The Raiders wrapped up their team workouts in Atlanta this Friday. From all indications, the camp was a tremendous success. Now it is the bitter sweet moment when the players pack up and head home. But there was much to report from the player-organized minicamp.
The camp was set in Atlanta because that is where Richard Seymour resides. He received a large contract just before the lockout began and footed the bill for the workouts. He even generously paid for some of his less fortunate teammates to make the trip to Atlanta to attend the camp. Seymour saw to it that a good number of his defensive teammates were able to attend while Jason Campbell rounded up the players on offense.
Campbell had been working with some of his receivers during the weeks leading up to the camp, including Louis Murphy, Darrius Heyward-Bey, and Jacoby Ford. But this was the first chance any of them had to run drills with the entire team.
So let’s do a quick rundown.
Day one
The team met at Buford High School as arranged by Chip Smith, the director of Competitive Edge Sports. The workouts were very organized, with several long sessions using various weights, resistance bands, ropes, and other workout equipment.
The camp got off on the right foot when the count of players exceeded Jason Campbell’s early estimate of 25-30 in attendance. There were 34 players on the field, according to Ben Beitzel of the Gwinnett Daily Post, including four rookies — round 2 pick center Stefen Wisniewski, round 3 pick cornerback Demarcus Van Dyke, round 4 pick running back Taiwan Jones, and round 6 pick tight end Richard Gordon.
This count may seem middle of the road but when you consider the Raiders have 20+ players not under contract at the moment, including Michael Bush, Zach Miller, and Nnamdi Asomugha, that is a considerable number. Even a player such as Nick Miller, who isn’t under contract, showed up for the camp.
“It’s a great turnout,” said Seymour. “The guys are excited. We can’t control what’s going on with the NFL lockout, but we wanted to come out and be able to run some drills and do it in an organized fashion. We wanted to make sure it was organized and first class.”
Here Raider defensive lineman Tommy Kelly helps Richard Seymour get in a good stretch along with other Raider teammates.
“We didn’t really work in depth on plays,” McClain said. “It’s more just for a feel of the game. Just see some plays and get the feel of football instead of the feel of vacation for the last four months. Just to get back in a football-type environment.”
After each practice day, the teammates went out to dinner together to get in some bonding time, which in many ways can be just as important as the workouts.
“The main thing is building camaraderie,” said Jason Campbell. “Seeing each other gain, keeping the unity we were seeing at the end of the season going. The other thing is seeing some plays, running and lifting weights, and running some actual plays… Today was a great work day with the teammates, feel like the guys are getting a lot out of it. Guys were really tuned in.”
Here is a video taken by Darren McFadden of Quentin Groves and Marcel Reece racing.
Day two
A fifth rookie showed up on day two, round four cornerback Chimdi Chekwa. This means the only rookies not in attendance were round three offensive tackle Joseph Barksdale, round five wide receiver Denarius Moore, and round seven tight end David Ausberry.
But adding to the crowd on day two were several non-Raider players, including former Raider Javon Walker along with James Farrior, Ben-Jarvis Green-Ellis, Santonio Holmes, and Ike Taylor. They were among 30 players who ran 7-on-7 drills with the Raiders.
With any drills, especially those involving players from other rosters, there is a risk of injury. But the players and trainers were careful to keep the intensity low so as not to risk injury.
“[There is] a slight risk of injury, but we aren’t going super hard,” said Stefen Wisniewski. “We are trying not to hurt each other out here… we are not under contract yet, so we are not covered by our team so it’s definitely a little bit risky.”
While the first day was just getting in some work, the second day was more about running actual plays, especially with opposing players to run them against. The idea is to get ahead of the game.
“Good days work,” said Jason Campbell. “[We] got some good 7-on-7 work against different competition. Offense and defense both got work against different faces.
“The main thing for us is just installing. You are trying to get the guys to hear it as much as possible before we leave this week so when the lockout ends it won’t take guys so long to catch on… We are running pretty much all our plays, trying to install them. For the guys hearing it for the first time, it’s a different language. They’re just trying to get used to it.”
Day three
Day three had something special in store. It was time to take to the pool and the workout was much more than these campers had anticipated.
Jason Campbell tweeted:
“Pool workout this morning with resisting bands was one of the best workouts I’ve done [because] it’s working every muscle in the body at once.”
Nick Miller tweeted:
“Shout out to @cesperformance for that killer pool workout! Thanks to them i cant lift my arms to eat lunch #dead.”
Walter McFadden also posted a video of some exhausted Raider players immediately following the workout.
Day four: final day
It was the last day of what was a great week for many veteran Raiders as well as some rookies. The night before was the final team dinner and for some, the last night hanging with their teammates for an unknown amount of time.
Darrius Heyward-Bey, Brandon Myers, and Nick Miller went out to see the Hangover Part II the night before and enjoyed themselves.
Then it was time for the final bit of workouts and for everyone to pack up and head back home for the rest of the offseason. No media was allowed on the final two days so it is not known exactly what the team worked on but my guess would be continuing to familiarize themselves with the playbook.
Jason Campbell tweeted:
“Well had great week with the teammates, everyone enjoyed their time, now back to the [family] for memorial day weekend. Can u say BBQ?”
“Time to do what I don’t enjoy most when traveling, that is packing and unpacking.”
Taiwan Jones tweeted:
“Getting ready to take off. Really enjoyed my time here in Atlanta with the goon squad #raidernation”
Darren McFadden tweeted:
“It’s been good Atlanta, back to tha rock town.”
Demarcus Van Dyke tweeted:
“Back to Miami today! Back to the grind! #raidernation! We got better this week.”
Yes, Demarcus, I believe you did get better. And according to reports, the Raider players on the field looked to be much more crisp and in shape than the 30 players who lined up opposite them in drills. These guys are serious about getting better and improving on the momentum they started last season.
Hopefully this is not the last player-organized workouts we see this offseason.
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