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Gutierrez: With a lack of true first-team battles, Raiders and Niners still find quality work

The ball hung in the air for what seemed an eternity.

It was a Hail Mary pass from 49ers quarterback Carter Bradley to wideout Russell Gage, Jr., not exactly Joe Montana to Dwight Clark. And when cornerback Sam Webb and safety Hudson Clark, not quite Lester Hayes and Vann McElroy, closed in to knock the ball away, it was more than a figurative and literal win for the Raiders.

The ball landing with a thud in the end zone also ended the joint practice between the old Bay Area rivals at Raiders HQ on Thursday, a workout that was hotter on the thermometer than on the field.

Because while these types of joint practices across the NFL are rife with fights and shenanigans galore - remember the Raiders and Cowboys mixing it up in Oxnard with fans getting in a few swings with a toy helmet in 2014? What about practice being ended early in Thousand Oaks in 2021 due to the sheer volume of fisticuffs between the Raiders and Rams? - there were only a few flareups, if you can even call them that, between the Raiders and Niners.

Really, Raiders running back Raheem Mostert taking exception to San Francisco cornerback Chase Lucas in a punt drill - a punt drill! - so much that he stalked Lucas down and through the entirety of the 49ers sideline with offensive linemen Kolton Miller and Jackson Powers-Johnson as massive escorts was as sublime as it was ridiculous.

Joint practices, remember, are supposed to be when starters get their most, their best, work in training camp. More so than in exhibition games. Mostly because the sessions are controlled.

True, there was a carnival atmosphere at practice Thursday, what with the Niners in town and fans allowed to watch and the accompanying volume the loudest it's been at camp thus far.

But what kind of work could Raiders starters get with so many 49ers frontline players out due to injury? There was no Trent Williams for Maxx Crosby to face off against in team drills. No Nick Bosa for Miller and D.J. Glaze to work with. In fact, there was never a true No. 1 O-line vs. No. 1 D-line battle on either side.

"I was looking forward to it … he's somebody I respect at the highest level," Crosby said of Williams. "I mean, he's 37 years old. Dude's going to be a Hall of Famer. Those are the type of guys that I try to learn as much as I possibly can from. He's got so much knowledge about the game. He's such a good dude, but he's a legitimate competitor.

"And those are the guys I like to learn from and just be around. And when you're out there, you start talking your [smack] and going back and forth. Those are the guys that make you better."

Instead of mixing it up with Williams on the field, he "chopped it up" with him on the sidelines instead.

Kinda like mental reps.

"We have great conversations and just have great back and forth because he knows what I want, I know what he's chasing, and I know what he's trying to accomplish," Crosby added. "So yeah, man, I respect that dude. I could go on and on about that dude. I respect him so much."

Still, there was quality work to be found elsewhere.

49ers linebacker Fred Warner gave Raiders tight end Brock Bowers fits, and vice-versa, as did Niners tight end George Kittle and the Raiders' cagey linebackers.

At their best, the Raiders more than held their own, with an eye on Saturday's exhibition against the 49ers at Allegiant Stadium.

At a much-to-be-desired level, Raiders receivers seemed to have issues getting separation on deep routes against the Niners and looked bothered by how "handsy" the DBs were downfield.

Raiders quarterback Geno Smith, who spent the past five seasons with the Seahawks and faced the Niners twice a year in the NFC West, had more than an inkling of what to expect, especially from Warner.

What Smith was impressed with, though, was the big gain-turned-run by rookie running back Ashton Jeanty early in team drills, albeit against a skeleton Niners D-line.

Jeanty burst through a hole on the left side, between Miller at left tackle and left guard Dylan Parham, and raced untouched for about 20 yards.

"It was something we did yesterday and we didn't really get it right," Smith said. "And then today he came out, we got it perfect. And I thought, 'Man, we took a big jump just from yesterday to today.'

"And to see that from a rookie player, he learns and he grows with every single experience. ... That's something that's going to make him so much [more] of a great player, because he's getting better by [the] day. And so, I thought Ashton did a great job as always, but he definitely took another step and another jump today."

So what if it came against a makeshift D-line in a controlled scrimmage of a joint practice in front of fans on a triple-digit heat day.

It happened, and it was a positive for the Raiders.

"It's just really classy work to get," said Raiders coach Pete Carroll, who was scampering between fields to take in as much live action as possible. "We'll make evaluations and figure that out once we get a chance to watch the film.

"We come here to play good football and get better. And I think both sides did a great job of showing that."

49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, who said he was missing 20 players due to injury, agreed.

"In the team periods, you can feel Maxx every play," Shanahan said. "It's fun to watch the 1-on-1s when we do that stuff. … That's usually my favorite things, the 1-on-1s, when you can isolate on those guys."

As far as the Raiders are concerned, their true opponents, even at this stage of training camp, are still themselves. And to be able to work against someone, anyone, in a different colored jersey is a bonus.

Especially when your guys trying to make the roster win the last play of the day against their guys trying to make the roster. And on a Hail Mary, to boot?

Yeah, many prayers are still waiting to be answered.

View the best photos from Thursday's joint Training Camp practice with the San Francisco 49ers at Intermountain Health Performance Center.

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