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Raiders report: For Rich Bisaccia, it’s ‘on to Philadelphia’

Raiders Report

Schedule

All practices at Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center, unless noted:

Tuesday — Off

Wednesday — Practice, 11 a.m.

Thursday — Practice, 11 a.m.

Friday — Practice, 11 a.m.

Saturday — Off

Sunday — vs. Philadelphia Eagles, Allegiant Stadium, 1:05 p.m.

Quote of the day

Rich Bisaccia has been in charge of the Raiders’ coaching staff for less than a week, but he’s been a coach the majority of his life.

He’s picked up a thing or two about how to downplay the significance of a regular-season victory, even when it’s the first of your career.

Bisaccia said he returned to the place he is renting in Las Vegas late Sunday night and thought ahead, not back.

“I’m a part of the team and to go on the road and play a rival like the Denver Broncos in their home and come out with a win was exciting for all of us,” he said Monday. “It helps us move forward and on to Philadelphia.”

Special adjustment

Bisaccia is a special teams coach by trade and will continue in that role despite taking on head coaching duties for the rest of the season.

One of the most notable changes in strategy on Sunday was with Daniel Carlson not booting kickoffs into the end zone despite the thin air in Denver.

Entering Sunday, 58 percent of his kicks went for touchbacks. Carlson sent four of his first five kickoffs against Denver onto the field of play, where the Broncos had to return them. The one touchback came in the closing seconds of the first half when the Raiders likely wanted to limit the risk of a big play in the return game.

It wasn’t due to conditions. Punter A.J. Cole, by contrast, boomed his four punts an average of 57 yards and got off a season-high 71-yard blast.

Bisaccia acknowledged it was a conscious decision to not just kick the ball in the end zone and give the Broncos a start on the 25-yard line.

“We haven’t had a lot of attempts at it, but we’ve tried to do it when we thought it would be advantageous to us,” he said.

Denver’s average drive off the first five kickoffs began at its 19-yard line.

Experience matters

Bisaccia said Monday the transition after Jon Gruden’s resignation has been helped by the fact that several members of his staff have head coaching experience.

Defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, defensive line coach Rod Marinelli and offensive line coach Tom Cable have all been head coaches. Linebackers coach Richard Smith and wide receivers coach Edgar Bennett have been coordinators in the NFL.

“I think the unique thing about all those men from my perspective is they have no personal agenda. They have no ego,” Bisaccia said. “They understand it’s a collective, and I think that’s what makes the players at ease a little bit to understand we’re all really trying to do this thing together.”

Challenging debut

Bisaccia threw a red challenge flag late in Sunday’s game, though he didn’t do so with much conviction.

Nate Hobbs stripped Denver receiver Courtland Sutton on the play. Casey Hayward immediately recovered the ball, though Sutton appeared to be clearly down on the play.

Bisaccia held the flag in his right hand and waited until just before the Broncos were set to snap the ball on the next play before gently tossing it onto the field. While the play had little chance to be overturned, the challenge essentially served as a de facto timeout and gave the defense a chance to regroup with 2:35 left in the fourth quarter.

“I thought, ‘Just challenge it and see what happens,’” Bisaccia said Monday.

The ruling on the field was upheld.

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