The Oakland Raiders look like they will be relying on some young depth at wide receiver when they visit Ralph Wilson Stadium to face the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

The Raiders’ No. 2 receiver, Jacoby Ford, sat out a second straight day of practice Thursday due to a sore hamstring he injured Monday at Denver. Raiders coach Hue Jackson said after the workout there was a possibility Ford could play in Buffalo. The Raiders’ No. 3 receiver, Louis Murphy, missed the Denver game with a groin injury and has missed two straight days of practice, as well. He’s expected to be out.

The Raiders’ No. 1 receiver, Darrius Heyward-Bey, wasn’t able to finish Thursday’s practice after tweaking a knee. But he indicated to reporters it wasn’t serious.

Oakland ranked No. 2 in rushing and No. 23 in passing last season.

In Ford’s absence, it’s probable that Chaz Schilens would start with Heyward-Bey. Schilens, 6-foot-4 and 225, is a fourth-year player who caught 5 passes last season. Nick Miller saw some snaps with the starters Thursday. He’s a third-year player who was undrafted in 2009. Denarius Moore is the next wideout. He’s a rookie fifth-round draft choice.

Raiders star defensive tackle Richard Seymour and starting free safety Michael Huff each missed practice for a second straight day. So did backup strong safety Michael Miller. Seymour, who had two of Oakland’s five sacks against Denver, has sore ribs. Jackson said he expected Seymour “back soon” and held out hope Huff might play.

Huff’s replacement would be seventh-year man Matt Giordano, who was released on the final cutdown but picked back up.

Raiders starting cornerback Chris Johnson practiced fully Thursday after being limited Wednesday. Both of Oakland’s backup cornerbacks are rookies — third-round pick DeMarcus Van Dyke and fourth-round pick Chimdi Chekwa.

Raiders tight end Kevin Boss has been out since Aug. 20 with a knee injury but expects to play.

The Bills are relatively healthy, besides cornerback Terrence McGee, out with a hamstring injury.

Bills receiver Stevie Johnson sat out practice. Coach Chan Gailey said he was rested due to a sore groin. Johnson expects to practice today.

“Stevie’s been having a nagging groin for a month, so we just gave him a rest today,” Gailey said after the team’s workout.

Defensive tackle Torell Troup (sore back) was in uniform but was limited. Linebacker Arthur Moats (sore knee) was limited, too, Gailey said.

On Troup, Gailey said: “He couldn’t go the full way, but he got better.”

mgaughan@buffnews.comnull

Updated Sep 11, 2011 12:50 AM ET

ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP)

The Oakland Raiders will be without tight end Kevin Boss for their opener at Denver on Monday night.

Boss was ruled out of the game Saturday because of a knee strain sustained against San Francisco in the preseason on Aug. 20. He appeared to make some progress shortly after getting hurt but hasn’t returned to practice since then.

Sensing Boss might not be ready for the opener, Oakland kept four tight ends on its 53-man roster, though none of the remaining three have much experience.

Brandon Myers, the likely starter with Boss out, has five starts in two years and only 16 career receptions. David Ausberry and Richard Gordon are both rookies.

For Myers, it will be his first game in prime time since the Raiders lost to the San Diego Chargers 24-20 in their 2009 opener.

”It’s a different atmosphere so everyone’s kind of jacked up a little bit,” Myers said. ”I’m confident in myself and my abilities. I just feel like my play has been consistent. I think that’s what every football player tries to do.”

Boss signed a four-year, $16 million deal on Aug. 5 after the Raiders lost Zach Miller to free agency. Miller, who led the team in receptions each of the past three seasons, signed with the Seattle Seahawks to join ex-Oakland teammate Robert Gallery and former Raiders coach Tom Cable.

Wide receiver Louis Murphy (sports hernia) and backup safety Mike Mitchell (knee) have also been ruled out for Oakland.

Murphy, the team’s fourth-round draft pick in 2009, underwent surgery for a sports hernia early in training camp and told reporters he might not return until Oakland’s home opener against the New York Jets on Sept. 25.

”That’s what we’re shooting for,” said Murphy, who led all Raiders wide receivers with 41 catches a year ago ”I’ve been jogging and doing some light sprints. Just been trying to get back into the groove of things. It’s coming along real well.”

ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) — The Oakland Raiders will be without tight end Kevin Boss for their opener at Denver on Monday night.

Boss was ruled out of the game Saturday because of a knee strain sustained against San Francisco in the preseason on Aug. 20. He appeared to make some progress shortly after getting hurt but hasn’t returned to practice since then.

Sensing Boss might not be ready for the opener, Oakland kept four tight ends on its 53-man roster, though none of the remaining three have much experience.

Brandon Myers, the likely starter with Boss out, has five starts in two years and only 16 career receptions. David Ausberry and Ben Gordon are both rookies.

For Myers, it will be his first game in prime time since the Raiders lost to the San Diego Chargers 24-20 in their 2009 opener.

“It’s a different atmosphere so everyone’s kind of jacked up a little bit,” Myers said. “I’m confident in myself and my abilities. I just feel like my play has been consistent. I think that’s what every football player tries to do.”

Boss signed a four-year, $16 million deal on Aug. 5 after the Raiders lost Zach Miller to free agency. Miller, who led the team in receptions each of the past three seasons, signed with the Seattle Seahawks to join ex-Oakland teammate Robert Gallery and former Raiders coach Tom Cable.

Wide receiver Louis Murphy (sports hernia) and backup safety Mike Mitchell (knee) have also been ruled out for Oakland.

Murphy, the team’s fourth-round draft pick in 2009, underwent surgery for a sports hernia early in training camp and told reporters he might not return until Oakland’s home opener against the New York Jets on Sept. 25.

“That’s what we’re shooting for,” said Murphy, who led all Raiders wide receivers with 41 catches a year ago “I’ve been jogging and doing some light sprints. Just been trying to get back into the groove of things. It’s coming along real well.”

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

Al Saunders was a teenager when he first worked for the Oakland
Raiders, serving as a ball boy in Al Davis’ first year as coach
with the franchise in 1963.

Nearly five decades later, Saunders is back in a much more
substantial role as offensive coordinator on coach Hue Jackson’s
staff as the Raiders try to return to a level of success that has
eluded them during a run of eight straight non-winning seasons.

“As a kid, this was my team,” Saunders said. “When you get to
the tail end of your career, there are a lot of things more
important in what you do than some other things. I would love to
see this franchise return to the way it was when I was a kid
growing up. I’d like to help the guy that I was a ball boy for
years ago, maybe return this franchise to the class and the quality
that it was many years ago. I would really feel great if I could
make a contribution in that regard.”

Saunders, an accomplished marathon runner, is still full of
energy at age 64. He often sprints down the practice field to
congratulate someone after a big play and has even chased a
receiver and knocked the ball out of his hands as he gets to the
end zone to teach a lesson about ball security.

But Saunders brings more than energy to the job. He is also
famous for his voluminous playbook, which quarterback Jason
Campbell compares to Webster’s Dictionary, and vast knowledge of
the passing game learned under Don Coryell.

Saunders has been involved with some of the most prolific
offenses in the NFL during his three decades as an assistant or
head coach from San Diego in the 1980s to the Super Bowl champion
St. Louis Rams in 1999 to a Kansas City Chiefs team that led the
league in total offense during his five years as coordinator from
2001-05.

“Coach Saunders is very detailed,” said Campbell, who spent two
years in Washington with Saunders. “He does a lot of different
things. He just wants to see things done right and pretty much help
us improve where we left off last year, just continue to grow and
continue to get better.”

When Jackson got hired in January to replace Tom Cable one of
the first calls he made was to Saunders to be his offensive
coordinator.

Jackson had talked to Saunders about being on his staff long
before he ever got the job, having told him during their time
together as assistants in Baltimore that he would hire him when he
became a head coach.

While Jackson will remain the play-caller, Saunders is deeply
involved in coaching the quarterbacks and running the offense.

“He allows me to be all that I can be for this team, and what he
does for our offense is just tremendous, with the quarterbacks,
with the offensive line, with the whole offense,” Jackson said. “So
it makes me very comfortable when I need to run around and be a
part of the defense, special teams or anything, Al Saunders is
definitely the right guy for me and for this organization and for
this team.”

Saunders is a perfect fit for the Raiders, having been schooled
in the same type of offense that Davis employed in his coaching
career.

Davis came to the Raiders after working for passing game
visionary Sid Gillman with the Chargers. Gillman also influenced
Coryell, who gave Saunders his start in the NFL as an assistant in
San Diego in 1983.

“Al Davis has always been a proponent of the vertical passing
game,” Saunders said. “He worked for Sid Gillman, and Sid was a
great influence on me as a young coach and certainly on Don
Coryell. So we’re in the same philosophy of football, the
philosophy of attacking the seams and getting the ball up the
field, and going from deep to short rather than going from short to
deep.”

Saunders believes that system is well suited to Campbell and the
speedy playmakers on the Raiders offense.

From running backs Darren McFadden and Taiwan Jones to receivers
like Jacoby Ford and Darrius Heyward-Bey, the Raiders have an
abundance of speed on offense. They even have a former college wide
receiver playing fullback in Marcel Reece, giving Oakland speed
throughout the offense to take advantage of favorable matchups.

“Depending on people’s defensive structure, we can put players
like that who are a matchup advantage for us in positions to take
advantage of maybe inferior one-on-one coverage defenders,”
Saunders said. “The whole precept of this organization in the past
has been draft speed. Get guys that can run fast. Now what we have
to do as coaches is make sure they’re in the right places to run
fast by people that they can run by.”

The Raiders didn’t show much of that in the preseason, losing
all four of their games and scoring only three touchdowns. But
McFadden didn’t play a single snap, Ford played only briefly in the
fourth game and Oakland used what Jackson described as a “vanilla
ice cream” offense.

The full offense should be on display for the opener Monday
night in Denver.

Notes: The Raiders held their first night-time practice
Wednesday to prepare for the opener, bringing in two banks of
lights. … WR Louis Murphy, S Mike Mitchell and TE Kevin Boss sat
out with injuries. … WR Chaz Schilens said he is good to go for
the opener after missing the final three exhibition games with a
knee injury.

Eric Risberg/Associated Press

OAKLAND, Calif. — There are plenty of questions about the Oakland Raiders defense after being shredded by big pass plays by Arizona and gashed by the run by San Francisco in the first two exhibition games.

With Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints coming to town tonight for what is considered a regular-season dress rehearsal, the Raiders know they will be exposed on national TV if they haven’t solved those problems.

“This is probably the best test that we can get playing against a tremendous offensive football team with a quarterback that I think is one of the best in football,” coach Hue Jackson said. “It’s a great test for our football team.”

With starters usually getting their most extensive playing time of the preseason, the third exhibition game is often viewed as the best gauge for where a team stands heading into the season.

Rarely has that game predicted what was to come better than it was two years ago when New Orleans came to Oakland and dismantled the Raiders, 45-7. The Saints went on to win their first 13 regular-season games and then the Super Bowl a little more than five months later, topping 40 points in four of the first six contests.

The Raiders, on the other hand, went on to their NFL-worst seventh consecutive season of at least 11 losses, with five of those losses coming by at least 20 points.

In a game two years ago, Brees completed 14 of 17 passes for 179 yards and drove the Saints to touchdowns on all three drives he played. The offense clicked so well that coach Sean Payton pulled most of his starters early in the second quarter instead of playing them into the third quarter as planned.

“They’re obviously a much better team than they were two years ago,” Brees said. “I feel like we have the ability to be a better team than we were two years ago. That’s our goal, to build this team and develop young players. We just want to play well. If we walk away from that Oakland game and we play well … it makes you feel like we have a chance to play well and continue growing in that first game.”

Mark Brunell led two touchdown drives after that as the Saints took a 31-0 halftime lead, outgaining Oakland, 344-60, in the first two quarters.

Raiders cornerback Stanford Routt needed little reminding this week about what happened two years ago and said he views this game as a good barometer for what’s to come this season.

“This is definitely going to be a test to see where we are, mentally, physically, just as a whole defense, offense,” Routt said. “It’s going to show a little bit of where you’re going to be able to start the season.”

The Saints have split their first two exhibition games with vastly different defensive performances. New Orleans used an aggressive, blitzing defense to beat San Francisco, 24-3, in the opener before giving up 436 yards in a 27-14 loss last week at Houston.

New Orleans is looking for a bounce-back performance in what may be the last opportunity for many starters to play this preseason.

“The Raiders have a great running game, so that’s a great early test for us,” linebacker Will Herring said. “For me personally, anywhere I’m lining up, my goal has to be to stop their run. We’re going to get a good barometer of where we are right now.”

Payton said he plans to play his starters on both sides of the ball for the entire first half and then possibly play one unit a little bit in the third quarter depending on how the game played out.

Jackson hasn’t committed to how much his starters will play and even which ones will see the field. Oakland was without some key offensive players in losses to Arizona and San Francisco to open the preseason, including star running back Darren McFadden (broken orbital bone) and big-play receiver Jacoby Ford (broken hand).

Both players returned to practice this week but Jackson might not want to risk injuries with them. Oakland also will be without key receivers Louis Murphy and Chaz Schilens and tight end Kevin Boss. Quarterback Jason Campbell, who left the game last week early after getting kneed in the helmet, is expected to play. This game should provide a stiff test to some of Oakland’s young cornerbacks, who have been struggling this summer. With All Pro Nnamdi Asomugha gone to free agency and starter Chris Johnson hurt, rookies DeMarcus Van Dyke and Chimdi Chekwa and second-year players Walter McFadden and Jeremy Ware have gotten plenty of opportunities this preseason.

First published on August 28, 2011 at 12:00 am

“This is probably the best test that we can get playing against a tremendous offensive football team with a quarterback that I think is one of the best in football,” coach Hue Jackson said. “It’s a great test for our football team.”

With starters usually getting their most extensive playing time of the preseason, the third exhibition game is often viewed as the best gauge for where a team stands heading into the season.

Rarely has that game predicted what was to come better than it was two years ago when New Orleans came to Oakland and dismantled the Raiders 45-7. The Saints went on to win their first 13 regular season games and then the Super Bowl a little more than five months later, topping 40 points in four of the first six contests.

The Raiders, on the other hand, went on to their NFL-worst seventh straight season of at least 11 losses, with five of those losses coming by at least 20 points.

In the game two years ago, Brees completed 14 of 17 passes for 179 yards and drove the Saints to touchdowns on all three drives he played. The offense clicked so well that coach Sean Payton pulled most of his starters early in the second quarter instead of playing them into the third quarter as planned.

“They’re obviously a much better team than they were two years ago,” Brees said. “I feel like we have the ability to be a better team than we were two years ago. That’s our goal, to build this team and develop young players. We just want to play well. If we walk away from that Oakland game and we play well … it makes you feel like we have a chance to play well and continue growing in that first game.”

Mark Brunell led a pair of touchdown drives after that as the Saints took a 31-0 halftime lead, outgaining Oakland 344-60 in the first two quarters.

Raiders cornerback Stanford Routt needed little reminding this week about what happened two years ago and said he views this game as a good barometer for what’s to come this season.

“This is definitely going to be a test to see where we are, mentally, physically, just as a whole defense, offense,” Routt said. “It’s going to show a little bit of where you’re going to be able to start the season.”

The Saints have split their first two exhibition games with vastly different defensive performances. New Orleans used an aggressive, blitzing defense to beat San Francisco 24-3 in the opener before giving up 436 yards in a 27-14 loss at Houston last week.

New Orleans is looking for a bounce-back performance in what may be the last opportunity for many starters to play this preseason.

“The Raiders have a great running game, so that’s a great early test for us,” linebacker Will Herring said. “For me personally, anywhere I’m lining up, my goal has to be to stop their run. We’re going to get a good barometer of where we are right now.”

Payton said he plans to play his starters on both sides of the ball for the entire first half and then possibly play one unit a little bit in the third quarter depending on how the game played out.

Jackson hasn’t committed to how much his starters will play and even which ones will see the field. Oakland was without some key offensive players in losses to Arizona and San Francisco to open the preseason, including star running back Darren McFadden (broken orbital bone) and big-play receiver Jacoby Ford (broken hand).

Both players returned to practice this week but Jackson might not want to risk injuries with them. Oakland also will be without key receivers Louis Murphy and Chaz Schilens and tight end Kevin Boss. Quarterback Jason Campbell, who left last week’s game early after getting kneed in the helmet, is expected to play.

This game should provide a stiff test to some of Oakland’s young cornerbacks, who have been struggling this summer. With All Pro Nnamdi Asomugha gone to free agency and starter Chris Johnson hurt, rookies DeMarcus Van Dyke and Chimdi Chekwa and second-year players Walter McFadden and Jeremy Ware have gotten plenty of opportunities this preseason.

They have struggled in practice and the two games, allowing 297 yards passing to Arizona in the exhibition opener. Facing Brees and one of the NFL’s most sophisticated pass offenses will be a stiff test for the Raiders unproven cornerbacks.

“If somebody catches a ball on you early, it’s no reason to get down,” Routt said. “I’ll leave that to you guys to go ahead and criticize everybody. It’s just football. You’ll never see a game where there are no balls caught by a receiver, and you’ll never see a game where there’s not one pass completed by a quarterback.”

___

AP Sports Writer Greg Beacham in Oxnard, Calif., contributed to this report.

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

Read More: Darrius Heyward-Bey (WR – OAK), Oakland Raiders

The Raiders gave fans something to be excited about after their first preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals. Considering it was the first preseason game after a shortened off season, the Raiders looked surprisingly prepared for the regular season.

In their second preseaoson game, the Raiders gave their fans something to be worried about. Just a week after the 49ers saw their quarterbacks get demonilshed by the New Orleans Saints, the Raiders struggled to put pressure on the 49ers quarterbacks.

Not only did the Raiders defensive line struggle to put pressure on 49ers passers, they also began to look like the Raiders of seasons past who just could not stop the run. 49ers runningbacks had a great day against a Raiders defensive line that many thought could make a legitimate argument for being one of the best in the league.

If the struggles along the defensive line weren’t bad enough, the Raiders offense looked, well Niners-esque on Saturday. The running game never got going and the passing game struggled at times, especially in terms of keeping pressure off of the Oakland Raiders quarterbacks.

Shockingly, one of the few bright spots for the Raiders was former first round pick, Darrius Heyward-Bey.

In his first preseason game, Heyward-Bey mad an impressive catch (with his hands and not his body no less) that caught many fans off guard. Then, against the Niners, Heyward-Bey made two very impressive catches. Both while in tight coverage and neither was an easy catch.

Meanwhile, the reciever that everyone was anxious to see did not have the breakout game that most were hoping. Fifth round pick, Denarious Moore has been all the talk of the Radiers off season. Impressing in camp with his playmaking abilities, he appeared to be the next Jacoby Ford.

Moore had back to back catches for first downs in the first half of the game, but was unable to do anything else at the wide receiver position. He did however, have the opportunity to return a kickoff, and once again looked explosive, taking it 48 yards and putting the Raiders in good field position.

Even if Moore does not break the starting lineup as a wide receiver, he should be the Raiders new kick returner come opening day. This is big for two reasons. First, it means that the Raiders’ struggles to find a good kick returner are in the past as they have both Moore and Ford. It is also important because if Ford is going to have a big season as a wide receiver, the Raiders will not want to risk him getting injured on kick returns.

This was only a preaseason game, but it certainly did not go the way that the Raiders had hoped it would. It is not the end of the world by any means, but it made one thing clear: the Raiders still have a lot they need to work on if they want to make a push for the playoffs this season.

Injuries

The Raiders’ ridiculous string of injuries continued on Saturday as starting quarterback Jason Campbell and starting tight end Kevin Boss both suffered injuries against the 49ers.

It appears as though Campbell may have suffered a concussion when he was sacked towards the end of the first half. Fortunately for the Raiders, it does not look too serious, and he will likely be back practicing sometime this week.

Kevin Boss on the otherhand, may miss a little more time. Boss sprained his knee in the game and is week to week, which means he will likely miss at least one preseason game.

So far, none of the Raiders’ injures, besides the injury to Hiram Eugene, have been too serious, with Louis Murphy being the only player likely to miss the start of the season. It is however, still very disconcerting to see so many Raiders go down with injuries this preseason. Having a healthy squad is pivitol to the Raiders success this season.