Raiders "throwing a lot" at Vincent Brown trying to get him up to speed

The newest player for the Raiders is former Chargers wide receiver, Vincent Brown, who they signed this week to a free agent contract.

Brown was on the Raiders practice field with his teammates for the first time on Wednesday as the team prepares to face the New England Patriots this week. It is a tall order to expect him to absorb the playbook in such a short amount of time, but the Raiders are doing what they can to get him ready.

"We're gonna work him out, see how fast he can pick up what we're doing offensively," said Dennis Allen. "But after having an opportunity to compete against him a couple of years there when he was in San Diego, he's got some explosiveness, he catches the ball really well, and he's got some vertical threat down the field. I think probably the biggest thing when you watch the guy, when the ball goes in his direction, he generally makes the catch."

Catching the ball when it is thrown in is direction has been in somewhat short supply in Oakland recently. Whether Brown can help remedy that issue remains to be seen. Allen watched Brown have the best game of his career against his team last season when he caught 7 passes for 117 yards. It was his only ever game surpassing the 100 yards mark in 16 career starts.

The 5-11 receiver was a third round pick by the Chargers in 2011 and spent three season with them. He showed some promise early in his career but has had some injury issues. He was out all of the 2012 season and was injured all training camp and preseason for the Chargers before they waived him and let him go on an injury settlement early this month.

"New system, new terminology," Brown said of his new team. "That's probably the hardest part about the whole thing right now, just trying to get all that. My head's swimming and just trying to slow everything down at the moment, but like I said, similar plays but different terminology."

He will be asked to bulk up the Raiders receiving corps and help out rookie quarterback, Derek Carr. How soon is the question.

"He's a good dude to have in our locker room for sure, has great experience," Carr said of Brown. "He's obviously played. Now, getting him ready, I don't know how he learns, I don't know how fast he learns, I don't know what the best way he learns, I don't know yet. We're throwing a lot at him. Our goal is obviously, they signed him so we want to get him going. But how fast, I honestly wish I could tell you, I don't know. Hopefully soon. That's the plan, but again as fast as he can do it, I'm sure that he'll be ready to go."

It may be too much to ask him to be ready this week, and if he plays against the Dolphins in London, it would probably be on a limited basis. But with the bye week after that, he should be full go just in time to face his former team, the Chargers, when they come to Oakland on October 12. I'm sure that timing is not a coincidence.

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