Practice intensity picks up; Penn absent
NAPA » The Raiders cleared one hurdle with a key player Monday, but the immediate future of left tackle Donald Penn remained on open question.
Penn’s absence remains a big concern as the Raiders put the pads on for the first times at training camp.
Three things we learned Monday: 1. PENN’S POSITION MAY BE ENHANCED BY REPORTING » After general manager Reggie McKenzie spoke to the media for the first time to talk about top draft pick Gareon Conley being cleared legally of a sexual assault charge, he briefly addressed his absent right tackle.
“Well, he’s not in camp. My thing is to not talk about guys when they’re not in camp,” McKenzie said. “Donald’s my guy. Ever since he stepped in, after we lost (Jared Veldheer), I told him he’s my guy.
“That’s not going to change. I’d love to have him, and if you guys go down to LA and drive him up
I’d appreciate it. We want to focus on the young guys practicing now, get these guys some reps and we’re just going to keep moving. We’ve got to practice.”
But McKenzie went a little further, and hinted that any movement on the contract front wasn’t going to happen with Penn at home in Southern California and his teammates on the field in Napa.
Asked about “a deal” for Penn, McKenzie said, “A deal? I want him in camp. He has a deal. I want him in camp.”
McKenzie said Penn, eligible for fines of up to $40,000 per day, has not been fined.
Penn, scheduled to make $5.8 million in 2017, has made no public comment since his holdout began.
In Penn’s absence, veteran Marshall Newhouse has been working with the first-team offense on the left side after being signed to be the right tackle. Second-year man Vadal Alexander has played with the first team on the right side.
2. PADS TURN UP THE INTENSITY >>
Football practice isn’t what it used to be when there was an endless series of double days and full contact, but you can’t help but notice the change during the first day in pads.
Defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. was clearly enjoying himself after two days of non-contact drills.
“You can see the toughness. Toughness is a talent for us,” Norton said. “The speed, the recognition, the game speeds up. All of a sudden, you get hit in the mouth a few times. Can you remember the play? Things like that are really important in development.”
That said, the Raiders were careful. Guard Kelechi Osemele, usually the first one in a skirmish, at one point got rookie tackle Eddie Vanderdoes turned around and simply shoved him aside when he’s been known to deliver a pancake.
There were no scuffles, and no apparent injuries. All of which had to make coach Jack Del Rio happy. He detests fighting among teammates.
One player who was scarce during the padded full-team sessions was running back Marshawn Lynch, who will likely spend a lot of time watching from the sideline during both contact sessions and exhibition games with an eye on the Tennessee Titans on Sept. 10.
3. EXPLOSIVE PLAYS HAVE BEEN A CONSTANT TOPIC >>
Almost any conversation about the Raiders defense includes a reference to “communication” and the myriad busted coverages which resulted in an NFLhigh 61 plays of 20 yards or more.
Assistant head coach John Pagano arrived with his first mission to get the Raiders playing better in that area, and cornerback David Amerson is hoping any issues get ironed out during training camp.
“This is where it starts,” Amerson said. “This is where you get familiar with the lingo, familiar with the hand signals. When you’re in the stadium, sometimes you can’t hear people making calls so you’ve got to have hand signals, so everybody is seeing the same thing and is on the same page. That’s very important to the secondary.”
What happened a year ago is in one sense ancient history, but also something the Raiders can learn from.
The offense has made its share of plays through three days, but that’s not unusual — particularly in the nonpadded sessions. But there haven’t been frequent instances so far which have found receivers running free and clear without a defender in sight. That’s at least a start. • Derek Carr will have his uniform No 4 retired by Fresno State during the Bulldogs’ home opener Sept. 2.
• Conley (shin), guard/ center Jon Felciano (knee) and Jihad Ward remained on the physically unable to perform list. Linebacker Ben Heeney (ankle), Bruce Irvin (undisclosed), Cooper Helfet (undisclosed and Mario Edwards Jr. (undisclosed) are on the non-football injury list.