Raiders report: Josh McDaniels pleased with early progress
Even though the Raiders are still several days away from putting on the pads for the first time this training camp, there is plenty of work getting done on the field.
Coach Josh McDaniels said the biggest thing he and his staff have been looking for during their two hours on the field each day is communication.
“There’s an element of pre-snap communication, there’s an element of post-snap assignments that are the most important parts of this,” he said Sunday. “So that’s really a huge focus for us right now, while the physical part is on hold for a few more days.”
The Raiders will take their first off day of training camp on Monday and then practice in shells again on Tuesday before the full pads come out on Wednesday.
Even then, there won’t be a whole lot of big hits.
“We probably will not tackle to the ground, ever,” McDaniels said of practice. “Just because I think nothing’s more important than the health of the team. But the physical is part of this game. It’s a contact sport and we have to prepare our bodies for a long season. There’s a fine line between doing too much and doing not enough.”
Several aspects of the game do require full speed and full contact to truly prepare for the season, which is what will happen mostly in preseason games.
“Run blocking, defending the run, defeating blockers, pass protection, pass rush,” McDaniels said. “All those things that really have to include some element of physicality or else you really aren’t working on them.”
As for the rest of the preparation, McDaniels has been pleased. He particularly mentioned the amount of information the players were able to retain from OTAs and minicamp as the new systems were being implemented, meaning the team was able to hit the ground running when training camp opened this week.
“The guys took their breaks and had their time away, but they definitely didn’t turn that part of their brain off, which is a good thing,” he said. “A lot of the things we were trying to pour into them in the spring and they were really grinding to learn, they’ve come back in many cases ahead of where they were.”
Bumps and bruises
Offensive lineman Denzelle Good was not on the practice field Sunday as he continues to work his way back from an ACL tear. Rookie running back Zamir White missed his second straight on-field practice.
Early in the session, safeties Roderic Teamer and Johnathan Abram ran into each other and were shaken up trying to defend a crossing route. Teamer did not return.
Abram returned minutes after the collision, but only for a few reps before missing the remainder of the day.
Standing out
One of the more impressive players on the field throughout the offseason and now into the first week of training camp has been wide receiver Tyron Johnson.
The 26-year-old former Oklahoma State speedster has spent time with five teams in his three-year career, most extensively with the Chargers. He appeared in five games for the Raiders last season, but did not record a reception.
“I’m really proud of him,” McDaniels said. “Everybody knows he’s fast, but it takes a lot more than fast to play in our league at that position and he’s working extremely hard to be prepared every day. He knows what his assignments are and he’s been able to really connect with the quarterbacks. … He’s now becoming that guy that’s dependable from day to day and that’s a big word for us.”
The man everyone around the organization refers to as “T-Billy” has consistently worked himself open downfield and made catches all over the field. Locker-mate Davante Adams, who secured the No. 17 from Johnson when he was traded to the Raiders, has been impressed by the man who now wears No. 1.
“He’s a workhorse, man,” Adams said. “He’s been running a lot of deep routes and he’s not complaining about it. He’s doing everything he can to try to establish himself in this offense and show the coaches what he can do. He’s already proved a lot to me.”
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.