Raiders report: Handling Mack-Bosa will be challenge
The combination of Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones figures to give the Raiders one of the most dynamic pass-rushing duos in the league.
It could also play a role in preparing the offense for a difficult challenge in Sunday’s season opener against the Chargers at SoFi Stadium.
Crosby and Jones are fairly comparable to the Chargers’ duo of Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa.
“Maxx and Chandler are unique pass rushers and they pose a lot of problems. Our tackles had their hands full this camp,” offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi said Thursday after a closed walkthrough practice at the team facility in Henderson.
As for Bosa and Mack, Lombardi said they also are elite pass rushers who “we obviously have to be ready for. They do a lot of different things. They move around a lot … they rush the edge. They play on the inside. They use their hands.”
They present the same kind of problems the offensive line has had to solve blocking Crosby and Jones in the preseason. Now they will put all the lessons they learned into practice as they try to give the rest of the offense enough time to operate and showcase their playmakers.
Lombardi believes in the plan the team has constructed, but acknowledges even the best blueprints can be torn apart by a defense with as much talent as the Chargers. specifically Mack and Bosa.
“Every single time they go to the stadium, teams try to take them away and they’re still able to get production some way, somehow,” he said.
“But if we do a good of following our rules and doing our job, I look forward to watching us play against them.”
Injury report
The Raiders had a clean injury report for the second straight day and are not expected to have any players facing gameday designations for Sunday’s opener.
Their opponents aren’t as fortunate. Prized free-agent cornerback J.C. Jackson once again missed practice on Thursday and may not available for Sunday. He had a minor procedure on his ankle in late August.
Tight end Donald Parham Jr. also missed a second-consecutive practice with a hamstring injury, while rookie running back Isaiah Spiller got in a full session despite an ankle injury and is expected to play.
‘Dawg mentality’
Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham has heard the popular phrase “dawg mentality” tossed around by some of his players even if he’s not quite sure exactly what it means.
“You have to understand there’s like a 20-year age difference, so I don’t know,” the 43-year-old Yale alum said.
Urban dictionary defines the popular internet phrase as an “internal drive, confidence and aggression that resides within certain players that go the extra mile to make a play.” It can also mean never being satisfied and always pursuing the next meal instead of waiting for it to be placed in your bowl.
Graham just hopes it means they have a desire to compete.
“The mentality I want them to have is to get better every day, be good teammates and co-workers and work hard,” he said. “That’s what I’m looking for. So what I want them to do and I think the ‘dawg mentality’ might have something to do with this, is I want them to compete. And we have a room of guys who are willing to compete.”
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.
