Starter-less and winless in final tuneup
Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie was pretty excited when he drafted safety Shalom Luani in the seventh round this spring. He called Luani “a football-lovin’ Jesse,” the highest compliment from someone from Tennessee. In layman’s terms, Luani is a playmaker.
After barely missing a leaping interception in his first preseason game, Luani got one Thursday night in the preseason finale against the Seahawks at the Oakland Coliseum. The Washington State alum was a lock to make the roster before that play, but it ended his night on a high note as the coaches
put Luani on ice for the remainder of the Raiders’ 17-13 loss.
“He’s very instinctive,” head coach Jack Del Rio said. “He really has a nose for the football. He has developed special teamswise . ... He’s been a real positive addition for us in the back end.”
Luani, a former soccer player who stopped at Hayward’s Chabot College and City College of San Francisco before Washington State, said he is getting more comfortable every game.
“I am very proud of myself,” he said.
Cal alum Giorgio Tavecchio nailed a 28-yard field goal to put the Raiders ahead with 3:46 remaining. But Austin Davis hit Kenny Lawler, another Cal guy, with a 16-yard touchdown pass with 1:10 left, to give Seattle the win.
Running backs George Atkinson III and John Crockett combined to grind out 122 yards rushing as a fleeting reward in their last week as Raiders.
Oakland fell to 0-4 in the preseason — matching 2011’s low — on a night when all of their starters avoided getting hurt. Or breaking a sweat, as they warmed up and then took their pads off.
There aren’t as many spots available on this year’s roster as there were in head coach Jack Del Rio’s first two years, so it will be interesting to see how big some plays on Thursday loom. Third-year cornerback Dexter McDonald fell on the Seahawks’ first touchdown, a 34-yard pass from Treyvone Boykin to a wide-open Rodney Smith. He also got beat badly later on a deep ball but recovered to break it up.
Undrafted free agent Breon Borders made a nice break on his interception in the second quarter. The Duke alum was the talk of training camp in Napa before vanishing the first three preseason games. Unfortunately, his night didn’t end with the interception. He played way too soft on the game-winning touchdown catch by Lawler.
Eight of this year’s nine draft picks seem ticketed for the 53man roster when cuts are made (from the current 90) on Saturday afternoon. Six of those are defensive players, and Luani was the only one to play Thursday night.
First-round pick Gareon Conley, a cornerback, and second-rounder Obi Melifonwu, a safety, are still nursing shin and ankle injuries, respectively. Conley returned to practice Tuesday after missing all of training camp, while Melifonwu disappeared that same day after it looked as though he was getting close to being ready for his first preseason action.
Defensive tackles Eddie Vanderdoes, a third-round pick, and Treyvon Hester, a seventhrounder, got the night off because they have already earned big roles in the team’s rotation up front. Vanderdoes will start alongside Justin Ellis, and Hester has shown his inside power with three sacks this preseason.
Fifth-round pick Marquel Lee could have really used the reps, but he is the starter at middle linebacker until McKenzie sees who other teams waive. So the Raiders didn’t want to risk injury to him.