QB Carr up to playbook challenge

ALAMEDA » The load was light enough for quarterback Derek Carr on Thursday that he planned on getting out of the practice facility early enough to join his wife and kids for a little trick or treating near his East Bay home.

Only 20 pages of new plays. Little more than a pop quiz in a spot where final exams take place almost every day.

That came after a nice 60-page treatise Wednesday. “Yeah, I’m tired,” Carr said. Offense, as it pertains to coach Jon Gruden, is a living thing. It evolves and changes. A play run one week against Houston might morph into something else against Detroit. Carr, as well as backups Mike Glennon and DeShone Kizer, must know it and understand it well enough to help position the backs, receivers and offensive line.

It’s not just that Gruden is certifiable when it comes to offensive tinkering. It’s also a way to keep everyone sharp and alert. As line coach and offensive coordinator Bill Callahan used to say dur

ing Gruden’s first go-round in Oakland, if you give an offense 20 plays, what they learn will be 20 plays.

But give them more — lots more — and then real learning takes place.

Offensive coordinator Greg Olson has worked for Gruden and other coaches, and declined to be specific with regard to the amount players are being asked to learn as opposed to other places.

“It ’ s a tremendous amount of volume, I’ll say that,” Olson said. “I think our players appreciate that. It’s easy to feel stimulated coming to work when you know every day you’re going to get something new and challenging. You know his personality — he likes to challenge people.”

In Carr’s second year in the system, things have become second. Carr conceded a year ago he would sometimes remember a detail a millisecond before the ball was snapped.

“Now we’re just playing football,” Carr said. “The quarterbacks were joking about how much was installed (Wednesday) and how much there is every week.”

• Linebacker Brandon Marshall conceded he was hurt when the Raiders released him after the exhibition season. He also thought the Raiders might call when Vontaze Burfict was suspended for the final 12 games of the season.

“Of course I wasn’t happy, but who would be happy getting released?” Marshall said. “I’m just happy I’m back, taking one day at a time, and I’ll control what I can.”

One good thing about the time off, Marshall said, is the knee that he was rehabbing throughout camp is in good shape. And if the Raiders are looking at Marshall to help with pass coverage in shallow areas, he’ll need to be as mobile as possible.

Defensive coordinator Paul Guenther was tightlipped regarding how Marshall will be used. Marshall himself is still waiting to see.

“When they cut me, I just threw my playbook away so I kind of had to, I guess, reintroduce myself to some of the schemes, some of the blitzes,” Marshall said. “A lot of it is familiar but I needed a refresher. It’s tough when you’re not sure if you’re going to come back or not. But I’m doing well.”

• When we last saw center Rodney Hudson on Sunday, he was being taken off the field on a cart, unable to put weight on an injured ankle. Initial fears were Hudson could have a season- ending injury. By the next day, with X-rays being negative, there was enough concern to make arrangements to sign center Erik Magnuson off the practice squad of the Buffalo Bills.

There seemed to be little chance Hudson would play against Detroit. But then again, Hudson is a guy who once played through kidney stones and has been virtually indestructible since signing as a free agent in 2015. So maybe it’s not all that surprising that Hudson, although he didn’t practice Thursday, hasn’t been ruled out entirely.

Hudson is not wearing a walking boot, or is he limping noticeably. Neither he nor Andre James practiced, with Richie Incognito getting another day of work at center, but Olson said he wasn’t overly concerned about the position after seeing Hudson and James “walking around” at practice.

“They’ve given us an indication they’ll be out there,” Olson said.

• Rookie running back Josh Jacobs was named the AFC Offensive Rookie of the Month after rushing for 313 yards on 62 carries during three games in October. Jacobs was limited in practice with a shoulder injury — one incurred against Green Bay and was, in part, responsible for getting just 15 carries against Houston. The 15 attempts were the fewest for Jacobs since getting 10 against Minnesota in Week 3 when the Raiders fell way behind and had to abandon the run.

It says a lot not only about him but the offensive line and that entire group,” Olson said. “When you take a player in the first round, you expect success early on and he’s given us that.”

“He’s an explosive running back and one of the things that just sticks out right away is his toughness,” Lions coach Matt Patricia said. “He doesn’t want to run out of bounds. He’s going to go attack the defenders. He’s going to try and hit them before they hit him.”

• The moment wasn’t too big for second-round draft pick Trayvon Mullen in his NFL starting debut at cornerback, but it didn’t do much for his hydration.

Mullen needed to come out for an IV but otherwise had a solid first game against Houston, moving into a starting role after the trade of Gareon Conley.

“I think when he became a starting player you saw him come out of his shell a little bit,” Guenther said. “He was a lot more vocal. Communication with the safeties and linebackers was really good.”

Gruden likes Mullen’s prototype height (6-foot2, 200 pounds) but doesn’t necessarily want to see the rookie use all of it until he’s reaching for the ball.

“He’s just got to stay low. Sometimes he has a tendency to get a little bit high in his backpedal and you can’t do that in this league,” Gruden said. “Not against Matt Stafford, he’s looking for you.”

• Starting safety Erik Harris was present at practice but did not participate because of an illness. Wide receiver Tyrell Williams ( plantar fasciitis) was a full participant in practice for the first time in nearly three weeks. Those who missed practice other than Harris, Hudson and James were wide receiver/return specialist Dwayne Harris and defensive end Josh Mauro (groin).

Jacobs, linebacker Tahir Whitehead (shoulder/ wrist) and defensive tackle P. J. Hall were limited.