Gästebuch » Coach Jon Gruden has already altered one aspect

ALAMEDA Khari Willis Jersey , Calif. (AP) — of rookie minicamp for the Oakland Raiders based on what the team did in the draft.Gruden said the coaching staff will don Clemson shirts on the final day of the weekend minicamp in homage to the three draft picks from the national-champion Tigers.“I guess that’s kind of the joke around here,” first-round defensive end Clelin Ferrell said Friday, the first day of rookie minicamp. “We just added a bunch of Clemson guys and (defensive line) Coach (Brentson) Buckner was a Clemson guy. I mean, I wouldn’t doubt it. I wouldn’t be mad if I see some more around here, that’s for sure.”Oakland has plenty right now after taking Ferrell fourth overall, cornerback Trayvon Mullen in the second round and receiver Hunter Renfrow in the fifth round.Gruden was so impressed by what he saw on tape scouting those three that he wouldn’t mind adding some of their teammates in the next couple of drafts.“I got this to say about Clemson; you got to watch all their tape because they are the best team in college football and they got a lot of good players at every position,” Gruden said. “Some of the underclassmen will keep us wearing that orange color next year, I hope, because they are loaded.”The Tigers trio weren’t the only players with winning pedigrees that the Raiders added in the draft. They also took Alabama running back Josh Jacobs 24th overall, giving them four players from last season’s national championship game.Gruden said adding players with championship pedigrees was important as the Raiders try to rebuild after posting just one winning record in the past 16 seasons.The rookies hope to contribute to building a winning culture in Oakland.“It’s a lot more fun to win than lose,” Renfrow said. “We won a lot of games at Clemson. It’s not just one person, it takes a whole team buy in. That’s why I’m excited. I haven’t met a lot of the team yet, but I’m excited to kind of get in and interact with them. It was such a good thing to bring in a guy like Clelin so early because he’s one of those guys that just brings people along. He’ll say, ‘All right, follow me. We’re going to go and we’re going to go do what it takes to win.’ Same with Trayvon as well and Josh Jacobs at Alabama. They know what it takes to win and it’s been fun to be around them.”In other news, Gruden said the team has decided not to exercise the fifth-year option on 2016 first-round safety Karl Joseph Josh Allen Jersey , making him eligible to be an unrestricted free agent next offseason. The Raiders drafted Joseph’s potential replacement, Jonathan Abram, in the first round but Gruden said the team still likes Joseph and could still bring him back next season.Gruden also provided some clarity on the offensive line, saying second-year player Kolton Miller will remain at left tackle to start the offseason program with high-priced free-agent Trent Brown starting off on the right side. Miller allowed a league-high 16 sacks and a league-worst 65 pressures last season, according to Pro Football Focus, but will get another shot at protecting Derek Carr’s blind side.“We like that as a launching pad for us,” Gruden said. “Trent played very well at right tackle for San Francisco, played left tackle very well for New England and gives us some versatility. That’s how we are going to start the show.”Guard Gabe Jackson will remain on the right side as the team searches for a replacement for Kelechi Osemele at left guard with Denzelle Good likely to get the first shot.“The door is wide open at left guard,” Gruden said. “We are going to continue to look at players that can come in and compete at that position.”The Raiders also placed running back Isaiah Crowell on injured reserve after he tore his Achilles earlier this week. That led to the move to bring back Doug Martin for depth in a position group that includes first-rounder Josh Jacobs and third-down back Jalen Richard. All the Ravens had to do to make the playoffs was beat the Browns.It’s not as easy as it used to be.Baltimore needed a late fourth-down interception to stifle Baker Mayfield’s momentum, secure a 26-24 victory over Cleveland and wrap up the AFC North.The win ended the season for the Steelers, who had closed out their own victory over Cincinnati minutes earlier and were standing on their home field, cheering for the Browns as they watched the end of the game in Baltimore on the scoreboard.Mayfield had trimmed a 13-point deficit to two and had the Browns on the march, but C.J. Mosley tipped and picked a fourth-down pass with 62 seconds left to seal the win.It prevented a nightmare repeat of last year, when all the Ravens had to do was beat the Bengals at home to clinch, but gave up a 49-yard touchdown pass with 44 seconds left to fall.Meanwhile, the Browns had a chance to finish with a winning record the season after going 0-16. Despite falling short (7-8-1) Jawaan Taylor Jersey , they show every sign of a team that will be in contention for the foreseeable future. Mayfield, the first pick in the 2018 draft, threw three touchdown passes and finishes with the rookie record for TD passes with 27.In case you missed it, here were some other highlights from the final week of the regular season in the NFL:BETTER LATE: The Indianapolis Colts took the last available playoff spot, defeating the Titans 33-17 in the 256th and final game of the regular season Sunday night. The Colts, only the third team in history to make the playoffs after a 1-5 start, play at Houston next Saturday in the wild card round. The defending-champion Eagles beat Washington and captured the NFC’s sixth seed when the Vikings lost to the Bears. All of Philly will be watching Nick Foles this week to see if he recovers from a chest injury in time for the game at Chicago on Sunday. Other games next weekend: Seahawks at Cowboys on Saturday and Chargers at Ravens on Sunday.NEAR MISS: Nothing’s been easy for the Arizona Cardinals this season. That didn’t change Sunday. Needing only a loss on the road against a playoff team — the Seahawks — to secure the top pick, the Cardinals nearly blew it. They were tied at 24 heading into the final seconds. Sebastian Janikowski got them off the hook by making a 33-yard field goal to hand the Cardinals their league-leading 13th defeat and put them on the clock for the April 25 draft. Possible pick: defensive lineman Nick Bosa of Ohio State (Cards took QB Josh Rosen last year). Waiting in the wings were the Niners, who fell convincingly, 48-32 to the Rams, but only lost 12 games this year and will settle for the second pick.ANYONE CAN DO IT: Kyle Williams lined up in the backfield, ran out to the flat, made the catch and turned up field for a nine-yard gain. Nothing too special — except that Williams is a defensive end, playing in the final game of his 13-year career — all with the Buffalo Bills. Williams wasn’t the only one given a rare chance to show off his hands. Quarterbacks Matt Ryan and Ryan Tannehill each caught touchdown passes. Also moving outside his comfort zone was Detroit Lions kicker Matt Prater , who lined up for what looked like a field-goal attempt, but took the snap and threw a perfect pass to Levine Toilolo for a touchdown against Green Bay.EXPENSIVE SEAT: It might have been the most expensive seat in the NFL on Sunday. Inactive due to injury Josh Oliver Jersey , Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette spent much of his team’s 20-3 loss to the Texans sitting on the bench, talking with teammate T.J. Yeldon (who was active but didn’t play) and seemingly disinterested in the action. Tom Coughlin was not impressed. “They were disrespectful, selfish and their behavior was unbecoming that of a professional football player,” the team executive said in a statement after the game. Previously, the Jaguars notified the fourth pick of the 2017 draft that his suspension earlier this season voided the guarantees for his $7.1 million salary over 2019 and 2020. To be continued …JOIN THE CLUB: Among those finding themselves in rare company Sunday: Saquon Barkley. With help of a 68-yard touchdown run, the Giants back joined Eric Dickerson and Edgerrin James as only the third rookie to gain 2,000 yards from scrimmage. (Barkley also had a “slam dunk” touchdown run.) Also, Patrick Mahomes joined Peyton Manning as the second QB to throw for 5000 yards and 50 TDs in the same season.LATER, COACH: The Buccaneers let their latest loss sink in for about three hours before cutting ties with coach Dirk Koetter, who leaves Tampa with a 19-29 record over three seasons. The Jets said goodbye to Todd Bowles, who went 24-40 over four years. On Monday, Adam Gase (Miami), Vance Joseph (Denver), Marvin Lewis (Cincinnati) and Steve Wilks (Arizona) got their pink slips, as expected.