Quick hits from Thursday night’s practice:

– Lane Kiffin isn’t a stickler regarding practice wardrobe. He usually has no problem with players wearing shorts even in padded sessions.

He deviated from the norm for the second practice, with players donning full uniform pants in a physical padded practice featuring short yardage and goal line sessions.

All the contact helped instigate the first training training camp fight, with center Jesse Boone and defensive tackle Josh Shaw squaring off at 8:27 p.m. The two scuffled inside, with Shaw then taking a second run at Boone before it was broken up.

Neither is a stranger to scuffles. Boone got into it with Warren Sapp on his first day as a Raider last training camp, and Shaw once exchanged physical unpleasantries with Justin Fargas.

– Quarterback Andrew Walter took the evening practice arm to rest a tired arm, the result of all the extra throws necessary the previous two days because of the JaMarcus Russell’s bruised elbow. Russell threw with more velocity in the evening practice than in the morning session, including some deep rainbows during drills with receivers.

Wide receiver Javon Walker, working to regain his burst, was excited enough to catch one of those deep balls during a routine drill that he spiked it out of bounds.

He wasn’t as enthusiastic earlier in the practice when he and Drew Carter lined up inproperly.

“Give me a new X and a new Z,” Kiffin barked. “Go learn the formation.”

Johnnie Lee Higgins and Arman Sheilds jumped in as the replacements.

– Another practice, another interception from Nnamdi Asomugha, this one a perfect read on a rollout pass by Tuiasosopo intended for Jonathan Holland.

– Moments after chastizing Tuiasosopo for taking too long in the huddle, Jarrod Cooper sent Chris McFoy sprawling with a high hit along the sideline. McFoy caught Tuiasosopo’s rollout pass and was headed upfield and was nearly sent into the hydraulic lift the Raiders use to elevate practice cameras.

– Strong side linebacker Sam Williams closed off at least two running plays, by holding his edge and not letting runners get outside.

– Defensive tackle William Joseph, a free agent and former first-round pick of the New York Giants, made his most impressive play of camp when he blew up what was supposed to be an outside run to the left by McFadden, getting to the running back three yards deep.

“That’s good (bleep), Joseph,” yelled defensive coordinator Rob Ryan.

– During a third-and-short drill midfield, the offense converted four of seven opportunities. The wins came on an inside run by Michael Bush, a pitch to the left to Darren McFadden, a pass from Russell to Oren O’Neal and an inside run by McFadden.

Defensive wins came when a Russell-to-Carter completion came up short, another Russell-to-Carter attempt was broken up by Michael Huff, and a nice play-fake by Tuiasosopo resulted in a deep pass just out of the reach of Higgins.

– During the goal line session, the offense won five of eight snaps, with the ultimate indignity coming when the score was 5-2 and Kiffin sceamed out to the defense, “Hey, they’re going to run the ball!”

Armed with the call, the middle of the defense stopped McFadden short of the goal line. Another stop came when Bush was stopped with a thunderous hit in a mass of humanity in the middle of the line (sorry, didn’t see who actually made the tackle).

Offensive scores came on a run by Fargas, a run by McFadden, another run by Fargas to the right in which O’Neal caved in the right side of the line, and a pass from Tuiasosopo to tight end Darrell Strong.

– Defensive tackle Gerard Warren missed his second practice and was day-to-day. Center Jake Grove and guard-tackle Fred Wakefield sat out as scheduled. Tommy Kelly practiced after missing the morning session, and Greg Wesley practiced twice in a row for the first time.

– The Raiders will practice once Friday at 3 p.m., twice Saturday at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. and will take Sunday off before practicing with the San Francisco 49ers twice on Monday at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Quick hits from Thursday morning’s practice:

– He may not have had his best fastball, but JaMarcus Russell was felt good enough to rejoin practice and make due with off-speed stuff, choosing to simply flick his wrist rather than unleash the full power of his $60 million right arm.

In his first team session, Russell completed two of five passes, one a short pass to Johnnie Lee Higgins and a dump-off to fullback Oren O’Neal. Michael Huff broke up a sideline pass intended for tight end Darrell Strong, a screen to Louis Rankin fell incomplete and Derrick Burgess pressured him into an incomplete pass.

In Russell’s second team session, there were two more short completions.

During seven-on-seven drills, Russell was the victim of a perfectly-played pick by Nnamdi Asomugha, who stole a pass intended for Arman Shields in stride and ran the other for what would have been a touchdown.

“You can see a little bit of a velocity issue with him right now, different from normal,” Kiffin said. “I think that will go away here pretty soon.”

Kiffin said the staff watched Russell closely and that trainer Rod Martin gave the go-ahead to continue.

Russell acknowledged he wasn’t 100 percent but wasn’t comfortable watching from the sidelines.

“I just wanted to get out here today just so I could get back in practice,” Russell said. “I don’t really like sitting out and watching guys bust their behinds when I can be out there doing something. Just anything out there I can help.”

– Right guard Cooper Carlisle and right tackle Cornell Green were given the morning session off, with the Raiders reshuffling their line to accomodate the absence of two starters. Seth Wand got some work at right tackle, Chris Morris at right guard, and Mario Henderson has been working on both sides.

– Speaking of Henderson, it sounds as if Kiffin’s patience has about run out on the first of three third-round picks in the 2007 draft. During the offseason, Kiffin said the Raiders were working on Henderson’s lack of aggression and his passion for football.

It sounds like Kiffin and line coach Tom Cable haven’t made much headway. Rather than shift into coach-speak when asked if Henderson was challenging Green at right tackle, Kiffin was blunt and to the point.

“No, he’s not pushing him. We’ll continue to move Mario around to both sides,” Kiffin said. “Mario is not improving the way we’d like him to so we’ll just continue to push him. But it’s not close right now.”

When asked if Henderson needed to shore up a particular area, Kiffin said, “No, it’s everything right now. Unfortunately.”

– Sounds like Javon Walker, the free agent aquisition whose salary suggests he is the No. 1 receiver but whose practice play has been so-so, will begin getting some extra work starting Monday.

Kiffin said Walker and Fred Wakefield, rehabbing from a knee injury, would begin working twice per day Sunday when the 49ers visit Napa.

When asked if Walker was making progress, Kiffin said, “There’s progress being made. I wouldn’t say as much as I’d like at this point so we’re going to continue to push them. I think pushing him back into two-a-days will help him.”

– Defensive tackle Gerard Warren missed with a thigh injury sustained Wednesday night. Kiffin said he didn’t think the injury was as serious as one that hampered Warren last year and said he was day-to-day. Tommy Kelly sat out as scheduled and should practice tonight. Cornerback John Bowie (knee) did not practice.

Safety Greg Wesley (back spasms) was back at practice but did little of note.

– Defensive tackle Terdell Sands, who has avoided speaking with reporters for the first week of camp for reasons that ranged from a team meal to a team meeting to a doctor’s visit, stopped and chatted for a few minutes.

He conceded to being in better condition this year and was affected last season by the death of his mother.

“I lost my mother last year, so that was very big,” Sands said. “You lose anything like that, some things take tolls on you. You lose things that are aspects of life right there. That’s behind me. I’ve got to push on this year.”

Sands said he takes responsibility for the Raiders’ run defense in 2008.

“I take it all, because they look for me to be a big part of it,” Sands said. “And like I say, I wasn’t mentally in it, so I did some gap responsibility and all my true effort wasn’t out there. I thought I was. But when I watch film, it really wasn’t like I was the year before. So I take responsibility and put it on myself.”

Sands declined to specify how much he weighed last year and how much he weighs now.

– Kiffin has taken to visiting with members of the Raiders’ personnel department occasionally during practice sessions. Wednesday it was Bruce Kebric, Thursday it was Kent McCloughan.

– Defensive tackle William Joseph was worked over by Chris Morris and Jesse Boone on consecutive plays during a blocking drill. Kwame Harris buried Kalimba Edwards on another.

– McFadden was fielding kickoffs along with Hiram Eugene, Rankin, Adimchinobe Echemandu and Tyvon Branch, prompting Kiffin to be asked whether the Raiders’ biggest off-season investment might be utilized on that role.

“He’s such an explosive player that it’s something we have to look at,” Kiffin said. “Part of that will be determined by how the other returners do. Let’s say Branch in preseason is returning great. Then it’s not worth it. If you have a great return situation to put Darren out there that may not be worth it. If we’re struggling, then it becomes more valuable to us.”

Said McFadden, who has been in camp eight days and has had a sunny and agreeable disposition for every one of them: “I don’t know if they’re going to use me back there or not but I’m always prepared for it.”

– Practice joggers for pre-snap violations included Harris, Robert Gallery, tight end Chris Wagner and defensive end Greyson Gunheim.

Gunheim, an undrafted free agent from Washington, actually protested his lap, telling Kiffin that Henderson had first moved his leg, drawing him offsides. Gunheim was right, by the way.

Quick hits from Wednesday’s training camp practice:

– The Raiders spent the latter part of practice in teams sessions working on specific situations.

Two that were included: offense is down by two points with 1:19 left and one time out, trying to work for a field goal from its own 36. Offense gets one play from the 12-yard-line. Score or lose.

The drills were largely dominated by the defense, although a medium-deep pass from Marques Tuiasosopo to Zach Miller set up a 54-yard field goal attempt, which Sebastian Janikowski hammered dead center at least halfway up the uprights.

In a later drill, Janikowski connected from 37 yards to the south end zone _ one that struck a pine tree and bounced back onto the grounds of Redwood Middle School when it looked as if it would travel over a senior center and on to Redwood Road.

Janikowski missed wide right from 48 yards after Walter connected on three consecutive passes to McFadden, bringing the offense from its own 32 to the 33 of the defense. The completions came after a McFadden drop, with the rookie starting to run before securing the ball.

– DeAngelo Hall intercepted an Andrew Walter pass intended for Tony Stewart during a drill which the offense had no time outs and needed to throw to the sideline, which was followed in close order by Gibril Wilson’s interception off Walter.

– McFadden and Derrick Burgess are getting double duty. McFadden worked during some seven-on-seven drills as a receiver, Burgess in pass coverage as a linebacker.

With McFadden, it is all part of the crash course he is getting in as many areas of the offense as possible.

“That’s probably close to unheard of for a guy to be at two different positions in individual that’s a rookie, to go to running back individual, then receiver individual and go back to running back.,” Kiffin said. “He’s handling it great.”

Burgess said he is fine with flopping sides and working as a linebacker on occasion if it can reduce the amont of double-team and chip blocking he receivers rushing the passer. Playing without his hand down is more of an adjustment.

“That (bleep) makes me tired man,” Burgess said. “No, it’s cool. The only thing different about that is it’s all these different sets and everything. But it’s cool. It’s nothing. I’m an athlete man. ‘

– Steve Wisniewski ran a marathon once. Paul McQuistan may be next, or so it seems. He was forced to run another lap for a false star, something that seems to happen at least once every practice.

– During one drill with the offense inside the 20 and out of time outs, Tuiasosopo threw to Chaz Schilens, who stayed inbounds rather than immediately step out, drawing a swift rebuke from the quarterback.

Schilens later jumped offsides and was sent running by Kiffin. Schilens took it upon himself to run around both fields, rather than just one.

– Some rough moments for Ronald Curry and Javon Walker during a routine drill with James Lofton throwing passes into the corner of the end zone from 30 yards away.

Curry dropped two balls, while Walker dropped one, then turned the wrong way and whiffed an other. Lofton by the way, throws a nice ball.

– Drew Carter came down with a difficult catch along the sideline in which he tumbled to the ground with Nnamdi Asomugha. Carter briefly went to the sideline to be checked but was fine; Asomugha came out briefly and returned.

– Jake Grove continues to take reps as the starting center, and has taken to being the first to arrive, leading the rest of the linemen, when the unit moves from their drill area to the team area.

– Ricky Brown continues to work with the first team at strong side linebacker, and even stayed fairly even with McFadden on one pass that fell incomplete, moments after Sam Williams failed to turn around in pass coverage in a play which would have resulted in pass interference.

– Wide receiver Arman Shields missed practice with a sore knee.

“We probably could’ve pushed him, but he’s been working really hard,” Kiffin said. “He goes through all the special teams stuff, too, and it’s just wearing him down a little bit.”

– Cornerback John Bowie, who injured a knee Tuesday night, missed practice and Kiffin termed him “day-to-day.” Safety Greg Wesley (back) and linebacker Grant Irons (hamstring) missed practice.

– Word is the defensive line ran up a bill of more than $2,500 on dinner and drinks at a local steak house Monday night when freed for an evening from the “healthy” diet instituted by Kiffin and strength coach Brad Roll.

JaMarcus Russell wound up with an ice bag on his right elbow again, but for that matter, so did Andrew Walter and Marques Tuiasosopo.

The reserve quarterbacks were iced as a matter of daily maintenance. With Russell, it was because of an injury which caused him to miss his second straight practice. As of now, no one seems ready to call in Dr. Frank Jobe for consultation.

Coach Lane Kiffin said X-rays were “fine.”

“None whatsoever,” Russell said when asked if there was anything to be overly concerned about. “I’m OK and I’m pretty happy.”

That said, there are no guarantees Russell will practice during the Raiders double session Thursday at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Russell’s early tosses gave way to inactivity as practice went along.

“JaMarcus went through the beginning of practice, threw some individual routes. His elbow’s bothering him a little bit,” coach Lane Kiffin said. “He actually wanted to stay in himself, but we took him just to err on the side of safety, and we don’t perceive this being a very long issue.”

Russell conceded the elbow as a little “stiff and swollen.”

Said Kiffin: “He’s saying as he throws, it causes a little bit of pain as he throws, as he pronates his wrist, causes a little pain in his elbow. But he doesn’t see it as an issue.”

Russell’s warmup during Thursday morning’s practice will determine whether he’ll cut loose or simply work on footworking, timing and mental reps.

“There’s no practice we wouldn’t like to have him out there, cause he’s always learning, and all these scenarios for him are so important, and the game scenarios, the two-minute situations we went through today,”’ Kiffin said. “He got the mental reps but it’s not the same as the physical reps. Goes back to yesterday’s conversation about the preseason, why you’ll see him play more than we would normally play our starter.”

The injury occurred during Tuesday morning’s practice, with Russell briefly going to his knees in pain before shaking his arm.

“I bumped Darren’s helmet while he was going to block, kind of full force as I was throwing, but I kind of did what I can right now,” Russell said.

A practice review will follow . . .

Quarterback JaMarcus Russell took the practice field Wednesday afternoon with a protective white sleeve over his right arm and appeared to be more concerned with footwork and execution than throwing the ball in the first 10 minutes of the session.

Russell, who “nicked” his right elbow on the helmet of Darren McFadden Tuesday morning and didn’t participate in the evening session, opened with the first team offense against a simulated defense (consisting of reserve offensive players) and handed off five consecutive times.

His first pass was a harmless dumpoff to Adimchinobe Echemandu. On the only throw of any distance, he lofted a pop fly to Todd Watkins.

Russell was also keeping his famed throwing arm under wraps in the opening moments of quarterback drills.

Will update after practice is completed . . .

Got questions? Live Raiders chat underway at insidebayarea.com, go to Raiders page, look for Live Chat.

Quick hits from Tuesday night’s Raiders practice:

– The absence of JaMarcus Russell with a sore elbow meant plenty of work for Andrew Walter and Marques Tuiasosopo. Walter had another excellent practice, finishing his best passing day of camp.

– The Raiders hired officials for the first time this training camp, and pre-snap penalties continued to be a problem.

Tuesday night joggers included Kwame Harris (false start), Cornell Green (false start), Trevor Scott (lining up in the neutral zone), Robert Thomas (offsides) and Darrell Strong (false start).

During one sequence, with the loud music playing to simulate crowd nose, there were three flags in four plays.

– One of Walter’s big plays was a completion to Chaz Schilens in which Nnamdi Asomugha was in position to make the play and even lost his shoe on his leap, only to have Schilens catch a deflection. Late in practice, he dropped a perfect deep throw along the left sidelines into the hands of Drew Carter.

– Defensive end Jay Richardson, a decent run defender last year, stopped McFadden in the backfield.

– Cornerback DeAngelo Hall has had a habit of jumping routes in hopes of getting interceptions going for touchdowns but arriving late and giving up the completion. It happened against Carter in a team session and against Oren O’Neal in a seven-on-seven. On the latter, defensive Rob Ryan was imploring Hall to “make a house call.”

Later, Hall was a fraction late on a pass from Walter to Drisan James.

Hall was also beaten on a deep out by Johnnie Lee Higgins.

– Wide receiver Todd Watkins ran a streak into the end zone that appeared to be broken up by the oft-torched Michael Waddell on a pass from Tuiasosopo, only to catch the ball Waddell thought he had batted away.

– When it was suggested by a teammate that Jarrod Cooper could have made a play on a pass, Cooper responded, “Hey, I don’t catch the ball, I knock (expletive) down, OK?”

– When H-back Marcel Reece shifted out of his position in the backfield and moved toward the line, Kiffin screamed, “This has got nothing to do with you. Get back in the I.” Reece dutifully moved back into position.

– Cornerback John Bowie, who injured a knee in the morning practice, missed the evening session and Kiffin doesn’t expect him to practice Wednesday afternoon. Safety Greg Wesley missed another practice with back spams, and wide receiver Javon Walker, center Jake Grove and guard-tackle Fred Wakefield also sat out the session as scheduled.

Defensive end Derrick Burgess and running back Justin Fargas did some work in individual drills but were rested in the team sessions. John Madsen, who took a blow to the head from Cooper in the morning, watched in a baseball cap in the evening.

– The Raiders went through drills at a fairly leisurely pace for more than an hour before picking up the intensity for the second hour.

Quarterback JaMarcus Russell sat out Tuesday night’s practice with a sore elbow, but it sounds as if it is premature for there to be panic on the streets of Raider Nation.

Russell was seen shaking his right arm during the morning session, and when Kiffin said, “He’s fine,” without elaborating.

Following practice Tuesday evening, during which Russell spent part of the time with an ice bag wrapped around his right elbow, Kiffin came directly over to reporters.

“He did nick his elbow a little bit today on the back of (Darren) McFadden’s helmet and we didn’t foresee it as an issue because when we checked him out after practice he was fine,” Kiffin said. “He came out, warmed up, threw the ball, and it just stiffened up a little bit on it so we erred on the side of safety and pulled him out at that point. If it were a game he could have very easily played. I don’t see it as an issue at all.”

Kiffin said he expected Russell to practice Wednesday in the lone session at 3 p.m.

A practice review will follow . . .

Quick hits from Raiders practice Tuesday morning:

– The morning after players went on a calorie binge with the blessing of coach Lane Kiffin, the Raiders had their most physical practice of training camp. By Kiffin’s count, there were 85 plays in the full team sessions, easily the most since camp opened.

“I thought they responded well and were very physical,” Kiffin said. “It was great to see (Oren) O’Neal show up in short-yardage and really go after our linebackers today.”

The Raiders have high hopes for O’Neal as a lead blocker, and he had once nice catch of a swing pass which gained yardage.

Don’t bother asking him about it, though.

“He doesn’t say a word. He’s never going to say a speech. He’s never going to talk to the guys. Sometimes he doesn’t talk the whole day,” Kiffin said. “He lets his play do the talking and he’s valuable to us on special teams as well as fullback.”

Kiffin conceded on Day 1 his demeanor has changed a little with a program in place, but he can still bring a little intensity when warranted. Very early in practice, during a kick coverage drill, Kiffin barked, “ Trevor Scott is offsides! Do things right. Practice the way you’re going to play.”

Then Kiffin spiked the kicking tee.

– Drew Carter, working much of the day with the No. 1 unit at wide receiver along with Javon Walker, continued to impress. He did draw the criticism from offensive coordinator Greg Knapp during one drill for not being decisive enough following a reception.

“You’re dancing with the stars,” Knapp said.

One of Carter’s better plays was a tough catch for a touchdown on a Russell pass in tight quarters against DeAngelo Hall and Michael Huff.

– Tight end Zach Miller, who made a bobbling catch in the end zone while he was unguarded, also heard it from Knapp.

“One catch per ball. Let’s go,” Knapp said.

– Miller worked the middle seam for several nice catches during the course of the day and has gone from a rookie to taken for granted in one year. Kiffin believes Miller would have caught more than 44 passes last season (the highest total for any tight end among NFL rookies) had he not had to pass block so much.

With the Raiders’ situation at tackle, it remains to be seen whether Miller will be freed up any more this year.

– Walker is not making the kind of plays one might expect considering the amount of money the Raiders paid to get him. On one pass, when quarterback JaMarcus Russell threw behind Walker, receivers coach James Lofton criticized Walker for being four yards off on his pattern.

“We continue to try to put him in situations,” Kiffin said. “We’re working on a lot of press coverage versus him. We told our corners to get up and press him to really challenge him. We need him and JaMarcus to understand when guys are pressed out there we have to go at them. We need it to be a mentality we develop and those two develop.”

– Kiffin said Andrew Walter and Marques Tuiasosopo are in competition to become the backup quarterback to Russell, with fewer turnovers likely the deciding factor. Neither turned the ball over Tuesday morning, but Walter had the better day passing. He was particularly adept at finding John Madsen and Miller on touch routes 15 to 20 yards down field.

Madsen made a diving grab which was the session’s best reception, drawing applause from a Raiders booster club which was invited to the closed session.

– The Raiders are experimenting with defensive end Derrick Burgess, using him on occasion on the right side. They even had him working with linebackers during seven-on-seven sessions for a brief time Monday.

“You’ve seen Derrick out there on both sides, and we’re looking at a number of different things keeping him on the open edge, keep him away from tight ends and be able to rush the passer more and play on the split end side,” Kiffin said.

Said defensive end Jay Richardson: “Last year teams slid protections to him, double-teamed him, chipped him with backs and he still got eight (sacks).”

A grand idea, but what about the seven-on-seven drills?

“He went to seven-on-seven because we’re standing (him) up a little bit, looking at some open things where he’s dropping so we’ve got to see how well he can do that,” Kiffin said.

Burgess in pass coverage instead of rushing the passer? Perhaps they shouldn’t overthink this one.

– Jarrod Cooper unloaded on Madsen on one play over the middle, nearly a helmet-to-helmet blow that Kiffin seemed to think it was OK because it was a high hit. A second hit, low against tight end Darrell Strong, had Kiffin and defensive backs coach Darren Perry both talking to Cooper about being more careful.

“I probably shouldn’t have tackled the rookie, but first of all, he’s a rookie so I’m not worried about him,” Cooper said.

A good line, but not one he would have used had the rookie been named Darren McFadden.

– Adimchinobe Echemandu, who earned a roster spot last year because of his training camp performance, is having a rough go of it this time around. He fell and fumbled on one carry, and it isn’t the first time he has gotten his feet tangled and gone down without contact.

– Johnnie Lee Higgins made the sort of leaping catch against Stanford Routt that Raiders coaches want to see more of.

– Cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha made two perfectly-timed breakups, including one in which he raced back on a play-action pass and broke up a Russell post intended for Walker. Walker appeared to have a step on Asomugha, and for one of the few times in camp, Russell’s pass wobbled and allowed Asomugha the chance to make up the difference.

– Linebacker Jon Alston closed off a draw play to Justin Fargas and stopped the running back in his tracks, drawing praise from Rob Ryan. Alston has also assumed Stuart Schweigert’s role as the personal protector for Shane Lechler on punts _ an indication he has a good chance of making the team again.

– Safety Greg Wesley missed practice again with back spasms. Grant Irons did not practice with a hamstring pull. Tommy Kelly took off the morning session as scheduled and will practice this evening. John Bowie sustained a knee injury of undetermined severity and left the field.

– A double-standard for lap runners? After a false start by Kwame Harris, Seth Wand was dispatched to take his place at left tackle but never took the field as Harris stayed in. When Paul McQuistan did the same thing, he was off and running. McQuistan has been the Raiders’ most frequent jogger for false starts.

– Speaking of double standards, it seems the defensive line got the best end of the deal Monday night after Sebastian Janikowski’s 43-yard field goal freed them from their healthy Napa diets.

The defensive line dined at Cole’s Chop House, a high-end, expensive steak house. Running backs went Italian in downtown Napa. Defensive backs went to a popular restraurant in Yountville.

There was some good natured grumbling among the offensive linemen and linebackers, who went to a Cantina-style Mexican restaurant down the road from the hotel.

“My stomach is still feeling it,” one lineman said. “Defensive linemen were telling me what they got last night and I said, `I don’t want to hear it.’ ”

Linebackers coach Don Martindale was unapologetic.

“The defensive coordinator and the linebackers coach love Mexican food,” Martindale said. “Can’t you tell?”

– A second practice is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Quick hits from Monday’s Raiders’ practice:

– A few Napa Valley restaurants cashed in Monday night thanks to Sebastian Janikowski.

Janikowski nailed a 43-yard field goal at the end of practice, giving the players a one-night respite from the healthy diet instituted in camp this year by coach Lane Kiffin and strength and conditioning coach Brad Roll.

“That just made their coaches have to buy them dinner,” Kiffin said. “We kind of changed the menu a lot. It’s wearing on them. It’s extremely healthy, whole wheat pasta, and they’re getting a little worn out by it.

“Myself and Brad Roll sat down and put a menu together with the chefs here. It’s really good. It’s helped our guys and we’re the best shape we’ve ever been in. And we’ve changed our food at the facility, too. But they needed a little break and we’re hoping he could make it.”

Defensive end Jay Richardson promised to research the most expensive restaurant available. Guard Robert Gallery was dubious as to whether Tom Cable would splurge.

The previous evening, again with a potential fat-laden meal on the line, Janikowski missed from 57 yards.

“They had to eat whole wheat again,” Kiffin said.

– Mark Wilson, who had played both guard and tackle, sustained a broken left leg and Kiffin said he was probably “done.”

Fred Wakefield, who came to the Raiders as a blocking tight end who could play offensive line in a pinch, only to be moved to defensive end, found himself playing right guard. He even got in a few snaps with the first team.

Three seasons ago, Wakefield started four games at guard and three at tackle for the Arizona Cardinals. Wakefield said changing positions as well as position coaches is not too much of a strain.

“Once you’ve been in a system, you kind of know how it all works, what the concepts are and how things are supposed to go,” Wakefield said. “It’s just a matter of learning terminology more than anything.”

Kiffin conceded that in the NFL, it’s unlikely a player would make a 53-man roster on the basis of playing on both lines given the time devoted to each. Wakefield doesn’t look at the constant shifting as a curse.

“I’m one of those people, I really enjoy coming out here, I really enjoy being around these guys . . . but as long as I get a chance to play and do something, I’m not really too concerned how it shakes out,” Wakefield said. “Coach Kiffin this morning, he pretty much asked me if I could do it. He said, ‘I know that you will, I want to know if you can.’ I’m like, ‘It’s not a problem.”

– Cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha missed practice to attend a funeral in the Bay Area and is expected to be back for Tuesday’s double session at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. Safety Greg Wesley (back spasms), and linebacker Grant Irons (hamstring) did not practice.

– An inconsistent day for quarterback JaMarcus Russell. Included among a handful of excellent throws was an overthrow intended for John Madsen which was stolen by safety Rashad Baker.

During a seven-on-seven drill, Russell failed to notice strong side linebacker Ricky Brown dropping into coverage and threw the ball directly to him for another pick.

– During one sloppy exchange from beginning to end, Russell bobbled a center snap, then managed to get a shaky handoff to Louis Rankin, who was immediately met by Thomas Howard and Gibril Wilson in the backfield and somehow managed not to fumble.

Russell gave way to Andrew Walter and was seen flexing and shaking his left hand. He returned later and seemed fine.

– Brown, competing with Sam Williams and Robert Thomas, is making a case for himself as the starting strong side linebacker. He also stopped Michael Bush in his tracks on an inside run.

– Cornerback Michael Waddell, victimized regularly since the start of camp, actually grabbed the shirt of Johnnie Lee Higgins so the receiver couldn’t get away, with the ball sailing incomplete.

“Nice coverage,” defensive coordinator Rob Ryan said.

– Quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo found Chris McFoy for a 17-yard touchdown in a seven-on-seven drill between an apparently blown bracket, with neither cornerback DeAngelo Hall nor free safety Michael Huff getting to the play on time.

– Walter rolled to his right on one play and ended up throwing the ball out of bounds, but was given time to throw the pass when fullback Oren O’Neal buried defensive end Greg Spires, riding him to the ground with a block.

– Marcel Reece, the undrafted free agent from Washington with intriguing size (6-foot-3, 240 pounds), lined up at fullback for a few plays and has been working with the running backs on occasion during drills, possibly to see if he can be an H-back.

– Although he has virtually no chance to make the 53-man roster if Justin Fargas, Bush and McFadden remain healthy, undrafted Washington free agent Louis Rankin has had a solid camp and could end up on the practice squad or perhaps be claimed by another team with a strong preseason performance.

– What might have been the best catch of training camp so far came from undrafted rookie free agent tight end Darrell Strong from Tuiasosopo. Running across the middle from right to left, Strong reached back and pulled the ball in with his left hand, transferring it to his right, before falling to the ground and holding on.

– Raiders receivers were running a drill in which they ran under a metal archway less than 6-feet tall, caught a quick pass, then maneuvered through a series of cones. Rookie Chaz Schillens struck the bar with his helmet the first time and dropped a pass. The second time he made under and dropped it again.

Both times, the response from receivers coach James Lofton was the same: “It’s a catch drill, 84.”

– Rookie defensive end Trevor Scott is still having trouble getting free from offensive lineman, getting manhandled on one rush by right tackle Mario Henderson.

– It is conceivable that none of the 30 or over veterans brought in this offseason _ linebacker Edgerton Hartwell, Spires, Wesley and Wade _ will make the team based on how the first seven practices have played out.

Hartwell and Spires have made few plays to speak of, Wesley has missed considerable time with back spasms, and the Raiders appear to be giving Jake Grove every chance to win the starting job at center. Chris Morris would be the more likely choice as the backup because he can also play guard, while Wade is strictly a center.

– No chance Grady Jackson returns to the Raiders. He decided to go back and play in Atlanta. Probably wouldn’t have liked the “healthy” diet in Napa, anyway.

– Kiffin came to the post practice press briefing to discover a new podium.

“And they said we were out of money,” Kiffin said.