The Silver and Black are back in the win column.
Yes, it's just the preseason, but it feels good see the Oakland Raiders take care of business once again, doesn't it?
While Derek Carr and most of the offensive starters played just one series in Head Coach Jon Gruden's return to the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, the rest of the Raiders' roster stepped up, eventually felling the Detroit Lions 16-10.
Since it was indeed Week 1 of the preseason, we didn't see a ton of marquee players get a lot of run, but truthfully that's what makes the preseason so interesting.
All but 15 of the Raiders on the 90-man roster ended up playing Friday night; let's take a look at the playtime percentages from the win over the Lions, and see what the numbers tell us.
| Player | Pos. | Offense | Defense | Special Teams |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D Kirkland | G | 58 - 91% | 4 - 16% | |
| J Ware | T | 52 - 81% | 3 - 12% | |
| D Sharpe | T | 45 - 70% | 1 - 4% | |
| J Feliciano | G | 42 - 66% | 4 - 16% | |
| O Aboushi | G | 41 - 64% | 4 - 16% | |
| C Cook | QB | 34 - 53% | ||
| P Brown | TE | 33 - 52% | 13 - 52% | |
| M Baugh | TE | 30 - 47% | 8 - 32% | |
| J Holton | WR | 30 - 47% | 6 - 24% | |
| M Ateman | WR | 29 - 45% | 6 - 24% | |
| P Butler | TE | 28 - 44% | 12 - 48% | |
| C Warren | RB | 24 - 38% | 3 - 12% | |
| E Manuel | QB | 24 - 38% | ||
| J Richard | RB | 19 - 30% | 4 - 16% | |
| I Silberman | G | 19 - 30% | ||
| J Stone | C | 17 - 27% | 3 - 12% | |
| C Hunt | G | 16 - 25% | 4 - 16% | |
| R Yurachek | FB | 15 - 23% | 8 - 32% | |
| K Hatcher | WR | 14 - 22% | 10 - 40% | |
| G Whalen | WR | 14 - 22% | 8 - 32% | |
| M Bryant | WR | 13 - 20% | ||
| K Miller | T | 12 - 19% | 1 - 4% | |
| S Blacknall | WR | 11 - 17% | 1 - 4% | |
| D Washington | RB | 9 - 14% | 3 - 12% | |
| I Whitney | WR | 8 - 12% | 8 - 32% | |
| R Switzer | WR | 8 - 12% | ||
| R Hudson | C | 6 - 9% | ||
| K Osemele | G | 6 - 9% | ||
| D Carr | QB | 6 - 9% | ||
| G Jackson | G | 6 - 9% | ||
| A Cooper | WR | 6 - 9% | ||
| J Butler | RB | 6 - 9% | ||
| J Nelson | WR | 5 - 8% | ||
| J Cook | TE | 5 - 8% | ||
| D Martin | RB | 4 - 6% | ||
| L Smith | TE | 3 - 5% | ||
| K Smith | FB | 3 - 5% | ||
| M Lynch | RB | 2 - 3% | ||
| D Carrier | TE | 1 - 2% | ||
| N Nelson | DB | 59 - 83% | 7 - 28% | |
| T Hester | DT | 43 - 61% | ||
| S Calhoun | LB | 42 - 59% | 12 - 48% | |
| S Wright | CB | 40 - 56% | 7 - 28% | |
| J Cabinda | LB | 39 - 55% | 15 - 60% | |
| D Leavitt | DB | 39 - 55% | 13 - 52% | |
| S Luani | FS | 39 - 55% | 9 - 36% | |
| K Wilber | LB | 36 - 51% | 5 - 20% | |
| F Brown | DE | 36 - 51% | 2 - 8% | |
| S Soto | DT | 35 - 49% | 3 - 12% | |
| E Harris | SS | 29 - 41% | 1 - 4% | |
| F Rucker | DT | 29 - 41% | 1 - 4% | |
| D McDonald | CB | 25 - 35% | 6 - 24% | |
| A Victor | LB | 23 - 32% | 5 - 20% | |
| E Lamur | LB | 23 - 32% | 5 - 20% | |
| K Joseph | SS | 23 - 32% | 2 - 8% | |
| M Hurst | DT | 21 - 30% | 1 - 4% | |
| P Hall | DT | 20 - 28% | 1 - 4% | |
| A Hamilton | CB | 18 - 25% | 6 - 24% | |
| T Mitchel | CB | 18 - 25% | 5 - 20% | |
| T Carradine | DE | 16 - 23% | 1 - 4% | |
| M Lee | LB | 15 - 21% | 4 - 16% | |
| M Edwards | DE | 15 - 21% | ||
| J Cowser | LB | 13 - 18% | 15 - 60% | |
| R Nelson | FS | 12 - 17% | ||
| T Whitehead | LB | 12 - 17% | ||
| D Worley | CB | 12 - 17% | ||
| R Melvin | CB | 12 - 17% | ||
| B Irvin | LB | 9 - 13% | ||
| L Hall | CB | 9 - 13% | ||
| D Johnson | LB | 9 - 13% | ||
| J Ellis | NT | 6 - 8% | ||
| R Pringle | CB | 4 - 6% | 2 - 8% | |
| J Townsend | P | 10 - 40% | ||
| A DePaola | LS | 9 - 36% | ||
| E Piñiero | K | 7 - 28% | ||
| N Morrow | LB | 3 - 12% | ||
| Q Mauger | S | 3 - 12% |
Offense
Connor was Cookin' – Pardon the terrible pun, but the third-year quarterback looked like a man reborn Friday night. In total, Cook played 34 snaps (53%), finishing 11 of 19 for 141 yards, and one touchdown.
"He had a great day the other day against the Lions in Napa," said Coach Gruden postgame. "He's had an excellent training camp, he's not turned the ball over, he's showing pretty good command, there are a couple decisions I just can't wait to talk to him about and get his perspective."
While Friday night might have just been a preseason game, it was arguably the best Cook has looked in a Raiders' uniform; let's see if he keeps this level of play up through the rest of the preseason.
Miller gets the nod – As expected, rookie tackle Kolton Miller earned the start on the left side of the Raiders' offensive line. While most of the Raiders' starters played just one series, No. 77 played a little bit more, totaling 12 offensive snaps (19%) before his abbreviated night came to a close. While Miller's most memorable play came in the form of a holding call that negated a 60-yard Marshawn Lynch touchdown, getting some early run in the preseason for the rook will only help him going forward.
Chris Warren paces the ground attack – We know that Coach Gruden wants to control the line of scrimmage, and pound the rock, and that's precisely what the Raiders did Friday night at the OACC. When the clock hit 0:00, the Silver and Black had tallied 147 rushing yards, 86 of which belonged to rookie running back Chris Warren III. The former Texas Longhorn played 24 snaps (38%) in his NFL debut, and he made sure they were memorable ones, as he averaged a team-high 6.6 yards per carry.
Defense
Have a night, P.J. Hall – If you had to give out a defensive MVP for the preseason opener, I think Hall would have to be your man. While he played just 20 defensive snaps (28%), the rookie from Sam Houston State was disruptive from whistle to whistle, finishing his debut with one tackle, one sack, one tackle for loss, one quarterback hit, and one pass defensed.
Not a bad day at work for No. 92.
Nick Nelson enjoys solid debut – Was Nick Nelson perfect Friday night? Certainly not, but the rookie cornerback showed what he brings to the table as a DB, and it should be a welcome sight for fans of the Silver and Black. In total, Nelson played 59 snaps (83%), more than any other Raiders defender, and finished his game against the Lions with five tackles, a tackle for loss, and two passes defensed.
Calhoun fills up the stat sheet – The third-year linebacker might have had a quiet training camp, but Calhoun was anything but quiet Friday night against the Lions. The former third-round draft pick was active around the ball all evening, and in his 42 defensive snaps (59%), he totaled three tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss, and two quarterback hits.
