According to Matt, Thomas said he was trying to immerse himself in the Bay Area and wanted to be a part of the big event. "I've watched it on TV - watching the cars go around the oval. But you have to come here to get the whole feel for it. I haven't been to a hockey game either. But seeing the (San Jose) Sharks is something I want to do."

Howard said offensive lineman Paul McQuistan was also planning to attend and added that there was a rumor that coach Tom Cable was at the track.

Matt wrote that the connection is Heath Cherry, who works for Joe Gibbs racing and who attended a Raiders practice earlier this year. Howard was hanging out in Gibbs' garage area.

Players nursing injuries included Jay Richardson (knee), second-round draft choice Mike Mitchell (hamstring), Oren O'Neal (knee), John Foschi (chest), Javon Walker (knee), Arman Shields (knee), Chaz Schillens (hamstring), Will Franklin (hamstring). First-round draft choice Darrius Heyward-Bey limped off the field during practice with a still-sore hamstring originally tweaked in mini-camp in May.

As I wrote before, we did not get a chance to speak with Greg Ellis to give you his side of things but he did look fit and sleek while working exclusively on the left side of the line as a defensive end with the first-team's 4-3 defense.

In Dallas, he played as a blitzing outside linebacker in the Cowboys' 3-4 alignment.
So I asked coach Tom Cable what he's seen from Ellis, given the small sample size.

"Well, he's been here the last couple of days," Cable said. "The quickness, power, the things you saw on film, are the reason you signed him in the first place. A good football player, that's what you see."

So could he be an every down player, even as the 6-feet-6, 262-pounder turns 34 in Aug. 14?

"I think he can be," Cable said. "You look at the film and he's been doing that, albeit in a different position, this is a guy you would rely on to come in and compete to be a starter and all that. He's got so much left in terms of where he's at physically, in terms of his body, his production, so again, just a positive for our team."

JaMarcus Russell's final throw of the day was a 90-mph fastball that missed everybody and landed about 30 yards upfield. He threw a strike, though, after practice when he revealed he planned on organizing a summer get-together with the receivers and tight ends.

"Just go along by ourselves and accomplish something that would make us a lot better during the year," Russell said. "Just work on our own, with nobody out there but us. Get ready for camp. Get ready for a new year."

After Thursday's final OTA workout, the team is off until July 29, when the Raiders report to Napa for training camp, with the first practice the next day. Until then, the players are on virtual radio silence from the tea,.

"You have a plan, and we've kind of given each guy things to be thinking about when they go, but you really can't do a lot with them based on the rules," Cable said. "(You want to) get them rested up, get them rested up mentally, more mentally than physically, for when they go to camp in July."

Near the end of practice, a spirited, several seconds-long brawl between offensive guard Cooper Carlisle and second-year defensive back Tyvon Branch erupted. Even after the two were pulled out of the scrum, several more punches were thrown, with Robert Gallery in the middle of the pile, but even more obscenities flew that would have made Joe Buck and Artie Lange cringe. Nothing like a little fisticuffs to tighten the team bond, right?

Cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, though, showed up, exhibiting some of the leadership expected of him after signing his three-year, $45.3 million contract.

And first-round draft choice Darrius Heyward-Bey was back on the field, the strained right hamstring he suffered in mini-camp on May 9 sufficiently healed. He struggled through practice, though.

The brightest spot, perhaps, was the improved play of quarterback JaMarcus Russell in the red-zone offense in 7-on-7 drills.
"Red zone? Definitely," said coach Tom Cable. "There is a lot of improvement today. He was pretty good last Thursday, which was probably his best practice since he has been a Raider. Today was a good day for him."
Russell spoke to reporters briefly this week, after blowing by the media last Wednesday.
"I think earlier coach kind of emphasized giving the guys a chance," he said. "If he gives you a chance to put it in the end zone as far as pass rush, you've got to put (the ball) somewhere in that location where they can catch it. Just give them a chance.
"We can run the ball all day. Once you get inside the 20, we're going to take shots at the end zone and that's what we were lacking. We'd get down there sometimes and try to run the ball all three downs and had to kick a field goal. If you don't take a chance at the end zone, how are you going to get there?"

Recently signed quarterback Charlie Frye was on hand, wearing No. 3, but did not take any snaps.
So what made Frye, a former starter with the Cleveland Browns and two-year backup in Seattle, choose to sign with Oakland, which already has an unquestioned starter in Russell and an unquestioned backup in Garcia?
"A job," Frye said. "It's just good to be back out here (on the field)."

Also, running back Darren McFadden continued to impress and spent much time lined up at wideout. Maybe the Raiders will actually use his hybrid talents to their full potential this season?

Khalif Barnes finally spent time with the first unit at left tackle.
"It's just getting equal reps for everybody right now in the learning process," Cable said. "Read nothing into that, believe me.

Also, the Raiders are again looking into a one-day workout with the 49ers during training camp at Napa.

True, Frye has a decent pedigree - he started 19 of the 21 games he played in for the Cleveland Browns from 2005 to 2007, including a 9-7 defeat of the Raiders in a rain-soaked Coliseum on Dec. 18, 2005 - but he is also the only QB in NFL history to start a season opener and then be traded the following week, as he was in 2007 when the Browns shipped him to Seattle.

A third-round draft pick out of Akron in 2005, Frye, who turns 28 on Aug. 28, has played in just two games for the Seahawks, starting one, and has a career passer rating of 70.5.
The signing of Frye, which has not been announced by the Raiders but is listed on their Web Site under "transactions," should not send shivers up the backs of franchise QB JaMarcus Russell or four-time Pro Bowl backup Jeff Garcia. Rather, it should finally end the star-crossed tenure of Andrew Walter with the Raiders and give veteran Bruce Gradkowski and rookie Danny Southwick a run for who gets to wear the headset and hold the clipboard.

Following is the transcript provided by SIRIUS.

Host: "Jeff Garcia [has] landed in Oakland with JaMarcus Russell. What type of impact will he have, not only in the meeting room, but certainly maybe on the practice field? He's not the type of guy, as you know from being around him, that he's certainly not complacent and he's never going to be comfortable being a backup guy."

Jon Gruden: "No, that's for sure, because he's a premier competitor and I think that's the No. 1 criteria that you have to have to survive in the NFL at that position. You have to be a premier competitor. Garcia is that. And if you look at Jeff's career in the history of this game, he protects the ball as good or better than anybody that's ever played. He's one of the top four or five all-time in not turning the football over. And I think that's one thing that Jeff Garcia always brings to you, is a guy that will protect the football. It might frustrate you at times. You might want to take a little bit more risk, but Jeff Garcia will take care of the football. He'll be a premier competitor and I think that will help JaMarcus Russell as much as anything. And Oakland does have a fine supporting cast. They proved that against us [the Tampa Bay Buccaneers]. They've got some dynamic backs. They got a big, fast wide-out in the draft, and they're pretty darn good on defense. They have the best corner, in my opinion, in football and this could be a year that they could turn it around."

Host: "The first three games of the season for the Oakland Raiders - all three foes in the division - right now, who gives the Raiders the best chance to win those games, Garcia or Russell?"

Gruden: "I think they gotta go with JaMarcus Russell. He's the No. 1 pick in the draft. They've added Paul Hackett who I think is an outstanding coach. He's a tremendous quarterbacks coach. No one talks about the addition of Paul Hackett. I think he's going to really reach out and help JaMarcus Russell. But they've got a lot invested in him. This is only his third season. This is the time where JaMarcus Russell has to explode onto the scene. Hopefully [Darren] McFadden, Darrius Heyward-Bey, some of his young support system, can help him, because he does have great ability throwing the football."
Later in the interview, Gruden shared one of his favorite stories about Rich Gannon, who was also on "The SIRIUS Blitz" that day, in which the fiery former Raiders QB had some choice words for his coach while under center during a Monday Night game years ago.

Gruden: "Rich Gannon, in the middle of an audible, against the Tennessee Titans on Monday Night Football, we were in a situation where we wanted to run one play or another, we either ran the play that was called or we canned it to another play. And right out of nowhere Gannon saw something better and he started a live audible. So I started yelling at him from the sideline and in the middle of his audible [he says], 'Black 350...Shut up, leave me alone!...Black 350.' He told me to shut up in the middle of an audible. I will never forget that as long as I live."

The fact that the man is never given any love for Hall of Fame consideration is ridiculous. And if that makes me sound like a Raiders homer, so be it. But the fact remains, he has won twice as many Super Bowls as the recently inducted and well-deserving John Madden.

Ask any somewhat knowledgeable football fan who was the first minority coach to win a Super Bowl, and I bet you'd hear so many Tony Dungy references you'd think you were in Indianapolis. Sorry, but that trail was first blazed by Flores...twice. And Marv Levy, a four-time AFC champ who four times lost the Super Bowl has a yellow blazer and his bust in Canton but Flores' name can't get into the voting room the day before the Super Bowl? Please.

It got me to thinking. Sure, the Raiders are well represented in the Pro Football Hall of Fame but I came up with a list of five that deserve not only consideration, but enshrinement. Yesterday. I receive my Baseball Hall of Fame vote this winter but, with what many will see as a rant, I'm sure I'll never get a vote for Canton. In any event, here's PG's 5 Biggest Raiders Snubs By Canton, in order. What are your thoughts?

1) Tom Flores
2) Jim Plunkett
3) Ray Guy
4) Cliff Branch
5) Ken Stabler

OTAs are voluntary, but when a star player chooses to take a pass, it inevitably raises eyebrows. Such was the case with backup quarterbacks Jeff Garcia, who had a family issue to deal with, and Andrew Walter, whose future with the team is tenuous at best, defensive ends Derrick Burgess and Jay Richardson, running back Darren McFadden, defensive lineman Tommy Kelly and the highest paid cornerback in the game in Nnamdi Asomugha skipping this OTA.
"You'd like to have everybody here," said coach Tom Cable. "Some of these guys have commitments...it's not mandatory so you really have to let them get some of that (personal) stuff out of the way before the season starts."
Indeed, but with a fairly young team and a boatload of new assistant coaches and fresh schemes to learn, it would behoove veterans to at least be on the field, no? Even if Pro Bowlers like Burgess and Asomugha have never really made OTAs a priority?
So Cable was asked if Asomugha would make an appearance (the Raiders also have OTAs June 6-8 and June 13-15).
"I don't know that," Cable said after a brief pause. "I'm hoping he'll be here the last two. If not the last two, the last one."

With no Garcia looking over his shoulder, JaMarcus Russell seemed much sharper in a practice that focused on a passing game more dink-and-dunk than bombs away. For a day, anyway. In fact, Cable said the practice we watched Wednesday focused on the same red-zone drills we were privy to two weeks earlier.
"It was red zone," Cable said. "I think we were two of 32 (then) and today we were 11 of 32 so there's some progress there. Still, I would like some more consistency but it's coming and you've just to go keep pushing it and pushing it. We've got tomorrow and then two more weeks so I hope we can make a good amount of progress as we get ready for camp."
I wanted to ask Russell how it all felt after practice but was blown off.
"I'm talking to my coach right now," he said as he walked briskly off the field, chatting with first-year quarterbacks coach Paul Hackett, and into the locker room.

First-round draft choice Darrius Heyward-Bey is still nursing the sore hamstring he tweaked during mini-camp on May 9 and sat out practice.
"The strength is there in the hamstring and everything," Heyward-Bey said. "I'm just trying to make sure I'm 100 percent. I'm out there working out after going about 95 percent speed. Basically, I just want to make sure it's taken care of before I get back on the field."
Per NFL rules, Heyward-Bey missed the first OTA two weeks ago because his college class at Maryland was still in session (second-round pick Mike Mitchell is not in Alameda as his class at Ohio is still in session).
"It's like I said, if you remember, a lot of times the draft's over and (the draftees) stop doing things," Cable said, "and then all of a sudden you put them back to work and they're not ready for that workload."
Cable said he expected Heyward-Bay to practice during next week's OTA, even as the rookie said he is not aware of any ongoing contract negotiations between his agent and the Raiders. Still, rookies don't usually start signing deals until early July, though McFadden inked his on June 6 of last year after Russell's prolonged holdout the season prior went into the regular season.

And the Raiders announced a $200,000 grant to the Richmond Children's Foundation and its partners, the City of Richmond and the Association of Sports Field Users, as part of the NFL's Grassroots Program. The grant, which was awarded by the Raiders, the NFL Youth Football Fund and Local Initiatives Support Cooperation, will be used to install artificial turf at the Martin Luther King Jr. Park's football field to help revitalize the Nystrom neighborhood.
Doing something for the kids is always a good thing, methinks...

His heart sunk when he saw the name on the card.

"It was Mark Dunakin, one of the bike cops that got killed," Gallery said at the team's recent mini-camp. "That was kind of a kick in the gut and it was even a bigger deal because I saw him all the time, talked to him after the games. That made it much more, you know, it hit home that much more."

So Gallery's fundraiser on June 6 now has a deeper, more personal meaning.

The Raiders left guard, who is a car aficionado, is organizing and promoting "Cruisin' For Our Community," which will raise funds for the families by way of a silent auction and raffles for jerseys and other Raiders memorabilia. He hopes teammates will join him for the cruise as well as donate their time for an autograph show. All proceeds, Gallery said, will go to the affected families.

"Every dollar," said Gallery, who will drive his recently restored 1954 Cadillac in the cruise.

The 13-mile, two-hour "Cruise" will begin at the old Mervyn's parking lot at 7177 Regional Street in Dublin at 10:30 a.m. and conclude at Los Vaqueros restaurant at 1000 North Vasco Road in Livermore, where the autograph show and silent raffle will ensue. American classic cars manufactured before 1970 are welcome to join the cruise with an entry fee/donation of $30 per car.

"This being the first time we've done this, I think if you raise a dollar it's more than what they had before," Gallery said. "So I would be very happy if we could (raise) $10,000. I think we can easily do that...any money can help. It's something good for the community...I think we can easily raise a few thousand bucks and anything more than that would be awesome."

For more information, log onto the Oakland Police Officer's Association Web Site at www.opoa.org.

Several Raiders players and coaches, along with some Bay Area high school and college coaches, will run the two-day camp, which will include instruction in offense, defense and special teams. It will also include autograph sessions and a tour of the Raiders facility.

The camp runs from 8 a.m. until approximately 3 p.m. each day and with the $250 registration fee, campers receive a T-Shirt, gift bag and lunch. For more information, log onto www.raiders.com or www.raidersforkids.com.

Jason Jones, The Bee's Raiders beat writer since 2006 and resident expert Blogger, has been re-assigned within the paper and is now doling out his expertise on all matters NBA and WNBA. As such, after two years of reporting on and writing about bigger picture stories on the NFL in general, my gridiron scribin' will now focus on the Raiders.

So cheer, jeer, throw your hands up in celebration or in disgust, do what you must, but this change is in effect now as I take over the Raiders "beat" and its Blog. It's a daunting task, following my man Jason, and a welcome challenge since you may remember me from the 2005 season. I took over the beat five games into Norv Turner's last season at the helm, after Gregg Bell departed The Bee, and Jason took over from me the following season.

I will do different things with the Blog in hopes of making it more interactive with readers/users. And it will be more analytical, more big picture than the mundane nuts and bolts.

In the ultra-competitive world of "life on the beat," I want to make The Bee's Raiders Blog more of a clearing house, more one-stop shopping for Raiders fans. If I have something Raider-related that is unique, you will undoubtedly find it here, along with my take on things. By the same token, I will also post Raiders news from other outlets. Consider this a Raiders "team page," of sorts, with links to Raiders news from across the Web.

It being May, it's a quiet time for Raiders reports but I'll be sure to scour the wires and the Net and put my own spin on things for your perusal. Bookmark it and make this a once-a-day Silver and Black stop as I welcome any and all feedback.

Welcome to the change. It's gonna be one helluva ride.

-Paul Gutierrez

Their seven draft picks include some names that probably left you doing a lot of research. Tom Cable offered no apologies for that.

"Well, the first thing you have to know about me is, I don't need to stand up and beat my chest and say, 'The hell with everyone,'" Cable said. "I'm going to probably take a statement, if you will, from Bill Walsh. When you find a player you want, go get him. Don't worry about it. Go get him. And that's what I did. I'll take the heat for that. We've since had people coming back apologizing, turning on film and saying, 'Oh, my god, well this guy was going to Chicago, and they admitted that they were going to take (safety Mike Mitchell) at 49. So, it makes some people look pretty foolish now. But, the bottom line is, I kind of live by that statement from coach Walsh. When you find the one you want, go get it. Don't let anyone detract you and don't worry about what they say."

*The Raiders didn't draft a defensive tackle to help the run defense. Here's Tom Cable's explanation:

"The run game is kind of addressed a couple of ways. I think that we've gotta coach better and clean up some things in terms of what we're doing, system-wise. I think we've addressed that by the coaching staff we've hired. And then we've got to get better at the linebacker spot. And when I say better, I mean more depth there. That's really a key for us. You look what happens who we lose a guy, and then we kind of have to piecemeal it together. So this gives us a chance to not have that issue. Mitchell definitely upgrades us if any of you have taken the time to look at him now and see what he is physically. We feel a lot better about it. So we've got some good tackles on this football team. They've gotta play like it."

*The Raiders drafted three players listed as defensive ends. Two of them, Slade Norris and Skylar Sulak, will play linebacker for the Raiders.

I asked Cable about that because it seems like it's asking a lot for players that played defensive line to become linebackers and play in space.

Here's what the coach said:

"You know, Jason? You're seeing more and more of that out of the 4-3 teams. That Sam or Will linebacker that on third down's putting his hand on the ground. We actually did a little study. There's a tremendous amount of guys that are making that transition, standing up on first and second down and putting their hand down on third. That's really all over the league now, and some of the very good pass rushers are like that."

*Cable was happy about landing Louis Murphy. And though he played in the spread (the offense that made the likes of Michael Crabtree not as valuable) Cable said Murphy played on the outside, not the slot.

I think this was the Raiders' best pick of Day 2 and could prove to be their best selection in terms of value and production.

*As most of you know by now, this is my last day on the Raiders beat. I'll take a week or so off and reappear as a beat writer for the Sacramento Monarchs and Sacramento Kings.

I've had a lot of fun covering the team I rooted for as a child back in Long Beach. Trying to list all the players and coaches I've enjoyed working with would take a while, but I'll try, whether they were starters or players on the practice squad.

The QBs: Aaron Brooks, Daunte Culpepper, Josh McCown, JaMarcus Russell, Marques Tuiasosopo, Andrew Walter

The RBs: Michael Bush, Zack Crockett, Justin Fargas, Justin Griffith, Darren McFadden, LaMont Jordan (a fellow WWE fan), Oren O'Neal, Marcel Reece

The WR/TEs: Johnnie Lee Higgins, Drew Carter, Javon Walker, Randy Moss (he really was fun when he was in a good mood), Zach Miller, Courtney Anderson

The OL/DL: Langston Walker (Cal guy, of course), Robert Gallery, Jake Grove, Mario Henderson, Kwame Harris, Warren Sapp, Derrick Burgess (one of the funniest players I've ever dealt with), Kevin Huntley, Jay Richardson, Tommy Kelly, MK Bruce

The LBs: Kirk Morrison, Thomas Howard, Ricky Brown, Danny Clark, Jon Alston, Jon Condo, Sam Williams, Marquis Cooper, Isaiah Ekejiuba

The DBs: Nnamdi Asomugha (Cal, of course), Stuart Schweigert, Michael Huff, Charles Woodson (cool in my first year as a backup writer on the beat), Chris Johnson, DeAngelo Hall, Stanford Routt, Fabian Washington, Rashad Baker (update, how could I forget my man Jarrod Cooper).

Coaches: Tom Cable, Rob Ryan, Don Martindale, Lane Kiffin (I know most of you hate him but I got along fine with him), Art Shell, Don Turner, Keith Millard, Greg Knapp, Tom Rathman.

I can't many of the writers I've been around since 2005 who dealt with my Laker fandom, Cal Bear cheering and my love for Dodger blue.

I know I missed a lot of people. But hey, I'm doing this off the dome.

Thanks to all that have sent your well wishes. Maybe you'll catch me at a Raider game ... in the stands? Now that would be weird.

Well I'm gone. Take care, Raider Nation. Who knows, you might have to deal with me again in the future.

--Jason Jones

The Raiders dealt this year's seventh-round pick and their sixth round choice next year to Carolina for a sixth round pick (202th overall) that was used on Iowa tight end Brandon Myers.

Two picks earlier the Raiders selected Missouri defensive end Stryker Sulak.

Sulak (6-5, 250) was an All-Big 12 selection and had his best season as a senior. He had 55 tackles 15.5 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks and led the NCAA with six forced fumbles.

Here are his results from the NFL Combine:

40 Yard Dash : 4.77 seconds
Bench Press : 22.0 reps
Vertical Jump : 31.0 inches
Broad Jump : 113.0 inches
3 Cone Drill : 7.31 seconds
20 Yard Shuttle : 4.58 seconds

Sulak's 40 time was sixth among defensive linemen.

Myers (6-4, 250) was a first team All-Big Ten pick by coaches and tied for the team lead with four touchdowns. He is considered a blocking tight end.

--Jason Jones