26-year old DE Jay Richardson needed surgery on his left knee which cause him to miss the rest of the pre-season.  Richardson played in 16 games (0 starts) for the Raiders last season and he had 23 tackles and 3 sacks.  He has now played in 48 games (22 starts) in his three years with the Raiders and he has 109 tackles, 7 sacks and 1 pass defensed.  Richardson is part of a rotation at DE so they hope he’s ready to return to action when the season starts.

The Raiders played great on defense last night but they didn’t score themselves until the 4th quarter.  Jason Campbell didn’t look to confident last night completing 7 of 13 passes for 49 yards.  But it was his first game in the Raiders’ system so maybe he’ll be better next week.  Kyle Boller solid for the Raiders last night as he completed 12 of 21 passes for 148 yards with 1 TD pass.  Michael Bennett led the way for the Raiders on the ground last night with 68 yards rushing on 12 carries (5.7 ypc).  He also caught 1 pass for 33 yards.  Michael Bush was also solid with 31 yards rushing on 7 carries (4.4 ypc).  Rock Cartwright carried the ball 7 times for 25 yards (3.6 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 28 yards (14.0 avg) last night.  Johnnie Lee Higgins (3 rec, 38 yards) and Yamon Figurs (3 rec, 34 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Raiders last night.  The Raiders finished up with 129 yards rushing (4.6 ypc) and 188 yards passing last night.

The Raiders finished up with six sacks last night and they stuffed the Cowboys running game.  Rookie DT Lamarr Houston and DE Matt Shaughnessy each had 2 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 tackles for a loss and 2 QB hits apiece.  Safety Jerome Boyd didn’t make any tackles last night but he intercepted a Matt Nichols pass and returned it 48 yards for a TD.  The Cowboys finished up with 66 yards rushing (3.0 ypc) and 197 passing last night.

26-year old Johnnie Lee Higgins will battle 27-year old Yamon Figurs and rookie 4th round pick Jacoby Ford for the starting job as the kickoff return man in 2010.  Higgins did not return any kickoffs last season for the Raiders.  He has played in 47 games in his three years with the Raiders and he has returned 36 kickoffs for 842 yards (23.4 avg).  Higgins probably is at the top of the depth chart heading into the pre-season.

Yamon Figurs is a pretty solid return man in his own right.  He played in 6 games for the Bucs & Lions last season and he returned 5 kickoffs for 105 yards (21.0 avg).  Figurs has now played in 32 games in his 3 years in the NFL and he has returned 80 kickoffs for 1,851 yards (23.1 avg) with 1 TD return.  He has a really good chance of winning this job.

Rookie 4th round pick Jacoby Ford out of Clemson is a Al Davis favorite.  The 5′9″, 185 pound Ford ran a 4.2 40 at the scouting combine in Indy.  He has the most speed of these three guys but he will need to prove himself this pre-season if he wants to get a shot returning kickoffs when the bullets fly for real in September.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE RAIDERS KICKOFF RETURNERS in 2010:  C

The Raiders have placed 25-year old WR/KR Jonathan Holland on the Injured Reserve List ending his season with a ankle injury.  He didn’t catch any passes in his first two years in the NFL.  In 17 games (0 starts) in his two years with the Raiders he has returned 28 kickoffs for 550 yards (19.6 avg).  This is not much of a loss for the Raiders as they weren’t counting on Holland in 2010.

LT Mario Henderson is a big guy at 6′7″, 300 pounds but he sometimes loses out to power rushers who at times push him backwards.  He is a solid athlete though and he can compete with speed rushers.  LG Robert Gallery is the best O-Lineman the Raiders have.  His strength is  his run blocking as he doesn’t miss many targets.  Center Samson Satele is a tough guy who’s a better run blocker than a pass blocker.  RG Cooper Carlisle is a power blocker who has a non-stop motor.  He’s both a good pass and run blocker.  RT Khalif Barnes is a average tackle at best.  Rookies Jared Veldheer and Bruce Campbell will provide depth at tackle in 2010.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE RAIDERS O-LINE in 2010:  C-