Photo by Tony Gonzales
The Oakland Raiders held their final practice in Alameda this afternoon before they fly to the East Coast Thursday to open the season against the New York Jets on Sunday.
After missing the past several days dealing with a concussion, LB Nick Roach was back to work in a limited capacity.
Following practice, Head Coach Dennis Allen addressed the media and gave an injury report on the team and also spoke about his starting cornerbacks headed into the game.
"I think the one thing that really jumps off the table at me about both those guys [Carlos Rogers and Tarell Brown] is their understanding of the game and their professionalism," said Coach Allen. "I think that's a big key to why they've been able to be successful. They do a good job of studying tape and understanding what an offense is trying to do to them and can keep themselves from getting in bad positions."
Both coordinators also talked after practice, and Offensive Coordinator Greg Olson spoke for the first time about having Derek Carr as his starting quarterback this season.
"He's [Carr] a guy that creates with his feet and also we've all seen his arm strength and we've seen his ability to fit the ball into the tight windows," Olson said when describing his rookie signal caller. "We like what we've seen thus far and we're excited to see how it transfers here into the opening game."
In his remarks, Defensive Coordinator Jason Tarver spoke about the current state of his defense and what types of challenges Geno Smith and the New York offense presents.
"He's [Smith] gotten better in everything that he does," Tarver said. "His timing is better, his pocket presence has improved through the preseason. He does a nice job of when things break down making plays with his legs."
As the Raiders prepare to fly east to open up the 2014 campaign, WR Andre Holmes has been pleased with the team's effort and is excited to get to work in New York.
"We did a lot of looks today to get ready for the Jets, and I feel like we did a lot of good things today," Holmes said. "We're excited to get that first game going."
The Raiders travel to New York tomorrow and then will hold a practice on Friday before they officially kick off the season Sunday morning against the Jets.
