Raiders' opener may be hard on eyes Opener may be a bit ugly Opener

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Aug 1, 2006 | by Bill Soliday, STAFF WRITER

NAPA -- The Oakland Raiders will try to put their best football forward Sunday in Canton, Ohio, officially opening the NFL season against the Philadelphia Eagles in the Hall of Fame game.

It might not be wise to expect flawless football from either team. It is worth noting that early NFL games are rarely scintillating. Both teams have only been in camp two weeks and are still getting the kinks out. They are still working on internal improvement rather than worrying about such niceties as game- planning.

"What we want to do is make sure our guys are in position so they can play well," coach Art Shell said. "That's the important thing. If they play well, then the rest will take care of itself.

"Of course, you want to come out of the game healthy. Health is a big key."

Shell is still mulling over which of his marginally healthy players will take part. An example is left tackle Robert Gallery, who missed most of the first week of practice with a leg injury. Shell said he would monitor how far Gallery had progressed before making a decision.

Other players in that situation are wide receiver Jerry Porter, free safety Stuart Schweigert and tight end Courtney Anderson.

"I go to (trainer) Rod (Martin) and the doctors and get the OK from them," Shell said. "Even if they say he can play, we still might hold them. You have to be careful. We still have a long way to go."

The Raiders leave Friday for this rare exhibition game in the eastern time zone.

RYAN CONNECTION: Raiders cornerback Duane Starks could be forgiven if he thought he'd found his way back to the Baltimore Ravens.

When the veteran player was in Baltimore, Rex Ryan was the team's defensive line coach (he is now the defensive coordinator).

In Oakland, the defensive coordinator is Ryan's twin brother, Rob Ryan.

"I almost thought it was Rex," Starks said. "Voice is the same, everything. They're two characters."

The difference? It's in the follicles.

"Rex doesn't have the hair going," Starks said. "Rex is a little neater on the hair."

The Oakland Ryan has bushy hair and a bit of a mullet.

VOICES IN THE NIGHT: As in any NFL practice, there is a lot of shouting and urging -- not to mention less than complimentary critiques at times.

Two particularly audible voices are those of co-offensive line coaches Jackie Slater, a Hall of Famer, and Irv Eatman -- both strict taskmasters.

"As I said to the players again the other night, our coaches are going to push you. Don't take anything personal. They're just trying to get the best out of you.

"Those guys know Jackie's voice and Irv's voice. Some of them say they go to sleep at night hearing those voices in their ear and as soon as they wake up, and come out here, it starts all over again."

PORTER RETURNS: Porter missed Monday's morning practice when his sore calf flared up. But during the afternoon drills he was back and although his time was limited, he caught a nice pass over the middle from Aaron Brooks.

Doug Gabriel took most of the work in Porter's stead.

"If you can work, you work," Shell said. "If you can't, then you've got to get treatment. That's where we are with that."

CAN'T WORK CREW UPDATE: Middle linebacker Kirk Morrison came up with a sore hamstring Monday morning and was held out of practice. Danny Clark got most of the reps.

Others missing practice: Schweigert, who is still hampered by a hamstring injury and Anderson (shoulder).