OTA notes
By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Wednesday, May 20th, 2009 at 12:26 pm in Oakland Raiders.
Observed during Wednesday’s organized team activity session:
– Let’s get it out of the way first. JaMarcus Russell’s passing was, well, it was awful.
There’s no other way to put it.
Coach Tom Cable conceded there were accuracy issues and attributed them to the newness of the passing game, which will feature deeper routes. He also said Russell was better today than he was Tuesday and he expects him to be better still on Thursday.
Would have hated to see Tuesday if he was worse.
Since it’s only May 20, it’s not worth making a major issue out of it, but that didn’t make it any easier to watch.
Of Russell’s two interceptions, one _ a swing pass which bounced out of the hands of Louis Rankin and to strong side linebacker Jon Alston _ was not his fault. The other sailed well over the head of Johnnie Lee Higgins and was stolen by Stanford Routt.
There was also a near pick in a red zone drill by Kirk Morrison, who dropped the ball. Linebacker Thomas Howard was closer to the play than any intended receiver.
Darrick Brown also dropped a potential interception which was thrown directly to him.
– During one 7-on-7 drill, Russell threw four passes, completing one for about two yards to Justin Fargas. The other three passes? One at the feet of Fargas, a slant behind Todd Watkins that was broken up by Hiram Eugene and the Alston interception which bounced off Rankin’s hands.
– Garcia avoided interceptions and had one nice lob in a middle seam to Marcel Reece against middle linebacker Ricky Brown for big yardage, but wasn’t particularly sharp, either. He also fumbled a snap.
It might have been the only passing play of the entire session that was something beyond routine.
– Encourging sight in the running game _ Darren McFadden quickly turning the corner to his left with tight end Darrell Strong sealing rookie defensie end Matt Shaughnessy.
– It had to be the strangest scuffle ever. Two of the most mild-mannered Raiders, Brown and guard Cooper Carlisle, had to be separated following a running play.
– Wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey and safety Mike Mitchell were not in attendance because their college classes are still in school, making it against NFL rules for them to attend.
(I know, the rule makes no sense to me, either). Heyward-Bey is scheduled to arrive tonight and practice Thursday. Mitchell will miss the session.
– Wide receiver Louis Murphy had no conflicts with his school class and made a leaping catch in the end zone off a pass from Bruce Gradkowski.
– Cable said he expects Derrick Burgess, the subject of trade rumors with New England, to be with the Raiders when the season started but acknowledged they get inquiries on players all the time. Burgess was not at the OTA.
Others who did not attend included quarterback Andrew Walter, cornerbacks Nnamdi Asomugha and Chris Johnson and kickers Shane Lechler and Sebastian Janikowski.
Among those who were injured but in attendance included WR Javon Walker (knee), G Robert Gallery (calf), G Paul McQuistan, DE Jay Richardson (knee strain), FB Oren O’Neal, DT Gerard Warren (pectoral strain), C Samson Satele (shoulder) and TE Zach Miller (sports hernia surgery).
– Brown continued to play middle linebacker, with Jon Alston working as the strong side starter. With Asomugha and Johnson out, the starting corners were Routt and Justin Miller, with John Bowie operating as the third cornerback.
The starting offensive line with Gallery and Satele out was Mario Henderson at left tackle, Chris Morris at left guard, John Wade at center, Carlisle at right guard and Cornell Green at right tackle.
The second team defense found Brown in the middle flanked by two rrokies _ strong side rookie Slade Norris and undrafted free agent David Nixon of BYU.
The first team defensive line was Trevor Scott at right end, Terdell Sands and Tommy Kelly at tackle and Greyson Gunheim at left end.
I’ll have more later . . .
[You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.]
May 20th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
Can Jamarcus complete 65% of his passes against air in the NO DEFENSE drills?
May 20th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
What happened? there used to be a story above this…..
May 20th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
Wheres the fix?
May 20th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
408, There was a story there for about a minute before I made the first post, but then….poof it was gone, like a running back through Stuart Schwiegart.
May 20th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
Jerry fat fingered the publish button before all the notes were done?
May 20th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
Hey i can post again. I will be good from now on! I guess you cant diss jerry on cinco de mayo. My bad mod dude
May 20th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
David White (of the Chron) had a pretty good play by play on his twitter.
May 20th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
Please Stand By………………We’re experiencing technical difficulties.
May 20th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
where’s Jerry?
May 20th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
LMAO
ELWAYs TEETH Says:
May 20th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
Can Jamarcus complete 65% of his passes against air in the NO DEFENSE drills?
May 20th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
–Let’s get it out of the way first. JaMarcus Russell’s passing was, well, it was awful–
AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHH!! Why? Why my team? From my home town? We’re never going to get our sh## together. We’re never going to win again. JaBustas Bustlle. To qoute Artie Lange: WWWWWWAAAAAAAA!! This sucks. Venting over…
May 20th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
Yo teeth tell us about the fix please.
May 20th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
Where’s the beef?
http://www.yourememberthat.com/files/f3ef52dfd87778ee.jpg
May 20th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
Short term memory problems….I read it 15 minutes ago…..Uh I forgot…
May 20th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
Check out David White’s twitter:
https://twitter.com/bydavidwhite
May 20th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
Jerry, try hitting the “undo” button.
May 20th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
TEETH, you didn’t even read it huh? You were more interested in posting first? lol
May 20th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
Got me RaiderMight, but at least give me credit for not just typing “First” I commented on what I knew was true, JaMarcus’ passing is not very good ….yet?
May 20th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
Just go back to the main page to read it. http://www.ibabuzz.com/raidersblog
May 20th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
Was there practice so horrible that Jerry passed out before he could update the OTA Notes?
May 20th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
That is true. From David White’s twitter, he sounds terrible. Still throwing to players toes.
I hear that AFC west D-Coords are telling their denfence that when you go against Jamarcuss, don’t bother looking up for the pass, just dive at the recievers feet. lol
May 20th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
There’s the post. Thanks man.
————-
ottocrat Says:
May 20th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
Just go back to the main page to read it. http://www.ibabuzz.com/raidersblog
May 20th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
Well at least the mod isnt hating on me anymore.
May 20th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
CJ Legend 34 Says:
May 20th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
Was there practice so horrible that Jerry passed out before he could update the OTA Notes?
—————————————–
I am not making fun of J Mc I did the same thing when we picked DHB over Crabtree on draft day.
May 20th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
I really don’t want to buy into the Jabustas crap, but come on man! This sounds like a problem with the basic mechanics of throwing a football. Can’t someone help him fix this?
May 20th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
Per David White’s Twitter feed: (from newest to oldest)
three horns, practice ends
next pass, way over higgins head, routt with easy pick. not even close
finally, jamarcus completes something other than screen. over the middle to stewart for 12
dad sees son go to his knees for nice catch. clap clap clap
sorry for the pause, got chatting with louis murphy sr. dad is here
red zone drill; gunheim pressure forced jamarcus to throw it away
mario henderson schooling matt shaughnessy as gradkowski throws td to murphy
for what it’s worth, garcia’s next pass was a backward screen for a turnover. keep in mind, it’s lot like nnamdi and c johnson are here
last: throws behind wr, justin miller drops pick that hits both his hands on deep post
2nd: checkdown dumpoff to fb marcel reece at line of scrimmage.
1st: deep route to chaz, morrison steps in front for dropped pick
next team drills: jamarcus still struggling
third play: russell completes same pass this time. team taking water break
next play; jamarcus misses way wide right in flats screen. yells “s” word. wow. some emotion
back to team drills: alston blitz sack up middle, beats lorenzo neal
john bowie with a little contact. the randy moss pick lives, though these are noncontact otas
this just in: gradkowski’ aim not good. not even close
final pass: screen to fargas, small gain, but completed
3rd: dumpoff to gary russell, off hands, alston interception.
2nd: hiram eugene pass deflection in traffic
first pass: hits fargas in shoelaces on 4 yd screen
7 on 7, jamarcus throws against defense for first time
garcia comes in and fumbles snap. minicamp is back
jamarcus back in: two handoffs, then out
undrafted rookie o’neill beats tyvon branch. nice followup to minicamp
that means he’s ahead of rookie shaughnessy for now
greyson gunheim playing first team, interesting move with burgess absent
then three straight runs against softer second team d.
garcia’s first play; screen to gary russell for big gain
first team ran four run plays, none got anywhere
jon alston at slb, branch and hiram at safety.
finally, team drills.
jamarcus: 9 of 12 against air so far.
no mike mitchell, by the way. presumably a school thing. murphy and shaughnessy are here
maybe it’s just a confidence thing, but chaz looks awful good ruuning routes
passing game getting tons of reps, all against air, but still.
tollner very involved today, cable off to the side watching
ted tollner coaching wrs in this drill, very loud about it. trying to get these guys to cut perfectly on route
very slow pace, emphasis seems to be on instruction
none of this is vs defense
jamarcus all alone with hackett, throwing end zone fades to wrs.
still no 11 on 11s, back to individual drills
khalif barnes still running second team left tackle, all mario henderson with starters
mcfadden lines right, runs down sideline lob fro russell
the 1 was a 40 yd corner pass to jonathan holland. coaching staff cheered
jamarcus 1 for 3 in first passing drill, no defense on field
just noticed jay richardson is not practicing, don’t know what his injury is yet.
everything right now is individual drills
new wr will franklin sporting no 17, javon’s old number
darrius heyward-bey also not here. not allowed to practice until school is out, nfl rules
with no punters here, jl higgins taking long snap. what is he, bugs bunny catching his own ball?
cbs nnamdi asomuugha and chris johnson also not here. remember, this is voluntary
roster check: no andrew walter, no derrick burgess
they just let media in, here we go
May 20th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
I still cant get 2 the fix
May 20th, 2009 at 12:58 pm
I agree it sounds like a problem with mechanics. Russel has not yet proven to be a great NFL quarterback, but up until the mini-camp he didn’t seem to have a problem about throwing the ball at the receivers feet all of the time. He was more likely to overthrow on occasion.
May 20th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
Oh boy! Looks like Murphy and Chaz will be sarting mid way through the season.
May 20th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
Jerry Mac…
Best post ever! Keep up the good work.
May 20th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
What happened to that QB coaching guru from San Mateo City College that also coached up Tom Brady? Didn’t he spend some time with Russell before the draft? I think he’s pretty old and retired now, but why wouldn’t the Al throw some money at this guy and have him come in for a week and work with JaMarcus?
May 20th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
#30,
LMAO
May 20th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
If Al suddenly died who takes over the Raiders? Would it be the other investors? How would the jostling for power unfold etc…?
May 20th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
I think Tollner/Hackett have Jamarcus throwing to spots at a precise time, leaving little room to concentrate on the pinpoint accuracy of his throw.
Once the route geometries and timing become routine, Russell should be able to think only of accuracy. And by then, the newbie receivers should be at the right spot at the right time to get the pass.
May 20th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
I found a few things interesting …
Since Gallery has been injured they’ve tried Chris Morris and Mark Wilson (last week) at LG with the first team. Maybe one of these guys will be Gallery’s backup?
Also, with Burgess out Trevor Scott is starting. Now Burgess is still on the trade block and we’re receiving offers from at least 1 team.
With Richardson out, Gunheim is starting. Not Grey, Shaughnessy or Sulak
If anybody on the defense could catch the football our QB’s would have thrown a combined 12 interceptions, sounds like
Khalif Barnes is not getting reps as starting LT or RT
May 20th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
# The Real MaddenRaider Says:
May 20th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
Oakglenn, I don’t know if I understand a word of that. So I’ll keep it simple and just ask you one question: Is an NFL player hitting a woman worthy of the same scorn from Goodell as an NFL player being in a dog fighting ring? Are you saying that Goodell SHOULD be easier on players in his league hitting women than those those involved in animal abuse?
Mistabrown Says:
May 20th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
#436 misses the point entirely as usual.
Numnuts, nobody is exusing M Vick gambling or dog fighting. The point is hitting a woman should warrant discipline and Goodell seems 2 not give a $hit.
—————————————————-
I mean I thought both you guys were really stupid and/or out in left field but even I am surprised when you both don’t understand very simple things. So, let’s summarize: if someone, say Cornbread Green our left tackle, is arrested in Florida for hitting a 118 lb woman that has no bearing on what Michael Vick did. Why?? Because, Cornbread Green has not been convicted of anything. Vick was convicted of federal crimes with gambling ties. You imbeciles show me a recent example of an NFL player CONVICTED on a felony battery charge where the league did nothing.
May 20th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
Is Russell looking over his shoulder?
May 20th, 2009 at 1:19 pm
OTA: first thoughts
A few quick hits from Organized Team Activities, with a deeper look to come after going to lunch and driving home.
No. 1 — Rookies Darrius Heyward-Bey and Mike Mitchell did not practice because of NFL rule requiring college players to sit out all but one minicamp until school is out.
All the other rookies were on hand.
No. 2 — Jon Alston seems to have the upper hand at strongside linebacker, with former starter Ricky Brown bounced inside behind Kirk Morrison. He had a blitz up the middle, beating Lorenzo Neal for a “sack” of JaMarcus Russell (no tackling allowed).
No. 3 — Tom Cable danced around the subject of Derrick Burgess being on the shop block, one day after East Coast media reported the Patriots were interested in a trade.
Cable’s non-answer went like this: “I do expect to go (to camp) with him here. But we get inquiries all the time about players and this football team. That one was kind of a surprise. There was some talk during the draft obviously but we get, people inquire about players on this team all the time. So we listen to everything.”
Burgess was not at OTAs, and hasn’t come to the voluntary workouts in years.
No. 4 — Trevor Scott makes Burgess look more tradeable with each passing practice. He’s beefed up enough to be considered as an everydown player, though there remains work to do against the run. Then again, Burgess hasn’t been much of a run stopper for years and he played every down.
No. 5 — JaMarcus Russell is still struggling with accuracy, especially when the defense is on the field. He had one interception and two others dropped by cornerbacks. He completed two passes of more than 10 yards, and both were in the final team drills of the day.
Complete unofficial stats later. For those wondering, Jeff Garcia was just as erratic — and all this came with starting cornerbacks Nnamdi Asomugha and Chris Johnson staying home for the day.
“He, like Jeff, has been very streaky,” Cable said. “They’ve both been hitting 2-3-4 completions in a row, then they don’t complete 2-3 in a row. So trying to change that but some of that’s newness. Maybe it’s a receiver or a tight end running a route or a quarterback not getting something new read right.”
-David White (SF Chronicle)
May 20th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
inonewordraider Says:
May 20th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
Is Russell looking over his shoulder?
**************************
At what, an Applebee’s?
May 20th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
DT42 Says:
May 20th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
Just to keep the Vick crime in perspective, my son (15 at the time) was hit in the face with a crow bar by a gang member who snuck up behind him. EMS had to stop and do CPR on the way to the hospital. After a stay in crash,stiches, a bunch of MRI’s and a stay in the hospital. He went back to school. And what about the The kid that hit him? He got PROBATION (a couple of months) and a fine. He was back in school in my son’s math class the next semester. If Vick can help the Raiders then let him play. If not let him go about his way and have a wonderful career in construction. Either way just another overblown ESPN story.
___________________________________________
You are comparing what a child did to Michael Vick, an adult who was involved in organized criminal activities and then tried to cover it up. The Feds nailed him with RICO (although he entered guilty please to other charges as part of the deal).
Obviously the pain and suffering your child went through was awful, but the fact remains that juvenile offenders get a break and adults don’t. Vick should have gotten the time he did, and children should get a second chance.
May 20th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
BSJ,
I think Hackett is changing Russell’s mechanics, footwork etc. Sounds like he’s thinking too much. This may take awhile.
May 20th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
“JaMarcus Russell is still struggling with accuracy, especially when the defense is on the field”
******************
Well, at least he will be fine at those crucial times when the defense is not on the field. Man, this is not getting any better.
May 20th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
—”2008 sixth-round pick Trevor Scott worked as the Raiders’ starting right defensive end at Wednesday’s OTA. He’s passed Jay Richardson on the depth chart. Rookie Stryker Sulak will have something to say about it, but Scott flashed serious pass-rush skill with five sacks despite limited snaps as a rookie. He’s a deep IDP sleeper.”—
—”According to beat writer Jerry McDonald, JaMarcus Russell’s passing performance at Wednesday’s OTA was “awful.” Coach Tom Cable blamed Russell’s woeful accuracy on the “newness of the passing game,” which will incorporate more vertical plays. One would expect Russell to flourish in that system because of his big arm, but he threw multiple interceptions and nearly had one picked in the red zone. And this is non-contact work. It’s not been a promising offseason for Russell so far”—
—”According to beat writer David White’s Twitter, Derrick Burgess is sitting out Raiders OTAs this week. This is nothing new for Burgess, who’s wanted a pay raise three offseasons running. Burgess is also the subject of trade talk involving the Patriots. Greyson Gunheim, a sudden Al Davis favorite who went undrafted last year, is picking up Burgess’ first-team reps at left defensive end”—
May 20th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
It’s a new passing game, and it’s OTA’s in May. Will you girls please stop peeing your pants and relax?
May 20th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
Twocents Says:
May 20th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
BSJ,
I think Hackett is changing Russell’s mechanics, footwork etc. Sounds like he’s thinking too much. This may take awhile.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Thinking about everything BUT accuracy, probably. Mechanics, routes, timing. Everything they were drilling into him at the QB school.
May 20th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
# Twocents Says:
May 20th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
BSJ,
I think Hackett is changing Russell’s mechanics, footwork etc. Sounds like he’s thinking too much. This may take awhile.
——————————————————
That’s exactly right. If you have watched Russell in games, he’s at his best when all of a sudden he is just playing the game, not thinking and executing. It happens to most players in the league. Once they get comfortable they’re fine.
May 20th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
Looks like Jamarcus put in a lot of offseason work on his game, lol.
Is the pressure of noodle armed Jeff Garcia really getting to Russell?
May 20th, 2009 at 1:36 pm
If Russell doesn’t step it up I bet Al will take a chance on Vick.
May 20th, 2009 at 1:37 pm
LMN,
I see you are getting a new tenant – Fredericia Shipyard – at Lindø. Sounds good for your regional economy…
May 20th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
edward teach Says:
May 20th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
Will you girls please stop peeing your pants and relax?
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Trying! But once I start peeing I can’t stop til I’m all done. I gotta work on my timing and accuracy…
May 20th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
My guess is Russell isn’t worried too much about Garcia, especially since he isn’t throwing much better then Russell. I also don’t see Vick coming in the picture. He won’t push Russell in any meaningful way that Garcia isn’t doing already and they don’t need him. the players they have together on offense do everything Vick would do for them without the baggage.
May 20th, 2009 at 1:45 pm
BSJ… lol
May 20th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
If Russell doesn’t step it up I bet Al will take a chance on Vick.
***
why wouldn’t he?
Russell is overweight and inaccurate
Garcia is over the hill and can’t throw the long ball Al Davis loves
Gradkowski and Walter are garbage
where is Danny Southwick? is he getting any reps in the OTA’s? He might be able to unseat 2 or 3 of these clowns!
May 20th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
LOL @ BSJ #50
May 20th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
cofhandz:
Vick doesn’t carry any baggage. He hasn’t thrown a football in 2 years, but he might still be more accurate and turn the ball over less than the QB’s we got on the roster
it’s not about having a roster full of dudley do rights. it’s about winning football games
May 20th, 2009 at 1:56 pm
I don’t have a problem with bringing in guys for competition, but is the plan for Vick to unseat Russell or to be his backup? If Garcia was brought in to be to veteran number 2 and the coaches think Vick will be the number 3, then bring him in. Otherwise, I am not sure what you are getting from a guy who has been out of the league who was not a true QB to begin with to come in and to be more accurate then what we have already. That’s all I am saying. His criminal past is his problem to deal with.
May 20th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
What happened? Did the Mods get to Jerry? Now he knows how it feels. LOL
May 20th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
new post
May 20th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
espn just announced tom brady will not attend ota`s.so there you have it .let these guys practice and get better the third pre-season game is the time too worry.not may 20th.
May 20th, 2009 at 7:53 pm
Not to jump on the jruss bagging but man new passes or not no tackling you should be on the money, give Vince Evans a call at the old folks home!!!!
May 21st, 2009 at 8:18 am
Chubbustus’ continuing accuracy problems , for the monent anyway, take a back seat to his cheery, dismissive ,” whistling past the graveyard ” endorsement of Michael Vick….
Aside from his Federal RICO conviction, don’t forget this sicko executed dogs…
I’ve said it before, just the fact that this truly disturbed person, Michael Vick, has been not just suspended, but expelled, speaks volumes for the grim callousness of both the N.F.L and our society…
It raises an open question… just how low do we lower the bar to give these athlete’s a second chance ?
What’s next ?…homo-pedio-necro-beastial-whavever…
“…Yo Michael Vick, What’s up with the dead male puppies in the fridge ? ” (…As Chubbustus suddenly shows up at the scene with BBQ sauce…)…
…At least kudos to humanitarian Amy Trask and even perhaps Coach Tom Cable, for having proper perspective on this issue…
May 21st, 2009 at 8:24 am
Perhaps Chubbustus would gleen potential insight regarding public outrage to Vick’s actions by volunteering his own services to personally shield Vick from any of the tomatoes that are likely to be lauched in Vick’s direction from the ASPCA…..
May 22nd, 2009 at 2:53 pm
smellylittleDirtyRaccoon
Calm down take your meds or something there is no need to overreact to everything I post. I know you have a man crush on me and look up to me but there is no need to use profanity and CNN to prove your point.
Here is a picture of the smellyDirtyRaccoons wedding:
http://i5.tinypic.com/14acsqp.jpg
He even looks like a Raccoon!!