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Raiders Head Coach Dennis Allen**: We got a couple of guys back today. LB Kevin Burnett was back, DT Pat Sims was back out here today. A couple of guys left with injuries, again it's normal camp injuries, nothing major. WR [Tray] Session was injured in practice today and so was WR Brice Butler.
Q: What did Sims do? What was he able to do?
Coach Allen: He got a few reps a period. I want to be smart with him. The last time we brought him out here we got him for a half a practice and then we lost him again for a few days. I want to make sure that before we too much stress on him that he's ready to go. We're going to ease him into it. We'll kind of evaluate him on a day-to-day basis to see where he's at.
Q: So you don't envision him playing against the Bears?
Coach: I don't envision that but again, I don't have to make that decision until game time. We'll keep our mind open on that but it's good to have him back out here.
Q: Did he participate in team sessions today?
Coach Allen: Yes.
Q: Did he work at all with the 1s?
Coach Allen: No.
Q: To have him and Vance Walker back and the linebacker back, there's been so few times you've had those guys on the field at the same time. Do you feel like you're putting the defense together a little bit?
Coach Allen: Not quite, not quite. We're getting closer to that point though. I think as we get closer to the start of the regular season I think it's important. We've got a lot of new parts to this defense. I think having those guys out here and getting them a chance to work together, the more we're able to do it between now and the opening game of the season, the better we're going to understand how to play together. It was a start to have the majority of those guys back out here. It'll be good as we go through the rest of training camp, through the rest of these practices, the Chicago game, the Seattle game, and get a chance for these guys to work together.
Q: [DE] Lamarr Houston practiced all last week, he didn't play against the Saints, is he going to…
Coach Allen: He'll play.
Q: Pushing through these last couple of days of camp, how would you rate the energy level and enthusiasm?
Coach Allen: I thought it was pretty good, I thought we had a pretty crisp practice today. I thought the guys got after it. We focused on third down today, that's a critical down and distance for us to be able to get off the field, for us to be able to convert offensively. I thought it was good work today. I think the guys have continued to work throughout training camp.
Q: Was Tyvon Branch out here?
Coach Allen: Tyvon was here, he didn't practice. Again he'll be a day-to-day deal. I haven't made up my mind yet whether he'll play or not.
Q: Do you find that when these guys have been sitting out that when they get back in there they have done the mental reps?
Coach Allen: Most of them. I think our guys do a pretty good job of trying to stay on top of it from a mental perspective. Make no mistake about it, when you miss time you do fall behind a little bit and it takes a little time to catch up. Most of these guys have done a pretty nice job of staying on top of it.
Q: Is Watson still a great distance away?
Coach Allen: I am hoping to have Menelik Watson back out here tomorrow.
Q: Granted there was Anthony Muñoz out there for you to get. What did you see in Tony Hills that you brought him in?
Coach Allen: Tony was with us when I was in Denver so I got a little bit of familiarity with Tony. He's a guy who has been in the league for a little while now. He's a guy we're going to bring in here and get a chance to evaluate. We still got two preseason games left and we still haven't settled in on who those five guys are going to be up front. We're going to take a look at him and see what he can do over the next couple of weeks.
Q: Is it nice for you guys that it's not like five days away from the regular season…you have almost three and you're starting to get healthy. Is that enough time do you think to get these guys back in the flow generally?
Coach Allen: Listen, it's the time that we have. That's what our job is. We have to get ready and we're going to open up the first game of the year against Indianapolis and the healthy bodies that we have we're going to trot out there and we're to go play, we're going to go compete.
Q: Where are you at with your punters? What are you looking for with these last three weeks with how one will separate from the other?
Coach Allen: I think there's a lot of things you take into account. Punting is not just line up back there and kick the ball. There's some things we have to do whether it be situational punting, it's being able to down the ball, it's being able to directional punt to try to take certain returners out of the game. And so there's a lot of different things that you ask the punter to do. I want to see these guys be able to execute in those situations. Obviously the holding situation is another thing we're looking at as a determining factor. I think it's a great competition. I think we have two NFL-caliber punters. Anytime you're in that situation, that's a good problem to have.
Q: Do you anticipate three quarterbacks playing in this game?
Coach Allen: Maybe four.
