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Turnovers heavy on Raider minds
By Bill Soliday, STAFF WRITER
NAPA — There's a new daily routine at the Oakland Raiders' training camp. Turnover drills. Think it's important? You be the judge. It's the very first period of each practice.
"It's a full period geared to getting turnovers, geared to the offense not giving up turnovers," cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha said. "We have interception drills, fumble drills. This year, everything is like, 'If you can get there, try to get that ball.'"
It's serious business. Defensive players practice grabbing the ballcarrier with one hand and trying to strip with the other. A teammate tries to recover. Offensive players practice recovering fumbles.
The 2005 Raiders needed the practice. It was fortunate that the offense wasn't particularly turnover prone because when it came to forcing the other team to cough up the ball, the Raiders were helpless.
The most exasperating aspect was the team's interception total: a paltry five. It was historic. No team had picked off that few since the 1982 strike-shortened season, which consisted of only nine games. In a16-game season, or even a 14-gamer, nobody had ever had fewer than six. Raider cornerback legend Lester Hayes once had13 in a season (1980) all by himself.
Small wonder the 2005 team went 4-12.
"That's just horrible," cornerback Fabian Washington said. "I know we would have won a lot more games if we had just 15 interceptions."
Washington's example is not just an idle number. The league average was 15.8 interceptions per team.
If the Raiders are to become a factor, they'll have to improve getting interceptions and fumbles. Washington has set a goal of six interceptions this year. That's six for him, not the team.
"It's important," coach Art Shell said. "Turnover ratio is very big, and we didn't get our share last year."
The fumble drill serves a dual purpose. It teaches the defense to get into the habit of trying to create a turnover while teaching the offense to stress ball security. It creates good habits.
As for interception drills, free safety Stuart Schweigert says it serves another function — establishish expectations.
"It's a mind-set," he said, "not only in games but in practice. That starts now — trying to strip the ball or make the interception instead of knocking the ball down.
"We had similar deals in college. When we talked about it and really focused on it in practice, they (turnovers) started coming in games."
At Purdue, turnovers were Schweigert's specialty. He intercepted 17 passes to break the Boilermakers career record of 11.
"You'd get into a mind-set that you were going to get an interception or a fumble recovery," he said. "But you don't want to over-do it. You can get guys thinking about it too much. When you try to press yourselves into interceptions, that's when you make mistakes.
"Last year I think maybe we were pressuring ourselves a little too much, and we had a lot of young guys out there still learning the defense."
Washington was one of those newcomers. He says he feels comfortable with the defense this year and is ready to step it up.
"Sometimes you play timid because you don't want to give up a big play, so you go for the deflection instead of the interception," he said. "When I watched film of myself during the off-season, I was counting the times I should have gone for the ball instead of going for the deflection.
"Don't be scared to make a play. Just make the play. That's what you're here for."
Although the grab-and-slap drill does not constitute textbook tackling, if a defense has enough overall quickness, it doesn't have to be a risk-taking venture. That's because help should always be in the vicinity.
"You work in tandem," Shell said. "The more people you have around the ball, the more good things that can happen on defense. One guy will make the strip while another is trying to make the tackle. That's what we're stressing to our defense. We want everybody to get around the ball, find the ball and get the ball out."
"That's one thing I can say about our defense," Washington said. "We're very fast at every position. You are going to see 11 hats around the ball at all times."
And if the turnovers follow?
"No one is going to give us respect until we actually get them," Asomugha said. "We improved as a defense last year. Now get the turnovers and watch everybody rejoice in the end. That is the next hump."
http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_4101376?source=rss
By Bill Soliday, STAFF WRITER
NAPA — There's a new daily routine at the Oakland Raiders' training camp. Turnover drills. Think it's important? You be the judge. It's the very first period of each practice.
"It's a full period geared to getting turnovers, geared to the offense not giving up turnovers," cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha said. "We have interception drills, fumble drills. This year, everything is like, 'If you can get there, try to get that ball.'"
It's serious business. Defensive players practice grabbing the ballcarrier with one hand and trying to strip with the other. A teammate tries to recover. Offensive players practice recovering fumbles.
The 2005 Raiders needed the practice. It was fortunate that the offense wasn't particularly turnover prone because when it came to forcing the other team to cough up the ball, the Raiders were helpless.
The most exasperating aspect was the team's interception total: a paltry five. It was historic. No team had picked off that few since the 1982 strike-shortened season, which consisted of only nine games. In a16-game season, or even a 14-gamer, nobody had ever had fewer than six. Raider cornerback legend Lester Hayes once had13 in a season (1980) all by himself.
Small wonder the 2005 team went 4-12.
"That's just horrible," cornerback Fabian Washington said. "I know we would have won a lot more games if we had just 15 interceptions."
Washington's example is not just an idle number. The league average was 15.8 interceptions per team.
If the Raiders are to become a factor, they'll have to improve getting interceptions and fumbles. Washington has set a goal of six interceptions this year. That's six for him, not the team.
"It's important," coach Art Shell said. "Turnover ratio is very big, and we didn't get our share last year."
The fumble drill serves a dual purpose. It teaches the defense to get into the habit of trying to create a turnover while teaching the offense to stress ball security. It creates good habits.
As for interception drills, free safety Stuart Schweigert says it serves another function — establishish expectations.
"It's a mind-set," he said, "not only in games but in practice. That starts now — trying to strip the ball or make the interception instead of knocking the ball down.
"We had similar deals in college. When we talked about it and really focused on it in practice, they (turnovers) started coming in games."
At Purdue, turnovers were Schweigert's specialty. He intercepted 17 passes to break the Boilermakers career record of 11.
"You'd get into a mind-set that you were going to get an interception or a fumble recovery," he said. "But you don't want to over-do it. You can get guys thinking about it too much. When you try to press yourselves into interceptions, that's when you make mistakes.
"Last year I think maybe we were pressuring ourselves a little too much, and we had a lot of young guys out there still learning the defense."
Washington was one of those newcomers. He says he feels comfortable with the defense this year and is ready to step it up.
"Sometimes you play timid because you don't want to give up a big play, so you go for the deflection instead of the interception," he said. "When I watched film of myself during the off-season, I was counting the times I should have gone for the ball instead of going for the deflection.
"Don't be scared to make a play. Just make the play. That's what you're here for."
Although the grab-and-slap drill does not constitute textbook tackling, if a defense has enough overall quickness, it doesn't have to be a risk-taking venture. That's because help should always be in the vicinity.
"You work in tandem," Shell said. "The more people you have around the ball, the more good things that can happen on defense. One guy will make the strip while another is trying to make the tackle. That's what we're stressing to our defense. We want everybody to get around the ball, find the ball and get the ball out."
"That's one thing I can say about our defense," Washington said. "We're very fast at every position. You are going to see 11 hats around the ball at all times."
And if the turnovers follow?
"No one is going to give us respect until we actually get them," Asomugha said. "We improved as a defense last year. Now get the turnovers and watch everybody rejoice in the end. That is the next hump."
http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_4101376?source=rss