Shaking out the notebook from Thursday’s organized team activity availability:
– One of the biggest misconceptions about JaMarcus Russell is that he is suited only for the sort of play-action, dropback passing attack as run by Norv Turner when Kerry Collins was the quarterback.
It’s a stereotype which has nothing to do with skin color and everything to do with size. Russell is a big, strong-armed quarterback, ergo, he should be throwing deep every play.
Russell could play in that style, but he’ll be infnitely more interesting moving to his left or right and finding targets out of the pocket. He is nimble afoot, takes up huge chunks of yardage on each step of his rolls, and looks natural throwing on the run. He won’t be using his legs to run, necessarily, but to get off passes.
–There were a couple of nice passes on seam routes over the middle to tight end Zach Miller, with whom Russell seemed to develop a chemistry in his two extended performances at the end of the season.
– Hopefully Ronald Curry’s foot surgery is not a big deal. He will be important in sustaining drives as a third-down receiver.
– As for the rest of the receiving crew, Drew Carter outperformed the more expensive Javon Walker, who Kiffin said needs to improve his conditioning. Todd Watkins is the sleeper, a big, active, former BYU receiver who could make a run if he continues his progress.
– Didn’t see much from Johnnie Lee Higgins, who may stick if the Raiders want to keep one smallish receiver on the roster (assuming it isn’t Drisan James _ a safe assumption) but who may need to prove he can be an explosive kick returner to make the 53-man roster.
– One of Oakland’s biggest decisions heading into training camp will be whether to go with Andrew Walter as the backup or find a more experienced veteran.
Jeff Otis and Erik Meyer are not a factor, merely camp arms.
While Russell looks smooth on the move, Walter does not. Last year, line coach Tom Cable described the shift of Robert Gallery from left guard to left tackle as a situation of not keeping a square peg in a round hole.
The same could be said for Walter. He still looks like a play-action, dropback passer stuck in a system which doesn’t suit him. The Raiders had former Arizona State teammate Sam Keller in during rookie camp, but didn’t sign him to a contract.
If the Raiders gear their offense toward Russell’s ability to operate on the perimeter and then are forced to go to Walter, and in the process are forced to change the emphasis of the offense, it won’t go well.
– Interesting to see Chris Morris opening up as the No. 1 center over John Wade, although it’s worth noting that the same thing happened last year with Jake Grove over Jeremy Newberry. We all know how that turned out.
Morris, however, is the kind of player who occasionally flourishes in a zone blocking system. He doesn’t look like much physically, but he can move, is extremely smart, and Cable has faith in him. It was Morris who was Gallery’s backup at left guard last year.
As a rookie seventh-round pick, Morris won a “game show” of sorts on everything the rookies had learned at the NFL rookie symposium in Carlsbad, getting a leased Hummer for a year free of charge.
– Kiffin was downplaying the significance of Michael Huff playing deep and Gibril Wilson being closer to the line of scrimmage, but it seems clear Oakland is intent on seeing if Huff can be a playmaker at free safety. He covered tight ends well as a strong safety, but didn’t force fumbles, recover them or intercept passes.
– Defensive tackle Gerard Warren seemed active and interested during the OTA practice, more than just a guy going through the motions. The knock on Warren throughout his career has been that he plays when he wants to play, and disappears in others. There was nothing to dispel that notion last year, when Warren seemed to excel against his former teams.
– Offensive tackle Mario Henderson worked with the second team on the right side, and will get extensive work to see if he is up to the task of challenging Cornell Green at right tackle. No one will say it out loud, but the Raiders would like to see Henderson seize the job from Green, a cagey veteran who most any team would love to have as a reserve.
– Line play is one of the most difficult things to judge to the untrained eye during no-contact scrimmages and drills. We probably won’t know about the viability of the likes of Kalimba Edwards and Greg Spires as outside pass rushing threats until July and August, during full-contact training camp drills and preseason games.
I watched film with Jon Gruden in the his Napa Marriott office one time where he was breaking down tape of Darrell Russell in a blocking drill with Mo Collins. Gruden was grousing about the “brother-in-law” blocks Collins was attempting, saying that both men were taking it easy on each other rather than going all out and getting everything out of the drill.
I have to admit he had to run it back about three times _ juxtaposed with players who were expending full effort _ before I could tell the difference.
– A relatively quiet practice from cornerback DeAngelo Hall, who did break up one pass in a goal line situation but made no sensational plays and seemed to be making an effort to blend in with his teammates.
by Jerry McDonald
