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 LB Kirk Morrison chats with the media at the team's Napa, Calif., Training Complex.* - *Tony Gonzales |
With the start of practice just one day away, enthusiasm was in the air around the Raiders' summer home in Napa. A day after arriving for camp, Raider coaches and players had a schedule full of team meetings on Wednesday. However, with the preseason opener against the Cowboys just over two weeks away, everybody is ready to get in some quality reps on the practice field.
Raiders Training Camp will have a different tone this year as Tom Cable is running his first NFL training camp as a head coach. He plans on getting things off to a fast start as he will lead his team in two-a-days during the first four days of practice. According to Cable, he is looking to get the team's focus right away with learning-intensive practices and a set routine to follow.
Getting the team ready for the rigors of the regular season is the main reason Cable is starting the team off with two-a-days, including afternoon practices during the hottest part of the day. "[The players] need to be in the heat and the sun. I think it hardens you. They need to go through the struggles of camp and the hard work and the ups-and-downs that come with it and help work each other through it," Cable explained.
Linebacker Kirk Morrison is looking forward to another first—the first training camp with new defensive coordinator John Marshall. "With Coach Marshall, it's going to be a little bit different, but I'm excited for it because it's a new beginning for a lot of players on this football team on defense—a new philosophy."
Morrison is also excited about the bonding between his teammates during the offseason being a positive in Napa. "We've been doing things a lot more together—going on trips together, really getting a chance to know each other. It's kind of a brotherhood that you have and the family that we're forming here. It's just going to help us out on the football field—trusting one another and knowing that [we have] each other's back."
Tight end Zach Miller is a fan of the different demeanor Cable brings to camp. "I think he brings the right attitude, kind of an old school feel where we're going to out-work other teams and we're going to make sure that we grind it out."
The Silver and Black will hit the practice field tomorrow as a team for the first time since organized team activities concluded in June. After the four days of intense two-a-days, the team will practice in pads and gear up for their practice in front of the fans at the Raider Nation Celebration, August 8 at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.
