These Raiders seem intent on minimizing costly errors
The Raiders were barely 20 minutes into their first training camp practice on Thursday when Derek Carr lined up under rookie center Dylan Parham. What unfolded next is yet another signal that the Raiders are doing things a little bit differently this year.
Parham’s snap didn’t get to Carr cleanly, and the football fell to the turf. The first day of camp is typically filled with errors, including the inevitable sloppiness of a center-quarterback exchange. In the grand scheme of things, the level of concern over it falls somewhere between the Gatorade not being cold enough and the practice-field grass being cut too high.
In other words, it’s not the biggest deal in the world.
The Raiders, though, see things differently these days under new coach Josh McDaniels.
Rather than sweep the miscue under the rug and move on to the next play, Carr and Parham immediately began a long run together that covered the entire circumference of the Raiders’ practice field.
They weren’t the only ones, either. On at least three other occasions, various combinations of quarterbacks and centers made similar runs after similar mistakes.
The self policing of the Raiders is a very real thing.
“It’s predicated on accountability, and that starts up top,” said Raiders tight end Foster Moreau. “That starts with Derek (Carr), that starts with Darren (Waller), that starts with Davante (Adams), that starts with Hunter (Renfrow.) And they’ve been really good about preaching that.”
The message is clear: First day of camp or not, a penalty has to be paid for unforced errors. And while the price on Thursday was a long lap on a blistering hot day, it will seem like a walk on the beach compared to the game it might cost the Raiders down the line if they don’t properly address it now.
“We’re not going to let little things slip,” said center Andre James, who took at least one running tour around the facility. “There’s accountability for everything we do. It’s something this coaching staff has brought in and something that’s going to be a part of practices.”
On Thursday that meant the quarterbacks and centers running laps. But as the Raiders showed during minicamp when the entire offense ran laps after someone jumped offsides, there is a player-wide mandate to self-police themselves for even the smallest errors.
No excuses.
“The QB/center exchange is a two-man job, and if it gets fumbled guys are taking laps,” said Moreau matter-of-factly. “And they’re doing it on their own. I think it’s pretty special for them to hold themselves accountable like that. And it kind of shows a beacon for us for where we’re trying to go.”
Therein lies the point. After making the playoffs last year and then adding franchise-altering players like Adams and rush-end Chandler Jones, there is an obvious level of confidence among these Raiders.
They understand it’s no longer an issue of talent when they match up with their NFL peers — even the upper echelon — it’s whether they excel at the fundamentals that typically decide football games.
If they are to achieve their objectives, they can no longer be the second-most penalized team in the NFL, as they were last season. They have to clean up their act in the red zone, where they ranked 29th in offensive touchdown scoring percentage at 49.23 and dead last in opponents touchdown scoring percentage at 77.08.
And they can’t finish 22nd in third-down conversion.
In each of those categories, it was a lack of focus and attention to detail that often sabotaged the Raiders. They seem determined to make sure that isn’t the case this year.
“Mistakes cost you,” newly acquired veteran safety Duron Harmon said.
Even on the first day of training camp.
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on Twitter.