Antonio Brown showed up Wednesday. That’s going to anger a lot of Steelers fans, who took to my Twitter account like ants at a picnic and feasted on Tuesday when the receiver was no-show for the Raiders’ first organized team activity. But Brown was there, out on the practice field, on Wednesday and quarterback Derek Carr quickly called him “the greatest worker I’ve ever seen in my life.”
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I like that Carr said “greatest” and not just “hardest,” since Brown not only is a gym rat but he brings the camera and his social media guys to prove it.
Carr understandably shied away from talking too much about Brown on Tuesday with Brown not being there at the facility and instead focused on the receiving corps as a whole. But Wednesday, Carr called into SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Sports Radio and reminded everyone just how special his new connection is with Brown. Since the Raiders traded for Brown, Carr has become his brother from another mother.
“Since then, we’ve spent more time together than I remember even spending with a lot of my teammates, and I spend a lot of time with my teammates,” Carr told SiriusXM on Wednesday. “He’s at my house, he’s coming to my kid’s birthday parties, he is coming to throw with me every day whenever I need him. He’s flying out whenever I say, ‘Hey man, are you in town?’ He’ll say ‘yes,’ and show up the next day.
“He’s the greatest worker I’ve ever seen in my life, and I do not throw that around loosely. All of our teammates love him. He just gets along with everybody.”
But it’s May. Everybody loves everybody in May and every team is going to the playoffs.
“Everyone will say it’s the offseason … but we’ve had some deep, pretty good conversations to where I’ve gotten to know the guy, and I understand why he was a little upset,” Carr said of Brown’s pre-trade comments about the Steelers and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. “I understand why he maybe lashed out as he did. I understand that I guess my job as a friend, and as a leader, is to make sure our line of communication is always open, and we’re always trusting one another.”
With the exception of Tuesday, Brown has been at the facility a lot the last few weeks working with his new teammates.
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“It’s been good,” receiver Tyrell Williams said Tuesday. “What you see, he works hard and it kind of translates and everybody sees how hard he works and he’s always putting in that extra effort. Just being able to watch the guy who is one of the best receivers, just see how he works and how he runs certain routes. It’s just fun to watch and fun to learn.”
There was no media access on Wednesday, but I took a lot of notes on Tuesday, plus we got to talk to coach Jon Gruden, Carr, Williams, running back Doug Martin and left tackle Kolton Miller. Here are some quick notes on offensive players to watch the next three weeks of OTAs and in the minicamp:
RB Josh Jacobs
The first-round pick went through stretches on Tuesday and then went back inside instead of participating in practice. Gruden wouldn’t elaborate on why, but it’s possible that the Raiders are playing it safe with an old groin injury that caused the running back not to run at the NFL scouting combine. (Jacobs did later run at his pro day.)
“We have a lot of guys that are on different programs right now,” Gruden said. “We’re not playing for a while. Jacobs will be back, if not late this week, early next week. He’s taking part in the walkthroughs. We’re fast-tracking him to be ready.”
(Linebackers Vontaze Burfict and Brandon Marshall and defensive tackle Maurice Hurst are also on their own programs, and worked on the side with a trainer on Tuesday.)
RB Doug Martin
Martin led the team in rushing last season and was finally brought back after Isaiah Crowell tore his Achilles. Martin said he is excited about being a mentor to Jacobs.
“I came here to mentor, push him, show him that I’ve been in the league eight years, so I am a vet now,” Martin said. “I can’t believe it, but that’s the case and so I’m here to just be that role model for him. If he has any questions, I’m here for him to ask them. … He looks like he can just run you over, so he’s going to be great for the team.”
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Gruden also said the Raiders might use some two-back sets, something he also hinted at last season.
“We didn’t let (Martin) be the third-down back much last year because (Jalen) Richard emerged, but there’s a good chance we play some two halfbacks this year,” Gruden said. “You’ve seen New Orleans do it with (Alvin) Kamara and the other running back they (had), (Mark) Ingram. Perhaps we go that route also.”
WR Tyrell Williams
The former Charger ran under a 55-yard pass from Carr on Tuesday, and the Raiders plan to do that a lot this season with Brown getting so much attention on the other side.
“It’s good to see a guy that big, he reminds me of Andre Holmes — that big, that fast,” Carr said. “I can’t remember how many times, him and Johnny Holton, I would just chuck it deep to them and they would just be faster than everyone else.”
No disrespect to Holmes or Holton, but Williams has to be a lot better than those guys for what they’re paying him.
Carr also praised Williams’ route-running and ability to set up defensive backs.
“He’s a technician also,” Carr said. “He’s just not a big, raw body.
Gruden doesn’t really know how secrets work. You’re not supposed to yell about them, but as we’ve written, he is very excited about the former Ravens tight end who had a couple of deep catches for the Raiders last season.
“Since the time he’s walked in here, he’s been one of the most impressive guys on our team,” Gruden said. “He learns fast. He is fast. He’s extremely talented. I think he’s going to be one of the best-kept secrets in the league. I really believe he’s got a future if he keeps working like he is.”
Carr admitted that Waller has big shoes to fill with Jared Cook not being brought back, but thinks Waller is up to it.
“Jared made a whole bunch of plays. Darren has the skillset, he has the want-to, he has the aggression to do it, now he just has to go do it,” Carr said. “I’m really excited about him. Darren Waller is super, super fast and he works his tail off. He’s very smart and I can check a play within two seconds of the play clock being out and he’ll be on it and run the right thing.”
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TEs Luke Willson and Paul Butler
Two of the Raiders’ SIX tight ends — yes, six, they signed former Colt Erik Swoope on Tuesday afternoon — also stood out on Tuesday. Willson, the former Lion, showed some great hands, while Butler stood out because he is huge. He weighed in at 6-foot-6, 252 pounds last year and the former practice squader looks a lot bigger and will have a shot to battle rookie Foster Moreau and Derek Carrier for Lee Smith’s old blocking role.
LT Kolton Miller
As advertised, the second-year left tackle is stronger, up from 310 to 328 pounds. Gruden talked him up all of last season, and he is not about to stop now.
“We think Kolton Miller is going to be one of the best left tackles in football,” Gruden said. “He’s not only healthy, he’s in great shape. He’s gotten a lot stronger. He’s added some weight and some muscle. He’s still a real flexible athlete that can run and change directions.”
RT Trent Brown
If it is possible to carry around 380 pounds well, then the Raiders’ new right tackle does just that. The 6-foot-8 big-money free agent looked like he was in very good shape.
“Trent coming in, he’s a great dude,” Carr said. “Super chill all the time, hard worker, good dude and he’s so big man. It’s going to take them long enough to run around him. I’m good with that.”
Parker is another guy who beefed up, thanks to an offseason cleaning out hibachi grills in Mississippi with teammate Gabe Jackson. He has gained 25 pounds and is now 330, and while Brown took his right tackle job, a new possibility for the swing tackle was thrown out there by Gruden on Tuesday.
“He spent most of the offseason living with Gabe,” Gruden said. “I don’t think they were just lifting weights, they might have been eating pretty good down there. Parker came back married, he came back stronger, he came back heavier.
“We’re going to give him an opportunity to get on the field. He may end up being the left guard. Who knows? He may end up starting somewhere down the road again.”
(Photo: Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports)
