Seymour arrives to lay foundation
By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Tuesday, July 27th, 2010 at 5:44 pm in Oakland Raiders.
Any notion that Richard Seymour isn’t particularly eager for the 2010 season was dispelled quickly on the day the Raiders reported to the Napa Valley Marriott.
When the bus from the Oakland Airport Hilton pulled into the back lot of the Marriott, the first man off was Seymour.
Understand, this was the bus which brought rookies, both drafted and undrafted. Veterans usually arrive later, driving their own vehicles or hitching a ride with a teammate, stepping out of cars or trucks with shiny new rims and ear-splitting sound systems.
There were no other veteran players on the team bus.
Seymour took the Nnamdi Asomugha approach to franchise free agency as opposed to the Charles Woodson approach. In his first year as a franchise player, Woodson didn’t sign his tender and thus missed all of camp, arriving before the season opener in Pittsburgh.
Seymour, who signed his tender of approximately $12.4 million _ he could have taken the Woodson route and the Raiders would have had little choice but to accept it _ instead is signed and eager to work with a young defensive line.
“For me, it’s a time of year that you come and you lay the foundation for the season,’’ Seymour said. “Camp is the foundation you build your success on.
“During the season you’re spending so much time with game plans and focusing on your opponents that you really don’t have the time to work on a lot of individual things. This is my time where I really get into me and focus in on the things I need to do to make myself a better player. Come and knock some of the rust off and be ready to go.’’
More news and notes from reporting day:
– Defensive tackle John Henderson is fine with his primary responsibility _ seeing if he can help turn around a poor run defense.
“I love stopping the run. That’s my thing,’’ Henderson said. “It’s been that way since I was at the Univeristy of Tennessee.’’
– Interesting hire for the Raiders coaching staff _ former starting middle linebacker Greg Biekert.
The Raiders Web site points out Biekert is best known for recovering Tom Brady’s “fumble’’ in the Tuck Rule game.
To me, Biekert’s best moment was diagnosing Peyton Manning’s audibles at the line of scrimmage to help the Raiders to a come-from-behind 38-31 win over the Indianapolis Colts in a Week 2 win that stamped them as a player in the NFC West.
The Raiders went on to win the division title.
Biekert has long been a class act and one of the smartest players around. Great idea to bring him in during McClain’s rookie year.
– No sign of McClain, by the way, on the rookie bus or at the Marriott.
– Raiders coach Tom Cable said in the offseason the Raiders were “going forward’’ with Trevor Scott as a weakside linebacker, the position he played for the last several weeks of the 2009 season.
While Scott was mostly a first-team weak side linebacker in sessions open to the media along with McClain and strong side starter Kamerion Wimbley, he saw enough time on the edge to think his role could be that of a hybrid.
“Right now I’m under the impression that I’m going to be doing a little bit of both this year,’’ Scott said. “We’ll see what happens . . . as long as I’m on the field, that’s all I want to do. If that’s playing linebacker so be it. If it means playing D-end, I mean, as long as I’m playing, that’s all I care about.’’
– Wide receiver Chaz Schilens, who made it back from a second surgery on his broken left foot sooner than expected at the final organized team activity session open to the media, said he built on that progress.
Schilens said he worked out regularly for a month with quarterback Bruce Gradkowski, who missed much of the offseason with a left pectoral.
Last season, Schilens was a training camp standout before the broken left metatarsal cost him half of the regular season.
– The Raiders only released the training camp schedule through the first weekend, with practices at 8:30 a.m. and 4:20 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.
Still no word on whether they’ll continue with the “learning intensive’’ practices installed by Cable last year, when the first eight practice sessions were prelims to actual practices.
Plays were stopped shortly after the snap and footwork was evaluated both on the field and in film sessions. Cable believed the lack of injuries during camp (Schilens aside) may have had something to do with the practices.
Schilens, however thought the offseason workouts were thorough enough that the Raiders could get going with contact immediately.
“I’m supposing we’re going to get going because we put in most of the offense during OTAs and stuff but I really don’t know what coach Cable has in store for us,’’ Schilens said.
– Cable meets with the media Wednesday at noon.
Before the first day of practices Thursday, the Raiders schedule Wednesday is as follows:
6:30 to 8 a.m._Breakfast, treatment
6:45 a.m._Wake up call
7 to 8 a.m._Mandatory weigh-in
8 a.m._Team meeting
9 a.m._Life skills meeting
11 a.m. to 1 p.m._Lunch
1:30 p.m._Uniform inspector meeting
2 p.m._Public relations/media meeting
3 to 3:45 p.m._Special teams meeting
6 to 8 p.m._Dinner
8:15 to 9:30 p.m._Position meetings
10 to 11 p.m._Snack
11 p.m._Bed check
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July 27th, 2010 at 5:50 pm
god, what a horrid schedule. no wonder vets will pull the hold out thing just to miss camp.
July 27th, 2010 at 5:50 pm
1st
July 27th, 2010 at 5:54 pm
Raiders!
July 27th, 2010 at 5:58 pm
Laying WOOD is the same as laying foundation. Let’s get back to Raider basics – total domination.
In days of old when our successes were unchallenged, we controlled both side of the line of scrimmage. Line play above all else is what got us there. Now, that we are starting the rebuild of the lines, we can only hope to emulate days of old. Raider football, it’s been far too long since we’ve seen it here. Hopefully, history will repeat itself and bring us the line control we all desire. When the lines do their job, everybody else seems to excel too. Coincidence, I think not.
July 27th, 2010 at 6:04 pm
for the first time in a very long time… we have adequate backups at every D position…
the last few years… we simply did not have the horses…
July 27th, 2010 at 6:16 pm
All defensive personal foul penalties incurred this season should be should be forgiven right now, in training camp, by Uncle Al and the coaching staff. A Green Light to rip peoples heads off this year should be given, in honor of Jack Tatum.
July 27th, 2010 at 6:22 pm
Anybody see where Mount Cody failed his physical?
July 27th, 2010 at 6:24 pm
To me, Biekert’s best moment was diagnosing Peyton Manning’s audibles at the line of scrimmage to help the Raiders to a come-from-behind 38-31 win over the Indianapolis Colts in a Week 2 win that stamped them as a player in the NFC West.
The Raiders went on to win the division title.
==================
I remember this game. Part of the reason Peyton started with all the gibberish and theatrics at the LOS.
July 27th, 2010 at 6:28 pm
I’m thinking Jamarcus didn’t pay attention to the “life skills meeting” last year, but I bet he made it to the 10pm snack!!
July 27th, 2010 at 6:29 pm
JFB: lmao!
July 27th, 2010 at 6:38 pm
[...] arrives to lay foundation Seymour arrives to lay foundation – Inside the Oakland Raiders – A look inside the world of the high… [...]
July 27th, 2010 at 7:08 pm
For me, they’re three things that get the heart beating again, training camp, preseason games and then the actual start of the NFL season. The last six months have been hard.
Here’s wishing all Raiders fan the very best, and may we enjoy the next 20 games, even the four preseason games.
Hopefully, we’ll be exchanging comments about our “playoff
run and our chances to advance.” A 9-7 record is not out of the question and even a surprising 10-6 if our core players can stay healthy.
Have a great summer Raiders fan and GO RAIDERS!
July 27th, 2010 at 7:13 pm
May Jack Tatum RIP. A true Raiders great. It was always fun to watch him dominate.
July 27th, 2010 at 7:14 pm
Seymor is a coach to the players on how to be a pro! Wish he was in our Camp last season.
I am so ready for football to be back! With TO to the bengals I am gonna be putting money on Raiders and Bengals to win it all this year with their high odds.
Biekert is an awesome coach! he will make Scott and McClain film studs
July 27th, 2010 at 7:24 pm
Seymor is a class act. wish more were like him. if he can rub off on these rookies we got. then the trade for him will reap the rewards for a while after he is gone too..
July 27th, 2010 at 7:52 pm
Ditch the ZBS.
We were better before we changed to it.
July 27th, 2010 at 10:16 pm
Random Drug Tester Says:
July 27th, 2010 at 10:15 pm
CJ Legend 34 Says:
July 27th, 2010 at 11:42 am
*****Must Read************
OK, I know this is not a Dallas Blog but I ahve to comment on the way they made a big deal out of Dez Bryant carrying Roy Williams pads.I could have summed all of this bull$#!t up in three words “BIG FREAKING DEAL!!!” I hate all of that traditional hazing BS. So he did not carry Roy’s pads boo-hoooooo.
The Cowboys are idiots!
———————————————–
never spent a season in a locker room obviously.
July 27th, 2010 at 10:18 pm
Jack Tatum, Kenny Stabler, Hendricks, Alzado, Matuszak…all Raider warriors that are what the Silver and Black are all about.
July 27th, 2010 at 10:18 pm
forgot Lester Hayes.
July 28th, 2010 at 1:25 am
Cable could well have spent so much time at the beginning of camp last year with those “learning intensive practices”, when players like Schilens wanted to get on with it, because he knew just how unprepared Russell was going to be.
Bringing in Greg Biekert as line backers coach is a terrific move.
Seems like the Raiders have done everything right this year.
Come on McClain, you’re the only outstanding problem right now.
Follow Seymour and Aso’s lead, don’t do a Russell and hold out.
It’s time for the real Raiders to return!
July 28th, 2010 at 5:10 am
[...] Oakland Raiders defensive end Richard Seymour arrived early for training camp. [...]
July 28th, 2010 at 7:09 am
The Raiders’ website points out Biekert is best known for recovering Tom Brady’s “fumble” in the Tuck Rule game.
No need for quotation marks around the word fumble.
July 28th, 2010 at 7:29 am
Life skills meeting? yuck. bet they’ll be watching some NFL-mandated video. zzzzz
July 28th, 2010 at 10:05 am
You said NFC West instead of AFC West Jerry
July 28th, 2010 at 10:29 am
Biekert had brains. Work ethic and brains is what it takes. Seymour is in that department, as well as McClain.
July 28th, 2010 at 10:49 am
I hope Seymour, McClain, Houston, Henderson, Kelly and company all lay the foundation – as well as multiple RBs on the ground.
Need to get McClain in camp. The offseason has gone so well – it would be a shame to have a 1st round holdout cast a gloom over training camp.
Team still needs help on the O-line – another center and guard are a must. Another tackle probably wouldn’t hurt either. O-line is thin and I’m very skeptical that Campbell and Veldheer will contribute this season.
July 28th, 2010 at 1:56 pm
[...] McD: Seymour arrives to lay foundation Seymour arrives to lay foundation – Inside the Oakland Raiders – A look inside the world of the high… __________________ RaideroftheSith aka [...]
July 28th, 2010 at 5:33 pm
Seymour is a stud. Beikert was a stud. 2010 is going to see some return to form.