This weekend marks the first weekend of preseason football, as the regular season inches closer and closer.  For the Raiders, the 2015 season will bring about a lot of change.  A new coaching staff, new players, and a new mindset.  

After attending the Raiders practice on August 11th, it was evident that the environment and overall atmosphere was vastly different than the past two seasons with Dennis Allen.  Jack Del Rio was much more involved than Allen was, and was really involved in every play and every drill.  The difference in leadership has already had an effect, as players seemed much more energized, cheering eachother on, pushing eachother, and giving it their all, whereas the practices I attended the past two years seemed more lackadaisical in comparison.  

During one play in particular, there was a bad snap that resulted in a fumble, and Del Rio made the offensive players do push-ups, something former coach Dennis Allen never did during practice.  

All throughout camp there has been a lot of praise regarding veteran receiver Michael Crabtree, as he has been making some impressive catches throughout camp.  He is a solid target for Derek Carr this season, and someone for rookie Amari Cooper to learn from.  

Cooper has looked solid throughout training camp, with a vine of his footwork being spread all over social media.  The rookie has connected well with Carr and the two have one it takes to be a dynamic duo in this league and show a strong work ethic.  In fact, when the quarterbacks were running drills, Cooper missed a pass from Carr, and the two went to the side and re-ran the play; something that wasn’t done last year.  

Carr worked with his receivers and held camps and practices this offseason to stay in shape and create a chemistry with his offense.

The Raiders were the worst rushing team in the league last year, but with what Latavius Murray has shown both in his starts last year and thus far in camp, the Raiders could have a strong run attack.  The rusher was breaking through the defense where the other running backs at practice including Taiwan Jones and George Atkinson III were unable to do so, especially for that yardage.  

Defensively, last year’s first round pick Khalil Mack looks like an absolute beast.  He has added muscle this offseason, and at practice holds nothing back attacking the offensive line and going for the quarterback.  So much so that an offensive lineman has told Justin Tuck to relay to Mack to tone it down a bit.  

The cornerbacks are a concern, especially D.J. Hayden who will feel the pressure in his third year in the NFL.  Granted he’s been sidelined by injury, but it’s time for him to start showing results on the field.

Players who did not participate in Tuesday’s practice, and have missed some time, are Rod Streater, Roy Helu Jr., Brandian Ross, Jamize Olawale, Lee Smith, and Sio Moore.  Most notable, are Streater, Moore, and Helu; especially Streater and Helu because they are key players in two top training camp battles at the wide receiver and running back positions.  

These players have worked hard this offseason, to get this ship sailing in the right direction for many years to come.  With Jack Del Rio at the helm they hope to work toward something special, building with the talent they have.  They have an offensive foundation in Carr and Cooper and they have a defensive foundation set with Mack.  

The silver and black kickoff the preseason Friday night at the Coliseum against the St. Louis Rams.