Raiders: Wide receivers still injured
Wide receivers Denarius Moore (strained right hamstring) and Jacoby Ford (sprained left foot) missed practice again Monday, and there's still no timetable for their return.
Quarterback Carson Palmer said he's running out of time to get truly in synch with Moore and Ford for the Sept. 10 regular-season opener against San Diego, assuming they're back by then.
“We need a ton of work together,” Palmer said. “You can never get enough work with a guy, even if he's played every rep and you've played every rep. When they're back, it's not easy to get off the couch or get out of a walking boot or off crutches or whatever it may be and just show up and play.
“This league is way too good. These players are too good. These schemes are too good just to jump in and go, so there's going to be a little bit of a process of getting their legs back and their conditioning back, but also their minds and bodies to the speed of the game to get caught up with everything.”
Moore missed the first three preseason games and hasn't practiced since re-injuring his hamstring early in training camp. He hurt the same hamstring during minicamp in June. Moore has been making significant strides recently in his comeback – he ran routes before Saturday's game against Detroit – but he likely won't play Thursday night at Seattle in the final preseason game.
Ford, who missed six games last season with a sprained left foot, was injured on Aug. 17 against Arizona. He was out of his walking boot on Monday.
“He was better today,” Allen said of Ford. “He's out of the boot, so that's progress. Is he closer? Yes. How close? I'm not sure.”
Rod Streater, an undrafted rookie from Temple, started against Detroit in place of Ford, who had filled in for Moore. Streater caught five more passes and leads the Raiders with 18 catches for 165 yards.
“He realizes he can play in this league,” Palmer said. “When you're a sixth-, seventh-round draft choice or a free agent, there's a little bit of doubt. … Maybe I can't play in this league. There's some things that can kind of sink into your head.
“He can play with the best. He can win a one-on-one route against any corner, starter or backup corner. And that's one of the biggest hurdles a young guy has to get over is you really don't know if you can do it consistently. And he's consistently done it every single practice, every single day. I don't think he has any issue confidence-wise.”
Follow Raiders reporter Eric Gilmore on Twitter: @CBSSportsNFLOAK.
