Unsere Gaeste - Ecke » becoming the next rookie

As much as he tries to downplay the significance Kyle Williams Jersey , Oakland Raiders coach Jon Gruden is fully aware Friday's exhibition game against the Detroit Lions will be anything but an ordinary preseason contest.

It's been 17 years since Gruden last roamed the sidelines at the Coliseum with the Raiders. He came back in 2004 with Tampa Bay and again in 2012 as a television analyst.

Gruden's iconic status among Raiders fans promises to make this time different. Much, much different.

"I am looking forward to it," Gruden said Wednesday after the second of two joint practices with the Lions. "I'm looking forward to it big-time. I've got some things obviously I've got to work out. So I've got to work myself through calling plays again and managing some tough situations. I'm anxious to see if I can do it."

Gruden developed a cult-like following during his first stint as the Raiders coach from 1998-2001. Those feelings didn't wane when Gruden was traded to Tampa Bay by late owner Al Davis and only strengthened when the coach went into the television booth.

Gruden showed his appreciation in 2009 while in town to broadcast a San Francisco 49ers game when he held a party at Ricky's, a Raiders sports bar not far from the Coliseum.

Gruden held another party at Ricky's three weeks ago to celebrate his return and paid for dinner and soft drinks for the fans. About 600 people showed up.

"It's an honor to be here and it's a great story, but I also just want to do everything I can in order to try and help this team win again," Gruden said. "I love the Raider fans. I love Oakland and that's the primary reason I'm standing here."

Lions coach Matt Patricia developed a friendship with Gruden while he was defensive coordinator in New England and the Raiders coach was working at ESPN.

Gruden's return, Patricia said, is good for the NFL.

"If you meet with him, you're gonna find a guy that absolutely loves football from its core Denico Autry Jersey , all the way out, every aspect of it," Patricia said. "He loves to coach and I think he loves to be around the players. I think it's great for the game. I think it's great for the Raiders organization."

The rest of the storyline around Friday's game is fairly antiseptic.

Quarterback Derek Carr and the rest of Oakland's starters will only play a series or two, with the majority of playing time being doled out to the rookies and fringe players on the roster.

"This game is not about Derek Carr, not yet," Gruden said. "It's about finding the right 53 men, and I think you saw it today, we've got a lot of contenders. There are a lot of guys that have put themselves on the brink of making this football team and we've got to make sure we give them every opportunity to showcase their skills."

Notes: Former Raiders Warren Sapp and James Jones attended practice, along with ex-Lions coach and current NFL Network analyst Steve Mariucci. . LT Donald Penn continues to rehab from offseason foot surgery and is getting closer to getting back on the field. "Our trainer is pleased with the progress that he's made Derrius Guice Jersey ," Gruden said. "Hopefully that time is soon."

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons are mostly healthy and don’t want to risk getting an important player injured when they close out the preseason this week.

Coach Dan Quinn wouldn’t say so for certain, but it’s unlikely the Falcons will play any starters or key backups Thursday against Miami. The depth chart is nearly full, so Quinn and his staff will use the exhibition to evaluate the last available spots on the 53-man roster.

“There will be some who are competing to be practice squad and developmental and some still battling for the 53,” Quinn said Monday. “The goal is also if it’s not here, it’s somewhere, so those guys can put out tapes to get other opportunities.”

Atlanta opens the regular season Sept. 6 at Philadelphia, the defending Super Bowl champion that knocked the favored Falcons out of the playoffs seven months ago. Quinn wants to keep everyone as healthy as possible.

Star receiver Julio Jones and running back Devonta Freeman have been held out of all the preseason games for precautionary reasons given their injury histories, but neither has missed practice.

Linebacker Deion Jones Skai Moore Jersey , cornerback Desmond Trufant, and free safety Ricardo Allen were nicked up in earlier exhibitions and didn’t dress for last week’s preseason loss at Jacksonville.

Quinn sees plenty of areas for the Falcons to clean up. Against the Jaguars, the first-team offense failed to convert its five chances on third down and allowed Matt Ryan to get sacked twice.

The first-team defense wasn’t stout enough against the run and gave up Leonard Fournette’s 21-yard score.

“I thought in this game there were too many leaky yards on some of the runs,” Quinn said. “They had a long touchdown run. Those two explosive runs were uncomfortable for those guys.”

Quinn likes what he’s seen from running back Tevin Coleman in the preseason. The No. 2 running back has worked exclusively with the starters and is averaging 5.4 yards on 18 runs. Quinn also was pleased that the defense looked sharp on the opening drive when cornerback Robert Alford tipped the ball on strong safety Keanu Neal’s interception.

Though the third- and fourth-stringers will take most of the snaps when the Falcons (0-3) face Miami (0-3), Quinn still wants his front-line players to improve.

He called out rookie receiver Calvin Ridley in a team film session Monday after the first-round draft pick dropped two passes with the ball in his hands and no contact from the Jaguars.

“Nobody escapes that,” Quinn said. “That’s part of the process we go through to say, ‘Hey, man, we expect you to own that moment.’ It wasn’t just him. There were other people.”

Quinn used the film session as a teaching moment for Ridley Josh Sitton Jersey , who likely won’t play this week, and a reminder that the Falcons led the NFL in drops last season.

“I think to be a true team, you have to show all the examples — the one where he really lights ’em up good and the ones that he had a drop,” Quinn said.

“Probably his first taste. Last week he was on his way to becoming the next rookie Pro Bowl receiver and then he had a drop. Welcome to the NFL.

“He’s a really detailed and prideful guy. There’s an intensity he brings in practice is past maybe his age. I really respect that part of his game. As mistakes happen, which they’re going to, I generally want to see how a guy rebounds.”

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