Moderatoren Talk » Oakland has a stout interior of the offensive line

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — During his nine-year hiatus from the NFL sideline https://www.raiderslockerroom.com/authentic-antonio-brown-jersey , Jon Gruden evaluated players like he was still a coach, drawing particular attention as an analyst for ESPN for his one-on-one film breakdowns with quarterback prospects entering the draft.Kirk Cousins was one of those pupils. Though only a fourth-round pick by Washington in 2012, the eighth player selected at his position that spring, Cousins made a clear impression on Gruden with his attention to detail and ability to communicate. Gruden even remarked at the end of that episode that perhaps he’d get back in the game to coach him.Well, this week, Gruden and the Oakland Raiders have been scheming against Cousins, who will try to bounce back for the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday from one of the worst performances as a pro.Article continues below ...“He works hard at football. He’s had a lot of production,” said Gruden, who took over as coach of the Raiders last season. “Hopefully we can find a way to slow him down and win a football game.”That’s what Green Bay did last weekend, when Cousins posted the second-worst completion percentage of his career and committed three turnovers in a 21-16 defeat. The comeback bid was waylaid by a first-and-goal interception in the end zone, an off-balance throw he said afterward he should’ve sent to the seats. Vikings coach Mike Zimmer expressed anew the team’s confidence in Cousins, who’s in the second season of a three-year, $84 million, fully guaranteed contract.“You’ve got to play well to earn peoples’ confidence, so if he’s saying that, it’s because he’s seen practice reps, he’s seen game reps, he’s seen what we’re capable of as an offense throwing the football,” Cousins said. “So you’ve got to go out and earn it. Believe me, I’m not going to be playing quarterback here if I go out and play the way I did this past Sunday for much longer. So I understand that, and I look forward to getting out there and playing at a much higher level.”Here are some other angles to follow on Sunday:ROAD TRIPPINGThe Raiders (1-1) have begun this week a whopping 48-day stretch without a game at the Oakland Coliseum. After visiting the Vikings, the Raiders will travel to Indianapolis, then London for a “home” game against Chicago. After their bye week, they go back on the road to play Green Bay and Houston. The Raiders won’t play in Oakland again until Nov. 3 against Detroit.“We’re still trying to understand how that happened, but we’re going to have to deal with it,” said Gruden, whose team went 1-7 on the road last year. “We’ve just got to showcase our mental toughness and deal with it. It’s uncommon, maybe unprecedented, maybe unrealistic that this should ever happen in pro football. I’m not excited about it, but we’ll adapt and do it the best we can.”INCOGNITO RETURNSThe Raiders will get a boost on the offensive line this week when left guard Richie Incognito makes his debut for the team. The four-time Pro Bowl pick missed the first two games, while suspended for violating the NFL personal conduct policy. He’s eager as ever to see the field for the first time since a Jan. 7 Womens Derek Carr Jersey , 2018, playoff game with Buffalo. Incognito did not play at all last season.“All the negative stuff is behind me. Just eyes forward, staying positive,” he said. “Relishing the opportunity, enjoying every day in here because you don’t know how many more you’re going to have.”BURFICT, BEWAREAnother talented veteran with a troubled past who joined the Raiders this year, linebacker Vontaze Burfict, is well-known to Zimmer, who was the defensive coordinator for Cincinnati during his first three NFL seasons. Burfict has been repeatedly fined and suspended by the league throughout his career for late, violent hits.“He knows the defense as well as anybody, probably as well as I do. He’s very instinctive. He’s very athletic. He reads things extremely quick, and he’s a thumper,” Zimmer said. “We better make sure the officials know he has to play clean.”Gruden wasn’t having that.“Burfict’s played for us for two games. He hasn’t had any penalties. So I don’t know about all that,” Gruden said. “He’s had a bulls-eye on him in his career in Cincinnati, and I’m sure the referees are looking out for him. I don’t think the refs need any more help than they already have.”The Vikings, though, were prepared to keep their head on a swivel when catching a pass in traffic.“We’ve all lost our emotions at times, or what have you, so I think he’s learned from that stuff, and I think he’s been a pretty clean football player recently,” wide receiver Adam Thielen said.FAST START, SLOW FINISHThe Raiders have made a bad habit in one-plus season under Gruden of stalling by the offense after fast starts. They’re tied for fifth in the NFL with an average of 2.83 points per drive on their first possession since the start of 2018, but that production has dropped to barely half of that over the rest of the game, with an average of 1.46 points per drive following their opening possession. Last week against Kansas City, Oakland had 10 points after two drives but didn’t score the rest of the game.“We’ve always been able to start fast, which is good, and hopefully we can do that again this week but then maintain it and then cut out the penalties,” quarterback Derek Carr said.RUNNING MENThe Vikings, with Dalvin Cook leading the NFL in rushing, aren’t the only team in this pass-favored league that’s content to keep the ball on the ground. Rookie Josh Jacobs, one of three first-round draft picks by the Raiders Antonio Brown Raiders Jersey , has 184 rushing yards, fourth in the NFL.“He runs hard, for sure,” Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen said. “He has the quickness to get the ball outside and cut it outside quick. He’s a downhill runner, and he can make the big play.” After nine seasons without competition in the broadcast booth, Jon Gruden needed only a few plays of the exhibition season to get his old sideline persona back.A holding call that wiped out a touchdown brought out the temper that earned Gruden a nickname from the slasher movie “Child’s Play” during his first stint as coach in Oakland.“Chucky came out for a brief moment right there,” Gruden said.It was a moment Raiders fans had been waiting for ever since Gruden was traded to Tampa Bay following the 2001 season. Oakland lost the Super Bowl to Gruden and the Buccaneers the following year and managed just one more winning record since.The good will might have ended when the Raiders traded their best player before the start of the season, dealing elite pass rusher Khalil Mack to Chicago for a package that includes two first-round picks.Owner Mark Davis had been recruiting Gruden since he took over the franchise following the death of his father, Al, in 2011, and finally got his man this past offseason with a $100 million, 10-year contract to replace Jack Del Rio following a 6-10 season.“It’s an honor to be back here and it’s a great story, but I also just want to do everything I can to try to help this team win again,” Gruden said. “I love the Raider fans, I love Oakland, and that’s the primary reason why I’m standing here.”The love is mutual, as evidenced by the hundreds of fans who showed up at a preseason party hosted by Gruden at a local sports bar, and the excited crowds at the exhibition games.But for all the nostalgia and Gruden’s talk of bringing the game back to 1998 when Al Davis first hired him as a head coach, Gruden will need to show his style has adapted since he last coached in Tampa Bay in 2008.He has won over his players with his passion, knowledge and attention to detail, but none of that will matter without results on the field.“What you see is what you get. Rah-rah guy,” edge rusher Bruce Irvin said. “I’ve never seen a person’s face stay red for seven periods at practice. The whole practice he is just red. He’s a great motivator.”Here are some other things to watch:MISSING MACK: Mack held out for the entire offseason and training camp while seeking a long-term contract that came after he was traded to the Bears. His absence leaves a big void. He won the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2016 and leads the NFL in QB pressures with 185 1-2 since entering the league, according to SportRadar. Oakland’s defense struggled the past few years even with Mack on the field. Gruden and new coordinator Paul Guenther will now need rookie Arden Key and veteran Bruce Irvin to make up for the loss.DRIVE THE CARR: QB Derek Carr went from MVP candidate during a 12-win 2016 campaign to a struggling young passer a year ago as he dealt with an early-season back injury and suspect play from his receivers. Much has been made of how Carr will mesh with Gruden’s hard-driving personality, but the early signs are the two are hitting it off. Whether that leads to improved play remains to be seen. Carr will likely take more snaps under center in Gruden’s offense than he has in the past, but also will have more freedom to change plays at the line of scrimmage.“He has a photographic memory. It comes so easy to him,” Gruden said. “He’s got the offense mastered more than I do, that’s for sure.”INSIDE PUSH: The Raiders struggled to generate consistent pass pressure the past few seasons even with Mack and Irvin on the outside because of a lack of an inside rush. That’s why Oakland used two draft picks to upgrade that spot by selecting P.J. Hall in the second round and Maurice Hurst in the fifth. Hurst had been projected as a first-round pick before being sent home from the combine with a heart issue that the Raiders say is not a concern. Hall and Hurst have shined in the preseason and figure to provide a big boost to the defense.POUND THE ROCK: Gruden has stressed a power-running game since getting hired in January and has the pieces in place to make it work. with center Rodney Hudson and guards Kelechi Osemele and Gabe Jackson. Marshawn Lynch played well in the second half of last season after coming out of retirement and looks even faster this year. Blocking tight end Lee Smith and fullback Keith Smith provide more support. Gruden hopes Doug Martin can regain the form that helped him run for more than 1,400 yards in 2012 and ’15.COVER IT UP: The Raiders have been rotating through cornerbacks ever since Reggie McKenzie became GM in 2012. They hoped they solidified one of those spots last year when they drafted Gareon Conley in the first round, but he played only two games because of injuries. Conley looks healthy now and could be part of the most talented group of cornerbacks Oakland has had in years with free agents Rashaan Melvin, Leon Hall and Dominque Rodgers-Cromartie also in the mix.___