It is day 211 in the wait to hear from Hue Jackson, but the Raiders say that it is coming soon enough. Today, Jackson had reporters jazzed as he approached the speaking podium after practice juked the awaiting reporters right out of their jockstraps with a big smile and a “Psych!”
But when asked when he would be talking, Jackson said, “Soon, soon.”On another note, Michael Huff is looking for a personal assistant, he tweeted, “Its hot as cheese outside and were in full pads….somebody needs to bring me 3 bottles of orange pedialyte and a bag of craisins.”
Huff is obviously worried about the extreme temperatures in Napa this week. After what will most likely be the hottest day of practice yesterday at 103 degrees, the Raiders were treated to a nice breeze on this day.
And Bruce Gradkowski was a nice breath of fresh air. He got perhaps his most extensive work of the year today and he made the most of it, reminding reporters that Kyle Boller is indeed the third best quarterback on the team with throws like the one which ended practice today, a 40-yard post strike to Todd Watkins, who made a diving catch for a touchdown. Gradkowski ran the length of the field for a chest bump with Watkins after the play.
I told ya’ll Watkins is a good receiver.
Veldheer is Story of the Day
Jared Veldheer will get a chance to show the Raiders coaches exactly what he has in his bag of tricks on Saturday night as he makes his first start with the first team offense as their center. Hopefully he and Jason Campbell can get some good reps on getting their snap exchange.
“The thing about the games is just getting used to each other and playing with each other,” said Jason Campbell. “The more we do that the better we’ll become and the more chemistry we’ll grow during the game.”
Veldheer is very smart, which is condusive to the center position because the center generally makes the calls for the offensive line at the line of scrimmage. But Veldheer is also very tall at 6’8″ which is generally not condusive to playing center because you like to have a low center of gravity for 1) to get a good base upon the snap of the ball and 2) so you quarterback doesn’t have a butt in his face.
We’ll have to wait and see on Veldheer, but one thing is for sure, it should be a good show and it’s a great opportunity for the rookie.
Brennan Eligible for Practice Squad
According to Vittorio Tafur, Colt Brennan will be eligible for the practice squad for the Raiders this year because “Even though he was Redskins emergency No. 3 quarterback 2 years ago, he wasn’t active & therefore (is) eligible for (the) practice squad.”
This is interesting news, and I’ve never heard anything quite like it since I started covering football. But apparently, there are exceptions to some of the practice squad eligible rules. I didn’t think Brennan would make the team due to the fact that he came into the mix so late in the offseason. It was obvious to me that he was just an extra arm while some guys recovered. But I can’t think of a quarterback that I would want running my practice squad any more than Colt Brennan. If this works out, it could be a great pick-up by the Raiders down the road.
DB and WR Notes
Darrius Heyward-Bey looks like the time off has got him all refreshed. He made some good catches today including a nice one over the middle with all hands, believe it or not. His partner in crime Louis Murphy made a late start and then came in and directly had a ball fall straight from his hands on a Bruce Gradkowski pass. It’s okay though, he wasn’t warmed up. Meanwhile Tom Cable said he would have more info on the Schilens timeline next week.
Chris Johnson returned from his sore hamstring and nearly had a pick-six. Nnamdi Asomugha is super excited about the upcoming season, he introduced himself on Behind the Shield by saying, “Nnamdi Asomugha, #21, cornerback, safety, wide receiver, and back-up quarterback…if needed.”
“I’m excited about the season,” Asomugha said more seriously. “We have a chance to do something that we haven’t done since I’ve been here and that’s have a winning season. I think that we have what it takes to have that.”
Levi and Patrick will be back tomorrow. They were out at practice when Patrick suffered heat stroke. He’s okay, but you can send him your well wishes on the TFDS Facebook Page.
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