Silver and Black Report

FB Marcel Reece in action versus the 49ers

Oakland Raiders wide receiver Chaz Schilens continues to show fragility and is expected to be out for three-to-six weeks after arthroscopic knee surgery. Head coach Tom Cable had a media session yesterday and stated it’s a “three to six week issue.”

Schilens would have been a starter, even though he has not been able to prove himself as a starter since entering the league and has spent more time on the sidelines injured than on the field. This guarantees more playing time for Louis Murphy, who is Oakland’s best wide receiver. Darrius Heyward-Bey would have seen time out there regardless being a first round pick last year and the owner wanting to see his speedy receiver in action. Oakland was very thin and had many questions along this unit to begin with, now, without a player they depended on, Hue Jackson will face some major hurdles in the passing game unless the youngsters develop quickly.

Running back Michael Bush will undergo a procedure on his fractured left thumb, but will not likely miss the opener. Bush will get the bulk of the load of the ground if healthy.

Jared Veldheer will dabble at center and tackle this week. He’s too raw and very inexperienced at both spots. More maturations will be needed, but expect the rookie to be in the line-up sometime this year, especially if Samson Satele or Langston Walker cannot entrench themselves at their respective positions. Tom Cable said of Satele, “ want to look at it. There were some things from last night’s game that I was not pleased with but there were also a lot of good things at the center position. I think the fact that Samson is ready to go is the most important thing right now.”

DE Jay Richardson and DL Alex Daniels will miss the final game of the pre-season.

Cable gave very little when talking about his special teams: “I felt like we were getting closer to that. I don’t know after last night that it’s any clearer than it was before but I’ve got an idea.” There is little indication on who will grab the return duties, but at this point, the veteran Yamon Figurs provides more consistency and a better option at wide receiver. Johnnie Lee Higgins has not been the same since getting rocked in the home opener in 2009.

Cable on Marcel Reece:  ”Well, I’ll say this: He just continues to get better. That’s the thing that he’s shown us is that, from one week to the next he’s going out and improving on whatever his negatives were from the week before. It’s starting to show up more and more that this guy, you can coach him, he’ll take it and he’ll go get it again. I certainly think that he’s really showing himself the right way.”

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Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist