[ad_1]
THE SCORE OF THE BOX
SEATTLE – The pre-season of the Raiders is finally over.
Thursday night's 17-15 loss to the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field was the final of four games that do not count in the standings. They help assess the talent that will be condensed when the squad drops to 53 on Saturday afternoon.
Decisions were made primarily before the final of the show, which became evident when head coach Jon Gruden left 40 Raiders in the Bay Area.
The 46 players who faced the Seahawks fought the finish line, but the Raiders were virtually intact during the regular season.
The preservation of health is one of the main reasons why starters, including rookies, have barely played this pre-season and have not seen the field since the Arizona Cardinals game fifteen days.
Those who are unlikely to be in the lineup of this last show are still up for grabs, but there is still a long way to go before a final stretch before the start of the regular season.
Gruden provides clues on certain spots
Gruden did not even bring to Seattle most of the players ready to be part of the 53-player roster, leaving a giant contingent at home. That included obvious front-line players like Derek Carr, Vontaze Burfict, Clelin Ferrell and Josh Jacobs.
It also included unwritten recruit Keisean Nixon. In doing so, it seems almost certain that he will do the alignment. The same goes for veterans like Brandon Marshall, who played a ton this preseason, including last week's game in Winnipeg.
There were several on the field Thursday night who were still competing for positions. Receiver Keelan Doss also played – and did not perform particularly well despite being in the lineup for a spot in the lineup. Ryan Grant has not played and could either make the list or be exchanged in the coming days.
Josh Mauro has had a ton of playing time after missing the last two games due to a thigh injury.
Converted center Andre James, guard Lester Cotton and tackle Brandon Parker and David Sharpe compete for all reserve ranks on the offensive line. All had good and bad times in this one.
The Raiders' lineup is already well defined, especially with the 40 players who did not even participate in this match and some who did. There should not be many surprises on Saturday as the Raiders announce their initial roster of 53 players.
Evaluate backup QBs
Nathan Peterman receives a lot of air time on "Hard Knock". The infamous Gruden recovery project has made real progress since working with the quarterback whisperer, achieving a solid performance series. Although the HBO show often says that shifts are in a difficult position, that's really not true.
Mike Glennon is No. 2. He has always been essentially, with a solid job of his own this pre-season.
The only drama of quarterback is whether Gruden will reserve a place for Peterman in the lineup of the 53 players. It's certainly possible, even with other groups of positions that need reinforcements.
Glennon finished the preseason by completing 41 of 61 passes for 491 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Peterman set up a different game plan, which involved many more reading and movement options. He finished with 49 passes in 70 passes for 472 yards, three touchdowns and eight runs for 78 yards during the exhibition season.
The defensive attacks the greatest mystery
Defensive strikers Johnathan Hankins, Maurice Hurst and Corey Liuget's recent signing are virtual locks that will form the roster of 53 players. After that, there is great uncertainty, many qualified candidates, mostly even candidates, arguing for one or two places, max.
This is by far the most intriguing group of positions heading for the final cups. Justin Ellis is away for a knee injury. He has been here forever, but his place in the lineup is more precarious than ever.
Ethan Westbrooks and Anthony Rush all played in this game and could compete for a place. P.J. Hall is another interesting case. Last year's second round pick was positive, but it did not flicker a lot this summer. Would the Raiders abandon it so fast? Or are they going to keep it, and Rush, Ellis or Westbrooks and five tackles on the list despite some slips that can slide in? It seems difficult, but time will tell.
Time will tell us (inside).
[ad_2]
Source link