Raiders serve up ‘big-time lesson’ after training camp fight

Oakland Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio wasted no time addressing a fight that occurred between defensive lineman Mario Edwards Jr. and offensive guard Kelechi Osemele during Saturday’s practice.

When speaking to the media on Sunday, Del Rio got straight to the point:

“Before I even get asked I’ll go ahead and speak to it, so you don’t have to go there about yesterday. A couple of guys got ejected from practice. I just didn’t think they were prepared to do the things we needed to do to help our team continue to work. They were both talked to and punished. That is not how we do things and that’s not what we are looking for.”

Del Rio added:

“I think (Edwards Jr.) is a little sore but he’ll be fine, nothing major going on there. … We’re grateful nothing significant came up and we learned a big-time lesson of how important it is to take care of each other and be good teammates, and still challenge each other but be respectful.”

As training camp fights go, Saturday’s was a nasty one, with both players on ground exchanging blows. Del Rio’s ejection of the players was no surprise, considering the amount of scuffling between players over the course of training camp and OTA’s.

Earlier this week, undrafted free agents Johnny Holton and Kenneth Durden got into a scuffle where the players had to be separated after throwing each other onto the ground.

Earlier in the summer, during the second week of OTA’s, Osemele exchanged blows with second-round defensive lineman Jihad Ward.

Osemele is known for his aggressive and brutal run-blocking style, and so far in camp, that seems to be rubbing some of his teammates the wrong way.

Del Rio has stressed numerous times that fighting during practice is not the “Raider way of football.” He wants the team to practice like they play. If they can’t stay level-headed in practice, then they most likely will exhibit their lack of self control on the football field during the regular season.

According to NFL Penalty Tracker, Osemele had no unnecessary roughness penalties called against him last season, so it shouldn’t be too hard for the big-name free agent to keep his cool once games are on the line.

Camp Notes

• Calhoun unblockable: Third-round pick Shilique Calhoun was practically unblockable during 1-on-1 drills Sunday. The third-round pick out of Michigan State made mincemeat out of tight ends on multiple occasions, displaying a variety of pass rushing moves. He blew past Gabe Holmes and Mychal Rivera with ease on two separate plays, utilizing a quick initial burst of speed to fly past each of the tight ends. Calhoun also displayed power in his pass rushing attack, by bull-rushing tight end Ryan O’Malley straight into the turf.

• Crabtree showcases reliability: Wide receiver Michael Crabtree has had a relatively quiet training camp thus far, but he has been very productive. He made another series of nice catches on Sunday, including a nice grab on a 10-yard out-route when he was being blanketed by cornerback Sean Smith.

• Murray’s soft hands: Running back Latavius Murray displayed some soft hands during practice. He made a fantastic one-handed grab on a fade route 20 yards downfield, and he also excelled during receiver catching drills..

• Roster Moves: The Raiders placed cornerback SaQwan Edwards on the reserve/injured list and waived defensive end Damontre Moore on Saturday. To replace the two players, the Raiders claimed defensive back Tramain Jacobs and linebacker Lenny Jones off waivers.