Oakland Raider News: Raiders' Gibril Wilson, Jarrod Cooper and Ricky Brown a hit in camp

August 1, 2:27 AMOakland Raiders ExaminerPatrick Patterson

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Oakland Raiders Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Photo by Candy Padilla (used with Permission)

Reserve safety and special teams ace Jarrod Cooper has been a hit in camp, literally. One of his parners in special teams, Ricky Brown has been making noise to take over as the starting strong side linebacker. Coop and Brown comprise two thirds of the Bermuda Triangle along with Isaiah Ekejiuba. The Bermuda Triangle is what those three call themselves on special teams, because returners get in but don't come out.

Cooper has always been known as being a hard hitter, and he has lived up to that reputation this far in camp. His most recent blast nearly knocked Chris McFoy into Solano County. Considering that tackling and intimidation has been lacking in the Raiders defense these last few years, Coop is definitely setting a tempo that others on defense should try to match.

Coming into training camp, Ricky Brown was expected to continue his duty as a special teams force. It was Brown along with a healty Ekejiuba and Coop that were able to render Devin Hester impotent last season.

Isiah Ekejiuba and Ricky Brown are not guys who will make much noise as ‘backers, but they are an integral part of the Raiders special teams coverage units. It was whilst Ekejiuba, Brown, and Jarrod Cooper were all healthy that the Raiders shut down Devin Hester.

Well, contrary to that scouting report, Brown has been taking a bulk of the first team snaps along with Kirk Morrison and Thomas Howard. If Brown can make plays and tackle on defense the way that he does on special teams, the Raiders run defense will be much improved over last year.

Gibril Wilson has also been a much needed breath of fresh air in Raiders camp. He is a guy who wants to be up in the box knocking running backs' blocks off. He has also shown that he is going to be a team leader, according to Rob Calonge of Thoughts from the Dark Side:

I’m sure that Wilson would like to the compliment he’s getting from his head coach, but he has more important things to worry about, like helping the team get better.  Here’s what he said about that:

“Every day I am learning new things, especially being in a new environment.  My main motivation at camp is to get better everyday and challenge myself everyday. I’ve got to keep challenging myself…We all come from different systems but we all have to get to know each other.  I have to know what Nnamdi is thinking at all times, I’ve got to know what page Huff and DeAngelo are on. It’s just one of those things that we need to know where we all are and play off each other. Then it will be great.  I have to learn the style of each of these guys, we have no choice but to pick it up right away.  We’ve got to keep each other motivated and make each other better.“

He is jumping into the mix and looking to work with his backfield mates to get better as a unit. This team ethic is not something that has been seen around the Raiders for far too long. Considering he is working with Prio Bowl corners in DeAngelo Hall  and Nnamdi Asomugha, this increased communication and teamwork can only make them better.