The Raiders signed free agent offensive lineman Stephon Heyer to come in and bolster a unit that has been one of the weaker lines in football in recent seasons. He played mostly at right tackle for the Redskins and it was thought when the Raiders signed him that he would be playing there, especially with the uncertainty at the position. But he has been practicing with the first team at left guard and is set to do the same on Thursday versus the Cardinals as the Raiders open the preseason.
When he first arrived, Heyer had the bulk of his work at left tackle with the second team. But Daniel Loper has been in and out of the first team lineup at left guard. First it was Wisniewski getting some first team reps at left guard. But today, it was all Heyer.
In fact he didn’t have a moment of rest. Because while he was a first team left guard, he was also still playing left tackle with the second team.
“I guess they were trying to get me some reps everywhere,” said Heyer. “Trying to see if I can still play some left guard and if need be left tackle.”
So it seems the team likes him enough that they are seeing to it he gets on the field. Left guard appears to be the position of choice. He revealed that he was looking at getting a couple of series with the first team, usually all the first team sees in the first preseason game.
Heyer certainly earned his reps too. Today in practice, he laid a vicious block on Quentin Groves that put him on his back. It garnered “ooooooohhhh” from the Raiders as well as a few onlookers and media. It’s the first such dominant move seen from the Raiders offensive line this camp.
Heyer claims not to know who it was that he planted on the play.
“I wasn’t paying attention who it really was. I was just going out there to hit somebody… I’m still learning the team as well. It’s funny you learn the guys but you’re hitting them at the same time you’re learning them.”
It seems Heyer’s teammates know him a little better now than they did yesterday.
A switch to guard might just be what Heyer needs to resurrect his career. It would be ironically fitting that he take over the position held by Robert Gallery who himself became a fine guard after being converted from tackle.
To hear Heyer talk, you would think he was destined to play guard all along.
“I prefer to come off the ball. As an offensive lineman if you can set the tone with a run, pass blocking is a lot easier. But if you sit on your heels all day, it allows them to do what a lot of those defenses are good for, rushing the passer. That’s what they love to do. We love running the ball. So my first goal is running the rock and after that, protect if need be.”
Lining up next to Heyer with the first team has been Samson Satele at center. Hue Jackson said Satele is starting out of “respect.” It is a bit more than that as Wisniewski has been having trouble with shotgun snaps and keeping the Raider defensive tackles out of the backfield. That is how it is right now but Wisniewski claims he is making big strides.
“I think I’ve learned a ton. Started off, just learning the playbook on the fly here, I really feel like I’ve got a pretty good grasp of it now. I’m confident up there making calls as the center. I’m adjusting to the speed of the game.”
It has been a trial by fire for Wiz Kid. Having to face off against the likes of Richard Seymour, Tommy Kelly, and John Henderson is no easy task. Satele has had a couple of seasons lining up against them every day in practice. He holds his own quite well and looks to be the Raiders’ starting center for the foreseeable future.
Most of Wisniewski’s reps in camp have come at left guard. But as I said before, today Heyer got most of the reps.
Quick outs
When asked if he has changed his style of coaching, Chuck Bresnahan said, “I’m not going to change anything about me. I’m going to run it the same way I did before.” Prevent defense, anyone?
Bresnahan also said of Rolando McClain, “He’s gonna say what I think.” And he values having two of his former players on his staff (Greg Biekert, Rod Woodson) because “they know what I think.”
He also said “Mike Waufle is the best defensive line coach in the league. I’m just telling you that right now. I’ll just come out and say it.”
On Thursday before the game, the Raiders will be having, as Hue Jackson describes it, “a mock game, a little dress rehearsal before we get ready to play a real game.”
Hue also said it was a “safe assumption” that any players who are hurt and we didn’t see practicing today won’t play on Thursday.
Hue said the positions that the starters are locked in are quarterback, the two defensive tackles, and middle linebacker.
The sweet ride Darren McFadden showed up in yesterday was a ’71 Cutlass Supreme soft top. All black with some detailing. The rims were black as well. I didn’t ask him what size the rims were but they looked like 22’s.
Best looking receiver today was Damola Adeniji. He was in Raiders camp last season as a UDFA out of Oregon State. He is a big receiver at 6-3, 213, and made some nice catches away from his body today. One was a hot ball behind him and another was a high ball on the sideline. He also had a tipped catch. He is an extreme longshot to make the team but he will be part of the practice squad for sure. That is unless he shows good skills in the preseason and another team swipes him up.
One of the many mysteries thus far in camp has been who will be the nickel corner for the Raiders. The team only seems to be playing nickel defense with the second team so it is near impossible to tell. However, Chris Johnson stepped off the field at one point and Branch took over at corner for him. Then when the offense lined up with a running back out wide, Branch came up to defend him. Yesterday, Rod Woodson said that he has worked a little with Huff when he has practiced at nickel corner. Neither of these accounts mean that either is playing that role. I have been thinking that Demarcus Van Dyke seems like a good possibility. He and Walter McFadden were both listed on the Raiders unofficial depth chart as the second team corners.
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