The Oakland Raiders, looking under every stone for additional cap space, have found some wiggle room.

Linebacker Aaron Curry has restructured his contract with the team, lowering his 2012 cap figure from $5.757 million to $992,000, Scout.com reported Tuesday, citing a league source with knowledge of the situation.

That means a savings of $4.76 million for the Raiders, who entered Tuesday with just $640,000 in cap room, according to NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora.

Scout.com reports that Curry, traded to Oakland from the Seattle Seahawks during the 2011 season, received a $1.885 million signing bonus. The Raiders added four years to his deal, but the final three (2014, 2015 and 2016) are voidable.

The former Seahawks first-round pick joins quarterback Carson Palmer, defensive lineman Richard Seymour and safety Michael Huff as Raiders who have restructured their contracts this offseason.

ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP)

The Oakland Raiders plan to release tight end Kevin Boss just one year into a four-year contract.

Boss’ agent, Scott Smith, tweeted Monday night that the Raiders told him Boss will be released Tuesday and become an unrestricted free agent. ESPN and NFL Network first reported the pending move.

Boss signed a $16 million, four-year contract last summer to replace Pro Bowl tight end Zach Miller. Boss wasn’t utilized much in coach Hue Jackson’s offense, finishing the season with 28 catches for 368 yards and three touchdowns in 14 games.

Oakland drafted two tight ends last year in David Ausberry and Richard Gordon, who played sparingly as rookies. The Raiders also have 2009 draft pick Brandon Myers under contract. Myers caught 16 passes for 154 yards last season and has 32 catches for 250 yards in three NFL seasons.

Boss is the latest player released in an offseason overhaul in Oakland, following defensive backs Stanford Routt, Chris Johnson and Hiram Eugene as new general manager Reggie McKenzie and coach Dennis Allen put their own stamp on the team in the first offseason since the death of longtime owner Al Davis.

The Raiders announced they tendered one-year contracts to restricted free agent defensive lineman Desmond Bryant and three exclusive rights free agents: fullback Marcel Reece, defensive end Mason Brodine and cornerback Bryan McCann.

The offers mean the Raiders have the right to match any contract offer to Bryant or receive compensation if he leaves. The three exclusive rights players can negotiate with other teams.

Oakland also confirmed it had restructured linebacker Aaron Curry’s contract to keep him for this season. Curry was acquired last October from Seattle for a 2012 seventh-round pick and a conditional fifth-rounder in 2013.

The Raiders had previously restructured deals with quarterback Carson Palmer, defensive tackle Richard Seymour and safety Michael Huff to save more than $20 million against the 2012 salary cap. All teams must be under the $120.6 million cap by the start of the free agency period on Tuesday.

Linebacker Kamerion Wimbley, who got the franchise tag last offseason before signing a five-year, $48 million contract, also could be released. The Raiders owe him $6.5 million no matter what for 2012 and an additional $4.5 million is his on the roster March 17. There has been no progress on restructuring the deal, meaning Wimbley could be let go this week.

Wimbley was second on the Raiders with seven sacks last season and was also 15th in the league with 31 quarterback knockdowns and hurries, according to STATS.

ALAMEDA, Calif. – The Oakland Raiders plan to release tight end Kevin Boss just one year into a four-year contract.

Boss’ agent, Scott Smith, tweeted Monday night that the Raiders told him Boss will be released Tuesday and become an unrestricted free agent. ESPN and NFL Network first reported the pending move.

Boss signed a $16 million, four-year contract last summer to replace Pro Bowl tight end Zach Miller. Boss wasn’t utilized much in coach Hue Jackson’s offence, finishing the season with 28 catches for 368 yards and three touchdowns in 14 games.

Oakland drafted two tight ends last year in David Ausberry and Richard Gordon, who played sparingly as rookies. The Raiders also have 2009 draft pick Brandon Myers under contract. Myers caught 16 passes for 154 yards last season and has 32 catches for 250 yards in three NFL seasons.

Boss is the latest player released in an off-season overhaul in Oakland, following defensive backs Stanford Routt, Chris Johnson and Hiram Eugene as new general manager Reggie McKenzie and coach Dennis Allen put their own stamp on the team in the first off-season since the death of longtime owner Al Davis.

The Raiders announced they tendered one-year contracts to restricted free agent defensive lineman Desmond Bryant and three exclusive rights free agents: fullback Marcel Reece, defensive end Mason Brodine and cornerback Bryan McCann.

The offers mean the Raiders have the right to match any contract offer to Bryant or receive compensation if he leaves. The three exclusive rights players can negotiate with other teams.

Oakland also confirmed it had restructured linebacker Aaron Curry’s contract to keep him for this season. Curry was acquired last October from Seattle for a 2012 seventh-round pick and a conditional fifth-rounder in 2013.

The Raiders had previously restructured deals with quarterback Carson Palmer, defensive tackle Richard Seymour and safety Michael Huff to save more than $20 million against the 2012 salary cap. All teams must be under the $120.6 million cap by the start of the free agency period on Tuesday.

Linebacker Kamerion Wimbley, who got the franchise tag last off-season before signing a five-year, $48 million contract, also could be released. The Raiders owe him $6.5 million no matter what for 2012 and an additional $4.5 million is his on the roster March 17. There has been no progress on restructuring the deal, meaning Wimbley could be let go this week.

Wimbley was second on the Raiders with seven sacks last season and was also 15th in the league with 31 quarterback knockdowns and hurries, according to STATS.

ALAMEDA (AP) – The Oakland Raiders have cut cornerback Chris Johnson and safety Hiram Eugene in their latest moves to get under the salary cap before Tuesday’s deadline.

The team announced the moves on Friday that shed about $6 million from next season’s payroll.

The Raiders have cut their two starting cornerbacks from the start of last season. Stanford Routt was released last month and signed with AFC West rival Kansas City.

Johnson played four games this past season before being sidelined by an injured hamstring. Eugene missed all last season with a hip injury.

The Raiders previously restructured the contracts of quarterback Carson Palmer, defensive tackle Richard Seymour and safety Michael Huff to save $20 million against the 2012 cap. Linebacker Aaron Curry also tweeted that he restructured his deal to help the Raiders save even more.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. )

ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) –The Oakland Raiders have restructured the contracts of quarterback Carson Palmer, defensive tackle Richard Seymour and safety Michael Huff to try to get under the salary cap.

The team announced the new deals Thursday.

The Raiders did not reveal terms of the new contracts but Mac’s Football Blog reported the team would save more than $11 million against the 2012 cap by extending the deals for Seymour and Huff. Palmer had a $12.5 million base salary for 2012 before the new deal.

The Raiders were reportedly more than $20 million over the projected salary cap before putting a franchise tag on safety Tyvon Branch that is expected to be about $6.2 million.

All teams need to be under the salary cap by next Tuesday.

Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP)—The Oakland Raiders have restructured the contracts
of quarterback Carson Palmer, defensive tackle Richard Seymour and safety
Michael Huff to try to get under the salary cap.

The team announced the new deals Thursday.

The Raiders did not reveal terms of the new contracts but Mac’s Football
Blog reported that the team would save more than $11 million against the 2012
cap by extending the deals for Seymour and Huff. Palmer had a $12.5 million base
salary for 2012 before the new deal.

The Raiders were reportedly more than $20 million over the projected salary
cap before putting a franchise tag on safety Tyvon Branch that is expected to be
about $6.2 million.

All teams need to be under the salary cap by next Tuesday.

INDIANAPOLIS — Raiders coach Dennis Allen resists the notion that the NFL scouting combine is somehow less important to his team because they currently have only two picks in the upcoming draft.

“I told the coaching staff the most important thing we can be doing right now is picking players, and making sure we’ve got the right guys on our team,” Allen said. “The offensive scheme, the defensive scheme, that’s going to take care of itself.”

Oakland has picks in the fifth and sixth rounds of the draft, having traded away the rest, but will receive a compensatory pick or picks next month based on the loss of free agents such as cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, tight end Zach Miller and left guard Robert Gallery.

The Raiders are in the initial stages of college scouting, with Allen taking the better part of his first two weeks on the job completing a coaching staff. He’s been living out of an Alameda hotel room, not to be joined by his family until his 7-year-old son completes his first Communion.

Allen flew under the radar to an extent, with the majority of the media flocking to Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III at a different podium.

Allen handled himself like a veteran head coach, talking in generalities about his vision for the future andkeeping schematic specifics close to the vest while general manager Reggie McKenzie sorts through contract issues with players such as Kamerion Wimbley, Michael Huff and Aaron Curry who contribute to

a reported $11 million salary cap overage.

Allen is in lockstep with McKenzie’s view of the combine as a valuable place to judge athletic ability and get personal and medical information, without attaching too much significance to a hundredth of a second in the 40-yard dash.

“If you’ve got two guys who are about the same football playing-wise, when you look at the tape, let’s take the faster guy,” Allen said. “But we’re not going to take guys just because they are real fast because that doesn’t correlate to being a good football player.”

In his first meeting with the media since his introductory news conference Jan. 30, Allen promised that new schemes on both sides of the ball would be tailored to suit the talent on hand.

Offensive coordinator Greg Knapp’s offense, Allen said, would fit nicely with quarterback Carson Palmer in the same way Matt Schaub ran a similar offense with the Houston Texans.

Allen also thought running back Darren McFadden, who missed the last nine games of the season with a severe mid-foot sprain, would flourish in a system that will include heavy doses of zone blocking.

When healthy, McFadden’s numbers took off when coach Hue Jackson instituted more gap and power blocking in place of Tom Cable’s zone blocking system.

“When you look at the running games that Greg’s been a part of, they’ve all been very successful, with a lot of different styles of runners,” Allen said.

McFadden, defensive end Matt Shaughnessy (shoulder) and wide receiver Jacoby Ford (foot) are all healthy, Allen said.

Allen also discussed defensive coordinator Jason Tarver, a surprise hire in that he had been a co-coordinator at Stanford after being a 49ers assistant for nine seasons.

“When I interviewed Jason, there was no doubt in my mind that this is a guy who had answers for everything,” Allen said.

The Raiders meet for the first time as a team on April 2, the first day a new coach can be on the field with his team.

The Oakland Raiders’ new head coach Dennis Allen spoke to the media at the 2012 Scouting Combine in Indianapolis today, and provided a few answers to some lingering questions in regard to a few of the players. There has been some speculation as to whether or not Darren McFadden might be traded in return for some much needed draft picks.

Darren McFadden
Wikimedia Commons

Allen answered that question without hesitating, stating that when he was the defensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos, McFadden was one of the biggest challenges when it came to defeating the Raiders. When asked if the running back was in Oakland’s future plans he adamantly stated, “As far as I’m concerned he is.”

Allen feels that the running back is one of the biggest strengths on the team’s offense, and called both McFadden and Michael Bush the “two-headed monster.”

Allen was also asked about McFadden’s foot injury and stated that it’s much better, and that he’s also been working out quite a bit. He commented, “there is no doubt McFadden will be ready to go when the 2012 season gets underway.” The organization is also looking at injuries from a lot of different aspects in order to determine how they cane be better prevented in the future.

With the emphasis on McFadden and Bush as a team, this could mean that they’ll work hard to keep Bush, although he seemed to put the bigger priority on McFadden. I think the future of the backup running back that rushed for nearly 1,000 yards while filling in for the injured player is still pretty questionable. Allen did not discuss the future of the players who become free agents.

Coach Allen also answered a question about safety Michael Huff’s future in regard to becoming the cornerback in 2012. Before the former head coach Hue Jackson was fired, he stated that he’d planned to move Huff to that position. Allen remarked, “The one thing do I do know about Michael Huff is he’s an extremely good athlete and he has skills athletically of a corner. And so that obviously would be an option for us, but again, we won’t make any decisions along those lines until we know exactly what we got.”

In regard to Rolando McClain, the coach said, “We’re going to give him every opportunity to prove that he’s the type of player that he’s capable of being. I think if he’s willing to come in and work and do the things we ask him to do, he’ll reach that potential.”

Out of everything Allen discussed, probably the biggest question answered was the future of McFadden, and it looks like he is one who is definitely here to stay. If he can stay healthy, I’m certainly with Allen on this one.

K.C. Dermody grew up in the Bay Area of California, and has been an Oakland Raiders fan for her entire life. She has continued her loyalty to the team through its many ups and downs over the decades, and has been privileged to meet several of her favorite players, including famed quarterback, Jim Plunkett. Follow her on Twitter @kcdermody or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kcdermodywriter.

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The injury report for the Oakland Raiders heading into the all important game against the San Diego Chargers may be the shortest list we’ve seen all year. That’s especially good news for the Silver and Black who have their postseason on the line with this final game of the regular season.

Jacoby Ford, Oakland Raiders
Wikimedia Commons

There are just three players who are definitely out, and that’s quarterback Jason Campbell, who wasn’t really expected to return after suffering a broken collar bone in week six, running back Darren McFadden, whose chances were already slim to none, and defensive tackle, Big John, John Henderson, out with a knee injury.

The players who are listed as questionable, are likely to see at least some time on the field, and receiver Jacoby Ford and safety Michael Huff have already been pretty adamant about getting in the game.

Ford commented, “It was definitely a positive week for me so I feel good going into the game. If I practiced this much this week and I’m not out there, I’d be mad.”

He could become a big factor in a victory for the Raiders. Ford and Palmer displayed a great rhythm together. In Palmer’s second outing with the team as they faced the Denver Broncos in Oakland, Ford made an incredible catch in the end zone for an 18-yard touchdown. Just days later in San Diego, he somehow grabbed a 41-yarder, making it look easy.

Huff is the player who saved the game for the Raiders against the Texans when he interception Houston’s Matt Schaub in the end zone. A healthy Huff will bring much needed improvement to Oakland’s defense.

Running back Taiwan Jones is a little more questionable. He’s been battling a hamstring injury, but it’s likely he’ll see time on the field as well. Michael Bush, once again, will be given the opportunity to show what he’s made of.

The Chargers’ wide receiver Vincent Jackson was reportedly not likely to be in the game due to a groin injury, but it looks like that has changed, and he’s now listed as probable. Jackson is one of the Chargers star players, but against the Raiders he caught just one pass for 22 yards. In their recent game against Detroit he had just two catches for 41 yards. He may be trying to play through pain, and I don’t think he’ll be a big concern for the Raiders on Sunday. San Diego’s running back Ryan Mathews is still questionable, with running back Mike Tolbert as probable.

Just one day before we find out the fate of the Silver and Black, things continue to look brighter. As always, whoever is on, or off, the field, Just win baby!

K.C. Dermody grew up in the Bay Area of California, and has been an Oakland Raiders fan from the time she could walk. She has continued her loyalty to the team through its many ups and downs over the decades, and has been privileged to meet several of her favorite players, including famed quarterback, Jim Plunkett . Follow her at www.facebook.com/KCDermodyWriter, Twitter @kcdermody, or www.kcdermodywriter.com.

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I like Oakland Raiders’ head coach Hue Jackson. He tells it like it is and doesn’t waste words or pull any punches. He’s a humble guy who used to watch the Raiders play in the Los Angeles Coliseum when he worked there as a security guard in the 1980s.

An NFL football.
Wikimedia Commons

I think he has really built the Raider team into something great since taking the helm and is doing a admirable job at continuing the legacy of long-time owner Al Davis and his “Commitment to Excellence.” In Mr. Davis’ memory, I really do believe the team will make it to the Super Bowl. The on-field play is supported by the Raider Nation, the community of fans (including myself) around the world who support the Silver and Black.

Each Friday after the team practice, Coach Jackson speaks with the media and I think his interview is a great way to determine where the team is one day before the game. In this case the game is the must-win January 1 game against the San Diego Chargers to end the 2011 regular season and hopefully move into the playoffs. Here are some key highlights I took away from Coach Jackson’s Friday press conference on December 30:

Injuries are still an issue

Michael Huff and Jacoby Ford are still recovering but it looks like Coach Jackson will include them in the line-up. He doesn’t think Ford is quite back up to speed, but I think the Raiders need him in there returning kickoffs.

Chemistry is another issue

Not bad chemistry, but lack of it. I agree with the Coach’s assessment that the team just needs more time to really come together. They have great players but the late addition of Carson Palmer just takes some getting used to. I think the Raiders have shown great heart this season and will definitely have a strong 2012 season, regardless of their 2011 finish.

Still not watching the scoreboard

Coach Jackson makes it a policy to not look at the scoreboard during games and even though it’s a must win for the Raiders, he’ll concentrate on executing each play successfully and helping “this football team do everything it can to win.”

Palmer can play under pressure

In a must-win game like the San Diego game, I think it’s essential we have an experienced guy like Palmer in there. Coach Jackson agrees, saying “It’s very important. He’s not going to flinch. That’s what I love about him. We’ve had some things not go his way but one thing I know about him, he’s not sitting over there sulking about it, or worried about it, he’s on to the next play and that’s kind of the way I am.” I agree and think that’s the professional attitude that wins games and wins championships.

Although born and raised with Eagles fans in Philadelphia, Freddy Sherman has always been a citizen of Raider Nation at heart. Since his dad got him a signed George Blanda football as child, to meeting Lyle Alzado in the 1980s, he hasn’t looked back. Follow him on twitter @thefredsherman

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As most of us know by now, the Oakland Raiders must win the game against the San Diego Chargers on New Year’s Day to have a chance at getting into the playoffs. That’s the most important part of the equation, and the only one the Silver and Black are focusing on.

Kamerion Wimbley
Wikimedia Commons

In order for the Raiders to win the AFC West, the Denver Broncos need to lose to the Kansas City Chiefs. If that doesn’t happen, and somehow Tebow has another miracle left under his helmet (unlikely), the Cincinnati Bengals will need to lose to the Baltimore Ravens, and the Ravens are favored in that matchup. They would also need either the Tennessee Titans to lose to the Houston Texans or the New York Jets to defeat the Miami Dolphins. Both the Titans and Dolphins are favored, but I’m going for the best case scenario, and that’s a Denver loss.

The key ingredient to all of this, is an Oakland win over San Diego on Sunday, and there are at least five reasons I believe they will.

Philip Rivers

The Chargers’ quarterback, Philip Rivers, may be going to the Pro Bowl, but if he was judged on his 2011 performance, he’d be unlikely to head to Hawaii. Rivers has thrown 24 interceptions this year and in their last game against the Raiders at home, Rivers was sacked six times. He’ll be going down quite a few times again this coming Sunday.

Injured players returning

The Raiders’ sophomore receiver, Jacoby Ford, should be back in the game. Ford has been known to make some big plays, and he’ll give Oakland’s offense a big boost. In addition, safety Michael Huff, has said he will be in this all-important game, after missing the last two with a hamstring injury. Head coach Hue Jackson commented that Huff’s return is very important and the veteran player is one of the better on the team.

Jackson also said that the pieces are coming back together just like he knew they would, and I agree, it couldn’t happen at a better time.

Raiders’ running game

Oakland has the sixth ranked rushing attack in the NFL, and the Chargers run defense gives up 123.5 yards a game, ranked 20th in the league . Although star running back Darren McFadden is unlikely to return for the final game of the regular season, Michael Bush stole the show when the Raiders’ faced the Chargers on November 10. In that game, Bush had 30 carries for 157 yards and scored a touchdown.

Charger injuries

The Chargers strongest wide receiver, Vincent Jackson, hasn’t been at practice all week after suffering a groin injury. He’s unlikely to be in the game Sunday. Their running backs, Ryan Matthews and Michael Tolbert have missed practice this week and though they might both get on the field in Oakland, they won’t be at 100%.

The Raiders want the win

This is a must win for the Raiders, while it doesn’t matter near as much to the Chargers. Their season is over and done on January 1 either way. The players on the Silver and Black have the heart, and the will, to fight a tough battle and win.

The O.co Coliseum is sold out again, making this the eighth sell out of eight games in Oakland this year. Jackson said, “My hat goes out to our fans for supporting us. What we have to do is give back to them as I’ve always said. And how we give back is by winning.”

K.C. Dermody grew up in the Bay Area of California, and has been an Oakland Raiders fan from the time she could walk. She has continued her loyalty to the team through its many ups and downs over the decades, and has been privileged to meet several of her favorite players, including famed quarterback, Jim Plunkett . Follow her at www.facebook.com/KCDermodyWriter or on Twitter @kcdermody.

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The Oakland Raiders might have gotten their spark back after it seemed to go out during at least two of their three recent losses. It nearly died in the battles against the Miami Dolphins and the Green Bay Packers, and there just wasn’t enough to get that flame going to defeat the Detroit Lions. But fortunately, it seems to have returned, and players are starting to sound like they’re part of the team fans know and love.

Brandon Meyers, Oakland Raiders tight end
Wikimedia Commons

The must-win defeat of the Kansas City Chiefs, and some exceptional stand out plays showed their heart is in it to win, and hearing some of the players and coaches shortly after the game over the last couple of days there is no denying that.

Stanford Routt, an Al Davis favorite, was responsible for one of two interceptions against the Chiefs’ quarterback, Kyle Orton, on Christmas Eve. He posted on Twitter after the game, “Not gonna dwell on the small stuff….just gonna enjoy this because I can’t ask for anything better than WIN on Christmas Eve!”

He also tweeted, “We’re a movement by ourselves…but a force when we’re together,” which I believe speaks volumes for the team.

Tommy Kelly, the Raiders’ defensive tackled commented on the Chiefs’ game, “At the end of the day, if we win 16-13, I don’t care how we get there. After last week losing 28-27 and giving up 14 points in the last five or six minutes, I don’t even care to tell you the truth. I just want to win and go to the playoffs for the first time in my career.”

Possibly my favorite quote after the victory on Christmas Eve was a tweet by tight end Brandon Myers, “Early Xmas present to #RaiderNation we are gonna give it our ALL to beat SD an make the playoffs. Much love.”

Myers was part of that amazing play when they pulled off the fake field goal and punter Shane Lechler, the holder on the play, threw a shovel pass to Myers who ran untouched into the endzone for the touchdown. Unfortunately it was called back for a delay of game penalty, but at least this time, we’re not talking about how that penalty (and others) led to a loss.

Although it’s too soon to know which injured players will make a return for the final game of the season coming up this Sunday, there is a possibility that we’ll see receiver Jacoby Ford back on the field. He’s missed eight games, but if he can be in for this final, must-win situation, he will.

Safety Michael Huff, who had never missed a game at any level of his career, has missed four this season with a hamstring injury. This morning he commented, “It feels good to be this close. It’s been a while since it’s been like this around here. It’s a good feeling. We know we have to go out there and handle our business this week and everything will take care of itself.”

Huff also added, “I’ll be out there,” Huff said Monday morning. “I’m not going to miss this one.”

There is a possibility that running back Darren McFadden could return for week 17, but he’d have to play through pain, and head coach Hue Jackson might want to save him for a playoff game rather than risk further injury. We won’t know more until later in the week, and I think the chances are pretty slim for him to come back against San Diego.

Either way, the spark has returned, and it’s bigger than ever. I do believe we’ll see them defeat the Chargers. It’s rare that you’ll ever hear me say this, but “Go Chiefs!” And, of course, to the Raiders, “Just win baby!”

K.C. Dermody grew up in the Bay Area of California, and has been an Oakland Raiders fan from the time she could walk. She has continued her loyalty to the team through its many ups and downs over the decades, and has been privileged to meet several of her favorite players, including famed quarterback, Jim Plunkett . Follow her at www.facebook.com/KCDermodyWriter or on Twitter @kcdermody.

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Heyward-Bey is coming off the best game of his young career. He had eight catches for 155 yards and a touchdown in last week’s loss to Detroit — the most yardage for a Raiders wide receiver since Jerry Rice in 2003.

He doesn’t see games like that as vindication.

“I don’t care about what critics say. All I care about is me, and my teammates and my coaches, that’s all I care about,” Heyward-Bey said. “To me it’s just been building. You could look at certain games or a certain play where I felt like OK, but other than that I think it was a steady progress forward.”

While his 51 catches for 775 yards are more than his combined total from his first two seasons and the most yards receiving for any Raiders wideout since Randy Moss topped 1,000 yards in 2005, he still lags behind some of the receivers picked behind him in his draft class, including Percy Harvin (72 for 787), Hakeem Nicks (70 for 1,096) and Mike Wallace (67 for 1,100).

But his numbers are very similar to those of the player most pundits thought the Raiders should have taken with that pick, Michael Crabtree, who has 59 catches for 703 yards for San Francisco.

But there are still some of the lapses that plagued him his first two seasons, including a fumble that killed a potential scoring drive and a late dropped pass against the Lions.

“I’ve seen steady progress,” coach Hue Jackson said. “I told you guys at some point in time it was going to just go this way, because the guy works extremely hard. He’s a talented player. Last game, he was very close to being the player of the game, if you don’t fumble it. Obviously he had a sensational game, so something he’s got to continue to work on. But he’s getting closer, he’s working hard, he’s gotten better and his numbers speak for themselves.”

After catching just nine of 40 passes thrown his way as a rookie and 26 of 65 a year ago, Heyward-Bey has become a reliable option for quarterbacks Carson Palmer and Jason Campbell this season. He has caught 51 of 91 balls thrown his way, 56 percent, up from a horrid 33.3 percent his first two seasons.

The difference in Heyward-Bey’s performance this season has been starkly obvious to his opponents. Perhaps his lowest moment as a rookie came against Kansas City, when he allowed a pass to bounce off his hands, fall to his knees and deflect right to Mike Brown for a game-sealing interception with the Raiders driving for the winning score.

“He looks more confident in himself and in his hands,” Chiefs cornerback Brandon Flowers said. “Before, it was like he was trying to do too much, he was trying to concentrate too hard when he was catching the ball instead of just relaxing and playing like he did in college when he was making all types of plays. But I feel like the game slowed down for him, he gets very relaxed out there and he’s growing into his own as an NFL receiver.”

The next step for Heyward-Bey is to use that game-breaking speed that helped him become such a high pick to become a deep threat in the passing game.

Most of Heyward-Bey’s success this season has come on short and intermediate routes, where he can use his size to create space and then has the ability to run after the catch.

Deep balls have been a different case as he struggles to get open down the field despite his speed and still has trouble adjusting to the ball in the air.

“When he starts making those uncommon plays that we all know that you look for at that position, that’s when he’s arrived,” Jackson said. “ He hasn’t arrived yet, regardless of what the numbers are, but he’s still working. But I think the sky’s the limit for him if he continues to work like he is.”

The Raiders have attempted 15 deep passes in his direction this season with the only completion coming in a Week 4 loss to New England.

Palmer said part of the problem is that opponents fear his speed so much that they play off Heyward-Bey. Palmer believes that connecting on more of the shorter routes should open up the deep ball.

“Everybody knows he can run,” Palmer said. “He’s not going to sneak up on anybody and people just turn and run and do a good job of taking away the deep stuff because they know that’s something that’s very difficult to cover.”

Notes: RB Taiwan Jones practiced for a second straight day as he recovers from a hamstring injury. … RB Darren McFadden (right foot), S Michael Huff (hamstring) and WR Jacoby Ford (left foot) all remained sidelined with injuries.

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