Is It Gameday Yet

We are jockstraps deep into training camp now and that means the big and old ones (players, not jocks--I hope they have new jocks) get a day off. Seymour, John Henderson, Gallery and Cooper Carlisle got the second practice off today. Before they come hunting me down, the big and old comment was lifted from the mouth of Coach Cable.

Two-a-day Tuesday saw the players in pads in the morning and shirts in the afternoon. The only players not participating for the morning were Chaz and Murphy. Murph was running with a helmet on and is recovering nicely. In these newfangled times of precaution teams are being careful with players brains. Chaz was on the field for the second practice running routes and looked good coming in and out of his cuts.

The biggest slacker of the day award goes to our eyes and ears, the media. I didn't find as much coverage as I had in the pass days. So, thanks to Corkran and McDonald. Whatever, most training camps are open to the public, but our Raiders are special.

Read the McDonald piece. Great quotes by Nnam on the additions they are seeing to the offensive playbook. He gives all the credit to Hue, but it must be nice to have a QB that will actually understand the plays. It should be a new look O and possibly D. Nnam also talks about moving around on D to help wreak havoc on the opposition.

I feel confident in saying that a more complex offense and defense will make a Raider fan as happy as a Bronco fan finally getting to french kiss their sibling. If you're bored jump over for the bullet points. I think we have entered the dog days of training camp.

• The public is welcomed to pay their respects to Jack Tatum on Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. at Fouche’s Hudson Funeral Home, 3665 Telegraph Ave., Oakland.
• File this under the good sign section of news: JLH caught a pass and took a hit from Joey Thomas when they weren't supposed to be hitting and then caught the next pass too.
• File this under the bad sign section of news: JLH got chewed out for being out of position and not finishing a rout.
• Seymour continues to work exclusively at DT.
• Khalif Barnes got Gallery's reps with the first team. Bruce Campbell got Carlisle's reps
• Marcel Reece missed the second practice with a foot or ankle issue.
  
• Color me impressed: As the team worked on one handed catches to start practice 2 Michael Bush got one by the point of the ball.
  
• In the afternoon 7 on 7 drills the passing game looked sharp. Campbell was 7-8 and Gradkowski 4-4.
• Cable admitted they didn't look as good in the passing game in the 11 on 11 as they had hoped. DHB made a few routine catches. DHB didn't know there was a routine catch last year.
  
• McClain got beat twice in pass plays by FB's. One was a deep pass to Moline that the coaches told McClain he'd have help on in games and the other was to Tonga after he beat a McClain chuck on the line.
• My favorite report of the day was this however from the Jerry McD twitter page: McClain sheds block and meets Bush at line. It is going to be nice having a MLB that isn't worried about ruining a potential friendship by shedding a block every now and then.
  
• It was reported that J. Henderson looked strong up the middle with the second team in the morning sessions. Great sign. It was also connected to a report that Bennett and Cartwright beat the second unit on the edges.
  
• Weren't we hearing that last year only with the first team? That's right, the team got Richard Seymour to help answer those questions. So now Seymour is back in the middle and the edges are being held down by a rookie and a guy that was a rookie last year followed by a second team that is getting torched on the edges by third team runners. Seeds of doubt that I am shall not further water.
  
• Chris Johnson had a strong practice and is putting together a good camp.