Photo by Tony Gonzales
Thursday was another work day for the Raiders as they were back on the practice field at their Alameda facility in preparation for their home opener on Sunday against the Houston Texans at O.co Coliseum.
After practice, Head Coach Dennis Allen spoke to reporters about the health of his team and the addition of former Texan Antonio Smith to the roster.
"He's a great character, he's a hell of a guy and he competes and he works," said Coach Allen. "He's been a real welcomed addition to the football team, in the locker room and on the field."
In addition to Coach Allen, both coordinators gave their weekly remarks to the local media.
During his press conference, Defensive Coordinator Jason Tarver spoke about the progress of LB Khalil Mack and how he performed in his first regular season game.
"I thought as the game went, you could see the explosion in the young man," Coach Tarver said. "He got better and anything that we coached him on the sideline, he did right and fast the next time, so he's right in the progression where he needs to be. When he sees something, he learns from it."
While the Silver and Black didn't leave New York with a tally in the win column, Offensive Coordinator Greg Olson was still pleased with the effort of rookie quarterback Derek Carr.
"He did a really good job," said Coach Olson when evaluating Carr's performance. "I came out of it feeling good about his overall performance. Certainly, there are some things he could have done better. He'll get better at those things, but overall, for him to go into that first game, I thought that he did some good things."
Austin Howard, who spent the past three seasons in New York playing for the Jets, has never played in front of the Black Hole and said it's an experience that he's looking forward to.
"I'm looking forward to seeing this Black Hole crowd that I keep hearing about," he said. "It's exciting to finally be a part of that and see how crazy this environment gets."
The offensive lineman will get his wish on Sunday, as it has been announced that the home opener against the Texans has officially sold out.
The Raiders will have their final practice tomorrow before their matchup with Houston, so be sure to come back to Raiders.com for photos from the field and to check out our weekly game trailer.
