HOUSTON — Quay Walker eyed the shot Tuesday arsenic it floated down the Houston Methodist Training Center sideline, disregarding that CJ Stroud intended to propulsion it to Woody Marks. The Houston Texans quarterback’s walk was a fewer yards abbreviated of the moving backmost — but perfectly thrown to the Las Vegas Raiders linebacker.
Walker caught it to the ground, spiked the shot and posed by Marks, evoking rapture connected the Raiders sideline and a chorus of boos from a smattering of spectators.
Said Raiders linebacker Nakobe Dean: “It ever does a large woody for team-building to celebrate. Feel similar our celebrations could’ve been mode more, definitely, with a prime to extremity practice.”
Wasn’t overmuch other to celebrate.
Walker’s prime was the pinnacle of the antiaircraft information of the associated signifier Tuesday other the Texans, whom the Raiders look Thursday astatine NRG Stadium successful a preseason game. His solemnisation drew a emblem for taunting and preceded a prime by linebacker Cody Lindenberg against second-team backmost Davis Mills that capped the defense’s practice.
Save for the brace of takeaways, the Raiders struggled to stymie Houston, a playoff squad the past 3 seasons with playoff wins the past 3 postseasons.
“It was a decent day,” Dean opined. “A batch of ups. A batch of things we could bash better. But we’re going to proceed to larn from it and get better.”
Here are much observations:
Gashed by the run: Marks and moving backs David Montgomery and Noah Whittington had lanes to tally done astatine the constituent of attack, gashing the Raiders for chunks of yardage and mounting Stroud up to walk with comfort. Both moving backs had wiggle past the enactment and with country to tally successful the unfastened field.
Run stuffs were less and further successful between, though Walker plugged a mates runs — arsenic did antiaircraft tackles Thomas Booker and JJ Pegues.
“We’re getting amended each day,” Dean said erstwhile asked astir the rushing defense. “I consciousness similar we’re successful a bully spot. We’re transitioning into wherever we privation to beryllium with definite calls and definite unit groupings retired determination to halt the run, truthful we’re getting there.”
Stroud settled: Stroud was crisp erstwhile helium wasn’t pressured — successful portion due to the fact that of Houston’s rushing discourtesy — and completed walk aft walk aft walk to targets person to the enactment of scrimmage oregon successful the intermediate conception of the defense. Slants, curls and crossers were unfastened on with Marks and choky extremity Dalton Schultz, recipients of red-zone touchdown passes from Stroud.
Mills besides threw a red-zone touchdown to wide receiver Lewis Bond.
“We’ll marque immoderate corrections successful the reddish zone,” Las Vegas information Jeremy Chinn said.
Pressure occasionally effective: Stroud wasn’t comfy each the clip amid dependable unit from antiaircraft extremity Maxx Crosby, who enjoyed immoderate banter with Texans offenders — including erstwhile Raiders choky extremity Foster Moreau — stationed connected the sideline portion the first-team worked.
Crosby would’ve had a sack and truthful would’ve antiaircraft ends Kwity Paye and Patrick Johnson. Crosby besides had a momentary dust-up with the Houston’s violative line, concisely emptying the the Raider sideline.
Jermod McCoy mixes successful astatine first-team corner: The rookie cornerback and fourth-round draught prime played extensively with the first-team defence for the archetypal clip truthful acold during grooming campy arsenic antiaircraft coordinator Rob Leonard mixed and matched his personnel.
“His cognition is large each azygous day,” Chinn said. “ … He comes each day. Every azygous day, acceptable to work. It’s large to spot young guys person that benignant of discipline.”
Rookie information Treydan Stukes besides ran with the archetypal squad extensively again.
Contact Sam Gordon astatine sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon connected X.
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