LaMarr Woodley won’t drop back into coverage as much with the Raiders like he did with the Steelers, and he’s just fine with that. Oakland utilizes a base 4-3 alignment, and defensive ends are consumed with what’s in front of them, not behind. As CSNBayArea.com’s Scott Bair notes, Woodley last played in a 4-3 defense at Michigan.
“Looking at the (Raiders) defense, seeing how guys were flying around on defense, getting after people, I kind of felt like after talking to the coach that that’s what he wanted me to do,” Woodley said. “He wanted me to rush the passer more and then drop back in coverage. I felt like with the kind of people that was on this defense, and add me in there, I felt like I could help the team win.”
Woodley signed a two-year deal worth a maximum of $12MM in March, and he’s eager to show the Raiders made a good investment.
“You still have to come here and prove yourself, at least that’s how I feel. The last few years for me haven’t been good. So I have to come here and I feel like I have to rebuild myself as well.”
Other news and notes from the Oakland Raiders:
- Matt Schaub is a Top 10 quarterback in the Raiders’ eyes, says ESPN.com’s Paul Gutierrez in his Twitter mailbag. As long as the skill set of the former Texans QB can fit with what offensive coordinator Greg Olson wants to do, it’ll be a good match.
- Gutierrez predicts a run-first offensive approach with Darren McFadden and Maurice Jones-Drew, along with 2013 sixth-round pick Latavius Murray. If the runners can stay healthy and consistently produce positive yardage, that’ll set up the play-action pass, at which Schaub excels.
- Wide receivers Andre Holmes and Juron Criner have been the stars at three OTA practice thus far.
- Eddie Paskal of Raiders.com recaps Week 1 of OTAs, with Schaub able to go against an active defense with his receivers for the first time.