Unser Chat » Johnson may not even play as he hasn’t been

ALAMEDA Derek Carr Jersey White , Calif. (AP) — Daniel Carlson couldn’t make a field goal during his short stint in Minnesota and now he can’t miss since getting a second chance in Oakland.Carlson returns to Minnesota on Sunday for the first time since the Vikings cut their former fifth-round pick two games into his rookie season and now he’s one of the game’s most accurate kickers.“Every kicker’s going to have ups and downs. That’s part of the job,” Carlson said. “Some days you’re going to be the hero and some days not so much. That’s part of it. You grow and hopefully you learn from those experiences. I think I have. I don’t think it’s going to be the last kick I ever miss. Hopefully, I play many, many years.”The Vikings expected that to happen in Minnesota after trading up to use a draft pick on a kicker for just the second time in 40 years.But Carlson didn’t get much of a chance to prove himself. He made a 48-yard field goal and all three extra points in his Vikings debut but things quickly turned sour from there.The next week in Green Bay, Carlson missed field goals of 48, 49 and 35 yards, with the last two failed tries coming in overtime and forcing the Vikings to settle for a 29-29 tie with the rival Packers.That led to his release and the time off he spent working on his technique and approach before signing a few weeks later with the Raiders.“Those were some tough times, getting cut early on in my NFL career, but it’s been fun seeing how it’s all worked out,” he said. “I’m in a great spot here in Oakland. I just want to improve and get better personally.”Carlson has made 18 of 19 field goals attempts and all 22 extra points since joining Oakland, providing a sense of security for coach Jon Gruden at that crucial position.Carlson’s biggest moment for the Raiders came last November when he kicked a 35-yard field goal on the final play of a 23-21 win at Arizona.“He’s an ice man,” Gruden said. “He’s kicked the ball in clutch situations. He helped us beat Arizona at the buzzer. His kickoffs have really improved, if you’ve seen that. He’s had some touchbacks. Great guy, got a huge upside, big leg, but we really are proud to have him.”Things have worked out better for Carlson since his release than they have for the Vikings. Minnesota signed veteran Dan Bailey to replace Carlson but that hasn’t gone smoothly.Bailey made just 21 of 28 field goals last season with six of his misses coming from inside 50 yards.That prompted the Vikings to trade a fifth-round pick this summer to Baltimore for kicker Kaare Vedvik. That pick proved to be a waste as well with Vedvik getting cut before the start of the season.Bailey retained the job but then missed a field goal and had an extra point blocked after a penalty pushed it back to 48 yards in last week’s 21-16 loss at Green Bay — the same place where Carlson’s tenure in Minnesota ended.Bailey is still building chemistry with new holder Britton Colquitt and hopes to get Minnesota’s long-troublesome kicking situation back on track.“I feel like we’re really coming along there. I feel like we all have a lot of confidence in each other,” Bailey said, reflecting on his miss against the Packers. “Obviously I would like for it to go in, and I wish I could have it back, but that’s the nature of this deal. I felt like I put a good hit on it, so there’s no alarms really going off on this end.”Bailey’s eight missed field goals over the past two seasons are the most in the NFL and Minnesota ranks last in the NFL with a 73.3% accuracy on field goals since letting Carlson go.All Carlson has done during that time is make his kicks, tying for the best field goal percentage in the NFL at 94.7% since signing with the Raiders last October.“Honestly Womens Bo Jackson Jersey , I’m happy for him,” Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said. “I mean, do I have regrets? I like our kicker who we have now, but did I second guess it? Sure. He’s done great there, and I think he’s a very, very talented kid. I wish him well, just not this week.”NOTES: The Raiders traded an undisclosed 2020 draft pick to Green Bay for return specialist Trevor Davis. Oakland’s returner, Dwayne Harris, missed a second straight practice with an ankle injury. … RT Trent Brown also missed practice for the second straight day with a sore knee. … RB Josh Jacobs (hip) and WR Tyrell Williams (hip) were both limited. Gruden has already hinted that he thinks the turf in Winnipeg is suspect and therefore he is hesitant to want to risk injuries to his starters by playing them. For that reason, I wouldn’t be..." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesSilver And Black Pride homepageHorizontal - WhiteSilver And Black Pridean Oakland Raiders communityFollow Silver And Black Pride online:Follow Silver And Black Pride on TwitterFollow Silver And Black Pride on FacebookLog in or sign upLog InSign UpSite searchSearchSearchSilver And Black Pride main menuFanpostsFanshotsRaidersOddsAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 321 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Raiders StoriesScheduleRosterStatsYahoo Raiders NewsYahoo Raiders Team PageYahoo Raiders ReportYahoo Raiders Depth ChartYahoo Raiders TransactionsYahoo Raiders PhotosOdds About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub ✕Five Raiders positions with most heated battles to win a spot in WinnipegNew,145commentsPDTShare this storyShare this on FacebookShare this on TwitterShareAll sharing optionsShareAll sharing options for:Five Raiders positions with most heated battles to win a spot in WinnipegTwitterFacebookRedditPocketFlipboardEmailPhoto by Robert Reiners/Getty ImagesGruden has already hinted that he thinks the turf in Winnipeg is suspect and therefore he is hesitant to want to risk injuries to his starters by playing them. For that reason, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a repeat of the first preseason game in which no established veterans and/or starters played in the game. And that means plenty of playing fighting for their NFL lives.Good guard, y’allThere will be a great opportunity early in the season for a guard to make this team that otherwise may not have. That’s because the Raiders will be without both of their starters for at least the first two weeks. Gabe Jackson figures to miss the first month of the season with an MCL injury and Richie Incognito is suspended the first two games.Leading the way to fill those spots are Jordan Devey at right guard and Denzelle Good — who just came off PUP — at left guard. Leading the way in the battling to either supplant them or back them up are Jonathan Cooper and Denver Kirkland. Cooper was in line to start in place of Incognito should Good not be ready. And Kirkland stepped in for Jackson initially when he went down and played well at right guard with the second team last week. Keep a close eye on those two in this game.SwingersThe other battle on the offensive line to watch is at swing tackle between 2018 third round pick Brandon Parker and 2017 4th round pick David Sharpe. Thus far the 6-8 Parker hasn’t looked great at right tackle and downright horrendous at left tackle. While Sharpe has held his own on either side. The former Florida tackle with one bad eye didn’t make the team out of camp last year, was signed by the Texans, cut, then re-signed with the Raiders. He may be coming into his own entering his third season, while Parker is showing no such indication entering his second.Wide openThe lower run of wide receivers on this team have already had plenty of opportunities this preseason to show their stuff. Antonio Brown hasn’t played a snap and Tyrell Williams played just the first series last week before leaving the field. The thing is, they may need the entire preseason to sort this one out.After the two starters, I would put the order of the receivers like this: Dwayne Harris (for his special teams abilities), JJ Nelson, Ryan Grant, Hunter Renfrow Bo Jackson Jersey , Keelan Doss, Marcell Ateman, Rico Gafford, Keon Hatcher, and De’Mornay Pierson-El.One could make a case for most of these guys to crack the roster in the right situation. Hatcher was the preseason star last year who had Gruden saying he would be thrown out the plane if Hatcher didn’t make the team. Then Gruden cut him after the opener to re-sign Martavis Bryant, and signed Hatcher to the practice squad. Gafford spent last year on the practice squad as well, switching from cornerback to wide receiver and he caught a 59-yard touchdown bomb last week in Arizona. He is lightning fast and you saw it on that play. Ateman is a big receiver with sure hands. He was the team’s 7th round pick last year and ended up starting games late last season due to injuries. Doss has put on a show thus far in the preseason and most are not surprised by this. He’s a very talented receiver who should have been drafted.Those are the guys on the outside looking in. Unless the team kept seven wide receivers, most of them will be cut. Good problem to have.Clogger logjamMaurice Hurst’s spot looks secure as the Raiders’ top rookie last season. As does Johnathan Hankins who played well last season and Gruden said was the Raiders most improved player. After that all bets are off. Justin Ellis is a former starter for the team. He hasn’t played in the first two preseason games and who knows if he will play Thursday night.Making a play to be part of the interior rotation are several hopefuls. PJ Hall was the team’s second round pick last year. He didn’t make an impact as a rookie and is now fighting for his roster spot. Anthony Rush had a monster first preseason game, but cooled off a bit in the second game. The coaches like him, but the undrafted rookie is a raw talent. Veteran Ethan Westbrooks has made a strong push as well. Returning after missing the first two preseason games with injury is Gabe Wright. He will have a chance to fight back into the competition as well.And in this corner...There are three starting cornerbacks on this team — Gareon Conley, Daryl Worley, and Lamarcus Joyner. Doubtful we see any of them in this game. The top fighters stepping under the ropes to duke it out for the remaining two or three spots are second round rookie Trayvon Mullen, veteran Nevin Lawson, fourth round rookie Isaiah Johnson, and 2018 fourth round pick Nick Nelson. Only Mullen is a lock. The others will have their work cut out for them. practicing with a concussion he suffered in the second preseason game. There will be an opening there might not have otherwise been because Lawson is suspended the first four games of the season, which means even if he were to beat out the others, his roster spot will be open until he returns, opening the door for someone else. How nice of him.That means there is at least one spot and maybe two up for grabs. In this game it will be up to Nick Nelson to outperform undrafted rookies Dylan Mabin and Keisean Nixon along with hopefuls Makinton Dorleant and Joshua Holsey. Of this group, Nixon has made the strongest case to grab a roster spot. He played well in both of the team’s preseason games thus far, so Nelson has to step it up.Follow @LeviDamien