Talking about departed linemate Derrick Burgess, defensive end Jay Richardson revealed for the first time that he had undergone arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in June, which was why he has been held back in camp. He was also asked about new defensive coordinator John Marshall's scheme and if it was basically the same from years past.
"Sure, this is Al's defense," he said, referring to owner Al Davis. "It's the same deal and we love it. And I love what coach brings to the table...I love his attitude, that he doesn't want us to change everything we're doing but he wants us to do things the right way. He's really detail-specific and detail-oriented and I think that's really important because last year there was a lot of gray area on our defense."
-The Raiders have brought in referees to officiate plays during scrimmages. They will be in Napa for the next two days.
The reasoning?
"There is no secret that we have had a discipline problem in the last few years," said coach Tom Cable. "So we have really stressed that, before they got here and tried to clean it up so that will be the goal here the next three days to really use them, get the players to really talk to them about what they are calling and why. So, they have an understanding of what those guys are looking for."
Linebacker Kirk Morrison said the refs gave camp an early sense of regular season play.
"We know that the last couple years we've been penalized a lot on both sides of the ball," Morrison. "So (let's) get them out here now and really understand why they're here. Clean up some of those small areas that can cost a football team, five, 10, 15 yards here and there."
-First-round draft pick Darrius Heyward-Bey had a solid day but fellow youngster pass catchers Louis Murphy was spectacular with a diving reception at the goal line and Chaz Schillens continued to impress.
-Chris Johnson, Nnamdi Asomugha, Oren O'Neal, Jeff Garcia, Terdell Sands, Mark Wilson, Robert Gallery and Javon Walker did not suit up for the evening practice.
With the exhibition opener against Dallas less than a week away, Cable said Garcia would be the backup quarterback, "if he's practicing (by then)."
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.