The Oakland Raiders 2018 Season Thread

[HNL HI]

Where you been at my dude? Hope life’s treating you straight.

I'm good bro, thanks for asking. Check you twitter when you get a chance tho.

 

[laker4lifeman]

You guys ever see a number and forget that's not the old player. I just saw 80 RIP Streater.

 

[Johnny_Cakes]

You guys ever see a number and forget that's not the old player. I just saw 80 RIP Streater.

Hall wearing Seymour's number.

 

[HNL HI]

Beth Mowins is high key a good announcer

 

[HNL HI]

former Hawaii great Nick Nelson was making some noise out there in the second half.

 

[raider5]

former Hawaii great Nick Nelson was making some noise out there in the second half.

You could see why he never got any INT’s tho

 

[sohi 23]

Pj Hall, Nick Nelson, Marquell Lee & Chris Warren stood out for me.

But the best thing was seeing actual offense being run

Connor cook looked decent.
Marshawn still got burners.
Glad to see KJ get extended PT. He was laying some hits out there.
Denver Kirkland looked good and so did the FB Keith Smith.

Good game.

 

[HNL HI]

 

[raider5]

 

[raider5]

Read somewhere that DeAndre Washington averaged 6.3 YPC last night.

We got hella RB’s on this squad. How many do you think we keep and who? Doug Martin didn’t even play last night but I heard he looks good in camp.

 

[HNL HI]

Gruden supposedly loves Martin.

Warren looked good but need to see more, remember the hype for Atkinson?

 

[HNL HI]

 

[raider5]

Gruden supposedly loves Martin.

Warren looked good but need to see more, remember the hype for Atkinson?

The hype on GA3 was never legit tho lol

The hype behind Chris Warren might be. Only because he provides a different type of back - will probably fill the Zach Crockett role in short yardage situations.

Can’t see them keeping both DeAndre and Jalen.

 

[njavier03]

good. he's been the player i've been most disappointed with.

 

[ThePeoplesChamp_]

https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/08...rs-radio-debut/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

 

[Johnny_Cakes]

I don't know how useful it is to show Ted's articles since the accompanying videos to his explanations don't show up, but I'll keep posting them in here.

Raiders Film Room: Breaking down the preseason debuts of Hall, Hurst, Miller and others

By Ted Nguyen 6h ago

16

What’s as true now as it was in 1998? The fact that football games are won and lost in the trenches.

Which is why the Raiders made a huge effort in the draft to improve both the offensive line and defensive line, and, so far, it looks like their investments might pay off. In their first preseason game against the Lions on Friday, the young linemen flashed some promising ability. Defensively, the rookie defensive tandem of P.J. Hall and Maurice Hurst caused havoc inside. Offensively, left tackle Kolton Miller had a very solid game, while right tackle David Sharpe looked like a much-improved player.

P.J. Hall
Hall had freaky athletic measurables with eye-popping production coming out of Sam Houston State, but it seemed like he dominated at the small school because he was simply bigger, faster and stronger than his opponents.

I had my doubts about whether he could develop fast enough to make an impact in the NFL in his rookie season; but as soon as I saw his first couple of snaps in the Raiders-Lions joint practices last week, I knew I was wrong. In his first two snaps, he just obliterated double teams from the Lions’ starting offensive line. I was shocked by how much power he got coming off the ball. In the game, he also made his presence felt immediately by registering a sack on his very first snap.

Defensive coordinator Paul Guenther’s double A-gap mug scheme put Hall in a 1-on-1 situation with guard Joe Dahl. At first, linebackers Derrick Johnson and Tahir Whitehead mugged both A-gaps. Johnson eventually backed off the line, leaving only Whitehead in the left A-gap. The protection and center turned towards the left in case Whitehead blitzed, but he backed into coverage after the snap.

The defense only rushed four, but Guenther got what he wanted, which was a 1-on-1 for Hall. The edge rushers Bruce Irvin and Fadol Brown got upfield and forced quarterback Matt Cassel to step up in the pocket right into Hall’s waiting arms.

Hall fired off the ball low, got underneath of Dahl, and knocked him off balance. Dahl actually did a decent job of recovering, but Hall kept working, got his hands in good position, and lifted Dahl off his feet before finally getting rid of him and finishing for the sack.

Maurice Hurst
During the joint practices, Hurst got the occasional pressure, but he just disappeared for some stretches. He was much more disruptive in the actual game.

On this play, he quickly beat Dahl off the line of scrimmage. Instant wins like this are rare for defensive tackles. Hurst fired off the ball like a bat out of hell and quickly pinned down Dahl’s outside arm and ripped through to pressure the quarterback. Hall was double-teamed on the other side but did a nice job using his athletic ability to react to the pass and knock it down. Having two defensive tackles with the quickness of Hall and Hurst will be difficult for offenses to handle inside in passing situations.

Hurst’s big weakness coming out of Michigan was his ability to anchor against double teams — he just isn’t strong enough to do it consistently. If he doesn’t split the double team with his quickness, he’ll likely get driven back.

Here, the right guard and tackle closed their splits down, got their hips together, and drove Hurst four yards downfield. There are techniques that Hurst must learn to avoid getting driven back so far, such as creating a pile so he can at least protect his linebackers. Fortunately for Hurst, the Raiders also have Justin Ellis and Mario Edwards Jr., who can play on run downs while he improves his technique against double teams.

This is how Hurst can win against double teams. He has to use his quickness to split them, turn his shoulders and get “skinny.” Here, he penetrated the backfield and would have had a tackle for loss if he wasn’t held around the back.

He’ll have a much easier time beating doubles from the back side of runs rather than the front side. Guenther should try to line him on the weak side of formations as much as possible. Hurst was drafted to rush the quarterback. As he matures, his body will develop and he’ll improve his technique. But for now, he’ll be a liability at times at the point of attack.

David Sharpe
“(Sharpe’s) a contender at right tackle,” Jon Gruden said after a recent training camp practice. “He has the size and the thump and the mass and the potential to be a really good right tackle, but he’s not right now; but he sure has an upside.”

Sharpe has flashed in practice but overall his footwork and fundamentals were not up to par as he was relearning the position from the right side. In Friday’s game, he had some technical lapses but looked like a much-improved player. According to Pro Football Focus, Sharpe only allowed two hurries in 24 pass-blocking snaps.

One of Sharpe’s biggest problems in practice was his impatience. He would step too wide and too quickly on his pass sets in an attempt to make contact with pass rushers and would lose his balance or get beaten inside. He looked much more patient against the Lions and the clip above is a good example of it. He gave guard Denver Kirkland a little help with a nudge with his inside hand before patiently stepping directly backward rather than wide to pick up defensive end Alex Barrett (No. 5. Additionally, Sharpe’s hand placement was perfect, as he got his inside hand low and on the side of Barrett to push him upfield.

Sharpe was also exceptional at handling stunts. However, he was below average in run blocking, which is usually his strength. Overall, this was a huge game for Sharpe and certainly made the competition for the right tackle position a little closer.

Kolton Miller
Miller’s big technical flaw coming out of UCLA was a false step he had his pass set. Props to line coach Tom Cable, because that false step looks to be gone.

Closeup on Kolton Miller's right foot. He no longer false steps, but he does still lift his heel and re-sets his foot. Minor detail, but every bit counts when facing guys like Von Miller et al. Huge adj from his college tape, though and look forward to continued development! pic.twitter.com/QQDIgQTZFv

— Safe Gipsy (@GipsySafety) August 13, 2018

Miller still has a ways to go from the technical and strength standpoints for him to be trusted against the likes of Joey Bosa, Von Miller, and Justin Houston; but the progress he’s made from his college tape should certainly be encouraging for the Raiders. Miller only gave up one hurry against the Lions, and on that play he still got enough of the end to push him past Carr, who stepped up. Keep in mind though, the Lions really don’t have an elite pass rusher except for Ziggy Ansah, who didn’t play in this game.

His one negative play was a holding penalty on what would have been a 60-yard touchdown run for Marshawn Lynch. His initial footwork was good and he was in good position, but he simply wasn’t strong enough to sustain the block and tried to restrict defensive end Anthony Zettel by wrapping his arm around him.

Miller’s ability to digest the playbook and intelligence has been praised by coaches in the offseason and it showed up against the Lions.

On this play, the Raiders were in a five-man protection, but the Lions brought six, which meant they had one more rusher than the Raiders could block. Miller saw the defensive end slip and made the correct decision by directing his attention to the inside blitzer, who had a shorter route to the quarterback. You could see Miller’s remarkable bend and movement skills for a man of his stature on the play — he was able to quickly redirect his hips inside, cover some distance, and get a piece of the defender.

Again, Miller’s progress has been a pleasant surprise, but the Raiders still don’t know where Miller’s development truly is until he faces an elite rusher in a game situation. In preseason Week 3, against the Packers, he might get to go against Clay Matthews. If he can stonewall Matthews, then the talk about Miller possibly being a Day 1 starter might get a little more serious.

Extra points
— Derek Carr struggled to hit deep posts in minicamp and OTAs. He hit a few in training camp but misplaced a pass Friday to Martavis Bryant, who was open on a post on first-and-20. The pattern is going to be a staple in Gruden’s offense, so Carr might want to spend some extra time after practice to get his timing and location down with his receivers.

— The Raiders looked much more coordinated in the scramble drill when quarterbacks broke the pocket, which has been a problem in the last few years. Receivers coach Edgar Bennett said that they’ve focused on it in practice.

— In Day 1 of the Raiders/Lions joint practices, the Raiders had trouble defending the counter play. In Day 2, they used the drill in the clip below to work on their linebacker’s “spill” and “scrape” responsibilities. Watch how the drill translates to the actual game. The clip from the game isn’t quite the same counter play but the same principles apply.

 

[Johnny_Cakes]

Fresh off his best Raiders performance, Connor Cook deals with Jon Gruden’s raised expectations

By David Lombardi 48m ago

NAPA — Even when he’s speaking calmly, the sound of Jon Gruden’s voice is unmistakable around the Raiders’ training camp facility. It pierces the damp morning wine country air with familiar authority.

When Gruden is yelling angrily, the sound of his voice remains just as distinctive, and it carries all the way to the parking lot, and maybe beyond.

So on Monday, after the Raiders had nonchalantly dispersed a huddle during scrimmage action, Gruden bellowed his disapproval. Their 11 claps hadn’t come in perfect unison, and the coach was peeved. So backup quarterback Connor Cook and the rest of the offenders bunched back up and repeated the process — properly this time.

“You know, when you have a lackluster huddle break, you start to become like all the other teams that don’t huddle anymore,” Gruden said after practice, when he was little more relaxed but still took some time to vent when asked about the incident. “Nobody huddles, nobody communicates anymore. You watch high school and college and a lot of pro teams, they don’t get in the huddle.

“But when we get in there, we’ve gotta convey a lot of information. And when we get out of there, we’ve got to break the huddle crisply so that we can get lined up and get moving. So I put that on the center and the quarterback.”

Gruden then paused, and after a second or two of pensiveness, broke out that devilish grin of his.

“I guess I got a little upset,” Gruden said.

The coach certainly wasn’t angry about Cook’s performance in the Raiders’ preseason opener last Friday, during which they beat the Detroit Lions, 16-10. Cook finished 11 for 19 for 141 yards and a touchdown, a performance that featured accurate, improvised throws on the move to Paul Butler and Ryan Switzer.

It was the best that Cook, who was drafted in 2016 and thrown into emergency playoff action as a rookie when both Derek Carr and Matt McGloin were hurt, has looked so far in a Raiders uniform.

“I liked the look in his eyes,” Gruden said of Cook. “I thought he was confident and in control.”

And that’s where the compliments from Gruden stopped. He pivoted to discussing Monday’s practice, which saw Cook, fresh off his success, encounter raised expectations from his coach.

“We made it hard on him today, put him in some tough positions,” Gruden said. “You don’t get a chance to read your clippings and celebrate your press conferences for long in this business, so, hopefully, he got his eyes opened today and can learn from this film. Because he missed a couple throws we think he can hit.”

Cook also fumbled a snap in the red zone. And of course, there was that lackadaisical huddle break, too.

“You want everybody clapping their hands in sync together,” Cook said about the huddle break after practice, clearly having absorbed Gruden’s teaching point. “Any time you don’t have that, it’s lousy. It’s not good football.”

But Monday’s struggles can’t be viewed in a vacuum. They come in the larger context of good football from Cook, who seems to be benefiting from Gruden’s intensity and attention the detail. The coach isn’t afraid to tell things how he sees them — that much was on clear display at practice — and Cook appreciates the transparency.

“He’s just a great communicator in the meeting room, on the field, hanging around the weight room,” Cook said of Gruden. “He’s a great teacher of the game, and he’s making sure we’re all in sync together.”

The added challenge Monday came in the form of an array of exotic blitzes that Raiders defensive coordinator Paul Guenther dialed up against Cook, especially during red zone work. Cook pointed out that opposing defenses — including the Lions last Friday — typically stick to base schemes during the preseason so that they don’t tip their strategies before the games actually count.

But camp practices aren’t televised, so Guenther didn’t need to hold anything back for secrecy’s sake, and Cook faced the fire.

“Guenther was throwing a lot of these other crazy blitzes at us,” Cook said. “You don’t know where they’re coming from.”

Cook thinks that he handled most of the new pressure looks decently well but acknowledged that Monday’s mistakes must be rectified. The Raiders, who are aware of the importance of quality backup QB play after seeing Carr miss time in each of the past two seasons, certainly hope they will be.

Either Cook or EJ Manuel will be named the second-stringer behind Carr by the time Week 1 hits. Gruden says that the competition is currently unresolved, but Cook has come out of the gates strong this year.

He’s even been effective enough to spark some fury in his coach, which — in Gruden’s case — isn’t necessarily a bad sign. It means that the bar has been raised, and that’s a sign of progress for Cook in his third year.

“You want to make practice hard so the games are easy,” Cook said. “You want to perfect practice. Consistency in everything — not just in the game and practice, but in everything. You want to win each practice. Keep the foot on the gas. And I want to be the best version of myself every single day.”

Practice notes
— Cornerback Gareon Conley, who suffered a hip injury on the first day of camp and hadn’t practiced since, was back in action Monday.

“Great to see Gareon out there,” Gruden said. “He healed quicker than anybody expected. Credit to him and our coaching staff.”

Carr threw in Conley’s direction on the corner’s very first play back. It was a completion to Johnny Holton in the flat, and Conley laid a solid, pad-popping hit to knock off some rust.

“Told you!” safety Erik Harris yelled at Conley right after, presumably because he had anticipated that the Raiders offense would test Conley immediately upon his return to the field.

Holton, who dropped a pair of passes on the day, later beat Conley on a deep play-action route.

— As soon as one corner returned, the Raiders lost another one. Daryl Worley left practice after colliding with teammate Rashaan Melvin.

‘That’s football,” Gruden said. “We’re hoping everybody’s all right. I’ll have an update later.”

— Rookies Arden Key and Brandon Parker were also both back at practice for the Raiders, while receiver Seth Roberts and safety Obi Melifonwu again missed practice, as did receiver Martavis Bryant. Gruden said Bryant was in his hotel room with a headache.

There was also an injury report on offensive tackle Breno Giacomini, who has missed most of camp with a knee problem.

“He still has some pain and swelling in his knee,” Gruden said. “It’s improving. Hopefully, we get him out soon.”

Gruden emphasized how important depth along the offensive line will be, noting that the Los Angeles Rams — the Raiders’ opponent this Saturday and in Week 1 of the regular season — were the only NFL team that had its five first-string offensive linemen available for all 16 games last season.

— Running back draw plays were especially effective during live periods of practice Monday. Both Doug Martin and DeAndré Washington exploded for big gains after catching the Raiders defense off guard.

— Music blared from the nearby weight room during Gruden’s post-practice press conference. “Does that music bother you guys?” Gruden asked. “It does bother me.”

Word reached the weight room fast. Within just a few seconds, the music stopped.

 

[mr jordan04]

Donald Penn took a small pay cut

 

[raider5]

 

[Johnny_Cakes]

Am I the only one that wants Sean back on a one year minimum deal?

 

[mr jordan04]

Am I the only one that wants Sean back on a one year minimum deal?

Yes

 

[njavier03]

i know you're not talking about Sean Smith

 

[willie mcfly22]

Am I the only one that wants Sean back on a one year minimum deal?

 

[sohi 23]

Penn deserves credit for willingly going to RT. Might not have had much of a choice but he's a team player. Respect.

 

[raider5]

Penn deserves credit for willingly going to RT. Might not have had much of a choice but he's a team player. Respect.

Apparently it’s not a permenant transition yet. There’s testing it out to see how he feels and how it works out overall.

But he did say he’s down to do it if it’s for the better of the team and acknowledged that he gets it...that he’s a 35 year old offensive lineman.