Raiders won’t do much celebrating
Daily testing, no exotic vacations after big win over Chiefs, during bye week
It used to be you could count on a handful of Raiders getting in a couple of practice days and then heading to Las Vegas for some rest and recreation during the bye week.
Now they’re already in Las Vegas and they can’t leave.
So much for blowing off a little steam after a big win over the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
As agreed to by the NFL and the NFL Players Union on Oct. 6, the Raiders will continue to enforce their “virtual” bubble and players will be at the facility at least once each day even if they’re not practicing.
“There’s a lot of protocols, and (general manager) Mike Mayock and our staff keep me abreast of all those,” coach Jon Gruden
said Monday at his weekly teleconference. “They have to come in every day and be tested. That’s mandatory by the league
and by the players union. None of the coaches are allowed to leave town either. You’ve got to be in town and tested every day.”
The Raiders will hold an outdoor practice Wednesday, mostly for younger players as well as quarterbacks Marcus Mariota and Nathan Peterman, and work on fundamentals. Players will be encouraged to use restraint and caution during their free time, presumably at a safe social distance from the Las Vegas strip.
“We’re going to challenge our guys to be smart, wear the proper face shields wherever they go,” Gruden said. “Be very careful. Because we would like to keep this group together and see what we can get done the rest of the season.”
With that in mind, some analysis of Gruden’s day-after thoughts about the Chiefs win and what’s ahead for the 3-2 Raiders: RUGGS SCRATCHING THE SURFACE >> Rookie wide receiver Henry Ruggs III made a highlight- film quality contested catch
of 46 yards from Derek Carr to set up a field goal and then a 72-yard bolt of lightning for a touchdown. And he’s just getting started, having played just one healthy half of football in Week 1.
“We haven’t had a healthy Henry Ruggs, really, for a full game until (Sunday),” Gruden said. “Hopefully that’s a sign of good things to come. We’re just learning about Ruggs.
We’re just getting him into the offense.”
CLELIN FERRELL’S BIG DAY >> Take a close look at the pressure on Patrick Mahomes on the 47-yard interception return by Jeff Heath. He had defensive lineman Clelin Ferrell in his face, and Gruden said it wasn’t the only play Ferrell made all day even if the game book had him with three tackles and one pass defensed.