— At last Taron Johnson Jersey , a new face on the other side of the line.

The Oakland Raiders and Detroit Lions conducted the first of two joint practices Tuesday in preparation for their preseason opener Friday at the Oakland Coliseum, allowing players on both teams to get a new perspective after practicing against teammates for the past two weeks.

“It was nice to see some new coverages, some different stuff,” Oakland quarterback Derek Carr said. “It was good for us. It’ll be good film. A lot of things happened today, good and bad things that we needed to have happen that we haven’t had happen in practice yet.”

The practice was conducted in a controlled environment after Raiders coach Jon Gruden met with first-year Detroit coach Matt Patricia in the offseason. The two friends mapped out the workouts well before the Lions arrived in Northern California.

Patricia said the joint practices offer an opportunity for rookies and young players from both teams to make an impression.

“For a lot of the young guys that haven’t stepped onto an NFL field with anyone except for their own teammates it certainly brings a different element from the standpoint of competitiveness and an evaluation standpoint,” Patricia said. “Even the veteran guys, it’s good to get out there and compete against somebody else. You kind of get into that rhythm and that mentality of going against the same guy every day.”

Unlike in previous years when the Raiders have held combined practices with the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers, there were no fights and only a few minor scuffles.

Oakland linebacker Tahir Whitehead was at the center of one after hitting a Lions player who was getting up after making a long catch near the end zone. Whitehead Marshall Faulk Jersey , who played six seasons in Detroit, including the last four as a starter, also exchanged good-natured ribbing with Lions running back Ameer Abdullah during a goal line drill near the end of practice.

“It was fun getting a chance to catch up with the guys even though we’re chirping and everything going back and forth,” Whitehead said. “When I was there we did the same exact thing. We were going back and forth. It’s all competitive and we’re just trying to get each other better. This time I’m in the black and silver and it’s just a different feel.”

The teams went through individual position drills on separate fields before coming together on both fields for team scrimmages.

Fans filled the east stands while members of the military and a handful of youth football teams sat on the west side, adding a livelier feel to practice.

“The fans made it even better,” Detroit running back Kerryon Johnson said. “Everybody’s tired of hitting each other for however many weeks we’ve been going against each other. It’s a new face, a new venue. It made it fun and it made it like a real game and we really enjoyed it.”

Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford looked crisp while leading the Lions’ first unit. At one point he completed a deep throw to Marvin Jones Jr. for a touchdown after Jones raced past Raiders cornerback Antonio Hamilton.

Carr was equally sharp but threw his first interception of training camp when he was picked off by Detroit’s Darius Slay.

“On a stupid scramble drill, too Quenton Nelson Jersey ,” Carr said. “I was bummed.”

Notes: Lions defensive end Ziggy Ansah made it through his second practice after coming off the physically unable to perform list earlier in the week. “There’s certainly some different things for him that we’re going to have to learn this year to be able to do,” Patricia said. “Just getting him on the field is one step closer.” . Raiders running back Chris Warren provided the play of the day when he leveled Lions linebacker Jarrad Davis and sent the former first-round draft pick flying back.

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Add LSU’s Danny Etling to the list of quarterbacks drafted by the New England Patriots since they took Tom Brady 18 years ago.

As a seventh-round pick, odds favor him joining the previous eight who didn’t replace the franchise icon set to turn 41 this summer.

Still, director of player personnel Nick Caserio figured there was a decent chance the Patriots would add someone to Brady’s room during a busy draft that featured nine picks and 10 trades over three days a year after New England made just four selections.

”We knew we were going to add to a quarterback to our team at some point,” Caserio said after the draft ended Saturday. ”We think Danny has some decent traits and decent qualities to work with.”

New England used the draft’s final day to fill a handful of needs on both sides of the ball and gained three picks for next season, including a third-rounder from Detroit. As of the draft’s conclusion, New England holds 12 picks for 2019.

”Busy weekend and a lot of effort from a lot of people,” Caserio said. ”This is not a one-man show. This is a team effort and embodies what this program is about … putting the team first and doing your job.”

After making six trades during the first four rounds Brad Nortman Jersey , the Patriots addressed the linebacker spot with their first two picks Saturday. New England took Purdue’s Ja’Whaun Bentley with the 143rd overall pick in the fifth round and Arizona State’s Christian Sam in the sixth (No. 178).

The Patriots then shifted to offense, taking Miami slot wide receiver Braxton Berrios at No. 210 in the sixth following by Etling with the 219th choice. New England also took Western Carolina defensive back Keion Crossen (No. 243) and Florida State tight end Ryan Izzo (No. 250) in the seventh round.

Etling will join Brady and backup Brian Hoyer on the depth chart after throwing for 2,463 yards, 16 touchdowns and two interceptions last season.

”I don’t have any expectations other than going in and learning as much information as you can and preparing for your chance when it comes,” Etling said. ”You just want to watch a guy who’s so great and know how he does it.”

Etling spent his freshman and sophomore years at Purdue and was a teammate and close friend of Bentley.

Here are some other things to know about the Patriots’ draft:

ANOTHER BOILERMAKER: A three-time captain at Purdue, Bentley follows a line of Purdue linebackers under coach Bill Belichick. Rosevelt Colvin played in New England for six seasons (2003-08) and Rob Ninkovich retired before the start of training camp last year after eight seasons.

REPUTATION DEFENDER: Sam tried to discount an NFL.com profile that suggested he doesn’t like to practice.

”Everyone has their own opinion and it’s something I can’t control, but I felt that wasn’t true,” Sam said. ”I’m a guy who takes pride in practice because I know how big it is to prepare so you can play at a high level.”

The Texas native played cornerback until his junior year of high school and was a special teams player for the Sun Devils.

IN THE SLOT: The loss of receiver Danny Amendola to AFC East-rival Miami goes beyond the departure of one of Brady’s most-trusted targets. It also created the need for a punt returner that was addressed with the drafting of Berrios. In four years at Miami Curtis Samuel Jersey , Berrios averaged 10.4 yards on punt returns.

”I absolutely love it. There’s something about it that gives you an adrenaline rush,” the 5-9, 183-pound Berrios said.

STILL NEED: Etling will compete for a roster spot, yet it would appear the Patriots are comfortable with the idea of finding Brady’s potential replacement next year, especially with two second-round picks and three third-rounders. Even with the additions of Bentley and Sam, New England figures to remain active for linebacker help.

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