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Camp Tour: Raiders aren't messin' with the kid
By Pat Kirwan | NFL.com
OVERVIEW: The Oakland Raiders are in a transformation from a team in disarray to a team with a single purpose and a group of players actually learning how to become a team again under the guidance of their 32-year-old head coach, Lane Kiffin. It's not an easy journey for any coach, let alone a young man in his first situation as the leader of a franchise. There are old players, old habits, and some old ways of doing things that have to be overhauled before winning and a return to the glory days can ever become a reality. The Raiders are pointed in the right direction, but I know the key ingredient in this project is patience.
I spent a good amount of time alone with Al Davis, the owner and visionary of the Raiders organization. He could not have been nicer or more open with me as we watched practice together while talking about his young coach, the players on the field, and most of the topics surrounding the 2007 Raiders. Sure, Davis is the owner, but he will always be a football man at heart.
He watches every play of practice every day. When practice was over, he headed right inside for a workout and then to study the practice tapes. He knows things about every one of the players in uniform competing for spots on the '07 roster. He amazed me about the littlest details of a receiver's route running, the back pedal of a rookie corner, the stance and "get off" of a young defensive lineman. He may differ with Kiffin in an assessment of a particular player, but Davis is working closer with Kiffin than he has in years past with other head coaches.
Sure, it's early and the real games have not started yet, but I believe Kiffin can walk into Davis' office, sit down and disagree on a player and the owner will defer to the coach when he is presented with logic in a straightforward way. While Davis and I stood alone discussing everything from his days growing up in Brooklyn, New York, to a contract I did 10 years ago for a player with the Jets to a rookie free agent trying to make this team, he mentioned a player or two he would like to see make the team but didn't think his head coach liked -- and probably wouldn't make the final cut. To me the most important thing going on in Oakland is the ever-growing relationship between Davis and Kiffin. These guys are on the same course and working like a team. I have been to Raiders camp in years past but I was never called over by Davis to talk football and given every opportunity to see for myself what is going on with the Silver and Black.
HOT TOPICS
1. The 2007 OFFENSE. The offense was so bad in 2006 that the only way to go is up. The defensive players tell me, "Now there's a plan and the offense is moving so much faster than they ever did before." The move to get Daunte Culpepper has added leverage to the JaMarcus Russell negotiations, and I didn't talk to one veteran who felt they needed Russell in camp to jumpstart this offense. Jerry Porter returns to the 75 reception area, Ronald Curry tops his 62 receptions of last year and the running back by committee puts up close to 1,900 yards by season's end.
2. JaMARCUS RUSSELL. I'm sure Davis and the entire organization wants Russell in camp, but at what price? Calvin Johnson got $27 million in guaranteed money at the No. 2 spot and the club is not headed towards anything higher than $31 million in guarantees. Even when he eventually signs his six-year deal, the first year is a total throwaway at this point.
3. A 32-YEAR-OLD HEAD COACH. He is wise beyond his years and he has the respect of the team. I sat in on the team meetings and Kiffin blends humor and toughness to lead the team. A large number of players told me they understand they all can be replaced. It's not a scare tactic; it's reality.
NEWCOMERS
1. JEREMY NEWBERRY: Newberry may be an injury risk at this point in his career, but he brings veteran depth and he is clearly pushing the other interior linemen in camp.
2. ZACK MILLER: He may have run a pedestrian 4.85 in the 40 in college and is not the kind of tight end the old Raiders would have drafted, but believe me, he plays faster than his 40 time and he's dropped one pass since camp has started.
3. DOMINIC RHODES: He has the speed and power to really run the outside zone play the Raiders want to develop. It's a shame he will miss the first four weeks with a suspension. When he returns the run game will pick up.
4. JOHNNIE LEE HIGGINS: This kid has the speed the offense needs and he should make the team on that dimension alone. He has made some nice catches in practice and is going to push some older established Raiders off the roster.
SCOUTING REPORT
OFFENSE: The offense is best described as a combination of the Alex Gibbs running game (Denver Broncos) and the USC passing attack. Rhodes and LaMont Jordan will share the workload in the downhill run scheme. With Robert Gallery now at guard it will be a much-improved aspect of the game under the direction of line coach Tom Cable. Until the offensive line gels as a pass-blocking unit, expect to see lots of bootleg passes from Josh McCown and a quick three-step passing game to get the ball out of the hand of the quarterback before the pass rush gets to the him. No one gave up more sacks than the Raiders in 2006 with 72, but it would appear that number is going to be drastically reduced with a different scheme and a quicker decision-maker under center. Don't expect to see Russell under center in 2007. Ninety percent of the offense has already been installed and the quarterbacks in camp are already up to getting good repetitions. Russell is too far behind to be a factor this year. Culpepper, on the other hand, is benefiting greatly from the absence of Russell getting lots of extra repetitions. Culpepper is handling the Raiders situation with class. He runs to every drill, he's keeping a low profile and waiting his turn to show Kiffin what he can do.
DEFENSE: This group has character and characters. They are fun to watch at practice, they have playmakers in Warren Sapp, who led all defensive tackles in the NFL with 10.0 sacks last year, and Michael Huff, a ball-hawking safety who seemed to be in the right place at the right time every time I watched the defense.
Coach Rob Ryan really motivates his guys every practice of every day. They believe they can win a game on defense and I must say after sitting down with linebackers Thomas Howard and Kirk Morrison, it's easy to see what makes this defense tick. If the offense does their job it could place extra pressure on the defense by forcing teams to throw more. Last year, the Raiders defense saw the fewest number of passes thrown at them of any defense in the NFL. The league average was just over 512 pass attempts. Oakland saw 102 less than the NFL average. As one opposing offensive coach said, "When we played Oakland we didn't need to take chances in the pass game last year."
SPECIAL TEAMS: Sebastian Janikowski had the worst field goal percentage in the AFC last year (.720), but he only attempted 25 field goals. The punt return and kick return differentials were both at the very bottom of the league and there is work to be done. The addition of young players on the roster, the reality that this coaching staff will cut players who don't perform and the watchful eye of Kiffin should bring some improvement.
Camp Tour: Raiders aren't messin' with the kid
OVERVIEW: The Oakland Raiders are in a transformation from a team in disarray to a team with a single purpose and a group of players actually learning how to become a team again under the guidance of their 32-year-old head coach, Lane Kiffin. It's not an easy journey for any coach, let alone a young man in his first situation as the leader of a franchise. There are old players, old habits, and some old ways of doing things that have to be overhauled before winning and a return to the glory days can ever become a reality. The Raiders are pointed in the right direction, but I know the key ingredient in this project is patience.
I spent a good amount of time alone with Al Davis, the owner and visionary of the Raiders organization. He could not have been nicer or more open with me as we watched practice together while talking about his young coach, the players on the field, and most of the topics surrounding the 2007 Raiders. Sure, Davis is the owner, but he will always be a football man at heart.
He watches every play of practice every day. When practice was over, he headed right inside for a workout and then to study the practice tapes. He knows things about every one of the players in uniform competing for spots on the '07 roster. He amazed me about the littlest details of a receiver's route running, the back pedal of a rookie corner, the stance and "get off" of a young defensive lineman. He may differ with Kiffin in an assessment of a particular player, but Davis is working closer with Kiffin than he has in years past with other head coaches.
Sure, it's early and the real games have not started yet, but I believe Kiffin can walk into Davis' office, sit down and disagree on a player and the owner will defer to the coach when he is presented with logic in a straightforward way. While Davis and I stood alone discussing everything from his days growing up in Brooklyn, New York, to a contract I did 10 years ago for a player with the Jets to a rookie free agent trying to make this team, he mentioned a player or two he would like to see make the team but didn't think his head coach liked -- and probably wouldn't make the final cut. To me the most important thing going on in Oakland is the ever-growing relationship between Davis and Kiffin. These guys are on the same course and working like a team. I have been to Raiders camp in years past but I was never called over by Davis to talk football and given every opportunity to see for myself what is going on with the Silver and Black.
HOT TOPICS
1. The 2007 OFFENSE. The offense was so bad in 2006 that the only way to go is up. The defensive players tell me, "Now there's a plan and the offense is moving so much faster than they ever did before." The move to get Daunte Culpepper has added leverage to the JaMarcus Russell negotiations, and I didn't talk to one veteran who felt they needed Russell in camp to jumpstart this offense. Jerry Porter returns to the 75 reception area, Ronald Curry tops his 62 receptions of last year and the running back by committee puts up close to 1,900 yards by season's end.
2. JaMARCUS RUSSELL. I'm sure Davis and the entire organization wants Russell in camp, but at what price? Calvin Johnson got $27 million in guaranteed money at the No. 2 spot and the club is not headed towards anything higher than $31 million in guarantees. Even when he eventually signs his six-year deal, the first year is a total throwaway at this point.
3. A 32-YEAR-OLD HEAD COACH. He is wise beyond his years and he has the respect of the team. I sat in on the team meetings and Kiffin blends humor and toughness to lead the team. A large number of players told me they understand they all can be replaced. It's not a scare tactic; it's reality.
NEWCOMERS
1. JEREMY NEWBERRY: Newberry may be an injury risk at this point in his career, but he brings veteran depth and he is clearly pushing the other interior linemen in camp.
2. ZACK MILLER: He may have run a pedestrian 4.85 in the 40 in college and is not the kind of tight end the old Raiders would have drafted, but believe me, he plays faster than his 40 time and he's dropped one pass since camp has started.
3. DOMINIC RHODES: He has the speed and power to really run the outside zone play the Raiders want to develop. It's a shame he will miss the first four weeks with a suspension. When he returns the run game will pick up.
4. JOHNNIE LEE HIGGINS: This kid has the speed the offense needs and he should make the team on that dimension alone. He has made some nice catches in practice and is going to push some older established Raiders off the roster.
SCOUTING REPORT
OFFENSE: The offense is best described as a combination of the Alex Gibbs running game (Denver Broncos) and the USC passing attack. Rhodes and LaMont Jordan will share the workload in the downhill run scheme. With Robert Gallery now at guard it will be a much-improved aspect of the game under the direction of line coach Tom Cable. Until the offensive line gels as a pass-blocking unit, expect to see lots of bootleg passes from Josh McCown and a quick three-step passing game to get the ball out of the hand of the quarterback before the pass rush gets to the him. No one gave up more sacks than the Raiders in 2006 with 72, but it would appear that number is going to be drastically reduced with a different scheme and a quicker decision-maker under center. Don't expect to see Russell under center in 2007. Ninety percent of the offense has already been installed and the quarterbacks in camp are already up to getting good repetitions. Russell is too far behind to be a factor this year. Culpepper, on the other hand, is benefiting greatly from the absence of Russell getting lots of extra repetitions. Culpepper is handling the Raiders situation with class. He runs to every drill, he's keeping a low profile and waiting his turn to show Kiffin what he can do.
DEFENSE: This group has character and characters. They are fun to watch at practice, they have playmakers in Warren Sapp, who led all defensive tackles in the NFL with 10.0 sacks last year, and Michael Huff, a ball-hawking safety who seemed to be in the right place at the right time every time I watched the defense.
Coach Rob Ryan really motivates his guys every practice of every day. They believe they can win a game on defense and I must say after sitting down with linebackers Thomas Howard and Kirk Morrison, it's easy to see what makes this defense tick. If the offense does their job it could place extra pressure on the defense by forcing teams to throw more. Last year, the Raiders defense saw the fewest number of passes thrown at them of any defense in the NFL. The league average was just over 512 pass attempts. Oakland saw 102 less than the NFL average. As one opposing offensive coach said, "When we played Oakland we didn't need to take chances in the pass game last year."
SPECIAL TEAMS: Sebastian Janikowski had the worst field goal percentage in the AFC last year (.720), but he only attempted 25 field goals. The punt return and kick return differentials were both at the very bottom of the league and there is work to be done. The addition of young players on the roster, the reality that this coaching staff will cut players who don't perform and the watchful eye of Kiffin should bring some improvement.
