Oakland Raiders: Preseason seasoning, add a pinch of this....

Well folks, the good news, is the offseason is finally past us.

Actually, for the Raider fans, there is no offseason....just an annoying period of time, in which there's players signed, released, drafted, signed, and traded.....and then, the preseason can truly begin.

For the Raiders, a truly odd incident did occur, right from the start. Everyone, who was to show up, signed, did. The lone out, was Lamont Jordan....who was already on his way out.

So far, in this first week, we've seen a few fun things.

First of all, moving Michael Huff over, looks like a good thing. With him learning directly from Wilson, the other safety, he's already showing some life. This investment may pay off yet, given time.

Secondly, is the overall look of the defense, who seem to have been taken to task, to improve. If not to take the heat off of Ryan, but more importantly, to not be run roughshod over by Darren McFadden and the Running Crew.

Thirdly, is the class act done by Nmandi, who didn't cash in on the Franchise Tag the Raiders used on him. Like some, he could have held out, and even talked to a former Corner, Charles Woodson.....but decided for the better of the team, to arrive on time.

Some of the more surprising players, along the pickups, have been here before. Guys like Jay Richardson, has been hard to stop. Also in the mix, is Todd Watkins. Here's a guy who's stacked up behind the likes of Curry, Javon Walker, and Drew Carter....but if they go for a 4 man WR package.....he could be a useful weapon....or a good insurance policy if someone goes down.

The last guy I'll mention this evening, is Jarrod Cooper. Coop seems to have gotten inspired this offseason, either by the community, or the desire to see the Silver and Black win, has been seen barking at players on both sides of the line. One such outburst, even had Kiffin seeking to calm him down.

As it goes, the first true test comes in Oakland, on August 8th. We should have a good idea on how things stand, shortly after that.

One small note though, training camp isn't without it's drawbacks. OT Mark Wilson, a 3rd year player originally picked by the Redskins, went down with a leg injury. It was later discovered, it was broken, ending his season before it began.