Boss, Mitchell and Murphy still out; no sign of Banta-Cain
By Steve Corkran
Thursday, September 8th, 2011 at 7:53 pm in Oakland Raiders.
Once again, the Raiders are conducting practice without starting tight end Kevin Boss, starting wide receiver Louis Murphy and backup safety Mike Mitchell.
Those three have missed significant playing time and aren’t likely to play against the Denver Broncos on Monday night. In fact, Murphy already has been ruled out by coach Hue Jackson.
Jackson said Wednesday night that Mitchell and Boss would need some meaningful practice time if they were to play against the Broncos.
“I would think so,” Jackson said, when asked if Boss and Mitchell needed some practice time. “We want to take a healthy, enthusiastic team to Denver. We’re going to pack our best ball club and go to Denver and get ready to play on Monday night.”
*The Raiders also are practicing without linebacker Tully Banta-Cain, who reportedly worked out for the Raiders earlier today and passed a physical.
The physical was considered key because he underwent surgery in late July for an abdominal injury.
It’s conceivable that the Raiders will wait until the deadline has passed for a vested veteran — players with four or more years accrued service — before signing Banta-Cain and/or cornerback Lito Sheppard.
By waiting, the Raiders wouldn’t be on the hook for the player’s entire 2011 base salary, only a fraction, if they were to release that player at some point in the season.
*Not sure it means anything, but Chaz Schilens and Denarius Moore were the wide receivers with the second-team offense in the portion of practice viewable by the media.
Jacoby Ford and Derek Hagan were the wide receivers with the first-team offense. It’s worth noting that the Raiders, like most teams, mix and match their receivers throughout practice.
*The Raiders are practicing under the lights once again. They will conclude their night practices Friday night, practice mid-day Saturday and then head to Denver on Sunday.
*Follow me on Twitter: @corkonthenfl