3 years ago
315
Raiders report
All practices astatine Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center, unless noted:
■ Wednesday — Practice, 10:50 a.m.
■ Thursday — Practice, 10:50 a.m.
■ Friday — Practice, 11 a.m.
■ Saturday — Off
■ Sunday — astatine Steelers, Pittsburgh, 10 a.m.
Quote of the day
The excitement implicit the game-winning touchdown successful overtime Monday nighttime was inactive lingering connected Tuesday astatine the Raiders’ squad installation successful Henderson adjacent though preparations were already underway for Sunday’s matchup with the Steelers successful Pittsburgh.
While the play of the infinitesimal was a large factor, astatine slightest portion of the other emotion was owed to who scored the touchdown.
Wide receiver Zay Jones is 1 of the astir fashionable players successful the locker country and among the coaching staff.
Player aft subordinate connected the podium aft the triumph spoke of however thrilled they were to spot Jones get rewarded for each his hard enactment with the game-winning moment.
Coach Jon Gruden echoed the sentiment.
“I deliberation I pb the league successful Zay Jones cheers and chants,” Gruden said. “He’s conscionable specified a large kid and specified a hard-working player. I person to get him connected the tract more. It’s a competitory radical of receivers, but he’s specified an vigor root for us. He finishes everything. He’s the archetypal feline successful and the past feline to leave. He’s ever upbeat and positive.
“I privation I was Zay Jones.”
Jones had 2 catches for 46 yards, including the 31-yard touchdown to extremity the game.
Making the grade
One of the biggest questions facing the Raiders’ discourtesy this play was however good the revamped and mostly inexperienced violative enactment would beryllium capable to execute erstwhile the games started to count.
According to Pro Football Focus, the reply is not precise well.
Rookie first-round prime Alex Leatherwood was ranked 68th retired of 68 eligible violative tackles successful Week 1. Center Andre James was No. 32 retired of 32 centers whose show was ranked by the site’s graders.
It wasn’t the commencement either was hoping for to commencement the season. They volition person to amended quickly, particularly with starting close defender Denzelle Good apt retired for the play and near defender Richie Incognito inactive moving his mode backmost from a preseason calf injury.
John Simpson, playing successful spot of Incognito, was 45th retired of 65 guards.
The grades weren’t each atrocious for the Raiders, adjacent connected the violative line. Kolton Miller was the fourth-ranked tackle wide and third-best walk blocker.
Defensively, Maxx Crosby was the second-rated antiaircraft extremity retired of 98 scored. Yannick Ngakoue, who near with an injury, was fourth. Arizona’s Chandler Jones conscionable edged retired Crosby for the apical spot.
Newcomer Casey Hayward Jr. had a tremendous debut with the Raiders, ranking No. 3 retired of 100 cornerbacks.
The biggest leap was made by information Johnathan Abram, who already appears to beryllium a amended acceptable successful the Gus Bradley defense. Abram finished past play ranked 94th retired of 94 safeties successful the league, mostly based connected his sum rating.
After 1 crippled successful which helium was lined up astatine escaped information lone erstwhile and deployed arsenic much of a container linebacker, Abram showed marked improvement.
He was rated No. 11 retired of 67 linebackers successful presumption of sum people unsocial and 30th retired of 84 connected wide grade.
“He showed up large clip with immoderate scope plays and open-field tackling,” Gruden said. “He was successful the close spot. He was successful a bully spot emotionally. I liked wherever his attraction was from a down-to-down standpoint. I deliberation he’s truly starting to recognize this defence and cognize what his relation is successful the defence and unleashing his talent. I thought a batch of things came unneurotic for him against a precise hard and unorthodox benignant of offense. You’re not going to spot a batch of teams play discourtesy similar that successful this league.”
Just kicking it
Kicker Daniel Carlson forced overtime with a booming 55-yard tract extremity connected Monday, and Gruden showed assurance by primitively deciding to nonstop him successful to effort a game-winner connected 2nd down successful overtime.
Confusion connected the sideline led to a delay-of-game punishment earlier the Raiders yet won connected the Jones touchdown, but Gruden is blessed to person specified a reliable kicker astatine his disposal.
“I bash person a batch of assurance successful him,” Gruden said. “We knew if we got the shot astatine the 40-yard line, helium could marque that footwear and nonstop it to overtime. He did it to New Orleans past twelvemonth successful akin manner to marque it a two-score game. His kickoffs person been great. His field-goal accuracy has been great. I deliberation he’s a Pro Bowl kicker. He broke (Sebastian) Janikowski’s scoring grounds past twelvemonth for a reason. He’s a reliable, clutch kicker, and he’s disconnected to different large start.”
Adam Hill Las Vegas Review-Journal
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