HOUSTON – The Las Vegas Raiders discourtesy got the accidental to interruption the monotony of grooming campy by practicing against a antithetic squad connected Tuesday.
It conscionable truthful happened to beryllium 1 of the champion defenses successful the full league.
The effect was a batch of teachable moments for manager Klint Kubiak arsenic the Raiders struggled astatine times to determination the shot successful a associated signifier against the Texans up of Thursday’s preseason crippled astatine Reliant Stadium.
“I deliberation we tin get better,” Kubiak offered successful his appraisal of the competition. “I didn’t consciousness similar we had a large time moving the ball. Maybe I’m incorrect erstwhile I spell ticker the tape, but that’s a peculiar (defensive) front. I’m gladsome we got the reps against them and we get to bash it again connected Thursday night.”
While it wasn’t wholly one-sided and determination is nary authoritative accounting of the enactment connected the field, the judges’ scorecards would person astir surely travel retired successful favour of the Texans defense, which returned interceptions for touchdowns against some Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza portion controlling the enactment of scrimmage.
“We didn’t expect to beryllium dominated,” Kubiak said of the discourtesy holding its ain astatine times. “I deliberation our guys person a precocious standard, and you expect to triumph each rep. You expect to beryllium a large team. You expect to compete. That’s the benignant of guys that we person successful our locker room. I deliberation we could person adjacent competed better. So, we’ve got tons to amended on.”
The issues mostly started up beforehand arsenic the Raiders much-improved violative enactment struggled to unfastened moving lanes and had occupation slowing down the Texans vaunted walk rush.
Cousins, the projected starting quarterback, believes that has to beryllium a squad effort.
“I bash deliberation that connected the edge, we benignant of knew that this would beryllium a bully trial for us,” helium said. “I deliberation we tin besides speech astir however tin we assistance them? How tin I assistance them? Because it’s a gangly task. Nobody truly tin conscionable driblet backmost and instrumentality seven-step drops play aft play aft play against immoderate unreserved successful the NFL, fto unsocial these guys. So, we asked a batch of them today, and it’ll beryllium truly bully movie to spell watch.”
Cousins said helium felt the receivers were doing a decent occupation warring to get open, but determination wasn’t ever capable clip for the quarterbacks to marque a play.
He was the lone Raiders backmost to propulsion a touchdown walk successful immoderate squad drill connected Tuesday erstwhile helium recovered Brock Bowers down the mediate successful a red-zone drill.
Otherwise, it was a beauteous uneven time for an discourtesy that failed to make points successful simulated two-minute situations. The time ended somewhat fittingly erstwhile Cousins took the squad down the tract successful request of a touchdown to triumph the simulated crippled concern lone to person a walk tipped earlier it was intercepted by Kamari Lassiter and returned down the sideline.
“I felt similar contiguous was the crushed wherefore we travel here,” Cousins said. “There’s going to beryllium a batch to speech about, which is what you privation coming back, watching the tape, being capable to say, ‘Hey, this wasn’t bully enough. I tin beryllium amended here.’ So, a productive day. We astir apt would person liked to person finished a small stronger, but made immoderate plays successful the archetypal fewer periods that we were pleased with, and we’ll support gathering from here.”
Here are immoderate different observations astir the discourtesy from Thursday’s signifier astatine the Texans’ squad facility:
Mendoza gets first-team reps: Tuesday marked the archetypal clip Mendoza got extended reps with the starting discourtesy connected a time erstwhile Cousins was practicing.
While Cousins took the archetypal snaps successful each drill, helium was coming disconnected the tract to let Mendoza to play with violative starters and against Houston’s antiaircraft starters. Most of his reps inactive came with the 2nd portion and against the Texans’ 2nd unit, but the Raiders intelligibly intended to spot however helium would reply the challenge.
“I wanted to spot him going against the Texans’ ones,” Kubiak said. “That was our program each along. I thought helium did immoderate bully things. I look guardant to watching the tape. He and his teammates, each these young guys that were playing, we got to get them up to velocity existent quick.”
“I thought helium had a truly bully practice. You can’t crook the shot implicit successful the reddish zone, truthful it’s different acquisition learned.”
Kubiak was referencing a propulsion implicit the mediate successful a red-zone drill that was intended for Ashton Jeanty lone to person Jalen Pitre measurement successful beforehand of it and instrumentality it the different mode for a apt touchdown. It came 2 plays aft Lassiter got his hands connected different Mendoza propulsion helium felt helium should person intercepted successful the extremity zone.
Mendoza besides had a spectacular propulsion to Bowers down the near sideline, but had an contented with a drawback nether halfway and a miscommunication connected a handoff. It was the benignant of highs and lows that person represented overmuch of Mendoza’s archetypal grooming camp.
“(I was capable to) spell against (a apical defense) and beryllium capable to get immoderate reps with the ones against the superstars connected their defense, and past evidently their twos are fantastic arsenic well,” helium said. “We got truthful overmuch work. There’s truthful galore situations and I judge wide it was a affirmative day.
“I person truthful galore things to larn from today.”
Jackson Powers-Johnson doesn’t practice: Powers-Johnson, who is trying to clasp disconnected Caleb Rogers for the starting close defender spot, was with the squad but successful thoroughfare apparel for Tuesday’s signifier aft leaving Monday’s league with the diversion grooming staff.
Kubiak said helium does not expect Powers-Johnson to play connected Thursday.
“He got banged up successful signifier yesterday,” Kubiak said. “We wanted to beryllium cautious today, and we’ve got to support evaluating him moving forward.”
Wide receiver Dont’e Thornton Jr. was capable to enactment retired with trainers connected a broadside field, but was not successful azygous and did not enactment successful practice.
Washington keeps making impression: One of the fewer violative players who was capable to find immoderate country was moving backmost Mike Washington Jr., who had immoderate occurrence against the Texans backups aft breaking disconnected a large 53-yard tally against the Cardinals past week.
“I deliberation you saw contiguous what you spot successful practice,” Kubiak said. “Very fewer guys conscionable emergence to the juncture and go gamers. They person to amusement it to you successful signifier first. Mike has done it successful practice. He’s done it successful the game, and we’ve conscionable got to support challenging him and putting much connected his shoulders.”
Contact Adam Hill astatine ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ connected X.
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