give their young players some time against another team. There was a high emphasis in the passing game in team sessions today and tomorrow that emphasis will ramp up even more.
Up to this point, we haven’t seen or heard much from Rod Woodson. After all the hype upon his arrival, everyone had the idea he was going to take the Raider secondary by storm. But just because you didn’t hear him, doesn’t mean he wasn’t exerting his influence.
“Well, I don’t think I need to scream and holler,” said Woodson. “Every coach has his own style. At the end of the day, the train is leaving. It’s going to leave with the guys or without the guys. My style is, if you want to get a paycheck, be on the train. I don’t need to tell you that. At the end of the day, if you’re not doing your job, you’re going to get cut. That’s the bottom line. That’s the reality of it. Throughout my career, my coaches never really yelled at me too much. I was a player that didn’t really respond to yelling. There’s some guys you need to push. There’s ways you find to push certain players. Other guys, you just tell them what to do, and they’ll do it. You have to find your way.”
We have been watching the Raiders’ secondary play well at times and not so well at other times, which is partially attributed to some fine play by the receivers. So, of course, it was time to pick Coach Woodson’s brain about each of his players.
On rookie Demarcus Van Dyke: “It’s the little things that he has to work on. He has to learn how to finish. He’s still learning the little things about playing corner in this league, playing the different coverages, when to do certain things, when not to do certain things. But if he keeps progressing in the positive manner like he has in the first week or so, he’ll be a decent player… He has great hips. He reminds me of a player that I played with in Baltimore, Duane Starks.”
On Michael Huff: “He’s a playmaker. He has a natural instinct, a natural gift. I’m also coaching the nickels. I coach more with the other guys than I do with him. When you don’t have to coach as much with a certain guy, it makes your job a little easier. That’s when you know he has that natural gift. You don’t have to tell him to do the little things. It just comes naturally to him.”
On Stanford Routt: “He’s a work in progress. He has natural gifts… It’s his turn to learn how to play the game and learn to trust himself. The elite players learn to trust themselves on the field. Once he does that and he pulls the trigger when he has opportunities to pull the trigger, his game is going to elevate, his interceptions is going to go up and that’s when you’re going to start hearing his name more so than you have in the past.”
On Chris Johnson: “Chris can play. I like Chris. He’s an old wily vet. He’s kind of the same way as Stanford a little bit. He has to start trusting himself and start pulling that trigger. All the film study, everything we’re giving him as coaches, everything he’s learned throughout his career and from other players, once he can apply that back to the field and not hesitate, those are the guys that you really look forward to see play. C.J. is in that process. He believes that he can do certain things and as he progresses this year, he’s going to have a good year.”
The actual play of these and the other corners on the practice field is on par with what Rod Woodson said. Thus far in camp Chris Johnson has showed up as the best corner on this team. Routt has had his moments but overall he has been inconsistent.
The two second year corners Walter McFadden and Jeremy Ware have not stood out for the most part. When they have garnered attention, it wasn’t good attention.
Today in particular, Jeremy Ware looked like he didn’t belong. In drills, he was very slow in his back peddle and his coaches were telling him about it. That sluggish backpedal is a killer. A corner on the Raiders must have great footwork in order to play their demanding man coverage. He has also dropped several balls in drills.
In team sessions Ware was beaten badly by recently acquired receiver Derek Hagan for a touchdown. Later he gave up a catch and run on a crossing pattern to DHB.
His fellow sophomore McFadden didn’t fare any better in the team session. Camp invite Shawn Bayes pulled a double move on him on an out pattern that had him lost in space. Then Hagan beat McFadden too for a big gainer. Next Schilens had a nifty sideline leaner that made McFadden look miniscule. Finally camp favorite Denarius Moore burnt him for a long fingertip TD grab.
Neither of them look worthy of the nickel corner spot on this team. That role could be destined for rookie Demarcus Van Dyke. He had pretty good coverage in practice today and didn’t give up a single catch in team sessions that I saw. Late in the sessions, he had the only interception of the day when a ball went through Nick Miller’s hands and Van Dyke was there to pick it off and take it for a touchdown.
Darrius Heyward-Bey was going full for the first time in this year’s camp. The injury that kept him out thus far was never revealed. If this seems like déjà vu, it is because he missed much of camp last year with what Tom Cable called “fatigue.”
Up until Saturday’s practice, he was team cheerleader out there. He was often seen congratulating the young receivers for making a catch and tutoring them on the intricacies of the game.
“You definitely want to be out there,” said Heyward-Bey. “But I had a job to do and I was getting everybody ready, making sure everybody was getting reps and it was helping me learn… We’re a team. We compete, everybody wants to be that guy, but you’ve got to encourage guys.”
He looked like he was back to full strength from whatever ailed him. He made a few catches in team sessions but I can’t honestly say that any of them was a hands catch. Each catch was a pad smacker. The best of those catches he made on Chris Johnson but CJ didn’t give up and smacked the ball out from behind and it rolled a good 25 yards. He spoke on the play after.
Quick outs
Still nothing certain on the offensive line. They continue to try Stefen Wisniewski at left guard with the first and second team and center with the second team. Daniel Loper gets a lot of reps at left guard with the first team. Samson Satele is the starting center until further notice.
Undrafted free agent Mason Brodine out of Nebraska-Kearney has looked very promising. He is about 10-15 pounds from being a steal at defensive end. At 6-7, he certainly has the frame for it.
Sebastian Janikowski began kicking field goals for the first time today. Up until this point he watched from the sideline. This is not uncommon. He kicked 60 yard field goals on the opposite field and to finish out practice kicked a couple 40 yarders. The first one he planted on the top of the camera crane. The second cleared the fence into the back yard of the condos next door.
Michael Bush looks fresh and certainly the best running back practicing with Darren McFadden out with a fractured orbital bone. He will see some extra time as McFadden will likely be out all of the preseason.
Hue Jackson was sporting a pair of fluorescent yellow sneakers today. He lost an undisclosed bet with Michael Bennett and the price was having to wear those sneakers for one practice. They were shoes that Bennett likes to wear and he ordered a pair specially for Jackson. They were certainly striking.
During the Hue Jackson press conference after practice, there was some heavy bass that we initially just thought was from the street. But it soon got so loud that Jackson actually stopped in the middle of what he was saying to comment on it. A couple of the interns sprinted around to take care of it and we found out shortly thereafter that it was Darren McFadden in one of his signature customized rides. Several Raider players were standing around the car, admiring it including Richard Seymour and Bruce Campbell.
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