If there were ever a moment to epitomize the first preseason game, it was the Raiders and Arizona Cardinals taking the field for the opening kickoff Friday and lining up on the wrong sides.
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As is the case with the preseason in general and the first one in particular, the starters spend so little time on the field that the contest is a glorified scrimmage, a chance to tackle to the ground and little more. The Raiders came away with the 31-to-10 victory, but there were a few players that stood out among the rest.
James Cowser can play. I couldn’t tell you really what Chandler Jones had. But what I didn’t realize is how good he is already. I figured he was a guy who makes the team as deep depth and works his way into the rotation. And I’m playing my techniques better. “There’s not just one thing that I need to do, there are a lot of things I need to do to get better”, said Carr. “We have a plan going in, and we’ll adjust it as we need to”. I’m not saying Washington will be as good, but he gains yards in a similar way, hiding behind bigger linemen and picking his way through with good footwork and lateral movement.
The Raiders led 17-10 when Cook entered and they scored on his first possession and two of the five he guided (with running back George Atkinson III doing the damage both times).
“For the most part, I thought he had a very sound game”, Peterson said. Tonight’s game has a late start time and will air on TV channels in all markets, as well as being made available on a live stream online option.
Bay Area News Group’s Courtney Cronin goes one-on-one with the Raiders rookie, getting to know more about what fuels the hard-hitting run stopper. “This was our first time with me and Reggie playing together”. He was solid in run-blocking, but struggled some against the pass rush Friday. “Knowing the blocks before they happen and trusting the line that they’re going to make those blocks”.
My god the offensive line. How he wants me to run certain routes. Hard to bring down, Washington is blessed with balance, quickness, straight-line speed, and some wiggle when he gets into space.
Under normal circumstances, Derek Carr would be extremely irritated after throwing a red-zone pick. Brent and Johnny Holton. He should be a strong candidate for the kick return duties. LB Korey Toomer was especially impressive, notching seven tackles and leading the team; he also forced the fumble on that punt return that led to the Walford TD.
While many moons ago, the National Football League used to ban nearly any NFL-related content from being on YouTube, they’ve started to come around with regards to digital streaming, and now have one of the best YouTube channels.
Marcel Reece does not look like he deserves a roster spot at this point.
Arians said the starters will get, at most, 16 to 18 plays against the Chargers.
“It’s good to take those shots”, Carr said.
We’ll see how cohesive they are, but I don’t think they’re going to struggle on run downs almost as much this season, I’ll put it that way. It’s early but my excitement over the Raiders is growing.
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Arizona Cardinals’ Michael Floyd (15) gets pulled down by Oakland Raiders’ David Amerson (29) after a long pass reception during the first half of an NFL preseason football game Friday, Aug. 12, 2016, in Glendale, Ariz.
