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Raiders training camp blog
News from the practice field and more each day while the Oakland Raiders train in Napa
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CommentThursday, Aug. 16, 6 p.m.
Andrew Walter will start at quarterback for the Oakland Raiders in Saturday night’s 7 p.m. preseason game against the 49ers at Monster Park in San Francisco. Walter will be followed in the rotation by Daunte Culpepper and Josh McCown. It was McCown who started the exhibition opener last week against Arizona.
Andrew Walter will start at quarterback for the Oakland Raiders in Saturday night’s 7 p.m. preseason game against the 49ers at Monster Park in San Francisco. Walter will be followed in the rotation by Daunte Culpepper and Josh McCown. It was McCown who started the exhibition opener last week against Arizona.
“We feel that Andrew played well in the first game,” head coach Lane Kiffin said after a Thursday morning practice at the team’s Napa Valley training camp complex. “It also gives us a chance to see guys in different settings, and gives Andrew a shot to go in with the first unit that’s in and against a first defense, too.”
Walter was 8-of-11 for 50 yards and one touchdown in last week’s win over the Cardinals.
Walter was 8-of-11 for 50 yards and one touchdown in last week’s win over the Cardinals.
Culpepper will play in the first half, but will have a limited play package, Kiffin said.
Kiffin ended a morning practice 30 minutes early Thursday, but it was still a busy day for the Raiders. It was their last two-a-day of camp, which began with a special team’s walk through and continued through the day with team offense and defense meetings. Yesterday was the team’s 24th and 25th practices of camp, which began July 27. They worked out in light gear in the morning.
Kiffin ended a morning practice 30 minutes early Thursday, but it was still a busy day for the Raiders. It was their last two-a-day of camp, which began with a special team’s walk through and continued through the day with team offense and defense meetings. Yesterday was the team’s 24th and 25th practices of camp, which began July 27. They worked out in light gear in the morning.
Workers began moving equipment, such as blocking sleds, off the property and into moving vans parked near the field.
The Raiders will have an early-morning walk through tomorrow. It’s only expected to take about 30 minutes. The team will break camp at 9:30 a.m., Kiffin said.
The league’s first roster cutdown to 75 players is Aug. 28. Rosters need to be trimmed to 53 players by Sept. 1, in time for the regular season.
The Raiders will return to their facility in Alameda next week for practices.
-- Marty James
Wednesday, Aug. 15, 3 p.m.
Kiffin is back
Raider head coach Lane Kiffin was back on the practice field this afternoon. He missed all practices this week while being treated by team physician Dr. Bob Albo for a viral infection, said a Raiders team spokesman.
Kiffin is being pretty low-key as the practice started. He is not raising his voice much, deferring instead to some of the assistant coaches to put the team through its only drills of the day.
--Marty James
Tuesday, Aug. 14, 8:30 p.m.
One of the questions I get asked a lot being in the newspaper business is:
“What is your favorite sport?”
I enjoy them all very much, and I really like the variety of sports — both team and individual — that I get to cover for the Napa Valley Register throughout the year.
Often times readers will ask, “Isn’t the summer a slow time of the year?”
Actually it’s not. There’s American Legion and Joe DiMaggio League baseball to cover. There’s news and information about Napa Valley Girls Fastpitch Association softball that we provide. There’s the annual East-West Charity All-Star Football Classic — played at Napa Memorial Stadium — that we write about.
The list goes on and on and on in June, July and August.
Since late July I’ve been covering the Oakland Raiders training camp at the team’s Napa Valley complex. It’s still summer time and the NFL regular season doesn’t even get going until September, but I’ve been focused on football, getting to know the coaching staff, players and staff while they call Napa their home for a month.
When I’m not watching practice, I’m interviewing coaches and players.
Today I was a guest on two shows — ESPN First Take, a morning sports talk program which airs on ESPN2, and 1380 ESPN radio in St. Louis.
They called to talk about the Raiders and find out my views on the team — in particular the offensive line, a source of concern after the team allowed a league-high 72 sacks last year. In addition, Oakland had 1,519 yards on the ground and was 29th in rushing in 2006.
I spoke with Dana Jacobson, a former SportsCenter personality, before heading out to camp.
On my way out to the practice field today I noticed signs on the doors outside of meeting rooms at the Napa Valley Marriott that read: “Please do not write or draw on the linens! Thank you.”
Friday figures to be a busy day, as the Raiders break camp and head back to the Bay Area.
-- Marty James
Tuesday, Aug. 14, 11 a.m.
Ok, so maybe there's nothing on the blog yet about today's camp activities, but there is still a chance to learn more.
Check out ESPN2 today and you can see the Register's Marty James talking about the Raiders and his opinion on the team's chances this year.
We found it funny to hear Marty referred to as a staff member of the Sacramento Bee. Marty quickly corrected that one!
--Register staff
Monday, Aug.13, 3 p.m.
Raiders coach Lane Kiffin was taken to a local hospital on Monday to get treatment for a viral infection.
According to a team spokesman, Kiffin, 32, had been fighting the illness for a few days and was not getting better.
Kiffin, who led the Raiders to a 27-23 win over Arizona on Saturday in his first game as an NFL head coach, looked fine after the game but continued to feel ill.
On Sunday, Oakland canceled a scheduled conference call between Kiffin and reporters covering the team.
The Raiders returned to practice Monday and some players weren't even aware their coach was missing until heading out to the field./
--AP
Wednesday, Aug. 8, 6:30 p.m.
Josh McCown, a six-year NFL veteran who was acquired by Oakland in a draft-day trade with Detroit back in the spring, will start at quarterback for the Raiders in Saturday night’s preseason game against visiting Arizona at McAfee Coliseum, head coach Lane Kiffin said Wednesday. Kickoff for the exhibition game is 7 p.m.
“Josh has done a really good job and has shown a lot of leadership,” Kiffin said after a Wednesday morning practice at the team’s Napa Valley training camp complex.
The 6-foot-4, 215-pound McCown, who is from Jacksonville, Texas, has played in 35 league games with 22 starts.
He entered the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals as a third round pick in the 2002 Draft. In four years with Arizona, McCown completed 57.8 percent of his passes for 5,431 yards with 25 touchdowns and 29 interceptions. He made 22 starts in four years for the Cardinals.
McCown signed with Detroit as a free agent in 2005, but appeared in only two games for the Lions — as a wide receiver. He caught two passes for 15 yards during the 2006 season. He was Detroit’s back-up quarterback the entire year.
Kiffin said Andrew Walter and Daunte Culpepper — in that order — will follow McCown at quarterback Saturday. There is still open competition for the starting spot, Kiffin said.
Kiffin will try to get all three an even number of snaps.
“The three of them will play evenly for the most part,” the first-year coach said.
The Raiders practiced this morning in front of a large group of spectators.
An evening practice — which was not part of the team’s original schedule — was planned for tonight at 7 p.m. at Redwood Middle School.
Players and coaches will take part in Thursday night’s Raider Nation Celebration at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland from 4 to 8 p.m.
Admission is free to season ticket, club seat and luxury suite holders and is $5 for others. All children under the age of 14 will also be admitted free when accompanied by an adult. Tickets are available at all RAIDER IMAGE locations, at McAfee Coliseum and also online at http://club.raiders.com/. Tickets will also be available at McAfee Coliseum on the date of the event.
The event also features Raider legends and the Raiderettes — Football’s Fabulous Females. Kiffin will introduce the coaching staff and players, and the team will engage in on-field activities.
The event includes interactive Kids Zones, select autograph and photo opportunities with the Raiderettes and Raiders legends, a “Hall of Fame” area featuring the Super Bowl trophies and a stroll down Raider memory lane, and live interviews with legends and current players.
Kiffin said the Raiders will remain in the Bay Area. The team has a walk-through at its Alameda facility Friday from 10:15 to 11:15 a.m. There will be an emphasis on special teams, said Kiffin.
Offensive coordinator Greg Knapp will be upstairs in the coaches’ booth for this week’s game, said Kiffin.
The Raiders return to Napa for their final week of training camp Monday, with practices set for 8:45 a.m. and 7 p.m.
-- Marty James
Tuesday, Aug. 7, 8 p.m.
I always try to take a look at the grease board inside the Napa Valley Marriott on my way out to practices at Oakland Raiders training camp.
It serves as a daily itinerary and schedule for the team, which practices next door at Redwood Middle School.
For example, Tuesday called for several different meetings involving special teams, offense and defense throughout the morning and evening hours. The Raiders’ 16th practice of camp got going at 2:40 p.m. and finished at 4:30 p.m.
Something else that caught my eye was a grease board outside one of the meeting rooms. It serves as a bracket for the Raiders’ ping pong tournament, which involves defensive ends, offensive tackles, kickers and quarterbacks, tailbacks, the defensive staff, Z receivers, centers and guards, linebackers, corners, X receivers and the offensive staff.
This ping pong stuff has become quite popular. On my way out following Tuesday afternoon’s practice, there was a ping pong game going on.
Raiders owner Al Davis, accompanied by three members of the security staff, watched yesterday’s practice from a golf cart.
There was just one practice Tuesday, and coach Lane Kiffin liked what he saw of the defense — in particular the pass rush.
“They came out and completely dominated the practice from start to finish,” Kiffin said, calling the defense’s effort extremely physical. He said they won a lot of the 1-on-1 matchups.
“I think they brought it today. The defense turned it up a notch. Whether it’s that we’re getting closer to a game (Saturday vs. Arizona) or whether it’s that we gave them practice off (Monday night), the defense responded better than the offense. But that’s going to happen The next practice maybe it’s the other way around.
“When you have a competitive team that goes back and forth, you’re going to have days where one side takes care of the other side.”
It was a non-tackling practice, but there was still plenty of contact at the line of scrimmage, even though the players weren’t in full gear.
Kiffin has canceled the last two evening practices.
Kiffin said each of the three quarterbacks — Josh McCown, Andrew Walter and Daunte Culpepper — will get as close to equal reps as possible in Saturday night’s NFL preseason game against Arizona at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland. He said there’s still open competition for the starting spot.
“No one of the three has emerged as a clear cut guy by any means,” said Kiffin, who plans to announce the starter for the preseason opener today.
Speaking of quarterbacks, first-round draft pick Brady Quinn ended his 11-day holdout and agreed to a five-year deal with Cleveland Browns Tuesday. Quinn is a four-year starter from Notre Dame and was taken 22nd overall in the draft.
Oakland quarterback JaMarcus Russell, selected No. 1 overall in the draft, is still without a contract and not in camp.
“Every practice just puts him that far behind,” said Kiffin. “Every day that he misses hurts his chances.”
-- Marty James
Monday, Aug. 6, 6:10 p.m.
Where’s the sun? Where’s the heat?
Is this really August?
For the second day in a row, the Oakland Raiders practiced in unusually cool weather for the summertime — cloudy, overcast skies with temperatures only in the high 50’s with a light breeze — at their Napa Valley training camp early Monday.
Some teams around the NFL have to put up with extreme conditions, such as hot and humid weather that can be nasty and brutal.
At Raider camp, make sure to bring a jacket or sweater if you’re watching from the sidelines, particularly since it’s been on the chilly side lately.
The cooling trend is expected to continue Tuesday, with a high of 79 expected, and again on Wednesday, with a high of 81 in store.
There was a large group of guests who were on hand for the first of two practices yesterday at Redwood Middle School. It was a light practice, with not a lot of contact.
They got to see wide receiver Mike Williams go up high in the end zone to catch a touchdown pass. They also saw running back Justin Fargas make a very nice catch while being defended by linebacker Robert Thomas along the sideline. Wide receiver Johnnie Morant got into the act, pulling in a TD reception. One of the top plays came when wide receiver Alvis Whitted caught a scoring pass from quarterback Andrew Walter.
Afterward, many of those same fans stood behind a temporary fence and got autographs from players making their way from the fieldhouse to the Napa Valley Marriott, the team’s summer headquarters.
The Raiders were scheduled to practice again this evening at 7 p.m. Head coach Lane Kiffin said it will be a padded practice.
Kiffin, the former co-offensive coordinator for national powerhouse Southern California, is working very closely with the offense in different drills.
Under Kiffin’s offensive leadership in 2006, USC finished first in the Pacific-10 Conference in passing efficiency, averaging 264 yards per game while producing a pair of 1,000-yard receivers and a 3,000-yard passer.
He was an assistant coach with the Trojans for six years.
-- Marty James
Sunday, Aug. 5, 7:30 p.m.
I got quite a surprise on my way out to training camp Sunday morning at Redwood Middle School.
First off, I noticed that the towers — which are used to tape practices — were not up. I also didn’t hear any of the typical sounds — helmets and pads popping, coaches barking out instructions, whistles to stop plays — from inside the Napa Valley complex.
Then as I made my way inside the Napa Valley Marriott, I noticed that a few of the offensive lineman were playing ping pong outside team meeting rooms. This is the first year that I’ve seen ping pong tables at camp.
Within a few minutes of arriving, I found out that the practice schedule had changed. The Raiders moved their workout on Day No. 10 to 2:40 p.m. in the afternoon.
The Raiders had only one practice Sunday, a lighter practice in the mid afternoon in soft pads that came after Saturday’s scrimmage. The 14th practice of camp was conducted in unusually cool temperatures with overcast skies and windy weather and wrapped up with a short team meeting in the center of the field.
The team still kept busy, as following an 8:30 a.m. wakeup call, there was a special teams meeting at 10 a.m., team offense and defense meetings at 10:45 a.m., and a special teams walk through at 2:25 p.m. Another special teams meeting (7 p.m.) and team offense and defense meetings (7:45 p.m.) were planned for Sunday evening. There was a curfew/bed check at 11:15 p.m.
Head coach Lane Kiffin said the team got in a lot of really good work Saturday.
“We put them in a situation as close to a game as we could,” complete with the kicking game, substitutions and players performing at a high speed, he said. It was designed to “see what individual players gave us.”
Kiffin said: “What you see right there is that it is a difference. All of a sudden guys get in a different format and you find something out about some guys. We just take it all into account.”
There was light contact yesterday, and as always, quarterbacks wearing red jerseys are off limits to defenders.
Defensive linemen and offensive linemen went 1-on-1 in drills.
The Raiders — who start the preseason at home Saturday against the Arizona Cardinals in a 7 p.m. kickoff — are still without JaMarcus Russell, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. Russell is unsigned and at home in Mobile, Ala.
“I have all the faith in the world in our (negotiating) team back in Oakland, that they’re doing the right thing for us,” said Kiffin.
The Raiders resume two-a-day practices today at 8:45 a.m. and 7 p.m.
-- Marty James
Friday, Aug. 3, Noon
• Optimistic fans should look for the NFL’s top draft pick, quarterback JaMarcus Russell, at a Raiders camp near you in the not-too-distant future.
That’s because the annual “contract trickle down” bonanza reached serious mode Friday as wide receiver Calvin Johnson, the second pick in the 2007 draft, signed with Detroit.
The Detroit Free Press is reporting Johnson’s deal is worth $64 million over six years, but the real line of interest to Raiders fans should be the $27.2 million he reportedly gets in guaranteed money.
Guaranteed money, such as a signing bonus, is important to NFL players because the rest of their contracts are voidable in the event of injury.
Reports are that Russell, who officially notched the beginning of his eighth day of a holdout by skipping the Raiders’ Friday morning practice, is looking for guaranteed numbers in the $30 million range.
Now that Johnson has signed, the Raiders know where they sit with Russell, right?
Not so fast, said Raiders rookie head coach Lane Kiffin on Friday.
“It all depends. Sometimes it does (set a parameter). You know how it works. If he signs and gets a lot, then it works for one side. If he doesn’t, it works for the other side.”
As for the guaranteed money issue, Kiffin advised that’s it not as direct as simply giving Russell what he’s looking for based on what Johnson makes.
“That does have something to do with it, but it’s just another contract being posted,” said Kiffin. “There’s so many things into it. That’s the way people read it, but there’s so many things — when does he get it, how does he get it, how much of it is truly guaranteed based off of other things?”
Kiffin sounded as though he is growing weary of the whole situation — the holdout and the constant questions about it.
“Well, you always want to have your players on the field, but you want to make sure you’re doing the best thing for the future, not our best thing for today,” he said.
“That’s the mistake we want to make sure we’re not making, and we know we’re not making. We’re getting people in under circumstances that help us for the future, to make sure that we’re able to go get other players in the future when we need them.”
Meaning, the Raiders want Russell in camp — but they also have dozens of other players to evaluate and an NFL season to get ready for.
• The Raiders trimmed a few minutes off their morning practice on Friday and Kiffin said they planned to do the same for the evening workout.
“We want to stay fresh for (Saturday),” he said.
• Kiffin said that free agent pickup Isaiah Kacyvenski, one of the few NFL players out of Harvard, injured his knee late in Thursday’s practice.
While injured standout defensive end Derrick Burgess’ return is imminent — within the next day or two, according to the coach — Kacyvenski may be out a while.
“That could be a serious thing,” said Kiffin, who added that they had not received a medical update as of Friday morning.
-- Randy Johnson
Thursday, Aug. 2, 7 p.m.
• “Today was a good day for our quarterbacks,” said Raiders rookie head coach Lane Kiffin following Thursday’s sunny afternoon practice at Redwood Middle School.
One of the main reasons that Josh McCown, Andrew Walter and newly-acquired Daunte Culpepper enjoyed that success was the “red zone” receiving prowess of rookie tight end Zach Miller, who continues to impress.
Miller dove for a scoring catch on a play-action rollout to the right by Culpepper in a spirited scrimmage session.
Later on, Miller caught a floating ball over his shoulder in the back left corner of the end zone from Walter.
The rookie completed his touchdown trifecta on a sure-handed grab over the middle from McCown.
Pass-catching Pro Bowl tight ends like Antonio Gates, Tony Gonzalez, Jeremy Shockey and Todd Heap quickly become their quarterbacks’ best friends.
In Miller, the Raiders may have a good one on their hands — with good hands.
• Raiders owner Al Davis made a mid-practice appearance on the north end of the field Thursday, watching the Silver and Black work out from his golf cart. He was a passenger, not the driver.
He briefly stood with his now trademark walker to take in the scene.
Take him or leave him, you have to give him credit — he loves his football team.
When a TV reporter asked Raiders center Jake Grove if the players try harder when they know “Mr. Davis” is watching, he said, “Hopefully we’re getting after it all the time, regardless of the situation.”
• A pass floated by new Raiders receiver Travis Taylor out of bounds Thursday, the pigskin landing at the feet of a local newspaper reporter.
The reporter, unsure of security guidelines, stopped the ball with his foot but did not throw it back.
“A little help, man, a little help,” said Taylor with a smile, arms raised, to the reporter.
“I don’t know if I’m allowed to pick it up,” the reporter said back with a laugh.
The atmosphere has seemed more upbeat at camp this year, however.
Everybody seems more friendly — even the security guys.
• Warren Sapp, the Raiders’ venerable defensive tackle and resident talking machine, was barking at the offense during a scrimmage presided over by a quartet of NFL officials brought in by the team.
When a defensive player was whistled for lining up in the neutral zone, Sapp yapped at no one and everyone in particular.
“You know that’s the only way you’ll win. Bring your friends out here. I know they don’t like me,” he yelled before cooling off with a splash from the water stick.
-- Randy Johnson
Tuesday, Aug. 1, 8:30 p.m.
Daunte Culpepper returned to professional football Wednesday.
Signed by the Oakland Raiders as a free agent quarterback, Culpepper took part in his first practice of training camp at Redwood Middle School in the morning, throwing passes of different lengths to running backs and receivers while getting to know the players, coaches and staff around him in an effort to resurrect his NFL career.
The nine-year veteran out of Central Florida had a private workout for the team Tuesday and got a jump start on camp by attending meetings that night.
“Obviously, he’s got a ways to go in our playbook to catch up to speed with us,” Raiders head coach Lane Kiffin said. “But it was good to have him out here today, so he could start to get a feel for things. We’ll slowly integrate him into our offense and get to the point where he’s taking more reps than he is now.”
The addition of the 6-foot-4, 265-pound Culpepper — who spent last season with the Miami Dolphins after playing the first seven years of his NFL career with the Minnesota Vikings — gives the Raiders an experienced player while adding depth to the position. Kiffin wants to have open competition between Culpepper, Josh McCown and Andrew Walter before deciding on a starter.
“The plan is to get Daunte to the point where he’s getting the same amount of reps as McCown and Walter,” said Kiffin.
The Raiders — who opened camp last Friday — are still without quarterback JaMarcus Russell, the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft who remains unsigned and is at home in Mobile, Ala.
Raiders owner Al Davis was asked if he’s hopeful of getting Russell signed and in the team’s Napa Valley summer training complex.
“We drafted him with the idea that he’d be in camp — and he will be,” Davis said during a noon press conference at the Napa Valley Marriott, the team’s summer headquarters.
Davis said doctors assured him that Culpepper’s knee is well.
The Raiders put Culpepper, 30, through a high tempo workout Tuesday in order to see how his surgically repaired knee held up and to also check on his conditioning. He began last year’s season as Miami’s starter, but was injured in the second game and later placed on injured reserve after seeing action in just four games. Culpepper was released by the Dolphins last month.
“We’ve had great success through the years with guys like Culpepper — I’m giving him a little time to heal, a little time to get back in stride, not pushing him, not rushing him into something,” Davis said.
Culpepper, who is from Ocala, Fla., completed 81 of 134 passes for 929 yards and two touchdowns last year. He was also sacked 21 times in those four games.
-- Marty James
Tuesday, July 31, 9 p.m.
The Oakland Raiders will welcome Daunte Culpepper, a free agent quarterback, to their Napa Valley training camp complex today.
Culpepper signed a one-year contract with the team Tuesday and had a private workout in front of team officials, in which he threw about 60 passes. He will take part in his first practice this morning with the Raiders.
“He’s part of our team right now,” head coach Lane Kiffin said. “He’ll be part of the competition here to be the starting quarterback. We’ll give him an opportunity and see if he can take it, and if he can’t, he’ll be a backup. We’re very excited to have Daunte, to add him to the mix, and see if he can help us.”
The 6-foot-4, 265-pound Culpepper spent last season with the Miami Dolphins. Culpepper, who is entering his ninth season in the NFL, spent the first seven years of his NFL career with the Minnesota Vikings.
“We had to see him run around and scramble and do different things, because his arm didn’t go away,” Kiffin said. “We weren’t worried about that. We had to make sure everything else was good.”
Culpepper will join Josh McCown and Andrew Walter, who have been splitting time running the offense for the Raiders. Quarterback JaMarcus Russell, the team’s No. 1 overall pick in the Draft, is still unsigned at home in Mobile, Ala.
“The club has to do what the club feels is right,” said Walter.
Culpepper, a former Central Florida star, has played in 85 league games with 84 starts. He has completed 1,759 of 2,741 passes for 21,091 yards with 137 touchdowns and 89 interceptions. His best season came in 2004 when he threw for 4,717 yards and 39 TDs. He has a career quarterback rating of 90.8.
Culpepper threw the ball extremely well in the workout, said Kiffin.
“We think that he adds definite competition,” Kiffin said. “We need to protect ourselves, to make sure we’re in the best position to win and have the most competition we can have in that spot.”
Kiffin likes the attitude that Culpepper brings to camp.
The Raiders said that Culpepper — originally signed in the first round (11th overall) of the 1999 NFL Draft by Minnesota — will have a press conference following this morning’s practice.
“If he’s healthy, he’s a more than an effective quarterback,” said defensive tackle Warren Sapp. “Somebody up top thinks he can help our ballclub. He’s something special. He’s put up some good years in this league.”
Sapp said a young player like Russell can benefit from watching and being around Culpepper, 30.
Players practiced in half pads Tuesday, as owner Al Davis looked on from the sidelines. Davis met for a few minutes after practice with Kiffin on the field.
Bill Dodd, a Napa County Supervisor, was a guest at practice.
Bleachers were placed on the east and west sides of the complex, giving spectators a chance to sit down.
--Marty James
Tuesday, July 31, 5:30 p.m.
Marty James, Register executive sports editor, is on his way back now from camp. He said the Raiders have signed former Minnesota Vikings and Miami Dolphins quarterback Daunte Culpepper to a contract.
Check back here in about an hour for Marty's notes from the camp and more details on the Culpepper signing.
Monday, July 30, 7:30 p.m.
Day 4 of training camp for the Oakland Raiders arrived Monday with Lane Kiffin and his staff challenging players to raise their game to another level on the Redwood Middle School practice field.
Kiffin, the team’s first-year head coach, wanted to see even more intensity and tempo in practice, which had players in half pads for the morning session.
“I believe they responded,” Kiffin said. “I thought guys worked extremely hard. We’ll see what the film shows.”
Nothing escapes coaches as practices are taped from towers high above the two fields. A big part of football is looking at film — whether it’s evaluating your own team’s performance, looking at an upcoming opponent, or examining college players that could be taken in the draft.
The offense went against the defense on a short field for about the last 45 minutes of practice, starting out from the 23-yard line and moving the ball with both running and passing plays. There was again no tackling, but you could still hear helmets and pads popping from contact at the line and when the two sides collided on a play.
There was a short break at practice at 10:25 a.m., with the team consuming Gatorade products. A few minutes later, everyone was back to work.
Some of the players jog off the field at the end of a practice, right up until reaching the field house. Others walk the short distance.
It has been pleasantly cool in the mornings with high overcast, but right about 10 a.m. the summer sun makes an appearance.
The team’s second evening practice was scheduled for Monday night. The Raiders have rented portable lights.
Kiffin was asked where the idea of night practices originated from.
“Just from talking to some people who had done it,” he said. “I know that New Orleans did it last season. It was the first time they had done it and they had real good success with it. I know the players felt really good about it and they obviously had a very healthy season. I know of teams that had tinkered with different versions of it, but that one-a-day really isn’t just a one-a-day. Some teams do it and that one-a-day is really a special teams practice for an hour-and-a-half early in the morning. That's not how we were going to go with it. If we were going to go with this and sell it to our players, it was going to be a one-a-day.”
The Raiders’ first night practice was Saturday.
“When it got darker, you could see more energy in the guys and that’s with the lights coming on, they start to feel like its closer to (real) football,” Kiffin said.
JaMarcus Russell, the Raiders‚ No. 1 overall pick in the draft, still remains unsigned and not at camp.
“I have great confidence in our people back in the office,” Kiffin said. “Things are going well at this time. At the end of the day we have got to do the best thing in the interest for the Raiders and for our future, and I know our people are doing that right now.”
--Marty James
Monday, July 30, 4 p.m.
From a start with the Raiders, Walsh went on to greatness
Long before Bill Walsh was given the “genius” label while leading the San Francisco 49ers to three Super Bowl titles and changing how offense was played in the NFL, he got his start in professional football as the offensive backs coach for the Oakland Raiders in 1966.
That one season Walsh spent in Oakland helped forge a friendship with Al Davis that has endured through decades of rivalry while Walsh coached with Cincinnati, San Diego and eventually San Francisco. The Raiders remembered Walsh fondly after he died Monday following a long battle with leukemia.
“The thing I remember most about him is he was very innovative,” said Hall of Fame cornerback Willie Brown, who played and coached against Walsh-led offenses. “He had the passing game going and he wasn’t afraid to attack you. Being a cornerback, I knew that was his style of play: attack, attack, attack.”
The Raiders said Davis visited Walsh on Saturday for the final time. Just last month, the Oakland owner arranged for Walsh to visit the team’s facility to watch practice and talk football with coach Lane Kiffin’s staff.
Walsh’s imprints can still be felt on the Raiders where his former fullback Tom Rathman is the running backs coach and former 49ers assistant Greg Knapp is the offensive coordinator.
“I thought he looked outstanding,” Rathman said of his last encounter with his coach. “I think he got some kind of infection and took a turn for the worse. I think overall it’s a big loss for the football world. Bill has meant a lot to football, not only as a head coach but developing a passing game. He was very influential as far as the game goes.”
Rathman played three seasons for Walsh in San Francisco and was on the field for his final game as an NFL coach, when San Francisco beat Cincinnati 20-16 to win the Super Bowl in January 1989. Rathman credits Walsh for helping him become an NFL coach.
He still remembers his first encounter with Walsh after being selected with a third-round pick out of Nebraska in 1986.
“I was impressed, intimidated,” Rathman said. “Here’s the great Bill Walsh. He’s already won two Super Bowls. He was already established as an icon in the league. Very intimidated.”
--Josh Dubow/AP
Sunday, July 29, 7:15 p.m.
With temperatures in a more Oakland-esque mid-70s on Sunday, the Raiders seemed peppier than ever on the third day of training camp — second in full pads — at Napa’s Redwood Middle School.
Between the serene stretching before the practice, and the impromptu home-run derby that followed, players delivered helmet-removing hits, made fingertip catches on spectacular post patterns and, in at least one case, took defensive linemen’s feet out from under them.
They worked on special-teams blocking and coverage, causing and recovering fumbles, run-blocking on the line, and getting in plenty of throws from quarterbacks not named JaMarcus Russell, such as Andrew Walter and Josh McCown.
Russell, the No. 1 pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, and the Raiders didn’t seem much closer to a contract.
“Obviously, JaMarcus is not here, and (negotiations are) actually going kinda slow with him at this time. In the last 24 hours, not much progress has been made, and we wish he was here,” Raiders head coach Lane Kiffin said. “We’re now getting to the point where if he doesn’t make enough practices, it’s going to be at a disadvantage for him once he does get here because he is going to be behind.”
The coach said the team brought in Cody Pickett to have a third quarterback in the meantime.
“I talked to him this morning,” Kiffin said of Russell. “He’s very frustrated. He wishes he was here, but he’s obviously putting it in the hands of people representing him and he’s completely out of (the negotiations) from his point of view. I don’t think he really knows (the business side).
“We’re obviously going to spend tireless hours with him, but getting him caught up not that easy. You can’t make for all the stuff Josh and Andrew are getting right now, live blitz drills and throwing with people in their faces. I just hope there’s not many more reps that he does miss.”
Afterward, a handful of players showed off their multi-sport athleticism by taking swings at softballs heaved by defensive coordinator Rob Ryan.
Fifth-year Raiders linebacker Sam Williams was the only one to hit a Ryan offering over the west-side fence into the middle school parking lot, from the middle of the east-side field — a distance of about 300 feet, and into a stiff wind. The Clayton Valley High School and Fresno State product said he never played baseball in high school.
--Andy Wilcox/Register
Saturday, July 28, 4:30 p.m.
Welcome to the National Football League, Zach.
Zach Miller, a rookie tight end out of Arizona State, signed his contract after arriving at the Oakland Raiders training camp at the Napa Valley Marriott late Friday.
On Saturday morning, the second-round pick was out on the practice field at Redwood Middle School.
During a passing drill, Miller landed hard on his back after going up high to make a catch while being defended by 10-year veteran safety Donovin Darius, who has made 115 career starts.
But Miller, the 38th overall selection in the 2007 NFL Draft, got right back up.
“He’s a great competitor, he always has been, all the way back to high school,” head coach Lane Kiffin said.
As a junior in 2006, Miller had 50 receptions for 484 yards and caught four touchdown passes. He was voted as a consensus All-American and received Walter Camp All-America honors. In three years with the Sun Devils, Miller caught 144 passes for 1,512 yards and 14 TDs.
“I know that he’s extremely excited,” said Kiffin, adding that Miller (6-foot-5, 255 pounds) worked with tight ends coach Kelly Skipper up until midnight to get caught up on what he had missed so far in camp.
“The thing about Zach is you’re not going to have to worry about if he‚s going to come back out of shape or that he hasn’t been working out. And that’s part of what went into drafting him. He’s a guy that’s going to give it up for you.”
Said Miller, who wears No. 45 for the Silver and Black, “I feel good. I’m just glad to have it done and be able to get out to practice. I’m here now and I can start practicing, showing the coaches what I have.”
He finished his college career ranked sixth in school history in total receptions and stands as ASU’s all-time leader in receptions by a tight end and touchdown catches by a tight end.
Saturday morning was the Raiders‚ first in full gear. There were 1-on-1 drills. There wasn’t any tackling, but the team went at full speed and there was contact involved during 11-on-11 drills.
“That was for a purpose,” said Kiffin. “We need to find out who these players are and find out what we have on our team, and then we’re going to have to go from there.”
Kiffin called the first padded practice of camp the team‚s first test.
The Raiders’ first evening practice was scheduled for 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday. The team has brought in portable lights. It’s the Raiders’ first evening practice in their 12 years of training camp at Redwood Middle School.
--Marty James/Register
Friday, July 27, 7:30 p.m.
Day 1 of the 2007 NFL season began early Friday for the Oakland Raiders.
A 6:45 a.m. wake-up call was followed by a team meeting at 7:30 at the Napa Valley Marriott, the Raiders’ team hotel and headquarters for four weeks in the summer.
There were additional meetings during the morning for special teams, offense and defense.
And then it was out to the field at Redwood Middle School for the first practice of camp. It was a non-padded practice, with players wearing helmets, jerseys, shorts and cleats during afternoon drills. But there was still some contact in 11-on-11 drills, but no tackling.
The temperature read 79 degrees, but it felt a whole lot warmer in the afternoon sun.
“The first day is hell. This sun is unforgiving — beating on you the whole time,” said wide receiver Jerry Porter.
Quarterbacks wearing red jerseys threw passes to running backs, tight ends and receivers. Defensive linemen hit blocking sleds. The offensive line worked on technique drills.
Head coach Lane Kiffin called it “an extremely positive first day.”
Kiffin said, “Everything counts. We tell the team that in the first team meeting every time we get together — everything you do counts, on or off the field. Everything goes into it.”
The Raiders opened camp without JaMarcus Russell, the No. 1 overall draft pick, who remains unsigned while at home in Mobile, Ala.
“We feel that we’ve made some strides,” Kiffin said in regards to contract negotiations with Russell, who had a 25-4 record as LSU’s starting quarterback.
The Raiders were also missing tight end Zach Miller, a second-round draft pick out of Arizona State who is also unsigned.
“We felt that Zack was going to be at this practice even up until a few minutes before practice, but at the last minute it didn’t happen,” said Kiffin.
More meetings were planned for Friday night. There is an 11:15 p.m. curfew and bed check.
“It’s a good first day. We’ve got a ways to go,” said tackle Barry Sims. “It’s a good start. We’ve got a lot of hungry guys that really want to win, and that’s what you need.
“Obviously, we’re no where near where we want to be, but the energy is there and I think that the guys on the team are going to answer the challenge. We’re on the right track. We’ve just to keep on plugging away,” Sims said.
The Raiders will be in pads Saturday, and it’s their first double day. They will practice from 8:45 to 11 a.m., and their first evening practice of camp goes from 7-9 p.m. The team will use portable lights.
--Marty James/Register
Friday, July 27, 3 p.m.
No. 1 overall draft pick JaMarcus Russell and the Raiders failed to agree on a contract before the start of training camp Friday here in Napa, leaving the quarterback as a holdout from the team's first practice.
Coach Lane Kiffin said Thursday that the team was making progress toward signing Russell to a deal but the two sides were unable to reach an agreement before the practice began Friday afternoon. Second-round pick Zach Miller, a tight end out of Arizona State, also missed the opening session of training camp.
Talks between the Raiders, Russell and his agent, Eric Metz, have been ongoing for weeks but the sides have yet to strike an agreement. Russell is said to be seeking a deal worth $60 million. Last year's No. 1 overall pick, defensive end Mario Williams of the Houston Texans, signed a six-year, $54 million deal that included $26.5 million in guaranteed money.
--/AP
Thursday, July 26, 9 p.m.
The Oakland Raiders returned to town Thursday, checking into their summer training camp at the Napa Valley Marriott and looking ahead to a team meeting Friday morning and their first practice at Redwood Middle School in the afternoon.
Players — many with out-of-state license plates — unloaded luggage and personal belongings after finding a parking space.
“When I pull into Napa I know it’s time to go to work,” left tackle Chad Slaughter said after reporting. “I think my mind-set is already giving my body that feeling. I’m just anxious like everybody else is to see how everything’s going to go. My anticipation is high, just like everybody else. I’m here to work.”
The Raiders, in Napa for the 12th year in a row, are trying to turn things around under new head coach Lane Kiffin after a 2-14 record last year.
“I’m just excited to put the pads on again, get out here and play football,” said running back LaMont Jordan. “I know that this year we’re going to be a better team, especially offensively. I’m coming out there to carry the load and go out there and to lead my team. I think this camp is big for all of us offensively. We were horrible on the offensive side of the ball last year. It’s very important that we come out, that we learn the system, that we understand the system, and that we go out there and we perform a lot better this camp than we did the last camp.”
New at camp this year will be several evening practices that will be lighted.
“It allows a minimum of eight hours in-between each practice,” said Kiffin. “After researching it, it was the best thing for their health and to be able get them to practice at the level we want them to.”
The team’s first practice in pads is Saturday. The Raiders are still in contract negotiations with quarterback JaMarcus Russell, the No. 1 overall pick in last April’s NFL draft out of LSU.
-- Marty James/Register
Thursday, July 26, 4 p.m.
The Raiders cut tight end Courtney Anderson on Thursday as the team reported to its first training camp under new coach Lane Kiffin.
Anderson, a seventh-round pick out of San Jose State in 2004, started 24 games the past two seasons, making 49 catches for 588 yards and five touchdowns. He split time last season with converted wide receiver Randal Williams and was not expected to start this year.
The Raiders used their second-round pick in April's draft on Zach Miller, who should have a chance to earn the starting job during training camp. Oakland also signed free agents Fred Wakefield and Tony Stewart in the offseason.
The Raiders signed defensive end Bill Swancutt, who was waived by Detroit earlier this week.
--/AP
The Raiders will have an early-morning walk through tomorrow. It’s only expected to take about 30 minutes. The team will break camp at 9:30 a.m., Kiffin said.
The league’s first roster cutdown to 75 players is Aug. 28. Rosters need to be trimmed to 53 players by Sept. 1, in time for the regular season.
The Raiders will return to their facility in Alameda next week for practices.
-- Marty James
Wednesday, Aug. 15, 3 p.m.
Kiffin is back
Raider head coach Lane Kiffin was back on the practice field this afternoon. He missed all practices this week while being treated by team physician Dr. Bob Albo for a viral infection, said a Raiders team spokesman.
Kiffin is being pretty low-key as the practice started. He is not raising his voice much, deferring instead to some of the assistant coaches to put the team through its only drills of the day.
--Marty James
Tuesday, Aug. 14, 8:30 p.m.
One of the questions I get asked a lot being in the newspaper business is:
“What is your favorite sport?”
I enjoy them all very much, and I really like the variety of sports — both team and individual — that I get to cover for the Napa Valley Register throughout the year.
Often times readers will ask, “Isn’t the summer a slow time of the year?”
Actually it’s not. There’s American Legion and Joe DiMaggio League baseball to cover. There’s news and information about Napa Valley Girls Fastpitch Association softball that we provide. There’s the annual East-West Charity All-Star Football Classic — played at Napa Memorial Stadium — that we write about.
The list goes on and on and on in June, July and August.
Since late July I’ve been covering the Oakland Raiders training camp at the team’s Napa Valley complex. It’s still summer time and the NFL regular season doesn’t even get going until September, but I’ve been focused on football, getting to know the coaching staff, players and staff while they call Napa their home for a month.
When I’m not watching practice, I’m interviewing coaches and players.
Today I was a guest on two shows — ESPN First Take, a morning sports talk program which airs on ESPN2, and 1380 ESPN radio in St. Louis.
They called to talk about the Raiders and find out my views on the team — in particular the offensive line, a source of concern after the team allowed a league-high 72 sacks last year. In addition, Oakland had 1,519 yards on the ground and was 29th in rushing in 2006.
I spoke with Dana Jacobson, a former SportsCenter personality, before heading out to camp.
On my way out to the practice field today I noticed signs on the doors outside of meeting rooms at the Napa Valley Marriott that read: “Please do not write or draw on the linens! Thank you.”
Friday figures to be a busy day, as the Raiders break camp and head back to the Bay Area.
-- Marty James
Tuesday, Aug. 14, 11 a.m.
Ok, so maybe there's nothing on the blog yet about today's camp activities, but there is still a chance to learn more.
Check out ESPN2 today and you can see the Register's Marty James talking about the Raiders and his opinion on the team's chances this year.
We found it funny to hear Marty referred to as a staff member of the Sacramento Bee. Marty quickly corrected that one!
--Register staff
Monday, Aug.13, 3 p.m.
Raiders coach Lane Kiffin was taken to a local hospital on Monday to get treatment for a viral infection.
According to a team spokesman, Kiffin, 32, had been fighting the illness for a few days and was not getting better.
Kiffin, who led the Raiders to a 27-23 win over Arizona on Saturday in his first game as an NFL head coach, looked fine after the game but continued to feel ill.
On Sunday, Oakland canceled a scheduled conference call between Kiffin and reporters covering the team.
The Raiders returned to practice Monday and some players weren't even aware their coach was missing until heading out to the field./
--AP
Wednesday, Aug. 8, 6:30 p.m.
Josh McCown, a six-year NFL veteran who was acquired by Oakland in a draft-day trade with Detroit back in the spring, will start at quarterback for the Raiders in Saturday night’s preseason game against visiting Arizona at McAfee Coliseum, head coach Lane Kiffin said Wednesday. Kickoff for the exhibition game is 7 p.m.
“Josh has done a really good job and has shown a lot of leadership,” Kiffin said after a Wednesday morning practice at the team’s Napa Valley training camp complex.
The 6-foot-4, 215-pound McCown, who is from Jacksonville, Texas, has played in 35 league games with 22 starts.
He entered the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals as a third round pick in the 2002 Draft. In four years with Arizona, McCown completed 57.8 percent of his passes for 5,431 yards with 25 touchdowns and 29 interceptions. He made 22 starts in four years for the Cardinals.
McCown signed with Detroit as a free agent in 2005, but appeared in only two games for the Lions — as a wide receiver. He caught two passes for 15 yards during the 2006 season. He was Detroit’s back-up quarterback the entire year.
Kiffin said Andrew Walter and Daunte Culpepper — in that order — will follow McCown at quarterback Saturday. There is still open competition for the starting spot, Kiffin said.
Kiffin will try to get all three an even number of snaps.
“The three of them will play evenly for the most part,” the first-year coach said.
The Raiders practiced this morning in front of a large group of spectators.
An evening practice — which was not part of the team’s original schedule — was planned for tonight at 7 p.m. at Redwood Middle School.
Players and coaches will take part in Thursday night’s Raider Nation Celebration at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland from 4 to 8 p.m.
Admission is free to season ticket, club seat and luxury suite holders and is $5 for others. All children under the age of 14 will also be admitted free when accompanied by an adult. Tickets are available at all RAIDER IMAGE locations, at McAfee Coliseum and also online at http://club.raiders.com/. Tickets will also be available at McAfee Coliseum on the date of the event.
The event also features Raider legends and the Raiderettes — Football’s Fabulous Females. Kiffin will introduce the coaching staff and players, and the team will engage in on-field activities.
The event includes interactive Kids Zones, select autograph and photo opportunities with the Raiderettes and Raiders legends, a “Hall of Fame” area featuring the Super Bowl trophies and a stroll down Raider memory lane, and live interviews with legends and current players.
Kiffin said the Raiders will remain in the Bay Area. The team has a walk-through at its Alameda facility Friday from 10:15 to 11:15 a.m. There will be an emphasis on special teams, said Kiffin.
Offensive coordinator Greg Knapp will be upstairs in the coaches’ booth for this week’s game, said Kiffin.
The Raiders return to Napa for their final week of training camp Monday, with practices set for 8:45 a.m. and 7 p.m.
-- Marty James
Tuesday, Aug. 7, 8 p.m.
I always try to take a look at the grease board inside the Napa Valley Marriott on my way out to practices at Oakland Raiders training camp.
It serves as a daily itinerary and schedule for the team, which practices next door at Redwood Middle School.
For example, Tuesday called for several different meetings involving special teams, offense and defense throughout the morning and evening hours. The Raiders’ 16th practice of camp got going at 2:40 p.m. and finished at 4:30 p.m.
Something else that caught my eye was a grease board outside one of the meeting rooms. It serves as a bracket for the Raiders’ ping pong tournament, which involves defensive ends, offensive tackles, kickers and quarterbacks, tailbacks, the defensive staff, Z receivers, centers and guards, linebackers, corners, X receivers and the offensive staff.
This ping pong stuff has become quite popular. On my way out following Tuesday afternoon’s practice, there was a ping pong game going on.
Raiders owner Al Davis, accompanied by three members of the security staff, watched yesterday’s practice from a golf cart.
There was just one practice Tuesday, and coach Lane Kiffin liked what he saw of the defense — in particular the pass rush.
“They came out and completely dominated the practice from start to finish,” Kiffin said, calling the defense’s effort extremely physical. He said they won a lot of the 1-on-1 matchups.
“I think they brought it today. The defense turned it up a notch. Whether it’s that we’re getting closer to a game (Saturday vs. Arizona) or whether it’s that we gave them practice off (Monday night), the defense responded better than the offense. But that’s going to happen The next practice maybe it’s the other way around.
“When you have a competitive team that goes back and forth, you’re going to have days where one side takes care of the other side.”
It was a non-tackling practice, but there was still plenty of contact at the line of scrimmage, even though the players weren’t in full gear.
Kiffin has canceled the last two evening practices.
Kiffin said each of the three quarterbacks — Josh McCown, Andrew Walter and Daunte Culpepper — will get as close to equal reps as possible in Saturday night’s NFL preseason game against Arizona at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland. He said there’s still open competition for the starting spot.
“No one of the three has emerged as a clear cut guy by any means,” said Kiffin, who plans to announce the starter for the preseason opener today.
Speaking of quarterbacks, first-round draft pick Brady Quinn ended his 11-day holdout and agreed to a five-year deal with Cleveland Browns Tuesday. Quinn is a four-year starter from Notre Dame and was taken 22nd overall in the draft.
Oakland quarterback JaMarcus Russell, selected No. 1 overall in the draft, is still without a contract and not in camp.
“Every practice just puts him that far behind,” said Kiffin. “Every day that he misses hurts his chances.”
-- Marty James
Monday, Aug. 6, 6:10 p.m.
Where’s the sun? Where’s the heat?
Is this really August?
For the second day in a row, the Oakland Raiders practiced in unusually cool weather for the summertime — cloudy, overcast skies with temperatures only in the high 50’s with a light breeze — at their Napa Valley training camp early Monday.
Some teams around the NFL have to put up with extreme conditions, such as hot and humid weather that can be nasty and brutal.
At Raider camp, make sure to bring a jacket or sweater if you’re watching from the sidelines, particularly since it’s been on the chilly side lately.
The cooling trend is expected to continue Tuesday, with a high of 79 expected, and again on Wednesday, with a high of 81 in store.
There was a large group of guests who were on hand for the first of two practices yesterday at Redwood Middle School. It was a light practice, with not a lot of contact.
They got to see wide receiver Mike Williams go up high in the end zone to catch a touchdown pass. They also saw running back Justin Fargas make a very nice catch while being defended by linebacker Robert Thomas along the sideline. Wide receiver Johnnie Morant got into the act, pulling in a TD reception. One of the top plays came when wide receiver Alvis Whitted caught a scoring pass from quarterback Andrew Walter.
Afterward, many of those same fans stood behind a temporary fence and got autographs from players making their way from the fieldhouse to the Napa Valley Marriott, the team’s summer headquarters.
The Raiders were scheduled to practice again this evening at 7 p.m. Head coach Lane Kiffin said it will be a padded practice.
Kiffin, the former co-offensive coordinator for national powerhouse Southern California, is working very closely with the offense in different drills.
Under Kiffin’s offensive leadership in 2006, USC finished first in the Pacific-10 Conference in passing efficiency, averaging 264 yards per game while producing a pair of 1,000-yard receivers and a 3,000-yard passer.
He was an assistant coach with the Trojans for six years.
-- Marty James
Sunday, Aug. 5, 7:30 p.m.
I got quite a surprise on my way out to training camp Sunday morning at Redwood Middle School.
First off, I noticed that the towers — which are used to tape practices — were not up. I also didn’t hear any of the typical sounds — helmets and pads popping, coaches barking out instructions, whistles to stop plays — from inside the Napa Valley complex.
Then as I made my way inside the Napa Valley Marriott, I noticed that a few of the offensive lineman were playing ping pong outside team meeting rooms. This is the first year that I’ve seen ping pong tables at camp.
Within a few minutes of arriving, I found out that the practice schedule had changed. The Raiders moved their workout on Day No. 10 to 2:40 p.m. in the afternoon.
The Raiders had only one practice Sunday, a lighter practice in the mid afternoon in soft pads that came after Saturday’s scrimmage. The 14th practice of camp was conducted in unusually cool temperatures with overcast skies and windy weather and wrapped up with a short team meeting in the center of the field.
The team still kept busy, as following an 8:30 a.m. wakeup call, there was a special teams meeting at 10 a.m., team offense and defense meetings at 10:45 a.m., and a special teams walk through at 2:25 p.m. Another special teams meeting (7 p.m.) and team offense and defense meetings (7:45 p.m.) were planned for Sunday evening. There was a curfew/bed check at 11:15 p.m.
Head coach Lane Kiffin said the team got in a lot of really good work Saturday.
“We put them in a situation as close to a game as we could,” complete with the kicking game, substitutions and players performing at a high speed, he said. It was designed to “see what individual players gave us.”
Kiffin said: “What you see right there is that it is a difference. All of a sudden guys get in a different format and you find something out about some guys. We just take it all into account.”
There was light contact yesterday, and as always, quarterbacks wearing red jerseys are off limits to defenders.
Defensive linemen and offensive linemen went 1-on-1 in drills.
The Raiders — who start the preseason at home Saturday against the Arizona Cardinals in a 7 p.m. kickoff — are still without JaMarcus Russell, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. Russell is unsigned and at home in Mobile, Ala.
“I have all the faith in the world in our (negotiating) team back in Oakland, that they’re doing the right thing for us,” said Kiffin.
The Raiders resume two-a-day practices today at 8:45 a.m. and 7 p.m.
-- Marty James
Friday, Aug. 3, Noon
• Optimistic fans should look for the NFL’s top draft pick, quarterback JaMarcus Russell, at a Raiders camp near you in the not-too-distant future.
That’s because the annual “contract trickle down” bonanza reached serious mode Friday as wide receiver Calvin Johnson, the second pick in the 2007 draft, signed with Detroit.
The Detroit Free Press is reporting Johnson’s deal is worth $64 million over six years, but the real line of interest to Raiders fans should be the $27.2 million he reportedly gets in guaranteed money.
Guaranteed money, such as a signing bonus, is important to NFL players because the rest of their contracts are voidable in the event of injury.
Reports are that Russell, who officially notched the beginning of his eighth day of a holdout by skipping the Raiders’ Friday morning practice, is looking for guaranteed numbers in the $30 million range.
Now that Johnson has signed, the Raiders know where they sit with Russell, right?
Not so fast, said Raiders rookie head coach Lane Kiffin on Friday.
“It all depends. Sometimes it does (set a parameter). You know how it works. If he signs and gets a lot, then it works for one side. If he doesn’t, it works for the other side.”
As for the guaranteed money issue, Kiffin advised that’s it not as direct as simply giving Russell what he’s looking for based on what Johnson makes.
“That does have something to do with it, but it’s just another contract being posted,” said Kiffin. “There’s so many things into it. That’s the way people read it, but there’s so many things — when does he get it, how does he get it, how much of it is truly guaranteed based off of other things?”
Kiffin sounded as though he is growing weary of the whole situation — the holdout and the constant questions about it.
“Well, you always want to have your players on the field, but you want to make sure you’re doing the best thing for the future, not our best thing for today,” he said.
“That’s the mistake we want to make sure we’re not making, and we know we’re not making. We’re getting people in under circumstances that help us for the future, to make sure that we’re able to go get other players in the future when we need them.”
Meaning, the Raiders want Russell in camp — but they also have dozens of other players to evaluate and an NFL season to get ready for.
• The Raiders trimmed a few minutes off their morning practice on Friday and Kiffin said they planned to do the same for the evening workout.
“We want to stay fresh for (Saturday),” he said.
• Kiffin said that free agent pickup Isaiah Kacyvenski, one of the few NFL players out of Harvard, injured his knee late in Thursday’s practice.
While injured standout defensive end Derrick Burgess’ return is imminent — within the next day or two, according to the coach — Kacyvenski may be out a while.
“That could be a serious thing,” said Kiffin, who added that they had not received a medical update as of Friday morning.
-- Randy Johnson
Thursday, Aug. 2, 7 p.m.
• “Today was a good day for our quarterbacks,” said Raiders rookie head coach Lane Kiffin following Thursday’s sunny afternoon practice at Redwood Middle School.
One of the main reasons that Josh McCown, Andrew Walter and newly-acquired Daunte Culpepper enjoyed that success was the “red zone” receiving prowess of rookie tight end Zach Miller, who continues to impress.
Miller dove for a scoring catch on a play-action rollout to the right by Culpepper in a spirited scrimmage session.
Later on, Miller caught a floating ball over his shoulder in the back left corner of the end zone from Walter.
The rookie completed his touchdown trifecta on a sure-handed grab over the middle from McCown.
Pass-catching Pro Bowl tight ends like Antonio Gates, Tony Gonzalez, Jeremy Shockey and Todd Heap quickly become their quarterbacks’ best friends.
In Miller, the Raiders may have a good one on their hands — with good hands.
• Raiders owner Al Davis made a mid-practice appearance on the north end of the field Thursday, watching the Silver and Black work out from his golf cart. He was a passenger, not the driver.
He briefly stood with his now trademark walker to take in the scene.
Take him or leave him, you have to give him credit — he loves his football team.
When a TV reporter asked Raiders center Jake Grove if the players try harder when they know “Mr. Davis” is watching, he said, “Hopefully we’re getting after it all the time, regardless of the situation.”
• A pass floated by new Raiders receiver Travis Taylor out of bounds Thursday, the pigskin landing at the feet of a local newspaper reporter.
The reporter, unsure of security guidelines, stopped the ball with his foot but did not throw it back.
“A little help, man, a little help,” said Taylor with a smile, arms raised, to the reporter.
“I don’t know if I’m allowed to pick it up,” the reporter said back with a laugh.
The atmosphere has seemed more upbeat at camp this year, however.
Everybody seems more friendly — even the security guys.
• Warren Sapp, the Raiders’ venerable defensive tackle and resident talking machine, was barking at the offense during a scrimmage presided over by a quartet of NFL officials brought in by the team.
When a defensive player was whistled for lining up in the neutral zone, Sapp yapped at no one and everyone in particular.
“You know that’s the only way you’ll win. Bring your friends out here. I know they don’t like me,” he yelled before cooling off with a splash from the water stick.
-- Randy Johnson
Tuesday, Aug. 1, 8:30 p.m.
Daunte Culpepper returned to professional football Wednesday.
Signed by the Oakland Raiders as a free agent quarterback, Culpepper took part in his first practice of training camp at Redwood Middle School in the morning, throwing passes of different lengths to running backs and receivers while getting to know the players, coaches and staff around him in an effort to resurrect his NFL career.
The nine-year veteran out of Central Florida had a private workout for the team Tuesday and got a jump start on camp by attending meetings that night.
“Obviously, he’s got a ways to go in our playbook to catch up to speed with us,” Raiders head coach Lane Kiffin said. “But it was good to have him out here today, so he could start to get a feel for things. We’ll slowly integrate him into our offense and get to the point where he’s taking more reps than he is now.”
The addition of the 6-foot-4, 265-pound Culpepper — who spent last season with the Miami Dolphins after playing the first seven years of his NFL career with the Minnesota Vikings — gives the Raiders an experienced player while adding depth to the position. Kiffin wants to have open competition between Culpepper, Josh McCown and Andrew Walter before deciding on a starter.
“The plan is to get Daunte to the point where he’s getting the same amount of reps as McCown and Walter,” said Kiffin.
The Raiders — who opened camp last Friday — are still without quarterback JaMarcus Russell, the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft who remains unsigned and is at home in Mobile, Ala.
Raiders owner Al Davis was asked if he’s hopeful of getting Russell signed and in the team’s Napa Valley summer training complex.
“We drafted him with the idea that he’d be in camp — and he will be,” Davis said during a noon press conference at the Napa Valley Marriott, the team’s summer headquarters.
Davis said doctors assured him that Culpepper’s knee is well.
The Raiders put Culpepper, 30, through a high tempo workout Tuesday in order to see how his surgically repaired knee held up and to also check on his conditioning. He began last year’s season as Miami’s starter, but was injured in the second game and later placed on injured reserve after seeing action in just four games. Culpepper was released by the Dolphins last month.
“We’ve had great success through the years with guys like Culpepper — I’m giving him a little time to heal, a little time to get back in stride, not pushing him, not rushing him into something,” Davis said.
Culpepper, who is from Ocala, Fla., completed 81 of 134 passes for 929 yards and two touchdowns last year. He was also sacked 21 times in those four games.
-- Marty James
Tuesday, July 31, 9 p.m.
The Oakland Raiders will welcome Daunte Culpepper, a free agent quarterback, to their Napa Valley training camp complex today.
Culpepper signed a one-year contract with the team Tuesday and had a private workout in front of team officials, in which he threw about 60 passes. He will take part in his first practice this morning with the Raiders.
“He’s part of our team right now,” head coach Lane Kiffin said. “He’ll be part of the competition here to be the starting quarterback. We’ll give him an opportunity and see if he can take it, and if he can’t, he’ll be a backup. We’re very excited to have Daunte, to add him to the mix, and see if he can help us.”
The 6-foot-4, 265-pound Culpepper spent last season with the Miami Dolphins. Culpepper, who is entering his ninth season in the NFL, spent the first seven years of his NFL career with the Minnesota Vikings.
“We had to see him run around and scramble and do different things, because his arm didn’t go away,” Kiffin said. “We weren’t worried about that. We had to make sure everything else was good.”
Culpepper will join Josh McCown and Andrew Walter, who have been splitting time running the offense for the Raiders. Quarterback JaMarcus Russell, the team’s No. 1 overall pick in the Draft, is still unsigned at home in Mobile, Ala.
“The club has to do what the club feels is right,” said Walter.
Culpepper, a former Central Florida star, has played in 85 league games with 84 starts. He has completed 1,759 of 2,741 passes for 21,091 yards with 137 touchdowns and 89 interceptions. His best season came in 2004 when he threw for 4,717 yards and 39 TDs. He has a career quarterback rating of 90.8.
Culpepper threw the ball extremely well in the workout, said Kiffin.
“We think that he adds definite competition,” Kiffin said. “We need to protect ourselves, to make sure we’re in the best position to win and have the most competition we can have in that spot.”
Kiffin likes the attitude that Culpepper brings to camp.
The Raiders said that Culpepper — originally signed in the first round (11th overall) of the 1999 NFL Draft by Minnesota — will have a press conference following this morning’s practice.
“If he’s healthy, he’s a more than an effective quarterback,” said defensive tackle Warren Sapp. “Somebody up top thinks he can help our ballclub. He’s something special. He’s put up some good years in this league.”
Sapp said a young player like Russell can benefit from watching and being around Culpepper, 30.
Players practiced in half pads Tuesday, as owner Al Davis looked on from the sidelines. Davis met for a few minutes after practice with Kiffin on the field.
Bill Dodd, a Napa County Supervisor, was a guest at practice.
Bleachers were placed on the east and west sides of the complex, giving spectators a chance to sit down.
--Marty James
Tuesday, July 31, 5:30 p.m.
Marty James, Register executive sports editor, is on his way back now from camp. He said the Raiders have signed former Minnesota Vikings and Miami Dolphins quarterback Daunte Culpepper to a contract.
Check back here in about an hour for Marty's notes from the camp and more details on the Culpepper signing.
Monday, July 30, 7:30 p.m.
Day 4 of training camp for the Oakland Raiders arrived Monday with Lane Kiffin and his staff challenging players to raise their game to another level on the Redwood Middle School practice field.
Kiffin, the team’s first-year head coach, wanted to see even more intensity and tempo in practice, which had players in half pads for the morning session.
“I believe they responded,” Kiffin said. “I thought guys worked extremely hard. We’ll see what the film shows.”
Nothing escapes coaches as practices are taped from towers high above the two fields. A big part of football is looking at film — whether it’s evaluating your own team’s performance, looking at an upcoming opponent, or examining college players that could be taken in the draft.
The offense went against the defense on a short field for about the last 45 minutes of practice, starting out from the 23-yard line and moving the ball with both running and passing plays. There was again no tackling, but you could still hear helmets and pads popping from contact at the line and when the two sides collided on a play.
There was a short break at practice at 10:25 a.m., with the team consuming Gatorade products. A few minutes later, everyone was back to work.
Some of the players jog off the field at the end of a practice, right up until reaching the field house. Others walk the short distance.
It has been pleasantly cool in the mornings with high overcast, but right about 10 a.m. the summer sun makes an appearance.
The team’s second evening practice was scheduled for Monday night. The Raiders have rented portable lights.
Kiffin was asked where the idea of night practices originated from.
“Just from talking to some people who had done it,” he said. “I know that New Orleans did it last season. It was the first time they had done it and they had real good success with it. I know the players felt really good about it and they obviously had a very healthy season. I know of teams that had tinkered with different versions of it, but that one-a-day really isn’t just a one-a-day. Some teams do it and that one-a-day is really a special teams practice for an hour-and-a-half early in the morning. That's not how we were going to go with it. If we were going to go with this and sell it to our players, it was going to be a one-a-day.”
The Raiders’ first night practice was Saturday.
“When it got darker, you could see more energy in the guys and that’s with the lights coming on, they start to feel like its closer to (real) football,” Kiffin said.
JaMarcus Russell, the Raiders‚ No. 1 overall pick in the draft, still remains unsigned and not at camp.
“I have great confidence in our people back in the office,” Kiffin said. “Things are going well at this time. At the end of the day we have got to do the best thing in the interest for the Raiders and for our future, and I know our people are doing that right now.”
--Marty James
Monday, July 30, 4 p.m.
From a start with the Raiders, Walsh went on to greatness
Long before Bill Walsh was given the “genius” label while leading the San Francisco 49ers to three Super Bowl titles and changing how offense was played in the NFL, he got his start in professional football as the offensive backs coach for the Oakland Raiders in 1966.
That one season Walsh spent in Oakland helped forge a friendship with Al Davis that has endured through decades of rivalry while Walsh coached with Cincinnati, San Diego and eventually San Francisco. The Raiders remembered Walsh fondly after he died Monday following a long battle with leukemia.
“The thing I remember most about him is he was very innovative,” said Hall of Fame cornerback Willie Brown, who played and coached against Walsh-led offenses. “He had the passing game going and he wasn’t afraid to attack you. Being a cornerback, I knew that was his style of play: attack, attack, attack.”
The Raiders said Davis visited Walsh on Saturday for the final time. Just last month, the Oakland owner arranged for Walsh to visit the team’s facility to watch practice and talk football with coach Lane Kiffin’s staff.
Walsh’s imprints can still be felt on the Raiders where his former fullback Tom Rathman is the running backs coach and former 49ers assistant Greg Knapp is the offensive coordinator.
“I thought he looked outstanding,” Rathman said of his last encounter with his coach. “I think he got some kind of infection and took a turn for the worse. I think overall it’s a big loss for the football world. Bill has meant a lot to football, not only as a head coach but developing a passing game. He was very influential as far as the game goes.”
Rathman played three seasons for Walsh in San Francisco and was on the field for his final game as an NFL coach, when San Francisco beat Cincinnati 20-16 to win the Super Bowl in January 1989. Rathman credits Walsh for helping him become an NFL coach.
He still remembers his first encounter with Walsh after being selected with a third-round pick out of Nebraska in 1986.
“I was impressed, intimidated,” Rathman said. “Here’s the great Bill Walsh. He’s already won two Super Bowls. He was already established as an icon in the league. Very intimidated.”
--Josh Dubow/AP
Sunday, July 29, 7:15 p.m.
With temperatures in a more Oakland-esque mid-70s on Sunday, the Raiders seemed peppier than ever on the third day of training camp — second in full pads — at Napa’s Redwood Middle School.
Between the serene stretching before the practice, and the impromptu home-run derby that followed, players delivered helmet-removing hits, made fingertip catches on spectacular post patterns and, in at least one case, took defensive linemen’s feet out from under them.
They worked on special-teams blocking and coverage, causing and recovering fumbles, run-blocking on the line, and getting in plenty of throws from quarterbacks not named JaMarcus Russell, such as Andrew Walter and Josh McCown.
Russell, the No. 1 pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, and the Raiders didn’t seem much closer to a contract.
“Obviously, JaMarcus is not here, and (negotiations are) actually going kinda slow with him at this time. In the last 24 hours, not much progress has been made, and we wish he was here,” Raiders head coach Lane Kiffin said. “We’re now getting to the point where if he doesn’t make enough practices, it’s going to be at a disadvantage for him once he does get here because he is going to be behind.”
The coach said the team brought in Cody Pickett to have a third quarterback in the meantime.
“I talked to him this morning,” Kiffin said of Russell. “He’s very frustrated. He wishes he was here, but he’s obviously putting it in the hands of people representing him and he’s completely out of (the negotiations) from his point of view. I don’t think he really knows (the business side).
“We’re obviously going to spend tireless hours with him, but getting him caught up not that easy. You can’t make for all the stuff Josh and Andrew are getting right now, live blitz drills and throwing with people in their faces. I just hope there’s not many more reps that he does miss.”
Afterward, a handful of players showed off their multi-sport athleticism by taking swings at softballs heaved by defensive coordinator Rob Ryan.
Fifth-year Raiders linebacker Sam Williams was the only one to hit a Ryan offering over the west-side fence into the middle school parking lot, from the middle of the east-side field — a distance of about 300 feet, and into a stiff wind. The Clayton Valley High School and Fresno State product said he never played baseball in high school.
--Andy Wilcox/Register
Saturday, July 28, 4:30 p.m.
Welcome to the National Football League, Zach.
Zach Miller, a rookie tight end out of Arizona State, signed his contract after arriving at the Oakland Raiders training camp at the Napa Valley Marriott late Friday.
On Saturday morning, the second-round pick was out on the practice field at Redwood Middle School.
During a passing drill, Miller landed hard on his back after going up high to make a catch while being defended by 10-year veteran safety Donovin Darius, who has made 115 career starts.
But Miller, the 38th overall selection in the 2007 NFL Draft, got right back up.
“He’s a great competitor, he always has been, all the way back to high school,” head coach Lane Kiffin said.
As a junior in 2006, Miller had 50 receptions for 484 yards and caught four touchdown passes. He was voted as a consensus All-American and received Walter Camp All-America honors. In three years with the Sun Devils, Miller caught 144 passes for 1,512 yards and 14 TDs.
“I know that he’s extremely excited,” said Kiffin, adding that Miller (6-foot-5, 255 pounds) worked with tight ends coach Kelly Skipper up until midnight to get caught up on what he had missed so far in camp.
“The thing about Zach is you’re not going to have to worry about if he‚s going to come back out of shape or that he hasn’t been working out. And that’s part of what went into drafting him. He’s a guy that’s going to give it up for you.”
Said Miller, who wears No. 45 for the Silver and Black, “I feel good. I’m just glad to have it done and be able to get out to practice. I’m here now and I can start practicing, showing the coaches what I have.”
He finished his college career ranked sixth in school history in total receptions and stands as ASU’s all-time leader in receptions by a tight end and touchdown catches by a tight end.
Saturday morning was the Raiders‚ first in full gear. There were 1-on-1 drills. There wasn’t any tackling, but the team went at full speed and there was contact involved during 11-on-11 drills.
“That was for a purpose,” said Kiffin. “We need to find out who these players are and find out what we have on our team, and then we’re going to have to go from there.”
Kiffin called the first padded practice of camp the team‚s first test.
The Raiders’ first evening practice was scheduled for 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday. The team has brought in portable lights. It’s the Raiders’ first evening practice in their 12 years of training camp at Redwood Middle School.
--Marty James/Register
Friday, July 27, 7:30 p.m.
Day 1 of the 2007 NFL season began early Friday for the Oakland Raiders.
A 6:45 a.m. wake-up call was followed by a team meeting at 7:30 at the Napa Valley Marriott, the Raiders’ team hotel and headquarters for four weeks in the summer.
There were additional meetings during the morning for special teams, offense and defense.
And then it was out to the field at Redwood Middle School for the first practice of camp. It was a non-padded practice, with players wearing helmets, jerseys, shorts and cleats during afternoon drills. But there was still some contact in 11-on-11 drills, but no tackling.
The temperature read 79 degrees, but it felt a whole lot warmer in the afternoon sun.
“The first day is hell. This sun is unforgiving — beating on you the whole time,” said wide receiver Jerry Porter.
Quarterbacks wearing red jerseys threw passes to running backs, tight ends and receivers. Defensive linemen hit blocking sleds. The offensive line worked on technique drills.
Head coach Lane Kiffin called it “an extremely positive first day.”
Kiffin said, “Everything counts. We tell the team that in the first team meeting every time we get together — everything you do counts, on or off the field. Everything goes into it.”
The Raiders opened camp without JaMarcus Russell, the No. 1 overall draft pick, who remains unsigned while at home in Mobile, Ala.
“We feel that we’ve made some strides,” Kiffin said in regards to contract negotiations with Russell, who had a 25-4 record as LSU’s starting quarterback.
The Raiders were also missing tight end Zach Miller, a second-round draft pick out of Arizona State who is also unsigned.
“We felt that Zack was going to be at this practice even up until a few minutes before practice, but at the last minute it didn’t happen,” said Kiffin.
More meetings were planned for Friday night. There is an 11:15 p.m. curfew and bed check.
“It’s a good first day. We’ve got a ways to go,” said tackle Barry Sims. “It’s a good start. We’ve got a lot of hungry guys that really want to win, and that’s what you need.
“Obviously, we’re no where near where we want to be, but the energy is there and I think that the guys on the team are going to answer the challenge. We’re on the right track. We’ve just to keep on plugging away,” Sims said.
The Raiders will be in pads Saturday, and it’s their first double day. They will practice from 8:45 to 11 a.m., and their first evening practice of camp goes from 7-9 p.m. The team will use portable lights.
--Marty James/Register
Friday, July 27, 3 p.m.
No. 1 overall draft pick JaMarcus Russell and the Raiders failed to agree on a contract before the start of training camp Friday here in Napa, leaving the quarterback as a holdout from the team's first practice.
Coach Lane Kiffin said Thursday that the team was making progress toward signing Russell to a deal but the two sides were unable to reach an agreement before the practice began Friday afternoon. Second-round pick Zach Miller, a tight end out of Arizona State, also missed the opening session of training camp.
Talks between the Raiders, Russell and his agent, Eric Metz, have been ongoing for weeks but the sides have yet to strike an agreement. Russell is said to be seeking a deal worth $60 million. Last year's No. 1 overall pick, defensive end Mario Williams of the Houston Texans, signed a six-year, $54 million deal that included $26.5 million in guaranteed money.
--/AP
Thursday, July 26, 9 p.m.
The Oakland Raiders returned to town Thursday, checking into their summer training camp at the Napa Valley Marriott and looking ahead to a team meeting Friday morning and their first practice at Redwood Middle School in the afternoon.
Players — many with out-of-state license plates — unloaded luggage and personal belongings after finding a parking space.
“When I pull into Napa I know it’s time to go to work,” left tackle Chad Slaughter said after reporting. “I think my mind-set is already giving my body that feeling. I’m just anxious like everybody else is to see how everything’s going to go. My anticipation is high, just like everybody else. I’m here to work.”
The Raiders, in Napa for the 12th year in a row, are trying to turn things around under new head coach Lane Kiffin after a 2-14 record last year.
“I’m just excited to put the pads on again, get out here and play football,” said running back LaMont Jordan. “I know that this year we’re going to be a better team, especially offensively. I’m coming out there to carry the load and go out there and to lead my team. I think this camp is big for all of us offensively. We were horrible on the offensive side of the ball last year. It’s very important that we come out, that we learn the system, that we understand the system, and that we go out there and we perform a lot better this camp than we did the last camp.”
New at camp this year will be several evening practices that will be lighted.
“It allows a minimum of eight hours in-between each practice,” said Kiffin. “After researching it, it was the best thing for their health and to be able get them to practice at the level we want them to.”
The team’s first practice in pads is Saturday. The Raiders are still in contract negotiations with quarterback JaMarcus Russell, the No. 1 overall pick in last April’s NFL draft out of LSU.
-- Marty James/Register
Thursday, July 26, 4 p.m.
The Raiders cut tight end Courtney Anderson on Thursday as the team reported to its first training camp under new coach Lane Kiffin.
Anderson, a seventh-round pick out of San Jose State in 2004, started 24 games the past two seasons, making 49 catches for 588 yards and five touchdowns. He split time last season with converted wide receiver Randal Williams and was not expected to start this year.
The Raiders used their second-round pick in April's draft on Zach Miller, who should have a chance to earn the starting job during training camp. Oakland also signed free agents Fred Wakefield and Tony Stewart in the offseason.
The Raiders signed defensive end Bill Swancutt, who was waived by Detroit earlier this week.
--/AP
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