Raiders’ rookie duo prepared to tackle dual start
Summoned to replace injured right tackle Donald Penn during a third-quarter drive last Sunday, Brandon Parker had little time to consider he was playing his first offensive snaps in the NFL.
And in a way, the rookie said, that helped.
“All the time for nerves is kind of leading up to it,” Parker said Monday. “Then when it’s time to go — like, I literally went in there and my nerves went away. I just knew it was time to ball.”
Circumstances are different this week. With Penn going to injured reserve Wednesday, Parker, the Raiders’ third-round pick in April, has had all week to prepare for his first NFL start, and his part in what’s expected to be an unprecedented development for the Raiders on Sunday.