Fadol Brown wasn’t feeling well on Thursday night. A toe injury was aggravated, leaving him at less than full strength during the Raiders’ preseason finale against Seattle.
Head coach Jon Gruden left him in, to test his mettle.
The first-year defensive end continued and played hard, capping a standout preseason that put him in great position to earn a roster spot.
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He finished with two tackles and an acrobatic pass defensed.
“He hurt his toe in a walk-through a couple days ago,” Gruden said. “He was gritting it out. He was really hurting at halftime. I wanted to see him go out and play when he wasn’t feeling his best. For him to come out there and start the third quarter and play a couple series, that showed me a lot about him. He has had a really good camp for us. He has played well in games, and I’m proud of him.”
Worley suspension looming?
Raiders cornerback Daryl Worley might not be available to start the season. Color analyst Rich Gannon said on the team’s preseason television broadcast that Worley would be suspended four games, a statement affirmed by play-by-play announcer Beth Mowins.
NFL
The broadcast team walked that statement back after Worley’s status was questioned by reporters, but it’s certainly possible he gets punished by the NFL after pleading guilty in June to DUI, resisting arrest and illegal possession of a firearm.
Gruden declined to discuss a possible suspension after Thursday’s game.
“I cannot comment on that,” Gruden said. “Obviously, he came in here with a situation. We investigated and looked into it. We do not have any official information to pass on to you today. We’re going to support Worley. He is going to be a good football player for a long time. We’ll see what happens with the league’s official notice, if there is one.”
An NFL spokesman also declined comment on Worley’s status on Friday morning.
Melvin working on technique
Raiders cornerback Rashaan Melvin played 14 snaps in Thursday’s preseason game when most others sat, a mild surprise considering he was brought in to be the team’s top cornerback. Gruden said the Raiders wanted him to work on some technique to better prepare for the regular season.
“We wanted to get him out there, dress him again,” Gruden said. “We wanted to give him a dose of fundamentals, of technique with (secondary coach Derrick Ansley) before the game. He is learning a new technique. He has played corner before in a number of different situations, different teams, different systems. There is a technique we want our corners to play and be comfortable with, and this was his last opportunity to get some practice time before we play the Rams.