The Oakland Raiders suited up for their second day of minicamp on Wednesday and it was a lot less eventful than Tuesday’s session. The first practice of minicamp was overshadowed by the announcement that the Raiders would be featured on HBO’s Hard Knocks. However, Antonio Brown was able to show off a bit and there were some notable players who didn’t take the field. For Wednesday’s session, the starters only took the field briefly before heading to the weight room.
One expected started finally got a chance after missing Tuesday’s practice and that’s linebacker Brandon Marshall. Marshall also wasn’t on the field during OTAs so there was some concern that he might be nursing an injury, but that concern seems to be cleared up. Marshall should help solidify the linebacking corps with Vontaze Burfict and Tahir Whitehead.
With the starters cutting out early, some of the backups got a chance to work with coach Gruden. The Raiders have yet to decide on a backup for starting quarterback Derek Carr, so there’s a lot of opportunities to fill that spot. Veterans Mike Glennon and Nathan Perriman will be competing for the spot unless Gruden decides to bring in another arm.
Offensive linemen Denzelle Good and Denver Kirkland still haven’t been seen since the start of minicamps. There’s yet to be any word on what’s keeping them out. Offensive guard Jordan Devey was present after missing Wednesday’s practice. It’s any ones guess why he was out.
General manager Mike Mayock also decided to make a brief appearance. This is his first general manager job so he must be eager to see how the team he helped build is coming along.
Other than those small tidbits, there wasn’t much to report on for the second session of minicamp. With training camp over a month away, the Raiders seems to be taking it slow. No reason to risk injury when the season is almost three months away. The Raiders have a lot to prepare for with HBO coming to town. Wednesday will also mark the last practice the Raiders will hold for minicamps as Thursday’s session was canceled. There’s no word yet on why coaches decided to cancel the last practice. Hey, maybe the team is just too good at this point. There will also be no media availability, so it will likely be all quiet in Raider Land until next month. The next time the Raiders will see the field as a team will be for training camp on July 26 in Napa.
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Players Excited for Hard Knocks
With the announcement of Hard Knocks hitting the world yesterday, several Raider players took to social media to voice their excitement. Clearly, the players are more excited than their team’s owner.
These guys have a good reason to be excited. They are going to have a platform to showcase their talents to people who may have never given a second thought to watching the Raiders. There could be some big stars that emerge from it. While some perceive the show to be a distraction, the Raiders have some veterans who have appeared on the show and they say it’s not really a big deal. 2019 is shaping up to be an even bigger year for the silver and black than it already has. Next stop, Napa.
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Raiders Minicamp Cut Short, Won’t Practice Again Until Training Camp