Oakland Raiders coach Hue Jackson said Thursday that he asked the NFL why a penalty wasn’t called on Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh for removing his helmet after he blocked Sebastian Janikowski’s 65-yard field-goal attempt as time expired in last weekend’s 28-27 Detroit victory.

Players can be penalized 15 yards for removing their helmets on the field of play. That could have given Janikowski another field-goal try, this time from 50 yards.

But Jackson said league officials told him that the game was over when Suh removed his helmet, so no penalty was called.

“They had blown end of regulation,” Jackson said. “… So it’s like going to shake somebody’s hand. But it looked like it was close. It was inconclusive is what they said.”

Jackson spoke to league officials to complain about the number of penalties being called on the Raiders after their 27-21 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Week 11. The Raiders are on pace for 160 penalties for 1,374 yards, which would break the league record set by the 1998 Kansas City Chiefs.

“I’m not surprised anymore,” Jackson said. “I’m not bashing the officials; I’m not saying that. I just think if you ask me what’s been the difference (in losing close games), that’s been a big difference.”

Outwardly, Darrius Heyward-Bey seems no different from when he arrived as the controversial No. 7 overall pick of the 2009 draft.

He has the same easy smile and a lack of concern over statistics that at times seems to border on disinterest.

Heyward-Bey would shrug when his numbers suggested he was on his way to becoming a big-time draft bust, the same way he does now after emerging as the Raiders’ top receiver.

“I don’t care what critics say,” Heyward-Bey said. “All I care about is me, my teammates and my coaches.”

For two years, critics said a lot, and not without reason.

In two seasons, Heyward-Bey caught only 35 passes with nine drops. The fastest receiver in the draft was left in the dust by every other wide receiver selected in the first round.

Making it worse was the fact he was targeted 105 times with a reception rate of just 33.3 percent. It was that stat that prompted statistical analysis website Football Outsiders to pronounce Heyward-Bey one of the least valuable players in the entire NFL.

Through it all, former coach Tom Cable and Hue Jackson, first as offensive coordinator and then head coach, insisted Heyward-Bey was working hard at his craft. Results would follow, they promised.

In Year 3, while there is a ways to go for Heyward-Bey to be considered among the NFL’s elite receivers, he is at least competitive with the rest of his draft class and has put up respectable numbers.

With 51 receptions

for 775 yards and three touchdowns, Heyward-Bey will become the first wide receiver to lead the Raiders in receptions and yardage since Ronald Curry (55 receptions, 717 yards) in 2007.

His rate of receptions per target is up to 56.9 percent, and while still plagued by the occasional dropped pass, they are becoming more infrequent, with five in 14 games.

If Heyward-Bey was ever bothered by the pressure of being the first receiver taken in his draft class — and then struggling for two years — he never let on.

“You have your up and down days as a human being in general,” Heyward-Bey said. “I’ve been keeping steady for the most part. The only time I’ve ever not had confidence was in my sophomore year in high school when I didn’t make the varsity. Other than that, I really don’t care. I just go out and play ball.”

Heyward-Bey put it all on display — the good and the not-so-good — in Sunday’s 28-27 loss to the Detroit Lions. Carson Palmer threw to Heyward-Bey 11 times and completed eight for 155 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown.

On the touchdown, Heyward-Bey reached out and snagged the catch with two hands away from his body, something he didn’t always do in his first two seasons, then broke a tackle and used the 4.3-second 40-yard dash speed that made him a natural Al Davis selection to get into the end zone.

Later, Heyward-Bey broke two more tackles on a 29-yard gain, was stripped from behind and lost a fumble. Then on the final drive, he dropped a Palmer pass that may or may not have resulted in a Sebastian Janikowski field goal attempt in the 50-yard range — there were no timeouts and no guarantee Oakland would have gotten off another snap.

“I told you guys it was going to go his way because he works extremely hard,” Jackson said. “He’s a talented player and was very close to being the player of the game. He’s got things he needs to continue to work on, but he’s getting closer and his numbers speak for themselves.”

Chiefs cornerback Brandon Flowers sees a different receiver this year.

“He looks more confident in himself and in his hands,” Flowers said by conference call. “Before, it was like he was trying to do too much, he was trying to concentrate too hard instead of just relaxing. It’s like the game slowed down for him and he’s growing into his own as an NFL receiver.”

A big part in getting the most out of Heyward-Bey has been getting him in catch-and-run situations where he can use his 6-foot-3, 210-pound frame to his advantage. Flowers said opposing corners are sometimes reluctant to close on Heyward-Bey for fear he’ll run past them.

Heyward-Bey has yet to show he can make adjustments consistently under long passes, but Jackson thinks that part will develop.

“When he starts making those uncommon plays that you look for at that position, that’s when he’s arrived,” Jackson said.

ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP)—Oakland Raiders running back Darren McFadden did some
light jogging Tuesday but it remains uncertain whether he’ll play again this
season after being sidelined with an ankle injury since mid-October.

Just seeing McFadden doing something other than watching practice counted as
a milestone for the injured runner. It also gave coach Hue Jackson something to
smile about after three straight losses.

“He was moving around so that’s a good thing,” Jackson said. “A couple
weeks ago he attempted to do the same thing, so he has tried. We just want to
make sure he’s totally where he needs to be before we put him out there.”

The same goes for wide receiver Jacoby Ford, who has also progressed to
jogging after sitting out the past month with his own foot injury.

With a short week, the Raiders would be hard-pressed to get either on the
field for Saturday’s game in Kansas City.

Even the regular season finale against San Diego might be a stretch because
neither has practiced in more than a month—two in McFadden’s case.

There has been speculation all along that McFadden’s injury might be worse
than the Raiders were letting on. He initially needed crutches to get around and
wore a protective walking boot while making occasional appearances at practice.

McFadden didn’t have either as he jogged alongside Ford while the rest of
their teammates practiced in preparation for the Chiefs.

Jackson continues to hold out hope that McFadden can play again this season
but not at the risk of aggravating his condition. He suffered a setback after
attempting to jog last month, so Jackson is taking a cautious approach.

“He just wasn’t ready for that kind of work,” Jackson said. “We have to
be very careful with that. We don’t want to do anything that’s going to
jeopardize his career or his opportunity to play.”

The outlook is only slightly more optimistic for quarterback Jason Campbell.

Campbell has been throwing passes up to 30 yards in his attempt to return
after undergoing surgery for a broken collarbone in mid-October. He has yet to
resume practicing, however, and his conditioning is also an issue.

“He’s getting closer but still, throwing and being ready to have guys
coming at you, the cardio and all that, that’s a different deal,” Jackson said.
“I know he’s working at it. I’m sure he’s not just whipping (the ball) like you
need to throw it just yet but he’s getting closer to that.”

Notes: Darrius Heyward-Bey has 775 yards in receptions, the most by a
Raiders wide receiver since Randy Moss had 1,005 in 2005. … Safety Michael
Huff (hamstring) did not practice. … Injured rookie RB Taiwan Jones
(hamstring) was limited in practice but it was still his most extensive work in
more than a month.

ALAMEDA, Calif. – The Oakland Raiders don’t have much time to get over Sunday’s lopsided loss in Miami.

With a trip to undefeated Green Bay this week, whatever problems the Raiders (7-5) had against the Dolphins need to get corrected in a hurry.

There’s plenty to fix, too.

A sputtering offence that punted on eight of its first nine possessions against Miami. The defence which allowed 209 yards rushing, continuing a season-long troublesome trend. The special teams also had a critical breakdown.

There’s also the controversy over middle linebacker Rolando McClain playing three days after his arrest on misdemeanour assault, firearms and other charges in his Alabama hometown.

Moving on from all of that might be just as challenging for the Raiders as facing the Packers (12-0).

“We’re going to let it go but we ain’t going to forget,” coach Hue Jackson said on Monday. “We didn’t play well, I didn’t coach well. But the psyche of this team is very strong.”

That was the message Jackson delivered to his team less than 24 hours after the loss to Miami, a setback that dropped the Raiders into a first-place tie with the surging Denver Broncos in the AFC West.

Oakland fell back into many of its old habits against the Dolphins. The Raiders couldn’t stop Miami’s running game, converted only 2 of 11 third downs and were penalized 10 times to pad their league-leading total.

It was in stark contrast to the way the team played during its three-game winning streak and left Jackson and his staff scrambling for answers while trying to get their players focused on the Packers.

“Yeah, but it’s always been that way,” right tackle Khalif Barnes said. “We never lost that perspective. But when you drop one like that, it just puts it a little bit more into perspective. We’ll be OK.”

Apparently so will McClain.

Jackson initially said he wouldn’t wait for the NFL to take action against McClain for the incident, but backed off after meeting with the second-year player Saturday.

Now Jackson is taking a wait-and-see approach.

“I’m comfortable in my mind that the charges that people are saying and the things that they’re saying that he did, I don’t think that he did that,” Jackson said. “If I find out differently, if I’ve been led down the other brick road, then I will adjust accordingly. At some point I got to take a stand, and I’m taking a stand behind my player.”

McClain did not start but played extensively against the Dolphins. He’s expected to be back in Oakland’s starting lineup in Green Bay.

Lambeau Field isn’t exactly the best place for the Raiders to correct their on-field issues.

Oakland’s run defence is 28th in the NFL and opponents are gaining a league-high 5.2 yards per carry against the Raiders.

Green Bay’s defence has struggled at times, which might be encouraging if the Raiders were not coming off one of their worst offensive performances of the season.

Although they managed 304 yards of offence, the Raiders trailed 34-0 midway through the fourth quarter before quarterback Carson Palmer threw a pair of late touchdown passes to avoid the shutout.

“(Miami) provided the blueprint for everybody else, so it’s time for me to go back to the drawing board,” Jackson said. “These challenges don’t get any easier. They get harder.”

There’s plenty to fix, too.

A sputtering offense that punted on eight of its first nine possessions against Miami. The defense which allowed 209 yards rushing, continuing a season-long troublesome trend. The special teams also had a critical breakdown.

There’s also the controversy over middle linebacker Rolando McClain playing three days after his arrest on misdemeanor assault, firearms and other charges in his Alabama hometown.

Moving on from all of that might be just as challenging for the Raiders as facing the Packers (12-0).

“We’re going to let it go but we ain’t going to forget,” coach Hue Jackson said on Monday. “We didn’t play well, I didn’t coach well. But the psyche of this team is very strong.”

That was the message Jackson delivered to his team less than 24 hours after the loss to Miami, a setback that dropped the Raiders into a first-place tie with the surging Denver Broncos in the AFC West.

Oakland fell back into many of its old habits against the Dolphins. The Raiders couldn’t stop Miami’s running game, converted only 2 of 11 third downs and were penalized 10 times to pad their league-leading total.

It was in stark contrast to the way the team played during its three-game winning streak and left Jackson and his staff scrambling for answers while trying to get their players focused on the Packers.

“Yeah, but it’s always been that way,” right tackle Khalif Barnes said. “We never lost that perspective. But when you drop one like that, it just puts it a little bit more into perspective. We’ll be OK.”

Apparently so will McClain.

Jackson initially said he wouldn’t wait for the NFL to take action against McClain for the incident, but backed off after meeting with the second-year player Saturday.

Now Jackson is taking a wait-and-see approach.

“I’m comfortable in my mind that the charges that people are saying and the things that they’re saying that he did, I don’t think that he did that,” Jackson said. “If I find out differently, if I’ve been led down the other brick road, then I will adjust accordingly. At some point I got to take a stand, and I’m taking a stand behind my player.”

McClain did not start but played extensively against the Dolphins. He’s expected to be back in Oakland’s starting lineup in Green Bay.

Lambeau Field isn’t exactly the best place for the Raiders to correct their on-field issues.

Oakland’s run defense is 28th in the NFL and opponents are gaining a league-high 5.2 yards per carry against the Raiders.

Green Bay’s defense has struggled at times, which might be encouraging if the Raiders were not coming off one of their worst offensive performances of the season.

Although they managed 304 yards of offense, the Raiders trailed 34-0 midway through the fourth quarter before quarterback Carson Palmer threw a pair of late touchdown passes to avoid the shutout.

“(Miami) provided the blueprint for everybody else, so it’s time for me to go back to the drawing board,” Jackson said. “These challenges don’t get any easier. They get harder.”

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) — The Oakland Raiders don’t have much time to get over Sunday’s lopsided loss in Miami.

With a trip to undefeated Green Bay this week, whatever problems the Raiders (7-5) had against the Dolphins need to get corrected in a hurry.

There’s plenty to fix, too.

A sputtering offense that punted on eight of its first nine possessions against Miami. The defense which allowed 209 yards rushing, continuing a season-long troublesome trend. The special teams also had a critical breakdown.

There’s also the controversy over middle linebacker Rolando McClain playing three days after his arrest on misdemeanor assault, firearms and other charges in his Alabama hometown.

Moving on from all of that might be just as challenging for the Raiders as facing the Packers (12-0).

“We’re going to let it go but we ain’t going to forget,” coach Hue Jackson said on Monday. “We didn’t play well, I didn’t coach well. But the psyche of this team is very strong.”

That was the message Jackson delivered to his team less than 24 hours after the loss to Miami, a setback that dropped the Raiders into a first-place tie with the surging Denver Broncos in the AFC West.

Oakland fell back into many of its old habits against the Dolphins. The Raiders couldn’t stop Miami’s running game, converted only 2 of 11 third downs and were penalized 10 times to pad their league-leading total.

It was in stark contrast to the way the team played during its three-game winning streak and left Jackson and his staff scrambling for answers while trying to get their players focused on the Packers.

“Yeah, but it’s always been that way,” right tackle Khalif Barnes said. “We never lost that perspective. But when you drop one like that, it just puts it a little bit more into perspective. We’ll be OK.”

Apparently so will McClain.

Jackson initially said he wouldn’t wait for the NFL to take action against McClain for the incident, but backed off after meeting with the second-year player Saturday.

Now Jackson is taking a wait-and-see approach.

“I’m comfortable in my mind that the charges that people are saying and the things that they’re saying that he did, I don’t think that he did that,” Jackson said. “If I find out differently, if I’ve been led down the other brick road, then I will adjust accordingly. At some point I got to take a stand, and I’m taking a stand behind my player.”

McClain did not start but played extensively against the Dolphins. He’s expected to be back in Oakland‘s starting lineup in Green Bay.

Lambeau Field isn’t exactly the best place for the Raiders to correct their on-field issues.

Oakland’s run defense is 28th in the NFL and opponents are gaining a league-high 5.2 yards per carry against the Raiders.

Green Bay’s defense has struggled at times, which might be encouraging if the Raiders were not coming off one of their worst offensive performances of the season.

Although they managed 304 yards of offense, the Raiders trailed 34-0 midway through the fourth quarter before quarterback Carson Palmer threw a pair of late touchdown passes to avoid the shutout.

“(Miami) provided the blueprint for everybody else, so it’s time for me to go back to the drawing board,” Jackson said. “These challenges don’t get any easier. They get harder.”

“I feel pretty good,” Heyward-Bey said. “They did a good job of taking care of me and making sure I was OK.”

Heyward-Bey moved around without limitations and showed no lingering effects from the scary hit in Sunday’s win over the Vikings.

Oakland’s third-year wide receiver caught a 4-yard pass from Palmer on a crossing route when he was initially hit by cornerback Cedric Griffin. After Griffin spun Heyward-Bey around as he was making the tackle, Henderson came in to help, but his left knee collided with the back of Heyward-Bey’s neck, knocking the Raiders player’s helmet off in the process.

Heyward-Bey lay on the turf for several anxious moments before being carted off the field with his body and head taped down to prevent movement. He was taken to a local hospital, but was released and joined his teammates for the flight back to Oakland.

After wearing a neck brace earlier this week and going through a battery of concussion tests, Heyward-Bey was cleared to practice this week.

“I was really pleased with his practice today,” Raiders coach Hue Jackson said. “He did some good things, made some plays and caught some balls. We’ll see where he is but he looked good today. That (concussion) part’s behind him. It’s just now the soreness of the body.”

That’s an encouraging sign for Oakland, which was down to two healthy receivers on its 53-man roster earlier in the week. Now Jackson’s team is almost back to full strength.

T.J. Houshmandzadeh also returned to the field after leaving town to be with his wife for the birth of their child. Jacoby Ford is making progress from his left foot injury and is no longer wearing a protective boot. Rookie Denarius Moore is also walking without the use of a protective boot.

Heyward-Bey and Moore are both questionable while Ford is out.

Jackson has some options if the Raiders are short on receivers for Sunday’s game against the Bears. Fullback Marcel Reece and rookie tight end David Ausberry both played wide receiver in college and could be used in a pinch.

One player who Jackson won’t use at receiver is Terrelle Pryor, the multi-talented athlete from Ohio State who has been the emergency quarterback every week since returning from his five-game NFL suspension.

“I wouldn’t do that to him,” Jackson said. “He’s a quarterback and that’s the position he plays. I wouldn’t put him in that situation.”

Defensive tackle Richard Seymour also practiced for the first time in two weeks, while defensive end Lamarr Houston worked out in full pads after sitting out Wednesday’s practice.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP)—Oakland Raiders wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey(notes)
practiced without pain five days after injuring his neck and spine and suffering
a concussion while being tackled by Minnesota linebacker E.J. Henderson(notes).

Heyward-Bey, the Raiders’ leading receiver this season, ran patterns and
caught passes from quarterback Carson Palmer(notes) during a light non-contact drill
and took part in some team drills as well Friday. That was slightly more than he
was able to do a day earlier when he worked out for the first time since the
injury.

“I feel pretty good,” Heyward-Bey said. “They did a good job of taking
care of me and making sure I was OK.”

Heyward-Bey moved around without limitations and showed no lingering effects
from the scary hit in Sunday’s win over the Vikings.

Oakland’s third-year wide receiver caught a 4-yard pass from Palmer on a
crossing route when he was initially hit by cornerback Cedric Griffin(notes). After
Griffin spun Heyward-Bey around as he was making the tackle, Henderson came in
to help, but his left knee collided with the back of Heyward-Bey’s neck,
knocking the Raiders player’s helmet off in the process.

Heyward-Bey lay on the turf for several anxious moments before being carted
off the field with his body and head taped down to prevent movement. He was
taken to a local hospital, but was released and joined his teammates for the
flight back to Oakland.

After wearing a neck brace earlier this week and going through a battery of
concussion tests, Heyward-Bey was cleared to practice this week.

“I was really pleased with his practice today,” Raiders coach Hue Jackson
said. “He did some good things, made some plays and caught some balls. We’ll
see where he is but he looked good today. That (concussion) part’s behind him.
It’s just now the soreness of the body.”

That’s an encouraging sign for Oakland, which was down to two healthy
receivers on its 53-man roster earlier in the week. Now Jackson’s team is almost
back to full strength.

T.J. Houshmandzadeh(notes) also returned to the field after leaving town to be with
his wife for the birth of their child. Jacoby Ford(notes) is making progress from his
left foot injury and is no longer wearing a protective boot. Rookie Denarius
Moore(notes) is also walking without the use of a protective boot.

Heyward-Bey and Moore are both questionable while Ford is out.

Jackson has some options if the Raiders are short on receivers for Sunday’s
game against the Bears. Fullback Marcel Reece(notes) and rookie tight end David
Ausberry(notes) both played wide receiver in college and could be used in a pinch.

One player who Jackson won’t use at receiver is Terrelle Pryor(notes), the
multi-talented athlete from Ohio State who has been the emergency quarterback
every week since returning from his five-game NFL suspension.

“I wouldn’t do that to him,” Jackson said. “He’s a quarterback and that’s
the position he plays. I wouldn’t put him in that situation.”

Defensive tackle Richard Seymour(notes) also practiced for the first time in two
weeks, while defensive end Lamarr Houston(notes) worked out in full pads after sitting
out Wednesday’s practice.

Jackson talked to league officials on Monday, a day after he said calls against his team in a 27-21 win at Minnesota were unfair, complained that he could not get explanations of calls from referee Jerome Boger’s crew and said he didn’t “even know what football is right now” with the way some personal fouls were called.

“Obviously after yesterday I’ve probably reached my boiling point,” Jackson said Monday.

After spending most of his first season as Raiders coach refusing to criticize officials publicly, Jackson snapped after the latest game that included four personal fouls, including three on one touchdown drive by Minnesota in the first quarter.

“All I ask is that when people deal with our football team, that it’s done fairly,” Jackson said. “Now across the league everyone says everything is fair, and I’m not saying that it’s not. But yesterday it was one game that I felt very uncomfortable with what had happened. I was able to address it today. I said what I said yesterday and felt very strongly about and still feel strongly about it today. But I’m going to move on from that because that does me no good, our football team no good.”

Jackson said he did not expect to get fined for his comments and the league would address the complaints publicly. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said coaches can call head of officiating Carl Johnson for explanations of any calls and that the league looked forward to answering Jackson’s questions.

The latest penalty spree started on a first quarter drive when defensive tackle Tommy Kelly was called for a blow to quarterback Christian Ponder’s head on a sack that would have forced a punt. Linebacker Aaron Curry then received 15 yards for what the officials called roughing a defenseless receiver on a completion to Kyle Rudolph and safety Tyvon Branch was whistled for a facemask on Percy Harvin.

Defensive lineman Desmond Bryant was later called for unnecessary roughness in the fourth quarter.

The Raiders have already committed 17 defensive personal fouls this season — more than double the total of 29 teams and the most in the league since the Chiefs had 19 in 1998.

“The thing about it is football is a game full of personal fouls,” said Curry, who has three in just five games with Oakland. “They’re all personal. It all depends on whether a referee decides to throw his flag or not. Every hit we make, they’re all borderline.”

Oakland finished the game with 12 penalties for 117 yards. That keeps the Raiders on a record-setting pace. At this rate, Oakland would finish the season with 164 penalties for 1,427 yards — surpassing the totals of 158 for 1,304 yards by Kansas City in 1998.

Jackson vowed at the beginning of the season to solve the penalty woes. He has had officials at most practices to try to curtail the infractions and the players have instituted fines for some penalties. They’re still happening, so now Jackson is taking a different tack.

“At the end of the day, we still need to get better at doing what we do, but on top of that I just want to make sure that just because we do need to get better in some areas people aren’t saying, ‘OK, let’s have a great day throwing this flag today because there’s the Raiders out here,’” Jackson said. “I think it’s been addressed and we’ll go forward.”

In years past, penalties played a role in the Raiders’ struggles. Oakland has committed at least 100 penalties every year since 2000, including during a run of eight straight seasons without a winning record.

So far, the Raiders (6-4) have been able to overcome the penalties and are in first place in the AFC West.

“We’ve got better players than we had in the past,” Kelly said. “I’ve been around here eight years so I pretty much know what we’ve had in this locker room and we have better players. But we’re also making the job a lot harder than we have to. We say that to ourselves a lot on the sideline. But in the end all you’ve got to do is win the game.”

Notes: K Sebastian Janikowski is still hampered by an injured left hamstring and had a 49-yard FG attempt blocked. … WR Darrius Heyward-Bey was feeling better a day after being carted off the field with his neck stabilized after a scary collision with Minnesota linebacker E.J. Henderson. … Jackson said he would not know the status of running back Darren McFadden and receiver Jacoby Ford until later in the week. Both players have been sidelined by a sprained foot.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.