Jon Gruden rewards Raiders with day off

After the Raiders’ defense decidedly got the best of the offense on Tuesday, quarterback Derek Carr reported to work on Wednesday ready to deliver some payback. So much so that he was conspicuously vocal as he and his teammates prepared for practice.

“I was talking trash in the locker room,” Carr said. “I was ready to kick the crap out of them today.”

But just as the Raiders began making their way to the practice field, in full pads and bracing for another two hours in the scorching heat, a big surprise awaited them. As a reward for their hard work over the first two weeks of training camp, the Raiders were given a day off from practice by head coach Jon Gruden.

“We had no idea,” Carr said. “At least I didn’t. Maybe some of the other guys did.”

As expected, Gruden’s decision was met with near-universal approval.

“It felt amazing,” said defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins. “I thought I was still dreaming. It was still early.”

No dream. Just Gruden acknowledging the Raiders’ effort thus far.

The evidence of which is not only seen but tracked. Like many NFL teams, the Raiders put GPS tracking devices on players to measure and chart their every move on the practice field. Gruden cited the strong tracking numbers when informing players they didn’t have to practice on Wednesday.

“Our team has been working really hard. It’s been highly competitive,” Carr said. “Probably the most competitive camp I’ve been a part of. And when you watch the film, you just see the effort.”

In addition, with the Raiders playing their first preseason game on Saturday at Allegiant Stadium, the break afforded to the players’ bodies will go a long way.

“I appreciate Gruden looking out,” Hankins said. “We’ve been busting our tail out there, so I definitely respect him looking out for us.”

A surprise like Wednesday could have occurred no matter the Raiders’ training camp location. But as they sort through their second camp at their practice facility in Henderson, dealing with the desert environment can be tricky.

The Raiders practice at 7:30 a.m. each day to stay a step ahead of the Las Vegas heat. But even the early practice schedule doesn’t steer them clear of conditions.

“It’s definitely something that, around the second or third period, you’re like, oh, you’ve got to talk yourself into it a little bit,” Carr said.

As a result, Gruden has talked about being smart not only in the timing of their practices but also the need to be open-minded in how practices are scheduled. In Wednesday’s case that meant calling it off altogether.

Nevertheless, players got together to make sure a day off from practice didn’t turn into a wasted day altogether.

“We have this identity of this team we’re trying to derive, and it’s like, we get this bone, coach gives us the day off, let’s use it,” said fullback Alex Ingold. “It’s not a day to relax. It’s a day to get your body right, get those legs right, get everybody prepared for Week One of the preseason.”

As a result, the Raiders went through a normal remainder of their day while getting in their typical weight-room work, team and position-group meetings and an afternoon walk-through.”

Meanwhile, Carr reminded the Raiders’ defense payback is pending.

“I told them coach gave them a free pass,” Carr said “They’ll have to wait one more day for it.”

All kidding — and retribution — aside, as badly as Carr felt about the six turnovers the offense committed on Tuesday, he felt just as good about the role the defense played in forcing them, especially after last year’s defense created the third-fewest turnovers in the NFL.

“Obviously you don’t ever want to lose a day, but they got after us,” Carr said. “And they had the turnovers, punching the ball out, not just interceptions or tipped picks and things like that. They’re punching the ball out. It’s being coached. You can see it happening all throughout camp, and they kept working, kept working, and then finally it just broke free for them.

“Again, we want to limit that as an offense, but it’s an exciting thing as a team.”

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on Twitter.