The Raiders have a day off today, their second break since camp started. Prior to today’s day off the team had practiced for 5 consecutive days and now have a total of 9 practices under their belt. Despite that low number, I’m breaking the time into “weeks” with the days off as the “weekends.”
Here is my recap of the first four practices.
Offensive thoughts:
-Derek Carr continues to improve and is at least the best quarterback the team’s had since Carson Palmer. He certainly has the potential to go above Palmer but is not there yet, I do not think. Carr is a hard worker and works to understand the nuances of the game. He is unfailingly positive and upbeat – probably to fault at times – but he has really improved in controlling the huddle and making this his team.
As has been noted by most writers, Carr has very good chemistry with Michael Crabtree and he continues to look Crabtree’s way more than the other receivers, with the connection producing consistent results. There’s not been a day that I can recall that two did not hook up for either a TD or a big play, with the end zone fade pass to the corner being the most successful.
Carr’s connection with rookie Amari Cooper has started to improve although they still miss some passes that they ought to connect. In a recent practice Cooper got behind DJ Hayden, Carr noticed and threw it deep and the two hooked up for a forty yard reception that Cooper was then able to take the distance for a TD. There was another instance in the last week where Cooper caught an out route, turned inside on a dime, and scooted up field in a gap in coverage for another long TD. As the two get more in sync, these big plays should continue to happen.
-With Rod Streater out for the entire camp with an undisclosed illness, Kenbrell Thompkins has stepped up as the teams’ third best available receiver in the meantime. He has received the bulk of the slot work so far with Cooper and Crabtree mostly playing outside (although the receivers do move around depending on need).
Andre Holmes started camp struggling with drops and inconsistency but he’s really brought up his game in recent practices, catching a few big passes and throwing in some touchdowns for good measure. He isn’t a lock at this point but he does seem to have a good shot at making the team.
Depending on Streater’s health, that puts the team five deep at receiver: Crabtree, Cooper, Streater, Thompkins, Holmes. The sixth receiver may well be Trindon Holliday, who is the best bet to win the returner job. The team is unlikely to go with more than six receivers.
If my predictions are correct, that leaves Brice Butler, Kris Durham and fan-favorite Josh Harper on the outs although all of them would be candidates for the practice squad. If Streater’s illness continued and he were not able to go, Butler seems like the most likely candidate to get bumped up, with the 6’6″ Kris Durham as a darkhorse candidate. Durham has made a number of plays on the second and third team throughout camp.
-Latavius Murray remains the best runner in camp, blending speed with strength. If he’s able to stay healthy, he should be able to do some real damage on opposing defenses this year.
Behind Murray, it’s less clear-cut. Roy Helu looked dangerous the first few practices but hasn’t been on the field for the last six practices due to an injury.
Taiwan Jones looks explosive but speed can be deceptively alluring during camp, when tackling is not the same as in a game (why Darren McFadden always looked much better in camp thanab games). I have my doubts about Taiwan’s ability to break tackles in game situations, so I’m looking forward to seeing him in preseason.
Undrafted rookie Michael Dyer was also standing out in practices the first week but, like Helu, missed all of the practices this week and is still a question-mark for the coaching staff.
Trent Richardson continues to underwhelm and I’d be surprised if he made the team at this point.
-The offensive line is looking like it will be a strength for the team, especially the left side. As he should with his contract size, Rodney Hudson has been a beast in blocking and looks especially good in pass blocking both in drills and in contact simulations. He went against large DT Dan Williams 1-on-1 in a recent practice and beat Williams three of three times, knocking Williams to the ground the last of the three.
To Hudson’s left, Gabe Jackson continues to look great and many around camp believe that the second-year guard could potentially push for a Pro Bowl consideration with a strong year.
Capping the left side of the line, Donald Penn is still looking solid at 32 years old and should have enough in his tank for at least another season of protecting Carr’s blind side, if not more.
Surprisingly, J’Marcus Webb, a former tackle who is converting to guard and has been inserted as the starting right guard, hasn’t been bad. He shows good movement and better than expected blocking. In a recent 1-on-1 blocking drill, Webb beat Justin Tuck each of the three times they faced off. I will be interested to see how he looks against a different opponent in preseason games.
Right tackle is shaping up to be a concern and the biggest question for the line. Menelik Watson was looking shaky during the first practices and then was injured and hasn’t been on the field for the last four practices this week. Behind him, Austin Howard has looked worse and does not inspire any confidence. The team doesn’t have much else at tackle with Matt McCants moving to guard, Dan Kistler not having the requisite upper body strength and rookie Anthony Morris still raw.
Additional line notes: Rookie Jon Feliciano has taken almost all of his snaps as the backup LG behind Gabe Jackson so I don’t expect him to crack the starting lineup any time soon. Tony Bergstrom has been getting the 2nd team reps at center but I doubt he makes the team. He’s struggled with the big blockers and cannot hang with them one on one, which would be a problem for the offensive unit if Hudson were to get injured.
-Tight end Lee Smith is a blocking specialist and is very good at it. He’s a body-mover at the tight end position and I expect a lot of big runs being sprung behind him. Rookie Clive Walford had a good offseason up to training camp but has missed all nine practices with an undisclosed injury and will likely be no better than 3rd on the depth chart when he joins the team again. I expect Smith to be the top tight end to start the year with pass-receiving tight end Mychal Rivera, who has had a solid camp as an outlet receiver for Carr, to be the 2nd tight end in passing situations.
-Marcel Reece has really slimmed down and looks unlikely to fill the smash-mouth fullback role as much this year. While he’ll still have some lead blocking duties, that increases Jamize Olawale’s chances of making the team if Musgrave values a true fullback on the squad.
Reece has been sent out to run a good amount of routes and will likely be used in that way frequently to create mismatches against linebackers. He’s looked good out in the open field and the weight loss has agreed with him, helping him restore some of the agility that he appeared to lose last season.
Defensive thoughts:
-Khalil Mack has lined up at defensive end almost the entire camp and the first depth chart, although not official, has him as a starting defensive end. This is a good choice because he is by far the best pass rusher on the team. He has been unstoppable at points during camp and I expect him to push the opposing offensive line in every game this year.
Opposite Mack, Justin Tuck will rotate with second round rookie Mario Edwards Jr. Tuck is reaching an age at which his skills will plateau at best and likely will decline so by season’s end I think Edwards will have worked into a good amount of playing time.
The middle of the line will be manned by Dan Williams and Justin “Jelly” Ellis both of whom are stout against the run but want to show they can push a pocket and provide some pass rush, too. It will be interesting to see if this is the case because neither has been particularly effective at this thus far.
Undrafted rookie Leon Orr has decent burst for his size and could make a push for the roster.
-Mack’s move has meant that Curtis Lofton, Ray-Ray Armstrong and Malcolm Smith are initially the first team linebackers but Sio Moore should earn his way back up by the time the season starts. Moore has his flaws as a player but he’s still much more effective than the other options.
Lofton hasn’t stood out much and it’s a question if he’ll be able (or should) stay on the field for three downs. His skill set may be better suited to two downs and yielding to better coverage options on third. Behind Lofton, rookie Ben Heeney has had a solid camp and could earn increased playing time if Lofton struggles. Heeney has good instincts and has had several tackles for losses on running backs in recent practices.
-At cornerback, DJ Hayden struggled early on but has put together some solid practices later. He is competing with TJ Carrie and Keith McGill for playing time and it’s likely that either Hayden or Carrie would slide inside to cover the slot when the opposing team fields multiple wideouts. Keith McGill is a better fit outside as a press corner, here he can use his length whether or not he earns the starting spot.
Nate Allen should be the teams’ free safety with Charles Woodson moving up to the strong safety position, much as he did last season. Jonathan Dowling has had a lot of playing time in camp and seems very likely to make the team potentially at the expense of Brandian Ross, who hasn’t had much time in camp. Dowling has made some solid plays in camp and looks much better after a year behind him.
Larry Asante has been the primary backup to Woodson and he, too, has been solid in camp and seems likely to make the team. Safeties are one of the hardest positions to evaluate in camp but the group looks pretty decent.
Head coach Jack Del Rio felt like the team has accomplished a lot during their first nine practices and the pace and tone do seem more upbeat even than normal this year. The team is young and hungry and ready to turn the franchise around. They have two more practices then a day off before their first preseason game versus the Rams on Friday. It will be interesting to see how the team fares against St Louis, who beat them 52-0 last season. The score in preseason never matters as much as how the match up.
The starters aren’t likely to play much more than a series, maybe two, in their first game. If the team can hit the ground running, it will only intensify the practices as they Raiders look to make some noise in 2015.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
