Bee staff writer Jason Jones is at Raiders headquarters in Alameda as the team prepares for the season. Read his blogs daily at www.sacbee.com/raidersblog. Following are excerpts from Wednesday:
Don't tune into Friday night's exhibition finale in Seattle expecting to see anything that resembles the Raiders that will open the regular season against Denver on "Monday Night Football".
Oakland coach Lane Kiffin isn't taking any chances of losing any starting players to injury.
Players who are No. 2 on the depth chart will probably play the entire first half, with third-stringers finishing the game.
None of the starters on offense will play, and most of the defensive regulars will have the night off as well.
"This roster can't afford any more injuries right now," Kiffin said. "We've got enough things that we've got to figure out at enough spots at the end of this, the 53 to figure out, to lose somebody else. I just don't see the value of putting these guys out there and losing one of these guys."
Andrew Walter will start at quarterback. John Wade will be the center.
• The Raiders will have to cut 22 players Saturday. That's not as hard as it appears, Kiffin said.
"Some guys will make it or break it in (Friday's) game, but for the most part you know your team right now," he said. "The variables, when you come back the next day, are knowing all the guys that are getting cut, having them evaluated and whether they're better than guys on the bottom of your roster."
• The Raiders' recent signings aren't about adding the in-team competition Kiffin is seeking. They're mostly about having enough bodies to make it through Friday night. Fullback Luke Lawton is the one signee who might be around after final cuts.
• Linbebacker Robert Thomas (knee) won't play Friday, so the team re-signed rookie linebacker Shane Simmons. He was with the team in the offseason and was cut before training camp. Quarterback Jeff Otis was waived to make room for Simmons.
• Also planned for Friday: Punter Shane Lechler (sore quadriceps) will hold on field-goal and extra-point attempts for Sebastian Janikowski, but he won't punt.
Johnnie Lee Higgins will handle kickoff and punt returns in the first half. Michael Waddell will return punts in the second half and Louis Rankin will handle kickoff returns.
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