Allen believed the Raiders had a pretty good day of practice, but there was plenty of room for improvement. Once Allen goes back to watch the video of practice, he will see a few players that really helped themselves on Monday and a few who didn't.
Winners
Eddie McGee
Not only did McGee make a few nice catches, including a long grab from Carson Palmer over veteran cornerback Shawntae Spencer, but McGee was coming in with Ford with the No. 2 unit ahead of standout rookies Juron Criner and Rod Streater.
It's a sign that McGee is very much still in the mix to make the team, particularly because he made the most of the opportunities that were given to him.
DaMarcus Van Dyke
Van Dyke broke up a pair of passes during practice while playing with the first-team defense. One of the two break ups was nearly intercepted and it fired up a few of his teammates on defense temporarily.
Veteran cornerback Ron Bartell missed practice with a hamstring injury which opened the door for Van Dyke to get playing time with the starters. It's worth noting Van Dyke played behind Spencer during OTAs and minicamp with Chekwa getting the reps behind Bartell, but it was Van Dyke that had that duty today.
The Raiders need both Van Dyke and Chekwa to become solid NFL players in 2012 and it's possible Van Dyke could push for a starting role if he keeps performing like he did on the first day of training camp.
Pat Lee
The dep...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
