With the Raiders season opener against the Chargers less than 24 hours away, we spoke with Gavino Borquez from ChargersWire to learn a few things about the team the Raiders will be facing.
Q: Is there any concern Justin Herbert’s Plantar Fascia injury will limit him in the opener?
Gavino Borquez: Herbert was a full participant at practice all week, and there wasn’t any noteworthy concerns when he returned to the practice field. The injury that he sustained is no joke, so it’s worth monitoring how he holds up for the full game. It wouldn’t be surprising if they don’t incorporate as much designed quarterback runs as they were anticipating before he got injured so there isn’t much pressure applied to his foot.
Q: What I keep hearing is that, sure Herbert is great, but he has no receivers. Is that accurate or overblown?
Borquez: It’s a little bit overblown. When Keenan Allen and Mike Williams were both hurt last season, Herbert was still thriving throwing to lesser-known wideouts. Joshua Palmer is an underrated wide receiver, who developed good chemistry with Herbert. Ladd McConkey is a great route runner and I expect him to be targeted quite often. Quentin Johnston showed signs of improvement this offseason. I think Herbert will be OK.
Q: The Chargers had one of the league’s worst defenses last season in terms of yards and points allowed. What have they done to address that?
Borquez: Former head coach Brandon Staley played a big part of the Chargers’ defensive woes. Now that he’s gone, defensive coordinator Jesse Minter is the one they’re hoping to turn things around. Minter followed Harbaugh from Michigan after engineering one of the top defenses in college football. He is going to put his top playmakers in position to flourish. Oh, expect the blitz a lot.
Q: Every year the past few years the Chargers have entered the season with a good deal of hype. And every year, they fail to live up to it. Was the head coach what has been holding them back? And therefore does Jim Harbaugh’s arrival change that?
Borquez: Harbaugh has been a winner everywhere he’s coached. The Chargers have not had a winning head coach since Marty Schottenheimer. The hiring of Harbaugh was arguably one of the biggest moves the franchise has made. The former Michigan head coach has changed the culture in Los Angeles and it’ll be fascinating to see it all unfold starting on Sunday.
Q: Give me one under the radar player on each side of the ball we should be watching in this game.
Borquez: Offensively, tight end Will Dissly was signed to primarily serve as a blocker. Dissly’s presence should boost the run game. And we know that Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman want to pound the rock.
Defensively, safety Alohi Gilman doesn’t get as much attention as he deserves because he’s overshadowed by Derwin James. Gilman has a knack for producing turnovers.