NFL Week 9: Raiders shifting on with out Henry Ruggs III

Jon Gruden resigned as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders on October 11 after revelations of emails he wrote a decade ago made it unacceptable for him to continue as the NFL team’s coach.

The Raiders responded by defeating the Denver Broncos on October 17, 34-24 and the Philadelphia Eagles on October 24, 33-22.

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POLICE REPORT: HENRY RUGGS III DRIVE 156 MPH BEORE FATAL CRASH

Las Vegas came back from its bye week with news that wide receiver Henry Ruggs III was arrested Tuesday in connection with a pre-dawn traffic accident. When the former Alabama standout first appeared on Wednesday, prosecutors said he drives his Corvette on blood alcohol levels more than double the Nevada legal limit and is 2.5 seconds away from a collision involving a 23-year-old Las Vegas was killed at 156 mph too fast woman.

“They are two completely separate entities,” said Rich Bisaccia, the special team coordinator who was taking over as head coach when Gruden left. “I felt like we carried on from what happened before and we had a chance to play two games and now we have been faced with this situation. Again, as adult men, we all have to react in a certain way. We all forge our identities in life, and certainly in the locker room, by dealing with adversity and dealing with adversity. That’s how life goes. I think you understand. We had discussions about that. …

“There is no blueprint for these things. I think we’re all just leaning on each other in there. We have a lot of other coaches who have a lot of experience. We have players who have been through different things so I think we did a good job communicating and we tried to give our players the best possible resources. “

When he got to court, Ruggs was no longer a member of the Raiders. The team did without him on Tuesday evening.

“I think we have come to this conclusion, and owner Mark (Davis) at the time felt it was best for the organization to do so,” said Bisaccia. “I think there are two separate units. There is Henry Ruggs, the football player who is no longer one of the Raiders, and then Henry Ruggs the person who is sure to go through what they go through and face the consequences for the deeds. “

For Henry Ruggs, the person, Raiders quarterback Derek Carr had a message.

“He needs people who love him now,” said Carr. “He’s probably got a certain kind of himself right now and he needs to be loved, and if no one else does, I’ll do it.”

Footballer Henry Ruggs leads Las Vegas in the 2021 season with 469 and two touchdowns at 24 receptions. In seven games this season, Ruggs had 17 yards more than 13 games as a rookie draft pick for the first round.

Ruggs helped Las Vegas win five of its first seven games, just half a game off the AFC’s best record – and the 6-2 Tennessee Titans lost their meal ticket to Derrick Henry this week due to foot surgery.

The first game of the Raiders without Ruggs takes place on Sunday when Las Vegas visits the New York Giants.

“From a footballing perspective, we’re ready to go,” said Carr on Wednesday. “We had a great practice. We have a lot to do this year, that’s for sure. Lots of guys: ‘What a crazy year.’ I’ve heard that a couple of times. I heard, ‘Gosh,’ you know, like, ‘Man, can we please? Nothing else. ‘ Not for ourselves, but for everyone else, for everyone involved. But in terms of football and competition, we are ready to play football. There is no doubt about that. We know where we are from that point of view, and we know what to do. We know this was the time of year we took a couple of breaks and we can’t let that happen no matter what. …

“Is it fair? No, because I want to have emotions about things. I want to think about things as a person. Football is secondary when something like this happens. We talk about life – many different lives and many different situations. But from a footballing perspective, it is our way of thinking that we’ll be ready to play. That’s for sure. “

The Raiders have three wide receivers on their active list – Bryan Edwards, Zay Jones and Hunter Renfrow. You can also reach up to your practice team to the wide receivers Marcell Ateman, Dillon Stoner, DJ Turner and Javon Wims.

Renfrow leads Las Vegas at receptions with 38, good for 399 yards and two touchdowns. Edwards has caught 18 passes for 346 yards and one touchdown. Jones has six receptions for 115 yards and a TD.

“Zay and our other guys are going to get a lot more opportunities,” said Carr, “and I’m looking forward to them because they work so hard. …

“Roles change quickly in the NFL. And his role has changed along with the role of some other guys. But it still holds true: whatever your role, do it the best you can. It has to be like nothing ever happened. “

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The Alabama game of the week is the Raiders Giants competition on Sunday. Fourteen players from state high schools and colleges are on the teams’ active ranks.

The complete schedule for week 9 (with all times Central and with point spreads from vegasinsider.com):

Thursday

New York Jets at Indianapolis Colts (-10.5), 7:20 p.m. (FOX, NFL Network, Amazon)

Sunday

Atlanta Falcons near New Orleans Saints (-6), noon (WBRC, WZDX, WALA, WCOV, WDFX)

· Buffalo Bills (-14.5) at Jacksonville Jaguars, noon

Cleveland Browns in Cincinnati Bengals (-2.5), noon (WIAT, WHNT, WKRG, WAKA, WTVY)

· Denver Broncos at the Dallas Cowboys (-9.5), noon

· Houston Texans at Miami Dolphins (-6.5), noon

· Las Vegas Raiders (-3) at the New York Giants, noon

· Minnesota Vikings at Baltimore Ravens (-6), noon

· New England Patriots (-3.5) in the Carolina Panthers, noon

Los Angeles Chargers (-1.5) at the Philadelphia Eagles, 3:05 p.m.

Arizona Cardinals (-1) in the San Francisco 49ers, 3:25 p.m.

Green Bay Packers with the Kansas City Chiefs (-7), 3:25 p.m. (WBRC, WZDX, WALA, WCOV, WDFX)

Tennessee Titans at the Los Angeles Rams (-7.5), 7:20 p.m. (NBC)

Monday

Chicago Bears at Pittsburgh Steelers (-6.5), 7:15 p.m. (ESPN)

Goodbye: Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Football Team

WATCH MAPS OF BROADCAST TV coverage on Sunday

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @ AMarkG1.