
NAPA – Derek Carr has been in Raiders training camp longer than most. Quarterbacks arrive with rookies and previously injured veterans on July 24, extending their Napa Valley Marriott stay four days beyond the full squad.
He was in wine country three-plus weeks, and is certainly ready to sleep in his own bed. He was able to Tuesday night, after the Raiders broke camp following a midday practice.
All football training camps are a grind, with meetings, practices, workouts and treatment schedules, but Carr considered the 13 full-squad practices enjoyable because of their competitiveness.
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“It’s always a grind physically and mentally, emotionally as we have all seen with everybody. That’s always going to happen,” Carr said. “I will say this, camp was fun. It was a lot of fun. A lot of plays being made. Even when the defense would make a play on me, it sucks and I was mad and all that but at the end of the day, we talked about this, I was like, ‘It’s nice to see that.’ Because they’re that good. They’re that talented. They cover that well or have a good blitz and those things. This camp was a lot of fun to see our team grow. It really was.”
The Raiders will resume preseason practice at their Alameda complex following Thursday’s exhibition at Green Bay. The coming schedule doesn’t feel quite as intense, with an opportunity to go home and spend time away from football. Team chemistry, Carr says, has already been established after so much time together.
“The energy in meetings and practice is always there,” Del Rio said. “Obviously, we’re not staying the night in the same rooms as each other. We’re not around each other 24/7, but that’s what camp and the offseason was for, to build that camaraderie.
“That’s really the only thing that you’re missing out on because you don’t get 24 hours together, you just get a few. I’d say that that’s probably the only thing that changes because the energy, the tempo of practice, how hard we work, all that stuff will stay the same.”
NFL
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Chemistry was key with so many new faces, but the Raiders were able to come together easily during early portions of the preseason designed to kick start an crucial 2016 campaign.
“It’s been a good productive time up here. It’s a good place to hold camp,” Del Rio said. “…We still have a lot of work to do. We’ll get back to Alameda starting (Tuesday) afternoon and get back and make sure we’re doing all the things we need to be doing leading up to the start of the year.”
Catch of the day: Fullback Marcel Reece lined up as an interior receiver, broke outside with a nice move and blew past rookie linebacker Cory James for a long reception that would’ve gone for a big gain.
Raiders host special groups: Raiders fans weren’t invited to the training camp’s final practice, giving a pair of groups exclusive access to the final session. Napa High football squads were at practice, and received post-practice autographs from Derek Carr and others.
Residents of the Aegis retirement community, located next to the Raiders training camp practice field, were also invited to practice.
Other notes from Raiders practice:
LT Donald Penn and DL Denico Autry mixed it up over a few plays of a practice conducted without pads.
-- LB Ben Heeney was limited in practice a day after a padded Monday session. He got tangled up with Mychal Rivera in deep coverage and was removed from that practice, but was back the next day. He was limited to individual drills and walk-thru periods, though he’ll be fine and back in full action soon.
-- SS Keith McGill took second-team snaps over Dewey McDonald on Tuesday, after running with the third unit since the offseason program.
--LB Cory James took first-team reps in Heeney’s place during team drills.
-- CB Sean Smith intercepted QB Derek Carr on a jump ball near the end zone, and ran it back the length of the field.
Daily transactions: Raiders signed TE Jake McGee, which brings them back up to the 90-man roster limit
Returned to practice: LB Neiron Ball
Did not practice: DL Mario Edwards Jr., TE Gabe Holmes, RB Jalen Richard
Next practice: The Raiders broke camp on Tuesday afternoon and left the Napa Valley Marriott for good. They leave for Green Bay on Wednesday in anticipation of Thursday night’s exhibition at Lambeau Field.