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Johnathan Abram was supposed to start his stint as a stalwart of the Raider defense in 2019, but things didn’t go according to plan as he suffered a devastating injury in the first week of the season. The defense clearly missed him as the secondary struggled. He should recover well before the team starts offseason work outs and he was recently on the Rapsheet and Friends podcast where he shed more light on what exactly happened to his shoulder.
“I tore my entire rotator cuff,” Abram said. “Three ligaments – one in the front of my shoulder… one under my armpit, one in my back and I tore my capsule, which holds the bone in place… If I would’ve just torn the rotator cuff, I probably would’ve continued to play.”
Abram proved his toughness in Week 1 as he finished the game with the injury he just described. He also mentioned that he’s 90% healthy now and regaining his strength. It shouldn’t be too long before he’s ready to strap the pad back on and start hitting again. Abram confirmed to Ian Rapoport that he’ll be ready to go for OTAs.
Abram Calls Raider Fans ‘the Best Fans’
The Raiders are asking quite a bit from there fans with this big move to Las Vegas. It’s not like they are moving in the same state to Los Angeles – they’re moving to a completely different market. Luckily for the organization, they’ve got some of the most loyal fans in the country.
“Raider fans are the best fans,” Abram said. “Everybody hate ’em, but we love ’em.”
It hasn’t been the best couple of decades for the Raiders. They were once one of the winningest teams in the NFL but have been mostly bad since 2002. However, the fans refuse to give up hope.
“That’s the beauty of Raiders fans… they support us through it all,” Abram said. “I met this one guy, he was like ‘the hardest thing in my life is being a Raiders fan.'”
Abram went on to detail some of the team’s struggles throughout the year like starting off 6-4 in 2019 but going 1-5 to close out the season. There’s no question Raider fans deserve some winning seasons after what they’ve been through over the years.
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Abram Explains What Raiders Defense Needs to Do Better
A big key to the Raiders getting to the playoffs is improving on defense. The team had one of the worst in the NFL at stopping the pass and Abram seems to know what the Raiders need to do.
“More than anything, just being consistent,” Abram said. “Playing at the same level, at the same pace the entire game, the entire season.
The Raiders were actually able to shutout Patrick Mahomes in the second half of their first matchup with the Chiefs and held the quarterback to one of his worst statistical performances of the year in their second matchup. The problem is that they got blown out in both games. The Raider defense looked strong at times during the season, but their tendency to give up big plays was their ultimate downfall. Hopefully, Abram’s playmaking and leadership ability can help keep the defense from making so many mistakes.
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