Raiders tackle misses practice again.
ALAMEDA » Trent Brown was conspicuous by his absence Thursday.
The Raiders’ right tackle missed practice for the second consecutive day with a knee injury and the club was predictably tight-lipped regarding Brown’s availability to face the Minnesota Vikings (1-1) on Sunday on the road.
Asked about Brown’s status, offensive coordinator Greg Olson said, “he’s good as far as I know.”
Olson surely noticed, however, that the 6-foot8, 380-pound Brown was not lining up with the offense. It’s conceivable the Raiders are simply resting Brown, making sure he’s good to go. A third straight day of missed practice today — a day which is typically shorter and lighter in terms of intensity — would be cause for concern.
Brown has lived up to the billing of being the NFL’s highest paid offensive lineman by virtue of the four
year, $66 million free agent contract he signed in the offseason. He missed the last 14 snaps of the Raiders’ 28-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs and was replaced by Brandon Parker.
Given that Minnesota left end Danielle Hunter is considered one of the best in the NFL over his position and will line up over the right tackle, Brown’s absence would cause a serious matchup problem.
Coach Jon Gruden said Wednesday either Parker or David Sharpe would start at right tackle if Brown could not play.
Also missing from practice was wide receiver Dwayne Harris, who has an ankle injury. The Raiders (11) traded for wide receiver/ return specialist Trevor Davis, possibly in anticipation of Harris being inactive against the Vikings.
Running back Josh Jacobs was on the field, participating in practice during the media window. Jacobs was limited in practice Wednesday with a hip injury (Gruden originally said it was a groin injury) and on an Instagram post said he’d been sick and lost 10 pounds.
Jacobs was limited in practice again with a hip injury. Although he wasn’t listed as having an illness, there is apparently something going around in the Raiders locker room as cornerback Keisean Nixon and defensive tackle P. J. Hall were added to the injury report with an “illness” designation. Nixon didn’t practice at all and Hall was limited. HERE COMES COOK » Dalvin Cook is coming, and Tahir Whitehead knows he won’t be hard to find.
“They’re trying to run it down your face,” Whitehead said. “You know what you need to stop. They way they look at it they’re going to keep doing it until you stop it.”
The Raiders presumably did considerable work Thursday during the closed portion of practice at getting off blocks and sealing off cutback lanes in the zone scheme runs which are the bread and butter of the Minnesota Vikings offense.
A lot of things will have to go right for the Raiders at U.S. Bank Stadium. One thing that seems a certainty is that if Cook goes off, the Raiders will be hardpressed to open their fourstate, one-foreign country road odyssey with a win.
The third-year running back out of Florida State leads the NFL with 265 yards, is averaging 6.5 yards per carry with three touchdowns, and appears all the way back from an ACL tear that halted his rookie season in 2017 after just four games.
Cook has flourished in the one- cut, against the grain runs in inside and outside zone scheme runs. At 5-foot10, 210 pounds, he’s strong enough to get tough yards and can also go the distance — as evidenced by a 75-yard touchdown run last week against the Packers.
Whitehead, who spent six years in the NFC Central with the Detroit Lions, compared Cook with former Vikings star Adrian Peterson.
“He reminds me of A.P. a lot,” Whitehead said. “You can bottle him up all game, but all he needed was one crease and he’d hit you for 60-plus, 70-plus yards.”
The good news is the Raiders have looked good defending the run for the first time in recent memory. Through two games, they’re ranked fifth in the NFL in run defense, giving up 63 yards per game. Other than a 26-yard run by Denver’s Royce Freeman in the second half of a game the Raiders had under control, no opponent has broken 20 yards on one run.
Erase the second half (16 carries for 80 yards) against Denver and the Raiders have given up 46 yards on 29 carries. The Chiefs’ LeSean McCoy had 23 yards on 11 carries.
Part of the identity the Raiders are working to establish under defensive coordinator Paul Guenther includes stuffing the run.
“We’re starting it now, and hopefully we can keep doing it,” defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins said. “That’s going to be a test for us to go out and stop (Cook). If we can do that, I feel like we can win this game.”
Guenther sees the Raiders properly executing run techniques in a way they didn’t or couldn’t a year ago with limited personnel. Hankins, Josh Mauro and rookie Clelin Ferrell have played the run well enough so that Whitehead and Vontaze Burfict can come in and clean up.
“You’ve got to play blocks. Up front you’ve got to have proper hand placement, footwork and we spend a lot of time obviously in the spring and training camp working on these things,” Guenther said. “The linebackers have got to get downhill based on the front structure and make sure we’re taking double teams off the D-line so they can penetrate.” CARLSON ALIVE AND KICKING » Raiders place kicker Daniel Carlson has no ill will toward the Vikings, who waived him after a nightmarish Week 2 game last season against the Green Bay Packers.
“That was some tough times, getting cut, but it’s been fun to see how it’s all worked out,” Carlson said. “I think I’m in a great spot here in Oakland. I just want to continue to get better personally but for this week and any other week it’s about routine.”
Carlson only attempted one field goal at U.S. Bank Stadium, converting from 48 yards in a 24-16 seasonopening win against the 49ers. The following week, against the Packers at Lambeau Field, he was 0 for 3 — and the Vikings ended up tied 29-29 with Green Bay.
Even more painful, Carlson missed from 49 yards on the first possession of overtime and then from 35 yards at the final gun. All three misses sailed wide right. He was waived in favor of Dan Bailey the next day.
Carlson turned out to be one of the few bright spots for the Raiders last season, coming on after replacing Matt McCrane before their Week 8 game against Indianapolis. He closed the season 16 for 17 on field goal tries.