By Paul Wexler
RaiderBeat.com Staff Writer
Another day, another starting position resolved.
Raiders coach Tom Cable announced Monday afternoon that Kirk Morrison will begin the season as the starting middle linebacker for the fourth straight season – he started on the strong-side 15 games his rookie season in 2005.
Cable also said that Ricky Brown has regained the starting spot at the strong-side linebacker spot he held last season, before he sustained a groin injury. Brown ousted Jon Alston, who played ahead of Brown during training camp as Brown competed against Morrison.
In the long term, Cable accomplished two goals: one, he pushed Morrison to work harder and improve his overall game; secondly, he got a look at Brown in the middle so that he knows what he can do there if Morrison gets injured and if the Raiders opt against re-signing Morrison after this season.
“Consistency,” Cable said in describing why Brown beat out Alston. “He was playing the ‘Mike’ some, the ‘Sam’ some but wherever he was at, he was pretty consistent.”
Alston’s primary role now will be that of a core special-teamer, the role he held for most of the past two seasons. He also started a handful of games at the strong-side spot last season after Brown’s injury.
Rookie safety Mike Mitchell made it through his second straight practice since returning from a hamstring injury without incident.
Even so, Cable said that Mitchell’s role in the regular-season opener Monday against the San Diego Chargers likely will be limited to special teams.
“We’ll see as the week (goes on),” Cable said. “We’re fortunate to have this long period of time before the first one. He’s catching it pretty quick, but his primary role has to be special teams in the first game.”
Mitchell’s prospect of starting on defense have to do with how well his hamstring holds up and how well Tyvon Branch plays in his first year as the starter.
Linebacker and special teams ace Isaiah Ekejiuba practiced Monday for the first time since he dislocated his left shoulder while attempting to make a tackle against the Dallas Cowboys in an exhibition game Aug. 13 at the Oakland Coliseum.
He was limited in the amount of work he was able to get in during the two-hour practice, but it’s a positive sign that shows he should be ready for the opener.
The Raiders will conduct practice at the Coliseum at 7:15 p.m. Thursday in an attempt to simulate the starting time and conditions for the Monday night game against the Chargers.
“Just get in the lights and that sort of thing,” Cable said.
No one with the Raiders recall previous coaches employing this tactic. It sounds like a great idea, given the players can get accustomed to the lights, the grass and dirt – the stadium is in a baseball configuration until the A’s season ends – seeing which kind of cleats to wear, etc.
Cable still isn’t ready to declare a starter for the running back spot in Monday’s game.
Darren McFadden, Justin Fargas and Michael Bush competed for the starting spot throughout camp.
Fargas was the starter last season and most of the 2007 campaign. He is out with a hamstring injury, but Cable said he isn’t ruling him out as the starter just yet.
“Not necessarily,” Cable said. “We’re closer. We’re just not ready to cut him loose yet.”
Fargas didn’t practice Monday, but he moved around without difficulty while watching from the sideline.
The Raiders have lost 11 straight games to the Chargers, dating back to the second meeting of the 2003 season.
Still, Cable said, opening against them gives the Raiders a golden opportunity to make a statement against the defending AFC West champion.
“Certainly, there’s an opportunity there for us to do something in our own division right away,” Cable said. “You want to address it that way. Everything will start Monday night.”
It starts against a Chargers team considered as talented as any team in the league. Cable went on and on about the difficulty facing the Chargers.
“Well, obviously, you have a tremendous running game, a terrific tight end and receivers who are really skilled,” Cable said. “Defensively, you have two outside linebackers who are playmakers and very disruptive, and a great nose guard (Jamal Williams), probably one of the best who has ever played. They are just a really talented football team.”
The Raiders play the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos in their second and third games, respectively. That gives them a chance to seize control of the division right out of the gate.
That is something that Cable and his coaching staff have emphasized to their players.
“We’ve kind of already done that, really,” Cable said. “We’ve talked about how you prepare and what all that means. Really, then push that aside because now it comes down to just playing that game, regardless of what time it is or that it’s Monday night and all that stuff. So, we tried to address that prior to and now just focus on the football side of it.”
Center Chris Morris arrived in Oakland as a sixth-round draft pick out of Michigan State in the Art Shell regime.
He worked his way up from the practice squad in 2006 to the active roster in 2007 and now he is the starting center, having outplayed Samson Satele in training camp practices and Oakland’s four exhibition games.
Cable said that he recognized Morris’ potential soon after he joined the Raiders as the offensive line coach in 2007.
“Tremendously intelligent guy,” Cable said. “Whatever limitations he has, he overcomes them with his brain and knowing where to put his body, and knowing how to get there.
“He just kind of plugs along and just keeps grinding and trying to perfect what he does. He’s smart enough to understand where his limitations are and how to fix them and work on them.”
The Raiders upped the total of players on their practice squad to seven by signing center/guard Roy Schuening. The St. Louis Rams selected Schuening, 25, in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played in one game for the Rams as a rookie but failed to make it past Saturday’s roster cut down.
Cable remembered Schuening from last year, when the Raiders coaching staff coached in the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., and Schuening participated in the game.
“We had him in the Senior Bowl, so I’m very familiar with Roy,” Cable said
Schuening asked for and received No. 67, the number worn by rookie defensive tackle Desmond Bryant throughout training camp.
Bryant switched to his old college number, 90, two days after that number was freed up with the release of veteran defensive tackle Terdell Sands.
Offensive tackle Khalif Barnes has switched from No. 70 to No. 69. Schuening played at Oregon State with Raiders linebacker Slade Norris for three seasons.
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every thing would be perfect if boone, and seymour were here for monday night.
I also hope we get boone and seymour
the A’s season is already over! Go Angels! Wex, may your next reports be headlined “seymour reports to practice, wants to start monday”!
GO RAIDERS!
CHARGERS= COMMITMENT TO MEDIOCRITY
Where are u guys hearing Boone, I’ve not yet heard of Boone becoming a Raider i’d love it. Richard Seymour I dont know what to say bout him, except he should take this whole situation as a challenge da analyst on ESPN, and NFL Network, is doubting his abilty to still play, and Bill Belichick gave up on him, sort of like the league, and analyst give up on da Raiders, so it’s time for both parties to prove someting. So what u wanna still be a Patriot, dey dont want you your on a team dat not only wants u but needs u, and u dont want to be here. Dats Non-sense Come i Perform get paid.
You just said it best..good points all around.
Who’s Boone
He got cut by KC…He a DT
Thanks
Im happy that Cable chose Morrison over Brown at MLB. Brown is better at the SAM linebacker spot anyway. I REALLY hope Seymour gets over this funk he is in about being traded and reports to the team soon. the Big Game is just a week away!! im sooo excited!
Go RAIDERS!
No problem
PFT just reported that rodney harrison spoke with seymore and he said seymore is not thrilled with coming to oakland! look raider nation, i’m a realist, and i really dont think this guy is going to report. i had a feeling this would happen. we need to bring in someone else like boone just in case this guy, seymore dont come! if not, monday night will be a embarassment!!!!!!
I havent heard anything bout us signing Boone tho, where are u guys hearing dis?? We would have sooo much depth if Seymour would just suck up his pride and come in, and if we sign Boone lol. And has anyone heard if Chris Brown number 2 aka Merrimen will be suspended or banned for the first game. Poor Tila never had a chance, Shawn did his roid rage dance then choked da poor girl. If he goes to jail it will be Lights Out for Him fo sho lol. GO RAIDERS!!!!!!!!
i dont think there was ever a battle for mlb i just think they did it to push morrison as much as they could. idk what to think about seymore but i hope all this talk about him not wanting to come here is all press.
GO RAIDERS!
DID YOU GUYS NO FAIRYMAN SAID TILA T. WAS DRUNK BUT THE THING ABOUT THAT IS THAT TILA DOSENT DRINK SHE IS ALLERGIC TO ALCOHOL. HAAHA
the league wont take action on merriman till the sd courts give their verdict, so prolly not till after monday.
Richard Seymour will soon be in Silver & Black and Rodney Harrison IS A BITCH!!! Harrison declared himself a Raider when he left the deadbolts and said it was “his fate to be a Raider” (don’t they all) and homeboy is still pissed that Al Davis never called his sorry ass! He is still crying sour grapes because Richard Seymour gets to be the Raider that Harrison never was.
God Bless Paul Wexler, God Bless The Raider Nation . . . and God Bless America!!!
Why should Seymour be thrilled to come here? I assume he is married, probably has children, undoubtedly has a home in Mass. His kids are probably in school and the wife is not excited about moving cross country or in the alternative staying in Mass. while he comes here.
Everybody talks about him not wanting to play in Oakland, and that may be true but much more important is having to uproot his entire family to come here after school has started and after thinking he would be in NE this year. Had this trade been made 3 months ago there would be no problem, players understand that, and adjust rather quickly. But he will come here, by my reckoning he makes about $190,000 a game and if he doesn’t show up and play by Monday that is $190,000 he doesn’t make. I suspect that Al and his agent are working on a 3 year contract right now. Even if that is not the case he will show up this week, people get used to getting paid, and kind of adjust to it, even an unhappy wife recognizes $#190,000 when she sees it.
Carolina is pursuing Boone also, sounds like its either the panthers or raiders that will get him. Kinda sad the culture in Oakland is so lazy they have to figure out ways to motivate and push players to perform at their peak. I seriously doubt the top teams in the league are having this problem. A far cry from the Raiders of old when players came here and excelled when they were washed up on other teams.
When Cable was asked if he has talked to Seymour he said…. “yes we have attempted to make a deal”…..so to me reading between the lines they are trying to work out a contract with him and he wont come to practice till they do. He has been unhappy in New Englad with his contract and has held out twice on them. Seymour wants his money before he plays.
He fellas take a look at profootballtalk.com and Tila Tequila is hinting that Merriman didnt want her to leave because of something she might have saw and she insinuates that it’s steroids!! this is great!! and she’s gonna release a statement tomorrow, LOL!!!! LIGHTS OUT BITCH!!!!!! LOL!!!!!!!
Thats hilarious Stankazz, I sure hope its true….LOLOL
its not that he really even has to uproot his family and move out here, just has to get a temporary place for the season. brett farve still lives in mississippi. if he really wants a job in this league he needs to move his ass, NE released him, they arent gunna take him back. al will give him a contract if he doesnt screw around, al dont take kindly to that
I’m sick of hearing about seymour not wanting 2 come to oakland.Screw him let’s drop him and go after another trade.Like offering cleveland our 2011 1st rd pk and fargas 4 Rogers.We don’t have time 2 hear that crybaby(seymour)wine bout not bein happy w/trade,if he don’t wanna be here,then i don’t want him.Let’s make another deal,time iz tickin it’s almost monday.
Wheres Mr lights out now? LMAO!
Defense!! We don’t need want happy campers. Go hit somebody!!
If we pay Seymour the way NE should have payed him then he’ll wear Silver&Black and he won’t half-ass it like some of our past free agents,he’ll play some good football mark my words.
GO RAIDERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
{Why should Seymour be thrilled to come here? I assume he is married, probably has children, undoubtedly has a home in Mass. His kids are probably in school and the wife is not excited about moving cross country or in the alternative staying in Mass. while he comes here}
are you fricking kidding me this is football its part of the biz that why they get paid get over all that other shit
wat up raider nation this is my first comment posted really exited about seymour. Hope he dont do a moss. If you no what i mean.Im sure Mitchell will take over for Hiram by week 3 still waiting or him to mlay the wood
Okay…here’s what I found about Alphonso Boone. The Saginaw News (Sept. 5, 2009) reports that NationalFootballPost.com is writing that Alphonso Boone has been cut by Kansas City and the Raiders are expected to sign him. Carolina & Chicago are interested but the Raiders are the front runners to grab him. Now, not sure if this is just speculation due to the release of Sands & Buschetti.
welcome scott in ny. nice to know the nation reaches out there. i am excited about seymour too, and hope he comes with his game. mitchell will be a monster. looking foward to watching him lay people out on special teams. and please bring boone out here! there are 31 teams in the nfl, and then theres the RAIDERS!!!!!!!!!under one nation. the raider nation