The Raiders are at Allegiant Stadium for today’s training camp practice. But this isn’t just a change of scenery, it’s a practice run for game day.
The players and coaches left their facility in Henderson this morning on several buses with a police escort.
Staff and media went through all safety and security protocols for entering the stadium. We took to the press box with plenty of social distancing and got our first vier of the new stadium which is essentially ready for a real game, all save a few finishing touches.
Soon the players began taking the field, and it was clear quickly they weren’t here for just another practice. They took the field in full uniform, starting with the specialists, including some return specialists such as Nelson Agholor and Henry Ruggs.
Just as on game day, players began taking the field in position groups. with the stadium announcer announcing their presence.
Once all players had taken the field and had run some drills, they lined up for stretching.
From there, Mark Davis appeared on the jumbotron to give a speech to the players on the field at Allegiant for the first-ever time. He gave the speech from the swanky new lounge area behind the north end zone. All the players made their way down the 20-yard-line to watch.
Mark Davis addresses the #Raiders on the field. pic.twitter.com/SX6o6JAd3R
— Levi Damien (@LeviDamien) August 21, 2020
After the speech, the players headed to the opposite side of the field and lined up for announcements of the starting lineups.
With all the to-do done, the players broke up into groups on different parts of the field, much like a regular training camp practice.
Afterwards, it’s a series of 7-on-7 and 11-on-11s, also like a training camp practice. Even though this time, it’s in full uniform on the field that, had they had a preseason, they would be holding their first game in a week.
Instead, this taste will have to hold them over until the home opener in week two exactly a month from today on September 21.
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