**
Raiders Head Coach Dennis Allen: **Alright, really the only injury report update is that DJ Hayden's got a little bit of a hamstring. We'll see where he's at when we come back to work on Wednesday. The players are off tomorrow for the mandatory day off, so we'll see where he's at on Wednesday. DJ won't play in the game against Dallas, and then we'll kind of re-evaluate where we're at with him after that.
Q: Hamstring or no hamstring, he wouldn't have been able to play, right?
*Coach Allen: *No, and it's really more of a relation to the surgery that he had this offseason, as opposed to the heart condition.
Q: Is there anybody else, outside of say maybe Menelik [Watson], that you know for sure won't play?
Coach Allen:No. Well, I shouldn't say that. Kaluka Maiava will not play in this game.
Q: [Pat] Sims or [Miles] Burris?
Coach Allen: Burris will not play. We'll find out more about Sims on Wednesday.
Q: With [Mike] Jenkins and [Tracy] Porter watching today, a lot of [Chimdi] Chekwa and [Phillip] Adams [on the practice field]. Talk about those guys.
Coach Allen: Well, I think Chimdi's probably one of the most improved players on our team right now. I think he's had a nice camp. He's done a nice job for us. He's earned the right to be in the mix, and [we're] anxious to see him go out in preseason games and see where he's at. Phillip's a guy that started off a little slow in camp, but he's really come along the last few days. I like the depth we have at the corner position. I think we've got a lot of guys that can play, and at the end of the day, it's going to be a tough battle there for the last couple of spots for the corner position on our roster. It's a good problem to have.
Q: Coach, Greg Olson's come in as offensive coordinator. How much time do you guys spend on game-day logistics, calling plays, your communication with him and all that stuff?
Coach Allen: We talked about that when he came in, but we'll probably spend a lot more time talking about that as we begin to game-plan for Dallas and start getting ready.
Q: Is [Greg Olson] a sideline guy or a press-box guy?
Coach Allen: He'll be a sideline guy.
Q: Even if [Lamarr] Houston and a lot of these guys come back and are able to play, usually they're only in for a series or two and they give way to other guys. When you're looking at players like [Jack] Crawford and guys who didn't get a lot of playing time last year, how big of a chance is it to get into this game?
Coach Allen: I think it's huge for a number of these young guys to get into preseason games. This is where you really prove that you're worthy of a spot on this roster, so I think this next month will make or break a lot of these guys.
Q: Coach, how has Jacoby Ford looked since returning to the field?
Coach Allen: I think he's looked good. I thought he was having a good camp before he went out with the injury, and I think he's picked up from where he's left off. I'm pleased with what I've seen out of him. Obviously, we still have a long way to go, but as long as he keeps working the way he's been working and improving the way he's been improving, I think he'll be fine.
Q: He still has the burst of speed and everything you think?
Coach Allen:Yeah, I haven't seen any lack of burst or lack of speed from Jacoby. He's as explosive as he's always been.
Q: When do you actually start considering rotations and stuff for Friday?
Coach Allen:We'll talk about that as a staff probably tomorrow on the players' day off, and then we'll have a normal training camp practice on Wednesday, and we'll go through approximately a 30-play script offensively and defensively getting ready for the Dallas game on Thursday.
Q: What will tomorrow be like for you guys as a staff?
Coach Allen:We'll we spend a lot of time talking as a staff, talking about personnel, talking about evaluations of where guys are at after the first couple weeks of training camp, as well as spending time getting prepared for Dallas.
Q: Have you guys started looking at your season opener in any way shape or form?
Coach Allen:No, we'll have plenty of time to get ready for that. Right now we're trying to focus on us and our team and what we're doing. We'll worry about Indianapolis as that gets closer.
Q: You're off tomorrow, and they come back for an afternoon practice the next day. Do you have them in meetings tonight into the evening?
Coach Allen:I gave them the night off as far as meetings are concerned tonight. The next thing they have is an 11:00 p.m. curfew tomorrow.
Q: Coach, being that Dallas has already played a game when you guys face them, do you kind of emphasize they may be already a little ahead of where the Raiders are right now, or do you expect them to be on the same level?
Coach Allen:My concern is the Raiders, my concern is our football team and where we're at and what we need to do to continue to get better. And that's the sole focus of what we're trying to do. That's what the purpose of preseason games are; to get your team ready for the opening game of the regular season. Where they're at is not really a concern of mine. Obviously I noticed they didn't play a lot of their front-line guys in the first game, so I would expect to see a lot more of those guys in our game.
Q: We saw a lot of [Andre] Holmes and [Brice] Butler at wide receiver getting a lot of reps, both very, very big targets. What are those guys' chances of making the team or contributing on special teams?
Coach Allen:Well I think both of them have a chance. I think both of them have done a good job. Brice Butler is a guy that for a seventh-round draft choice has stepped up and shown me some things. I like the fact that they're big receivers, they run pretty good routes, they do a nice job of getting in and out of breaks, and they've caught the ball well. I think any time you get an opportunity to have an explosive guy that's a big target it helps the quarterback out.
