Saturday’s practice was a good one for the Oakland Raiders as it marked the return of star wide receiver Antonio Brown, who has been out for almost all of training camp and the preseason.
Brown has been dealing with frostbite in his feet, as well as a helmet issue with the league, but it appeared both problems were taken care of and he could begin to focus on getting ready for Week 1 against the Denver Broncos. Reports have since indicated he still hasn’t found a helmet that has been approved by the league though, so he was away from practice again on Sunday.
It is no secret that Brown is one of the most talented receivers in the league, being named a Pro Bowler seven times and All-Pro four times in his nine-year NFL career. It appears that talent also extends to his brain though, as quarterback Derek Carr was impressed with his ability to retain the playbook despite missing almost all of training camp, via Scott Bair of NBC Sports:
“You have to stay on top of Jon Gruden’s offense all the time, and you could tell that Antonio has been studying,” quarterback Derek Carr said. “He didn’t miss a beat.”
Raiders head coach Jon Gruden, who is the mastermind behind the offensive playbook, echoed Carr’s thoughts after seeing his best player back in action on the practice field:
“He took all the reps in our walkthrough,” Gruden said. “He showed great retention.”
Getting Brown back on the field with still a few weeks left until the start of the regular season was arguably the best news the Raiders have gotten all camp as he still has plenty of time to continue to build chemistry with Carr and the rest of the offense. Hopefully, the helmet issue can get resolved soon and he can get back in the mix again.
Going up against a talented and hard-working receiver like Brown in practice should help the Raiders defensive secondary as well considering most of the receivers they will be facing in games won’t be as fast and explosive as him.
Gruden recently revealed that most of his starters will sit out the remainder of the preseason, and that includes Brown, so the first time fans will have a chance to see him in game action will be in that Week 1 matchup with the Broncos on Monday, Sept. 9.
The post Raiders News: Derek Carr And Jon Gruden Impressed With Antonio Brown’s Ability To Remember Playbook Despite Missing Most Of Training Camp appeared first on Raiders Nation.