The Official 2013 Oakland Raiders Season Thread

[BayArea Breez]

The Raiders bolstered their roster on the heels of the NFL draft by signing 14 players that went undrafted.
During the three-round, seven-round draft last week, the Raiders added 10 players. Soon thereafter, they added the following 14:
Linebacker Billy Boyko (Lehigh), defensive back Adrian Bushnell (Louisville), punter Bobby Cowan (Idaho), center Deveric Gallington (Texas Tech), safety Shelton Johnson (Wisconsin), tight end Brian Leonhardt (Bemidji State), guard Lamar Mady (Youngstown State), wide receivers Sam McGuffie (Rice) and Conner Vernon (Duke), QB Kyle Padron (Eastern Washington), defensive tackle Kurt Taufa’asau (Wyoming), offensive tackle John Wetzel (Boston College), running back Deonte Williams (Cal Poly) and long-snapper Adam Steiner (Akron).
Here’s brief bios on the newest Raiders.

Billy Boyko (6-2, 240) LB – Lehigh: Played four years at Lehigh, playing in 41 games. He played in 11 games with 10 starts as a senior, leading the team with 104 tackles (53 solo).

Adrian Bushell (5-10, 190) DB – Louisville: Played two years at Louisville after also playing at Cedar Valley Community College and Florida. He posted 62 tackles (45 solo) and one interception as a senior at Louisville.

Bobby Cowan (6-4, 220) P – Idaho: Played four years at Idaho, becoming Idaho’s all-time leading punter with an average of 44.7 yards per punt. He punted 70 times as a senior, averaging 43.1 yards per attempt.

Deveric Gallington (6-3, 315) C – Texas Tech: Finished collegiate career making 38 consecutive starts on the offensive line. He started all 13 games as a senior and helped the team rush for 1,674 yards, the most for Texas Tech since 1998.

Shelton Johnson (6-0, 197) S – Wisconsin: Saw action in 46 games with 23 starts in four years at Wisconsin. He played in 11 games with 10 starts as a senior in 2012, and recorded four interceptions as a junior in 2011.

Brian Leonhardt (6-5, 255) TE – Bemidji State: Played four years at Bemidji State. He ranked third on the team with 25 receptions for 343 yards and three touchdowns as a senior.

Lamar Mady (6-2, 315) G – Youngstown State: Played two years at Youngstown State after transferring from Butler County Community College. He started all 11 games as a senior in 2012.

Sam McGuffie (5-10, 200) WR – Rice: Played three years at Rice after transferring from Michigan. He became first Rice player with 1,000 career yards in both rushing and receiving. As a senior, he totaled 54 receptions for 603 yards and five touchdowns.

Kyle Padron (6-3, 225) QB – Eastern Washington: Played one season at Eastern Washington after transferring from SMU. He played in 11 games as a senior, completing 175-of-296 pass attempts for 2,491 yards and 17 touchdowns. He posted a 12-9 record in 21 starts at SMU.

Adam Steiner (6-2, 240) LS – Akron: Saw action as Akron’s long-snapper for four years. His father, Charles, played in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills.

Kurt Taufa’asau (6-2, 300) DT – Wyoming: Played two years at Wyoming after transferring from New Mexico Military College. He played in seven games as a senior, totaling 22 tackles (13 solo) and 1 ½ tackles for loss.

Conner Vernon (6-0, 192) WR – Duke: Played four years at Duke, totaling 198 receptions for 2,675 yards and 13 touchdowns. A two-time second-team All-ACC selection, he became the only player in ACC history to register multiple seasons with 70 or more receptions.

John Wetzel (6-7, 315) T – Boston College: Saw action in 38 games in four years at Boston College. He started all 12 games as a senior in 2012, pass blocking for an offense that averaged 259.3 passing yards per game.

Deonte Williams (5-10, 213) RB – Cal Poly: Played two years at Cal Poly after transferring from Sierra College. An Oakland native, he rushed for 1,547 yards on 231 carries and 12 touchdowns as a senior in 2012.




Bolded are my sleepers to make the team/practice squad

 

[Hater]

Charles Woodson saying he don't mind playing for a rebuilding team.
Reggie should bring him back Branch and Woodson at safety and he can be a mentor to Hayden

 

[Supreme]

Charles Woodson saying he don't mind playing for a rebuilding team.
Reggie should bring him back Branch and Woodson at safety and he can be a mentor to Hayden

 

[PTBG]

UPDATE: The Raiders have reportedly offered Joshua Cribbs a contract. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com is reporting Cribbs passed a physical for his knee during his visit to Oakland, prompting the Raiders to offer him a contract. The report says Cribbs' next visit will be with the New York Jets.

Always liked Cribbs, he would be a major boost on punt and kick returns. And he can still play WR, even if its mostly as a decoy. Hopefully we pick up a veteran WR, maybe someone like Brandon Lloyd?? Also, wouldn't mind picking up another vetern RB for cheap. And if Woodson comes back. Was my favorite Raider when he was with us. Woodson at FS with Branch at SS and a nice nucleus of Hayden, Porter, and Jenkins. It would make too much sense.

 

[Supreme]

Spoiler

 

[G.O.A.T Squad Spokesman]

[ame]https://twitter.com/ProFootballTalk/status/333340180910071808[/ame]

 

[Skooby]

https://twitter.com/ProFootballTalk/status/333340180910071808

I'm surprised she lasted this long considering Al Davis brung her in. The only female in an NFL front office.

 

[Skooby]

49ers hire Ronald Curry as assistant coach


The 33-year-old Curry, a 2002 seventh-round draft pick of the Raiders who played in Oakland for seven seasons, will be an offensive assistant, the 49ers announced today.

“The 49ers and our staff are pleased to be initiating Ronald’s NFL coaching career,” 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh said. “Our team will greatly benefit from Ronald’s athletic experiences, and we are happy that he and his wife, Stacie, are joining our football family.”

Harbaugh was on the Raiders’ coaching staff for Curry’s first two seasons, and Curry’s position coach at the start of his career with the Raiders, John Morton, is now the 49ers’ receivers coach. So although this move seems to come out of left field, Curry knows the staff and knows how they do things, and Harbaugh thinks Curry can add some value to the staff.

Curry was a spectacular schoolboy athlete who as a high schooler in Virginia was often compared favorably to Michael Vick as a quarterback and Allen Iverson as a point guard. He had scholarship offers from major schools to play both football and basketball, and he ended up playing both sports at North Carolina. He didn’t live up to his high school hype, but he did end up having a solid NFL career. And now he embarks on his post-playing career.

 

[PTBG]

The Oakland Raiders made a lot of moves at the quarterback position this off season. They traded away the 2012 starter in Carson Palmer, traded for the presumptive 2013 starter in Matt Flynn and drafted what looked like a project with potential in Tyler Wilson. But after just one rookie camp, there are already murmurs of Wilson pushing for the starting job.

Poor Matt Flynn must be having nightmares right about now.

Before the 2012 season, Flynn signed with the Seattle Seahawks, where he was thought to be the presumptive starter as well. Then the Seahawks drafted a project quarterback in the third round by the name of Russell Wilson. As it turns out, Wilson was more ready to play in the NFL than anyone had imagined and eventually led the Seahawks to the playoffs. Meanwhile, Flynn was a true professional and supported his teammates as he saw his chances of starting in Seattle go down the drain.

This off season, Flynn was traded to the Raiders where it was announced that he would enter training camp as the presumptive starter. Then the Raiders drafted a project quarterback in the fourth round by the name of Tyler Wilson. Sound familiar? Hell, they even have the same last name.

The pick led to mentions of the similarities after the draft, and now, after only one rookie camp, it is being brought up again. Steve Corkran of the Contra Costa Times is already saying that it is not a stretch to think that Wilson will push for the starting job. This story was quickly picked up by Pro Football Talk.

And like sheep to the herd, here I am writing about it as well, but for a slightly different reason. Not to jump to the way too early conclusion that Wilson will challenge and possibly beat out Flynn, but to point out that Flynn needs to deal with the fact that this is going to be talked about, and probably a lot.

Clearly this is a story that the media is going to focus on throughout the off season as the Raiders go through the process of analyzing what they have and seeing how everyone learns the offense. It Matt Flynn wants to succeed, he will need to do so with the mental strength necessary to ignore the inevitable talk of the similarities from 2012.

He cannot escape the comparisons or the media coverage. Wilson appears to have some legitimate talent, and even if he is not ready to be a starter in the NFL, he will likely show enough flashes to keep this story active. Flynn went through a tough year in Seattle and if he is not mentally tough, this type of off season could really screw with him. But that is ok. A QB must be mentally tough, if Flynn cannot handle this pressure he is not a starting quarterback in the NFL.

Not a bad way to test Flynn's mental toughness. I wonder if McKenzie had that in the back of his mind when he decided to draft a third QB rather than signing a veteran backup.

Damn Flynn can't win anything at all. He came into the Raiders like and thinking he would be an automatic starter. But, once the Raiders drafted another Wilson, he had to be like Plus, a lot of positives came out of Wilson's 1st rookie camp sessions, besides the footwork, he seems like the real deal so far. But, I'm still a bit at the Raiders not giving T-Pry a shot, but let's see what happens. Can't wait for fukking preseason in 3 months.

 

[PTBG]

Much has been made of the heart injury that Raiders rookie first round pick suffered that nearly cost him not only his football career, but his life. He worked hard to get himself back in shape and show the NFL that surviving the injury was the only real obstacle that stood in his way. He defied the odds and became the Raiders top selection in the 2013
draft. The next step was taking the practice field for his new team.

"I'm clear for everything," said Hayden. "I don't even think about it. The only time I think about is when somebody asks me. But when I'm on the field I don't think about that. I think about the play and I think about the coverage that I'm in. I put it past me."

Putting the injury that has received all the discussion behind him in once thing. He entered rookie camp with another injury. But there was no way he was going to let it stop him from his first chance to take a football field in organized practice in six months.

"He's nursing a hamstring a little bit," said head coach Dennis Allen. "He strained his hamstring running a 40 when he was going through the workout process, so he's still not quite 100 percent from there but he's been out there working through it."

Despite the milestone nature to this past weekend's camp, the grounded rookie went through things as he always had.

"It felt like old times," said Hayden. "I did my usual routine. I came here, took a knee, said a little prayer then just went out there. It wasn't like it took my extra time to get ready. I just went out there and did what I did."

What he did was look every bit the first round pick the Raiders expected of him. There was no sign of the hamstring injury that supposedly had him at less than 100%. Granted, he was not facing the caliber talent he will face once he practices with his veteran NFL teammates, but as the Raiders' top pick in the draft, what Hayden needed to do was look like the best player on the field, and he accomplished that.

After working his way back from being bed ridden to taking an NFL practice field, he needed to have a good rookie camp to get his confidence back. On Saturday, he had a couple of nice plays, one of which saw him in one motion, turn and make an outstretched play on the ball to knock it down.

"It helps put me at ease," said Hayden. "As long as I keep making production I feel like I can get better. Just make plays. When I made the little play I was happy. I should have caught it but there's always room for improvement."

Dennis Allen had a similar sentiment with regard to what he saw from Hayden thus far.

"I think he's looked pretty good," said Allen. "He made a nice play on the ball today. I'm pleased with where D.J.'s at. Again, it's going to be a learning process. It's putting one foot in front of the other. I think when it comes time to play games this September, I think he'll be ready to roll."

Considering where this rookie is now with relation to where he was just a few short months ago, I don't think there is any doubt he will be more than ready.

Really hope Hayden makes it big, especially after his heart injury. I really think he can be a shut down corner for us, but I really like most is that he already has shown to have really good technique so far.

 

[BayArea Breez]

Damn Flynn can't win anything at all. He came into the Raiders like and thinking he would be an automatic starter. But, once the Raiders drafted another Wilson, he had to be like Plus, a lot of positives came out of Wilson's 1st rookie camp sessions, besides the footwork, he seems like the real deal so far. But, I'm still a bit at the Raiders not giving T-Pry a shot, but let's see what happens. Can't wait for fukking preseason in 3 months.

i think we're jumping the gun trying to predict what will happen with the qb competition. i think the best thing i love hearing is how much competition will actually take place for that position

great start to a long season

 

[BayArea Breez]

Notes, quotes and observations from mini camp

By Steve Corkran
Saturday, May 11th, 2013 at 4:56 pm in Oakland Raiders.

Saturday marked the second day of the Raiders three-day rookie mini camp. It also represented the only day of the three that the media were permitted to get a look at the team’s 10 draft picks, 14 undrafted free agent signees and handful of first-year players.
It’s tough to gauge what everything means at a practice such as today’s when the veterans aren’t around, players are getting back into the swing of things after a long layoff and there isn’t any contact of note.
Still, there’s plenty to be gleaned by watching how the players comport themselves, how well they execute their assignments and how they acclimate to life as an NFL player.
To that end, here’s a sampling of things gleaned from the two-hour practice at the team’s year-round facility in Alameda:

– Rookie quarterback Tyler Wilson looks nothing like most fourth-round picks. In other words, he looks like he belongs and that he intends to make the most of what he calls an “opportunity.”
Wilson displayed a strong arm, great accuracy and touch and the composure of a veteran player. Put another way, he looks miles ahead of where JaMarcus Russell, Andrew Walter, Marques Tuiasosopo and Terrelle Pryor were when they arrived as Raiders draft picks.
“I like the way that Tyler’s commanded the huddle,” coach Dennis Allen said. “I’ve liked the way that he’s gone through his reads. Obviously, picking up a new system, there’s a little bit of rust there, but throwing the ball, he’s done a nice job. I don’t have any question about his arm strength and his accuracy.”
Wilson said he still has plenty of learning to do, but he’s not approaching this gig as if he’s going to be happy just making the 53-man roster.
It says here that Wilson is on track to push Matt Flynn for the starting job right away and certainly push Pryor for the backup spot held by Matt Leinart last season.

– It seemed rather odd witnessing a player wearing No. 92, defensive tackle Stacy McGee, actually taking part in a practice.
In recent seasons, the guy wearing that number, defensive tackle Richard Seymour, rarely practiced. McGee is battling a sore foot, but he still made it through his second straight practice. Can’t remember the last time Seymour participated in back-to-back practices.
It also seemed strange seeing a player wearing No. 55, linebacker Sio Moore, moving around all over the place and blending in with the defense.
The previous player that donned No. 55, middle linebacker Rolando McClain, often put forth less than full effort and frequently played outside the context of the scheme.

– Seventh-round draft pick Brice Butler made like 2012 fourth-round wide receiver Juron Criner on Saturday, making impressive plays one after another.
On one play, Butler adjusted to a pass slightly off the mark, contorted his body and hauled in the deep pass for what would have been a touchdown.
“He’s a guy that’s a big target, that can really run,” Allen said. “We wanted to try and throw the ball down the field a couple of times to see him go get it and he did a nice job today.”
The lone blemish came on a pass thrown behind Butler. He got his hands on the ball but wasn’t able to make the catch. That’s the play that Butler harped on most, rather than focus on his catches.

– Running back Latavius Murray is a well-rounded player, and one that appears to have everything a team covets.
Murray caught passes with ease out of the backfield, showed nice burst through the line and looked like an Eric dikkerson clone as he emerged into the secondary.
“He runs nice routes, he’s extremely intelligent, so he’s picked up the offense really well, and he’s got really soft hands so he does a nice job not only catching the ball,” Allen said. “But when you look at it, he’s done a nice job of picking up in pass protection.”
At 225 pounds, Murray isn’t going to encounter many defensive backs willing to take him on head on. Murray said he likes to use his speed to run past some defenders and his power to run over others.
If nothing else, it appears as if the Raiders found a great candidate to compensate for the loss of Mike Goodson to the New York Jets in free agency and Taiwan Jones in a conversion to cornerback.
Who knows, if all goes well, the Raiders also might have found a replacement for Darren McFadden after this season. McFadden is in the final season of his rookie contract, and the Raiders aren’t going to break the bank to re-sign him unless he shows that he can hold up for an entire season and performs markedly better than the 3.3-yard average he posted last season.

– Allen said people are making too much of the Raiders going heavy on linebackers in free agency and the draft.
The logical inclination was that the Raiders are preparing for a switch from the 4-3 scheme to the 3-4. Not so fast, Allen said.
“We’re basing out of a 4-3, just like we did last year,” Allen said. “But we’re going to have the ability to have some 3-4 looks, being able to implement those things and try to make them as simple as we can for our players, as well as try to make it complicated for the offense.”
The Raiders let Philip Wheeler walk in free agency and released McClain. Weak-side linebacker Miles Burris is the lone returning starter. However, they signed free agent linebackers Nick Roach, Kaluka Maiava and Kevin Burnett and drafted Moore in the third round out of Connecticut.
There’s another purpose to carrying so many linebackers, Allen said.
“You got to develop depth across the team,” Allen said. “Fortunately for us, we feel good about the linebacker situation and when you really look at it, the quickest way we’re going to help this football team is improving special teams. That’s a big part of it. The linebackers, the secondary, the tight ends, those are all areas that we can improve our football team through special teams.”

– McGee just might be the guy the Raiders were looking for when they sought someone to help lessen the sting of losing Seymour, Tommy Kelly and Desmond Bryant.
“When he walks out on the field, he looks like an NFL defensive tackle,” Allen said. “He’s got really good size and strength and for his size, he moves really well. He’s a guy that has got really good ability to stop the run. Pass rush is an area where he can continue to improve on, but he’s a guy that I’m anxious to see when he really gets a chance to get out there and work.”
Allen defended the Raiders decision to draft McGee, a move that flies contrary to Allen’s and McKenzie’s philosophy to stick to high-character players. McGee was involved in several off-field run-ins with the law during his time at Oklahoma.
McGee said he is hopeful that a change of scenery and getting away from some of the people he is accustomed to hanging around will make a huge difference in his maturation as a person.
“That was something from the past and something I’m looking to move forward from, grow as a person, become a man,” McGee said.
Allen said the Raiders are big on high-character guys. Yet, they opted to take a chance on McGee after an extensive background check allayed their fears of getting burned by someone with a checkered past.
“Guys are going to make mistakes, nobody’s perfect,” Allen said. “When we did all our research on him, we felt like he was a guy we wanted to give a second opportunity to. We’ve had a lot of conversations with him. He understands the mistakes that he’s made in the past. He’s ready to learn from those and move on from it. If he can do that, then he’s got a lot of ability and there might be a football player there for us.”

 

[Supreme]

Notes, quotes and observations from mini camp

By Steve Corkran
Saturday, May 11th, 2013 at 4:56 pm in Oakland Raiders.

Saturday marked the second day of the Raiders three-day rookie mini camp. It also represented the only day of the three that the media were permitted to get a look at the team’s 10 draft picks, 14 undrafted free agent signees and handful of first-year players.
It’s tough to gauge what everything means at a practice such as today’s when the veterans aren’t around, players are getting back into the swing of things after a long layoff and there isn’t any contact of note.
Still, there’s plenty to be gleaned by watching how the players comport themselves, how well they execute their assignments and how they acclimate to life as an NFL player.
To that end, here’s a sampling of things gleaned from the two-hour practice at the team’s year-round facility in Alameda:

– Rookie quarterback Tyler Wilson looks nothing like most fourth-round picks. In other words, he looks like he belongs and that he intends to make the most of what he calls an “opportunity.”
Wilson displayed a strong arm, great accuracy and touch and the composure of a veteran player. Put another way, he looks miles ahead of where JaMarcus Russell, Andrew Walter, Marques Tuiasosopo and Terrelle Pryor were when they arrived as Raiders draft picks.
“I like the way that Tyler’s commanded the huddle,” coach Dennis Allen said. “I’ve liked the way that he’s gone through his reads. Obviously, picking up a new system, there’s a little bit of rust there, but throwing the ball, he’s done a nice job. I don’t have any question about his arm strength and his accuracy.”
Wilson said he still has plenty of learning to do, but he’s not approaching this gig as if he’s going to be happy just making the 53-man roster.
It says here that Wilson is on track to push Matt Flynn for the starting job right away and certainly push Pryor for the backup spot held by Matt Leinart last season.

– It seemed rather odd witnessing a player wearing No. 92, defensive tackle Stacy McGee, actually taking part in a practice.
In recent seasons, the guy wearing that number, defensive tackle Richard Seymour, rarely practiced. McGee is battling a sore foot, but he still made it through his second straight practice. Can’t remember the last time Seymour participated in back-to-back practices.
It also seemed strange seeing a player wearing No. 55, linebacker Sio Moore, moving around all over the place and blending in with the defense.
The previous player that donned No. 55, middle linebacker Rolando McClain, often put forth less than full effort and frequently played outside the context of the scheme.

– Seventh-round draft pick Brice Butler made like 2012 fourth-round wide receiver Juron Criner on Saturday, making impressive plays one after another.
On one play, Butler adjusted to a pass slightly off the mark, contorted his body and hauled in the deep pass for what would have been a touchdown.
“He’s a guy that’s a big target, that can really run,” Allen said. “We wanted to try and throw the ball down the field a couple of times to see him go get it and he did a nice job today.”
The lone blemish came on a pass thrown behind Butler. He got his hands on the ball but wasn’t able to make the catch. That’s the play that Butler harped on most, rather than focus on his catches.

– Running back Latavius Murray is a well-rounded player, and one that appears to have everything a team covets.
Murray caught passes with ease out of the backfield, showed nice burst through the line and looked like an Eric dikkerson clone as he emerged into the secondary.
“He runs nice routes, he’s extremely intelligent, so he’s picked up the offense really well, and he’s got really soft hands so he does a nice job not only catching the ball,” Allen said. “But when you look at it, he’s done a nice job of picking up in pass protection.”
At 225 pounds, Murray isn’t going to encounter many defensive backs willing to take him on head on. Murray said he likes to use his speed to run past some defenders and his power to run over others.
If nothing else, it appears as if the Raiders found a great candidate to compensate for the loss of Mike Goodson to the New York Jets in free agency and Taiwan Jones in a conversion to cornerback.
Who knows, if all goes well, the Raiders also might have found a replacement for Darren McFadden after this season. McFadden is in the final season of his rookie contract, and the Raiders aren’t going to break the bank to re-sign him unless he shows that he can hold up for an entire season and performs markedly better than the 3.3-yard average he posted last season.

– Allen said people are making too much of the Raiders going heavy on linebackers in free agency and the draft.
The logical inclination was that the Raiders are preparing for a switch from the 4-3 scheme to the 3-4. Not so fast, Allen said.
“We’re basing out of a 4-3, just like we did last year,” Allen said. “But we’re going to have the ability to have some 3-4 looks, being able to implement those things and try to make them as simple as we can for our players, as well as try to make it complicated for the offense.”
The Raiders let Philip Wheeler walk in free agency and released McClain. Weak-side linebacker Miles Burris is the lone returning starter. However, they signed free agent linebackers Nick Roach, Kaluka Maiava and Kevin Burnett and drafted Moore in the third round out of Connecticut.
There’s another purpose to carrying so many linebackers, Allen said.
“You got to develop depth across the team,” Allen said. “Fortunately for us, we feel good about the linebacker situation and when you really look at it, the quickest way we’re going to help this football team is improving special teams. That’s a big part of it. The linebackers, the secondary, the tight ends, those are all areas that we can improve our football team through special teams.”

– McGee just might be the guy the Raiders were looking for when they sought someone to help lessen the sting of losing Seymour, Tommy Kelly and Desmond Bryant.
“When he walks out on the field, he looks like an NFL defensive tackle,” Allen said. “He’s got really good size and strength and for his size, he moves really well. He’s a guy that has got really good ability to stop the run. Pass rush is an area where he can continue to improve on, but he’s a guy that I’m anxious to see when he really gets a chance to get out there and work.”
Allen defended the Raiders decision to draft McGee, a move that flies contrary to Allen’s and McKenzie’s philosophy to stick to high-character players. McGee was involved in several off-field run-ins with the law during his time at Oklahoma.
McGee said he is hopeful that a change of scenery and getting away from some of the people he is accustomed to hanging around will make a huge difference in his maturation as a person.
“That was something from the past and something I’m looking to move forward from, grow as a person, become a man,” McGee said.
Allen said the Raiders are big on high-character guys. Yet, they opted to take a chance on McGee after an extensive background check allayed their fears of getting burned by someone with a checkered past.
“Guys are going to make mistakes, nobody’s perfect,” Allen said. “When we did all our research on him, we felt like he was a guy we wanted to give a second opportunity to. We’ve had a lot of conversations with him. He understands the mistakes that he’s made in the past. He’s ready to learn from those and move on from it. If he can do that, then he’s got a lot of ability and there might be a football player there for us.”

​

 

[¯\_(ツ)_/¯]

Charles Woodson in Talks with Denver??



Charles Woodson to meet with Denver Broncos - NFL.com

 

[King Poetic]

Notes, quotes and observations from mini camp

By Steve Corkran
Saturday, May 11th, 2013 at 4:56 pm in Oakland Raiders.

Saturday marked the second day of the Raiders three-day rookie mini camp. It also represented the only day of the three that the media were permitted to get a look at the team’s 10 draft picks, 14 undrafted free agent signees and handful of first-year players.
It’s tough to gauge what everything means at a practice such as today’s when the veterans aren’t around, players are getting back into the swing of things after a long layoff and there isn’t any contact of note.
Still, there’s plenty to be gleaned by watching how the players comport themselves, how well they execute their assignments and how they acclimate to life as an NFL player.
To that end, here’s a sampling of things gleaned from the two-hour practice at the team’s year-round facility in Alameda:

– Rookie quarterback Tyler Wilson looks nothing like most fourth-round picks. In other words, he looks like he belongs and that he intends to make the most of what he calls an “opportunity.”
Wilson displayed a strong arm, great accuracy and touch and the composure of a veteran player. Put another way, he looks miles ahead of where JaMarcus Russell, Andrew Walter, Marques Tuiasosopo and Terrelle Pryor were when they arrived as Raiders draft picks.
“I like the way that Tyler’s commanded the huddle,” coach Dennis Allen said. “I’ve liked the way that he’s gone through his reads. Obviously, picking up a new system, there’s a little bit of rust there, but throwing the ball, he’s done a nice job. I don’t have any question about his arm strength and his accuracy.”
Wilson said he still has plenty of learning to do, but he’s not approaching this gig as if he’s going to be happy just making the 53-man roster.
It says here that Wilson is on track to push Matt Flynn for the starting job right away and certainly push Pryor for the backup spot held by Matt Leinart last season.

– It seemed rather odd witnessing a player wearing No. 92, defensive tackle Stacy McGee, actually taking part in a practice.
In recent seasons, the guy wearing that number, defensive tackle Richard Seymour, rarely practiced. McGee is battling a sore foot, but he still made it through his second straight practice. Can’t remember the last time Seymour participated in back-to-back practices.
It also seemed strange seeing a player wearing No. 55, linebacker Sio Moore, moving around all over the place and blending in with the defense.
The previous player that donned No. 55, middle linebacker Rolando McClain, often put forth less than full effort and frequently played outside the context of the scheme.

– Seventh-round draft pick Brice Butler made like 2012 fourth-round wide receiver Juron Criner on Saturday, making impressive plays one after another.
On one play, Butler adjusted to a pass slightly off the mark, contorted his body and hauled in the deep pass for what would have been a touchdown.
“He’s a guy that’s a big target, that can really run,” Allen said. “We wanted to try and throw the ball down the field a couple of times to see him go get it and he did a nice job today.”
The lone blemish came on a pass thrown behind Butler. He got his hands on the ball but wasn’t able to make the catch. That’s the play that Butler harped on most, rather than focus on his catches.

– Running back Latavius Murray is a well-rounded player, and one that appears to have everything a team covets.
Murray caught passes with ease out of the backfield, showed nice burst through the line and looked like an Eric dikkerson clone as he emerged into the secondary.
“He runs nice routes, he’s extremely intelligent, so he’s picked up the offense really well, and he’s got really soft hands so he does a nice job not only catching the ball,” Allen said. “But when you look at it, he’s done a nice job of picking up in pass protection.”
At 225 pounds, Murray isn’t going to encounter many defensive backs willing to take him on head on. Murray said he likes to use his speed to run past some defenders and his power to run over others.
If nothing else, it appears as if the Raiders found a great candidate to compensate for the loss of Mike Goodson to the New York Jets in free agency and Taiwan Jones in a conversion to cornerback.
Who knows, if all goes well, the Raiders also might have found a replacement for Darren McFadden after this season. McFadden is in the final season of his rookie contract, and the Raiders aren’t going to break the bank to re-sign him unless he shows that he can hold up for an entire season and performs markedly better than the 3.3-yard average he posted last season.

– Allen said people are making too much of the Raiders going heavy on linebackers in free agency and the draft.
The logical inclination was that the Raiders are preparing for a switch from the 4-3 scheme to the 3-4. Not so fast, Allen said.
“We’re basing out of a 4-3, just like we did last year,” Allen said. “But we’re going to have the ability to have some 3-4 looks, being able to implement those things and try to make them as simple as we can for our players, as well as try to make it complicated for the offense.”
The Raiders let Philip Wheeler walk in free agency and released McClain. Weak-side linebacker Miles Burris is the lone returning starter. However, they signed free agent linebackers Nick Roach, Kaluka Maiava and Kevin Burnett and drafted Moore in the third round out of Connecticut.
There’s another purpose to carrying so many linebackers, Allen said.
“You got to develop depth across the team,” Allen said. “Fortunately for us, we feel good about the linebacker situation and when you really look at it, the quickest way we’re going to help this football team is improving special teams. That’s a big part of it. The linebackers, the secondary, the tight ends, those are all areas that we can improve our football team through special teams.”

– McGee just might be the guy the Raiders were looking for when they sought someone to help lessen the sting of losing Seymour, Tommy Kelly and Desmond Bryant.
“When he walks out on the field, he looks like an NFL defensive tackle,” Allen said. “He’s got really good size and strength and for his size, he moves really well. He’s a guy that has got really good ability to stop the run. Pass rush is an area where he can continue to improve on, but he’s a guy that I’m anxious to see when he really gets a chance to get out there and work.”
Allen defended the Raiders decision to draft McGee, a move that flies contrary to Allen’s and McKenzie’s philosophy to stick to high-character players. McGee was involved in several off-field run-ins with the law during his time at Oklahoma.
McGee said he is hopeful that a change of scenery and getting away from some of the people he is accustomed to hanging around will make a huge difference in his maturation as a person.
“That was something from the past and something I’m looking to move forward from, grow as a person, become a man,” McGee said.
Allen said the Raiders are big on high-character guys. Yet, they opted to take a chance on McGee after an extensive background check allayed their fears of getting burned by someone with a checkered past.
“Guys are going to make mistakes, nobody’s perfect,” Allen said. “When we did all our research on him, we felt like he was a guy we wanted to give a second opportunity to. We’ve had a lot of conversations with him. He understands the mistakes that he’s made in the past. He’s ready to learn from those and move on from it. If he can do that, then he’s got a lot of ability and there might be a football player there for us.”

This team is looking like a team..

i'm glad Al Son came in and said we have to clean house from front office to players and coaches... most sons would sit back and collect checks and let the franchise failed..