Off Topic » The offense got a boost in the running game

From time to time Womens Antonio Brown Jersey , celebrities including actors, scientists and well-known sports figures go on the popular website Reddit to participate in Ask Me Anything (AMA) threads, taking unfiltered..." />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 ✕Raiders TE Darren Waller answers questions in Reddit AMA sessionNew,29commentsPDTShare this storyShare this on FacebookShare this on TwitterShareAll sharing optionsShareAll sharing options for:Raiders TE Darren Waller answers questions in Reddit AMA sessionTwitterFacebookRedditPocketFlipboardEmailPhoto by Andy Lyons/Getty ImagesFrom time to time, celebrities including actors, scientists and well-known sports figures go on the popular website Reddit to participate in Ask Me Anything (AMA) threads, taking unfiltered questions from their fans. Today on the Oakland Raiders Reddit site, Raiders tight end Darren Waller held an AMA.He talked about his time with the Raiders, his youth football experiences, music, and more. Here are some of the questions and answers that are found in Waller’s AMA.Q: Hey Darren! Which rookie has impressed you the most this offseason? A: I’ll probably say Foster Moreau. I’m very impressed with him. Very good blocker. Very underrated in the passing game. You wouldn’t think he’s very fast if you look at his times, but he can really move. Very smooth runner. Definitely understands the game and takes it pretty seriously. All the rookies have done something to impress me, though.His consistency is impressive. I think he went up for a ball on a sail route in OTAs and just like… really got up off the ground, and I was like, Wow, Foster’s not just your typical grinder-of-the-ax blocking tight end. He can do a lot of things.Q: Other than all the new faces, what’s changed the most from last year?A: I feel like it’s the same energetic feel on offense. I feel like the defensive leadership has really stood out to me, as far as Vontaze and LaMarcus Joyner, but also guys like Tahir, Johnathan Hankins. Guys that have been here since last year. They’ve just really helped change the whole vibe around here. They know what our numbers were last year, but they know that there is no way they’re going to be the same this year.Q: Which tight end or receiver do you model your game after the most? Past or present.A: I’ve watched a LOT of tape, so there isn’t any one in particular. It’s more about taking things I like from a lot of other people’s game. Of course Jimmy Graham since the New Orleans days; you’ve got Kelce in our division; Zach Ertz; I’m really a fan of the way Greg Olsen plays… Lotta guys.Q: I have a question, do you think that being featured on Hard Knocks is as much of a distraction as people make it out to be? Seems a little overblown to me.A: I think it’s a bit overblown. I feel like they actually do a good job of capturing the camp atmosphere. I’ve had no problem with it. And I don’t sense any of the other guys going out of their way to be extra or show out for the cameras or anything like that. I feel like guys are just focusing in. We’ve got a lot of stuff to do here anyway, and if they want to make a show about it, that’s cool. We’ve got a pretty unique journey here.Q: What’s your favorite memory of football?A: We had a really good football team when I was like seven or eight to 10 years old. Blackwell Bears in Metro Atlanta. I played quarterback. Those were really great times. Our team was really good and those times when we were little and doing all those hitting drills — even though looking back now it’s like, that probably wasn’t the smartest thing. But those were probably the most fun times for me.Q: Hey Darren outside of football Antonio Brown Jersey White , what is your favorite pastime / hobby ? A: My favorite hobby right now is definitely producing and making beats and recording music. It’s something I started doing when I got drafted in Baltimore. I just started rapping in the iPod earbud headphones on my MacBook, but now I record at a studio.I’ve released some of it. I have a project called Wall Street coming out on my birthday September 3. I do have a SoundCloud. My first project’s called Better Call Wall. It’s on iTunes and Spotify.If you’re interested in Darren’s music, he raps under the name D Wall, and you can listen to his music here or here.Q: Other than natural talent, what made Jared Cook so successful in this system last year?After all, he did have a career year at 31 years old.A: His ability to retain a lot of information and his ability to line up in so many different spots. He’s such a good player, but if he just lined up in one spot, it would give the defense more of an opportunity to gameplan for him. But now it’s like he can line up out wide by himself, he can line up in the middle, trips, he can line up in the bunch, and it’s now it’s like, “Man, what do we do with this guy?” Because he’s a beast to begin with.Also his catch radius and how he looks the ball in when he catches it. He can catch it at so many angles, but if you zoom in on his eyes, they’re always looking it in. He’s a good route runner. Smooth. He’s knows those little tricks of the trade, like how you don’t always have to run full speed to get open. He knows where to fall into zones and how to fall back into holes for Derek. So that’s why he was really successful — among a whole lot of other things.<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="DFrB6v">Waller has been, according to media reports, far and away the best tight end at Raiders camp and many expect him to win the starting tight end job. It’s interesting to read about his personal approach to the game, his love for football and about his other interests in life. If Waller takes the tight end job and runs with it, you’ll see a lot more press about him this season. ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) — A week off helped cure the Oakland Raiders offensive woes even with Amari Cooper and Marshawn Lynch not around.The defense still is plagued by all the problems that have been evident all season and a major reason why the Raiders are such a big disappointment in Jon Gruden’s first year back as coach.The Raiders (1-6) allowed Marlon Mack and the Colts to run for 222 yards, gave up three touchdown passes from Andrew Luck to his trio of tight ends and failed to generate a sack or takeaway in a 42-28 loss that came after what players and coaches felt was the best week of practice for the defense all season.“Well it just wasn’t good enough,” Gruden said Monday. “I’m not going to sit up here and say much more. We have to do a better job collectively. Getting off blocks, staying in the right gap and making physical tackles and knocking them backward. Those areas, it’s hard to practice live. It’s hard to practice against the exact look you’re going to see at full speed Bo Jackson Jersey White , as you know. But we are practicing well. We are practicing hard.”The results just aren’t there. The Raiders have allowed their most points (218) through seven games since 1961 and rank third worst in the league in third-down defense (49.4 percent), second worst in scoring defense (31.1 ppg), last in run defense (144.7 ypg) and last in sacks (seven).Oakland even made several changes in personnel with defensive backs Gareon Conley, Karl Joseph and Nick Nelson; and linebackers Jason Cabinda, Kyle Wilber and Nicholas Morrow all getting their most extensive playing time of the season as searches for answers.But that didn’t help at all as the Raiders allowed 42 points for the second straight game at the Coliseum.“We’re looking for more consistency. We’re looking for somebody to step up, not only on game day but during the week,” Gruden said. “We’re still working through who are the best corners, who is the best combination for us in every situation. Hopefully we can settle on it soon.”The one positive to take away from the game was the performance of the offense in a week after the team traded Cooper and placed Lynch on injured reserve, knocking out the No. 1 receiver and lead running back.Playing behind a healthier offensive line that provided much more time than it did the previous game in London on Oct. 14 against Seattle, Derek Carr had perhaps his best game yet under Gruden.Carr threw three touchdown passes, ran for a fourth score, completed 17 straight passes at one point and perhaps most importantly, committed no turnovers for just the second time this season.“I think we’ve tried to be creative. I think anyone will tell you that the injuries on the offensive line, multiple injuries at left guard, right tackle, can stymie you, it can make things tough on everyone,” Gruden said.“An 11-hour flight can make things doubly hard. I’m not going to say anything other than yesterday we had a good rhythm, we were able to finish some drives. I think Derek Carr showed you what kind of quarterback he is when he gets legitimate pass protection and gets some balance. That was exciting.” with Doug Martin playing his best game yet in place of Lynch. Martin ran for 72 yards on 13 carries and caught two passes for 17 yards in his most prolific game since 2016.But Martin also lost a key fumble in the fourth quarter with Oakland trailing by seven, sealing another loss.“He’s a good player,” Gruden said. “He had the fumble. Obviously, that will be remembered by a lot of people and rightfully so. But, what a performance he had yesterday. He picked up a couple blitzes. He ran with authority. He can catch the ball. He has a great stiff-arm, still. He still has a lot of life in his legs.”NOTES: Gruden is hopeful LG Kelechi Osemele could return from a knee injury this week. … OL Backup OL T.J. Clemmings will go on IR soon with a season-ending knee injury. … DT Eddie Vanderdoes could return this week from a major knee injury in last year’s season finale.