Oakland Raiders, Dallas Cowboys Oxnard Practice: Day One Recap

Aug 8, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Oakland Raiders linebacker Khalil Mack (52) against the Minnesota Vikings at TCF Bank Stadium. The Vikings defeated the Raiders 10-6. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

 Khalil Mack and the Pass Rush

When asked how 1st-round pick Khalil Mack looked in the practice session on Twitter, Tafur said, “From what I saw, the best practice yet. Nice spin moves.” That isn’t a bad offensive line the Raiders are going against either so his game is coming along like it should be. Unlike last year, the Raiders are going to bring pressure off the edge as well as everywhere else and menace quarterbacks this year.

Allen had some good things to say about the pass rush in general at the scrimmage in his post practice press conference on Raiders.com. He said, “I thought there were some times where defensively, I thought we were able to get around the quarterback. Obviously, we’re not tackling the quarterback so whether they’re sacks or not, I think there were some times where we would have got some hits.

Having six games against Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers, and Alex Smith, it’s very important for the Raiders to rush the passer. If they front seven plays up to their potential, that long shot the Raiders are to win a game against the Denver Broncos will get shorter. We’ve already seen what he and every other quarterback does when they are under extreme pressure from the pass rush.