Rookie WR Denarius Moore picks up 26 yards on a catch a run. Photo by Tony Gonzales.
Oakland Raiders rookies WR Denarius Moore and TE David Ausberry were impressive in their professional debuts in the 2011 Preseason opener against the Arizona Cardinals last night.
Moore, the Raiders 5th round Draft pick out of Tennessee, has been putting on a show in training camp making the spectacular seem routine. He did not disappoint the fans at O.co Coliseum.
Moore hauled in three passes for 37 yards including a 26-yard catch and run. He also had a long punt return called back due to a penalty.
"Coming out here I had a little bit of butterflies but that was much expected for my first NFL game, but I after my first catch, I was some what relieved," Moore said. "it was like any other college game, so after that it just felt normal."
Despite taking his practice performance to a game, Moore wasn't completely satisfied with his play. "I also had about one or two mental mistakes, so once I get those down and start repping over and over, I should be good later on this season along with the team."
Rookie TE David Ausberry, who played wide receiver at USC, scored the Raiders lone touchdown on the night on a beautiful pass from QB Trent Edwards.
Ausberry, whom the Raiders selected in the 7th round of the 2011 NFL Draft, said he had to adjust to the speed of the game on the fly.
"It's still football, but it was a lot faster. Even though we practice at a fast pace, the game is still really fast," Ausberry said. "You have to know your assignments and you have to perform, but I had a lot of fun."
The Raiders capitalized on a Cardinals turnover as Edwards found Ausberry on a cormner route in the left corner of the end zone. The rookie tight end made the catch and got both feet in bounds by dragging his left foot. The grab gave the Raiders a 15-10 lead with 2:49 to go in the 3rd quarter.
"The touchdown felt good, but I would still trade it for the win honestly. We want to win around here, we know it's an evaluation period as far as preseason goes, but we still want to win," Ausberry said. "But it felt good to have the touchdown at home, my family was here and I'm trying to gain respect from my teammates, so it felt good."
Moore and Ausberry will continue to work on their respective games as Training Camp continues Saturday at the Raiders Napa Valley Training Complex.
