Oakland Raiders

Give Raiders rookie Darrius Heyward-Bey credit: He tried to be all smiles after a rough practice, even if he wasn't all hands.

"I'm confident," Heyward-Bey said. "You're going to catch some, you're going to drop some."

Heyward-Bey dropped four spirals Monday in the Raiders' first padded practice with actual contact since training camp opened six days earlier in Napa. He also caught his fair share, including two deep throws over the middle with touchdown potential.

But oh, those drops. It's hard to notice when little-known Jonathan Holland puts one on the grass. It's hard to ignore when it's a No. 7 overall draft pick who just signed a contract with $23.5 million guaranteed and plenty of critics to disprove.

And yes, his coaches and teammates have picked up on the daily trend. That's why they go out of their way to encourage Heyward-Bey between muffed plays, whether it's quarterback JaMarcus Russell, wide receivers Javon Walker and Chaz Schilens, or Raiders boss Al Davis himself.

"They tell me all the time, 'Forget about that one, move on to the next one,' " Heyward-Bey said. "I'm just trying to work through the kinks. That's football. It happens."

On his first play against the defense, Heyward-Bey double-bobbled a sharp pass to linebacker Thomas Howard for an interception. When he didn't come close to catching a sideline pass on Nnamdi Asomugha, Heyward-Bey clapped his hands twice in frustration.

"He understands his job is to catch footballs," coach Tom Cable said. "He is just pressing. You know he wants to impress you. That is what it is.

"It is just a process of gaining confidence and getting comfortable every day."

If nothing else, Heyward-Bey looks a lot better than 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree, the No. 10 overall pick who has yet to report to training camp. And he isn't the first wide receiver to have a case of the dropsies as a rookie.

The sooner Heyward-Bey gets it straight, the sooner the Raiders' vertical passing game will be born again.

"He's very anxious to succeed," Russell said. "I told him to make it easy for himself. Sometimes you jump for passes you don't have to. Those guys know you can catch, so go out there and show them."

Briefly: Backup quarterback Jeff Garcia, 39, is out with a strained calf and listed as day-to-day. ... Defensive end Derrick Burgess' holdout reached Day 6 with no end in sight. He can be fined up to $15,888 per day. Cable continually declines to comment. ... Pro Bowl punter Shane Lechler seems ready for the season to start. He had punts of 75 and 77 yards at the start of practice.









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