Oakland Raiders

It took seven days of training camp, but the Raiders have resumed playing football as a contact sport.

Rookie safety Mike Mitchell made it official Tuesday with a violent pad popper on running back Gary Russell, who saw the hit coming and could do nothing but be glad all-out tackling isn't allowed in practice.

"He had nowhere to go, I had nowhere to go. That's what you dream of," Mitchell said. "He's going to be on his back and I'm going to be up yelling. That's how it usually ends."

It's just getting started for Mitchell, a big hitter with little name recognition before the Raiders made him a second-round draft pick in April.

He has been waiting ever since then to smack a ball carrier. After a slow start to padded workouts Monday, Mitchell got his first clear shot when Russell caught a screen pass on the right side.

Just as impressive, Mitchell excelled in pass coverage with two deflections at strong safety.

On one, he popped tight end Brandon Myers just as the ball arrived over the middle. On another play, Mitchell charged the line to play the run before dropping into coverage when tight end Zach Miller took off downfield.

For a player who missed all but one week of offseason workouts, Mitchell appears to have done his homework.

"He's making up for it and doing fine," coach Tom Cable said.

The hard part is not laying out any of his teammates. Mitchell knows they're on his side, but it's so tempting.

Save it for Aug. 13 when the Cowboys come to town for the preseason opener, Cable said.

"I'm still a little scared, because Coach always says don't take any shots on anybody," Mitchell said. "But I'm going to have to try to get loose out here because it's no fun when you can't play like yourself.

"I just wanted to get in there and get a little thud going."

Injury time: Left tackle Khalif Barnes sprained his ankle and hurt his knee when a defender rolled into him during the morning practice.

Barnes had an MRI exam, but the results have not been shared yet.

Defensive end Greg Ellis also did not finish practice for undisclosed reasons.

Quarterback Jeff Garcia, 39, said he strained the same right calf that sidelined him for two preseason games last season. He missed a third day of practice Tuesday and hopes to return Thursday.

Briefly: Darrius Heyward-Bey had a rough morning, but then caught 13 of 14 passes in the afternoon session. ... Cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha practiced through tightness in his hip. ... Ricky Brown is splitting snaps with middle linebacker Kirk Morrison, who ranked fifth in the NFL in tackles last season. Cornerback Stanford Routt also is sharing first-team reps with incumbent Chris Johnson.







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