Camp Kiffin ready to kick off

NAPA -- The NFL Management Council, at the behest of the players union, slapped Lane Kiffin's wrists for overactive practices at the minicamps and organized team activities this offseason. But there is no crying in training camp. Kiffin can put the boys in full pads as often as he wishes, and he can ride them hard.

Or as the then-31-year-old put it when he was introduced as the Raiders' head coach on Jan. 23: "The game will become easy to them because practice is so hard." That might be a welcome change for Raiders fans -- and though they might be loathe to admit it publicly, perhaps for many of the players as well. Norv Turner ran relatively mild camps, giving frequent days off to his older veterans. Art Shell, Kiffin's immediate predecessor, instituted a few macho activities such as the hallowed "pit drill," but his practices moved along slowly and were punctuated by numerous water breaks.

The world saw the results of those styles. The Raiders went 9-23 in two seasons under the affable Turner, then sank to 2-14 under the quietly stern Shell. Add a 4-12 mark under Bill Callahan in 2003, and this team has the worst record in the NFL since representing the AFC in the Super Bowl in 2002.

To spark a turnaround, owner Al Davis tapped Kiffin, who learned the NFL ropes from his father, long-time assistant Monte Kiffin, but whose official pro experience was limited to one season as the Jacksonville Jaguars' quality control coach. Lane Kiffin's offseason practices -- or at least those open to the media -- were crisp, energetic and up-tempo, and you can expect more of the same over the next three weeks.

Sometime around 2 p.m. today, the players will begin to trickle in by bus or private car (perhaps even the occasional limousine) for check-in at the Napa Valley Marriott. The first practice is 2:45 p.m. Friday, beginning a string of 13 consecutive days with practices. Six of those days will include two sessions, a morning edition and a 7-9 p.m. practice, something not seen in Napa.

The Raiders will break for the Raider Nation Celebration at McAfee Coliseum on Aug. 9, two days before their first exhibition, a home game against Arizona. Camp officially breaks Aug. 19, the day after the Raiders' game at San Francisco.

The fields behind the Marriott, part of the Redwood Middle School campus, are reportedly in good condition. And the team signed fourth-round draft choice Michael Bush, a running back from Louisville, on Wednesday. That brings the number of rookies under contract to seven, with seventh-rounder Jonathan Holland having signed on Monday.

"It feels good," Bush said on the Raiders' Web site. "It's all new, you have to read things carefully and sit down with your agent to go over things. I will be out there ready to go."

Four rookies remain unsigned, including the big one -- overall No. 1 draft choice JaMarcus Russell.

Russell's agents, Ethan Lock and Eric Metz, have been deep into negotiations with a team that includes Raiders officials Marc Badain, Mark Jackson, Dan Ventrelle and Tom Delaney. The Raiders have a great track record of signing their first-round picks on time. But Russell, the cannon-armed quarterback from LSU, is looking for at least $25 million in guaranteed money. And because he probably won't be ready to start soon, neither side is likely to feel a strong sense of urgency to get a deal done.

In other words, fans shouldn't squirm if Russell is unsigned when camp begins. Leave the squirming to Kiffin, who no doubt is more eager than anyone to get all of his players on the field and fighting for jobs.

EXTRA POINTS

The Raiders released safety Jarrod Cooper, waived safety Darnell Bing and placed Holland on the injured reserve Thursday.

Cooper has been among the team's standout special-teams players the last 2½ years, but was scheduled to miss the first four games of the regular season after violating the NFL's steroid policy. The Bing move was more surprising. He's a second-year player who spent his entire rookie season on the injured reserve after being drafted in the fourth round and converted to linebacker. Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan and Kiffin, who knew Bing from USC, moved him back to safety this year.

You can reach Staff Writer Phil Barber at 526-8672 or phil.barber@pressdemocrat.com.