Cooper brings game to high point in camp
Carr, Mack set pace early, but wideout looks smooth, explosive and powerful
Through two days of training camp, the Raiders sure have the look of a franchise ready to take the next step from playoff team to Super Bowl contender.
Quarterback Derek Carr and defensive end Khalil Mack have set the pace, but even those two players took a back seat on Sunday to the most impressive playmaker on the field — wide receiver Amari Cooper.
Cooper has looked smooth and explosive, with a dose of physicality that hasn’t always been present for his first two seasons.
Here are three things we learned Sunday:
1. BIGGER IS BETTER FOR COOPER >> Cooper flew past Sean Smith on a double move for a big play during seven-on-seven drills, and drew oohs and ahhs from the crowd when he went up and high-
pointed a downfield throw from Carr.
“I think at route tops when you’re a little more sturdy with DBs it helps you stay a little more in balance,” offensive coordinator Todd Downing said. “It certainly helps you come back to the ball and play through the ball stronger.
“Those are two areas I can say I’ve seen a big difference with Amari. And holding his route path, when you have a little bit more girth, a little bit more strength, it’s hard for the DBs to knock you off course.”
Knocks on against Cooper — and it’s admittedly nit-picking considering he’s had back-to-back seasons of more than 1,000 yards receiving — included fades in the second halves of each season as well as struggling against physical press coverage.
Cooper, who said he arrived at training camp weighing 217 pounds after playing last season at 210, had five receiving touchdowns last season. It was a modest total for a player with the skill to have two or three times that many.
2. EJ MANUEL HAS A CHANCE
TO BE CARR’S BACKUP >> The former first-round draft pick from Buffalo has looked smooth and been mostly error-free through two days as he competes with Connor Cook. Much of his work has been with the second team, but that will be changed up.
“(Downing) just told us to be prepared to do twos one day and threes the next day,” Manuel said. “My focus has been to just get better and do the best with those.”
Manuel, the 16th overall pick in the 2013 draft, played in 28 games with 17 starts for Buffalo, when his playing time diminished steadily. He started 10 games as a rookie, four in 2015, two in 2016 and one last year.
“You can’t take anything for granted, man,” Manuel said. “This is a cut-throat league and when you get opportunities you’ve got to show what you can do and take advantage of it.”
Downing was the quarterbacks coach in 2014 when Manuel was in his second season and likes what he has seen so far.
“I don’t care what the profession is, I think you can tell when somebody enjoys what they’re doing,” Downing said. “I can’t speak to the past couple of years for EJ, but he’s enjoying himself now.”
It remains to be seen whether the Raiders would keep two or three quarterbacks, although they kept three a year ago and needed them all. Cook struggled in an emergency role in the regular-season finale and the playoffs, but the Raiders traded up to get him and will give him every opportunity to win the backup job.
“I think it is even and I think there’s a little bit of an ebb and flow to the situation,” Downing said. “I like guys to develop some consistency in their pattern. That’s why you see the rotation the way it was the last couple of days. We’ll switch it up in the next couple of days. It’s going to be a very fluid situation for quite awhile.” At one point during a break in practice, the Raiders offensive linemen posed for a picture with Raider great and Hall of Fame center Jim Otto. Absent was Penn, the starting left tackle.
Penn remains a holdout, potentially incurring fines of up to $40,000 per day as he seeks a contract that places him within the vicinity of elite starting tackles. Penn is scheduled to make $5.8 million in salary in 2017.
Marshall Newhouse was moved from right tackle to left tackle in Penn’s absence, while second-year man Vadal Alexander is with the first team on the right side.
Newhouse, an eight-year veteran, didn’t want to get into Penn’s business.
“You kind of stay out of other guys’ stuff because at some point in time it might be you,” Newhouse said.
Having been a 16-game starter at left tackle for Green Bay in 2012, and in college at TCU, Newhouse said flipping sides has been a smooth transition.
“It’s not normally an easy thing to do, but it’s been normal for me because I’ve done it so much,” Newhouse said.
Alexander, who played in nine games with five starts as a rookie seventhround draft pick, said the absence of Penn as well as the release of veteran Austin Howard had no effect on how he looked at training camp.
“I came in to compete,” Alexander said. “I came in to fight to play and that’s what I’m going to do.”
• Pads and contact begin Monday, but that didn’t prevent offensive linemen and defensive pass rushers from engaging in a pass-blocking drill which emphasized leverage and hand-to-hand combat without bodies crashing together.
Khalil Mack was predictably dominant, although Denico Autry at one point caused a complete whiff by rookie tackle David Sharpe.
• Early in practice during a seven-on-seven drill, Carr spied Karl Joseph coming on a blitz and then with Cooper drawing one-on-one coverage to the vacated area by Sean Smith, threw a perfect sideline strike to the third-year wide receiver for a big play.
Later, Carr made a short throw to Cooper backed up near his own end zone, with cornerback David Amerson jumping the route perfectly. Amerson dropped the would-be pick six, sparing Carr the interception.
“Derek has gotten to a veteran state in analyzing his game and how he can be better and certainly when there’s a play like that where there’s a ball in harm’s way, he’s screwed down and make sure that he fixes it,” Downing said.
• Running back Marshawn Lynch broke free up the middle on two early non-contact plays to the delight of the season-ticket holders in attendance.