WR Yamon Figurs was a major contributor for the Raiders in their win over the Cowboys to open the 2010 preseason. Photo by Tony Gonzales.
The Oakland Raiders took the field at their Napa Valley training facility for the first time since their triumph at Cowboys Stadium. The Raiders scored 17 points in the last 4:58 of the game to defeat the Cowboys 17-9. Raiders Head Coach Tom Cable spoke about how he saw the team progress through the tough game in Dallas.
"I am pleased with our run defense, three yards a carry. I am pleased with the run offense, 4.6 yards a carry, but there were too many penalties," Coach Cable said after Saturday's practice. "I think that is where we need to start. There were eight of them and four of them were false start penalties. So those pre-snap penalties offensively just kill you. That has got to be addressed as always. However, I liked a lot of things."
WR Yamon Figurs opened eyes with his productive game against the Cowboys, not only on offense but special teams as well.
"I feel really good about the win. We got in a good rhythm out there on offense. We were able to make a couple of nice plays, drive the ball down the field, and have Nick [Miller] put it in there for the score," Figurs humbly stated. Figurs had two nice catches for 25 yards on the scoring drive which culminated with a 4-yard touchdown pass from QB Kyle Boller to WR Nick Miller.
Boller found his groove in the 4th quarter and helped lead the Raiders to a come-from-behind victory in his first game donning the Silver and Black.
"I thought the offensive line and the running backs did a great job in terms of pass protection. Right now it's a work in progress," said Boller. "I think we made some great plays out there, but I want to focus on making the routine plays. When the guy is open, I have to hit him." Boller finished the game 12 of 21 for 148 yards and a touchdown, giving him a passer rating of 94.9.
T/C Jared Veldheer spoke about his experience of playing in his first NFL game as an Oakland Raider. "I had a lot of fun out there. There are some things that I have to improve upon so I have a better game next Saturday. As the game progressed, I was able to just play football and have fun," said Veldheer excitedly.
The versatile Veldheer took snaps at left tackle during the 2nd and 3rd quarters and center during the 4th quarter. According to Coach Cable, Veldheer's play looked better as he got deeper into the game. "I thought that the longer he played, the better he got so that was really encouraging to see," explained Cable.
The Oakland Raiders will hit the practice field tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. and travel to Chicago to take on the Bears at Soldier Field next Saturday in 2010 Preseason Week 2 action.
