By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
The humidity was high by Las Vegas standards, but that didn’t stop the Raiders fans wearing licensed logo gear from filling in the bleachers for a morning practice Sunday.
Quarterbacks in the special red jerseys tossed passes, running backs took handoffs and squirted through wife-open gaps for contact-free runs and linemen handled spongy blocking pads during plays at the line of the scrimmage.
Hard to believe, but it’s actually game week for the Las Vegas Raiders.
They play the Jacksonville Jaguars in the league’s first preseason game in Canton, Ohio Thursday. It’s a big deal for the Raiders to be in Canton because former Raiders receiver Cliff Branch will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in what will likely be an emotional ceremony for owner Mark Davis, who was a close friend of the late Branch.
On Sunday, it was fundamentals during the 8:30-10:30AM practice.
The Raiders have high expectations for the 2022 NFL season with adding gifted players like wide receiver Davante Adams and speed end rusher Chandler Jones.
Even coming off a wild-and-crazy 10-7 season that was good enough to earn the fifth seed in the seven-team conference playoffs, the Raiders do face the daunting challenge of playing in arguably the most difficult division in the NFL with the Chiefs, Chargers and Broncos.
Front office-wise, the Raiders have money in the bank with nearly $550 million in personal seat license revenues, plus several hundred million dollars worth of stadium founding sponsorship deals that are valued at $30 million a piece. And don’t forget the NFL-leading ticket revenues that hit $119 million in 2021.
New team president Sandra Douglass Morgan was hired this month to instill some stability in a front office that struggled through massive turnover over the last 12 months.
An attorney, Douglass Morgan has a varied resume, with experience ranging from being a city attorney and state gaming board chair to sitting on the Super Bowl 58 host committee and even working in the corporate world.
She’s a Las Vegas local and her vast network of contacts that go back decades will come in handy for her job based in the Raiders HQ in south Henderson near St. Rose Parkway about three miles east of Interstate 15.
Rain hit practice, camp’s third padded session, and by 10:40AM the first Raiders player visited the media room to answer questions.
Defensive tackle Andrew Billings, a six-year vet from Baylor, observed, “It’s always nice to see rain.”
He’s looking forward to Thursday’s Hall-of-Fame game when Billings can hit someone not wearing Raiders colors.
Next up was running back Ameer Abdullah, an eight-year vet from Nebraska, who explained why he signed with the Raiders.
“Just opportunity,” explained Abdullah, who referred to the team’s new regime and fresh slate.
He noted he’s from Birmingham, Alabama, a city that Abdullah claimed was the third rainiest city in the U.S. So, he’s used to the heavy rain that fell today.
Safety Johnathan Abram popped in for the final player chat with the media. The four-year NFLer said with the new coaches and system, it’s all about “getting this thing going.”