Lions’ arrival should raise intensity
Detroit coming to Napa for two days of joint sessions
NAPA >> Things get serious today in Napa.
Not that the Raiders weren’t taking care of business during their first nine practices of training camp, but the arrival of the Detroit Lions for two days of joint sessions today and Wednesday will turn up the intensity a notch or two.
“The biggest benefit is not hitting your guys any more,” said linebacker Tahir Whitehead, who played for the Lions the past six seasons before signing with the Raiders as an unrestricted free agent. “Being able to get some fresh looks, going out there it’s going to be a different energy when you have those joint practices. It will be the third time I’ve done it and it’s good work.”
Detroit visits the Raiders at the Coliseum on Friday night in the preseason opener for both teams.
The Raiders never had joint practice sessions with Jack Del Rio as coach, with
the last time coming under Dennis Allen with two days of workouts against the Dallas Cowboys in Oxnard in 2014.
Those sessions were spirited — too spirited at times. At one point, a fight broke out near the sideline with fans in
the stands actually swinging souvenir helmets at scuffling players who got too close.
In 2009, when the Raiders hosted two days of workouts with the 49ers under Mike Singletary, 49ers players intercepted seven passes in one day of team sessions and 9-on-7 sessions and openly taunted the Raiders.
Both Gruden and firstyear Detroit coach Matt Patricia want to keep things under control.
Gruden developed a friendship with Patricia when the latter was an assistant coach in New England under Bill Belichick for 14 years — the last six as defensive coordinator. They talked football at production meetings when Gruden was an ESPN analyst for Monday Night Football.
The two began preparation weeks ago, and the coaching staffs were scheduled to huddle Monday evening after the Lions’ arrival in the Napa Valley to formulate a script for the two days.
“There’s an etiquette and a professionalism that we want to have, number one,” Gruden said. “We don’t want a bunch of screaming and yelling and brawling out there. We want to have good, solid, fundamental football. Teaching moments.”
Patricia said something similar to local writers who cover the Lions.
“It’s a different opponent, different guy, so intensity kind of ramps up,” Patricia said. “But you really have to, as a coach, keep it controlled. Neither teams want to come out with anybody with any injuries or anything stupid that can happen in practice.”
Detroit has different schemes under Patricia,
but Whitehead knows much of their personnel.
“It’s a new coaching staff, so there’s really only so much I can give them,” Whitehead said. “But I can give our guys a heads up on some of their players, what they bring to the table. That’s pretty much what I am doing to prepare my guys.”
Even with the instructions from their coaches, the physicality of the sessions should exceed what either team has done up to this point when practicing against teammates.
“You will see similar periods,” Gruden said. “You’ll see the two-minute drill, you’ll see some third-down work. You’ll see moving the ball, working on substitutions. You’ll see some live goal line. It’ll be exciting. Hopefully our players — I know they will — will maintain good professionalism and get something out of it.”
• Eddy Pineiro learned all he could from Giorgio
Tavecchio.
Now he’s doing the same with Mike Nugent.
Pineiro was the presumptive favorite to be the Raiders place kicker the moment they gave him a $25,000 signing bonus to sign as a free agent after he went undrafted.
He and Tavecchio worked together through the offseason, organized team activities and minicamps and seemed genuinely supportive of each other.
Citing the preference to have two right-footed kickers to streamline the snap-spot-kick process, and the hope that Tavecchio would have more time to catch on elsewhere, the Raiders released their leading scorer from a year ago.
Tavecchio got the job in part because — like Sebastian Janikowski — he was a left-footed kicker. When Janikowski hurt his back in the preseason and went on injured reserve, Tavecchio
took over.
Less than a year later, the shoe is on the other instep.
“It sucks that they let him go,” Pineiro said Monday following practice. “He’s a great kicker. I learned a lot from him and he’s helped me out a lot.”
Like Tavecchio, Nugent has been willing to impart the knowledge gained through 13 years of NFL experience with the Jets, Buccaneers, Cardinals, Bengals, Cowboys and Bears. The two were in conversation throughout practice.
“Field goal stuff, angles on my kickoffs, placement on my kickoffs, he’s got a lot of knowledge,” Pineiro said of the substance of his discussions with Nugent. “He’s been in the league for a long time. Learning from him has been a good experience so far.”
Gruden has called it a competition, but it’s clear Pineiro has a leg up unless he implodes during
the preseason.
• Guard Gabe Jackson (undisclosed) missed his third day of practice and safety Erik Harris continued to be out with a broken finger. Gruden said he hopes both players will be able to practice against the Lions.
Also sitting out were safeties Karl Joseph (groin) and Marcus Gilchrist (foot), giving the Raiders just four safeties to use at practice — Reggie Nelson, Shalom Luani, Tevin Mitchell and Dallin Leavitt.
• The Raiders added defensive back Raysean Pringle of Southern Utah to the roster. Pringle is from Oakland and went to Tennyson High in Hayward. To make room, defensive back Shaquille Richardson was waived/injured.
• Democratic candidate for governor Gavin Newson attended the early portion of practice and was chatting with owner Mark Davis.