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Jon Gruden was antsy at the start of the first training camp practice for the Oakland Raiders as he was mostly a spectator while his assistants worked on fundamentals in position drills.

After a nearly 10-year wait to get back into coaching Authentic Minkah Fitzpatrick Jersey , Gruden was eager to get things going in the first training camp of his second stint as Raiders coach.

"I had a hard time standing and watching," Gruden said Friday. "It's just awesome to be here. It's a great responsibility. I know I have a lot to prove and I'm eager to do the best I can to do it."

Gruden is far and away the biggest star and personality on the Raiders in his return to coaching after spending the past nine years as ESPN's analyst on "Monday Night Football."

He's adored by the Raiders fans who cheered his every move, and he provided a vocal soundtrack at practice when he barked out at his players and coaches after mistakes. He even ribbed the practice D.J. at one point.

"He's kind of like a player on the field," linebacker Derrick Johnson said. "He's very energetic. He's loud, he's talking trash. He wants to win. You can see his passion as a player. I can appreciate that. He's all in. There's a different kind of sense of urgency that we have going out to practice on the first day. It's pretty exciting."

There was one important piece missing, however. Star pass rusher Khalil Mack is holding out while looking for a long-term contract. Mack is entering the final season of his rookie contract that is set to pay him $13.8 million and has not taken part in the offseason program.

Gruden said he leaves the negotiations to general manager Reggie McKenzie

"Hopefully we get him in here soon because he's an exciting player," Gruden said. "He's one of the best in football."

Getting Mack back will be important for Gruden as he tries to revitalize the Raiders after the team went from 12 wins and a playoff berth in 2016 to a 6-10 record last season that led to the firing of coach Jack Del Rio.

He has worked relentlessly since getting hired in January. He had to hire a coaching staff, install new systems, adjust to changes in the league since he last coached in Tampa Bay in 2008, and overhaul a roster that had several holes.

Getting quarterback Derek Carr back to the level he played at when he was an MVP candidate in 2016 is one of the top tasks. After a breakthrough year in his third NFL season Authentic Da'Ron Payne Jersey , Carr struggled last year as he dealt with an injured back.

He matched his career high with 13 interceptions and recorded his worst totals in yards, touchdowns and passer rating since his rookie year in 2014.

Carr said he feels revitalized under the tutelage of Gruden, whom he first met at a TV quarterback camp before the 2014 draft.

"I don't know if anything with him surprises you," Carr said. "He has not changed one bit since the first time I met him at Gruden's QB camp to the first day of actual training camp practice. He is the same person. That says a lot. That doesn't change. He is always fiery, he loves football, he wants to win, he loves his players, he loves his coaches, and he demands from you."

Gruden is loved in Oakland and feels the same way about the Raiders fans who have pined for his return ever since he was traded to Tampa Bay following the 2001 season.

He even hosted a fan appreciation night last week at a local bar, Ricky's Sports Theatre and Grill Customized New York Giants Jerseys , which serves as a hangout for Raiders fans. More than 500 fans showed up for the event, getting treated by Gruden to a free meal and a pep rally.

"I don't go out very often and when I do I like to be with people who are like-minded," Gruden said. "To associate with the real Raiders fans who support you through thick and thin, that's good stuff."

NOTES: Gruden said LT Donald Penn is getting close to returning from foot surgery that ended his 2017 season but still needs to prove he can move explosively. ... Rookie P.J. Hall is sidelined for the start of camp with a strained pectoral muscle.

TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Lighting still have the top spot in the Eastern Conference in their sights when they host the 31st overall team, the Buffalo Sabres, on Friday.

Coming off an impressive victory against the Boston Bruins earlier in the week, the Lightning need to win their final two games — preferably in regulation — to have the chance to overtake Boston for the Atlantic Division title, which also carries home ice advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Tampa Bay’s dominant 4-0 victory over Boston is the model moving forward for the Lightning, not just in the final two regular-season games but looking ahead to the postseason.

“We need to play the same way against everyone Youth Robert Golden Jersey ,” Lightning defenseman Dan Girardi said after practice on Thursday. “I think that’s where we get into trouble the last month or two, getting up for the big games, then letting down in the other ones. We’re up and down. We’re not playing the same way the whole time. As long as we can follow that effort up from Boston, we’re going in the right direction, for sure.”

The Lightning looked more like the team that was dominant during the early stages of the season, utilizing their team speed, getting pucks behind the opposing defense and establishing a strong forecheck presence. That limited the turnovers and put less pressure on the Tampa Bay defense along with goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy.

“We played a better 200-foot game,” associate coach Rick Bowness said. “There wasn’t nearly as many east-to-west turnovers that just slowed us up and killed our attack. We worked a lot harder for 60 minutes; we stayed with it.”

Buffalo is in the exact opposite position, having already secured the last spot in the league in another lost season for the Sabres.

Under first-year coach Phil Housley, Buffalo showed little improvement in the standings Kenley Jansen Jersey , but hopes strides were made in becoming more cohesive as a team learning a new system.

“I believe in our system,” Housley told The Buffalo News. “I believe in our structure. I believe when we play a brand of game that’s the right way — we’re on top of people and we’re not cheating the game and we’re doing things for the better part of the team — you can see we’re a good hockey team.”

The Sabres have beaten the Lightning twice this season, including an overtime win on Feb. 28 at Amalie Arena, but are just 2-7 in their past nine games, helping plummet the drop to the cellar.

“There’s no secret we’re in last place, and it’s a tough place to be,” forward Nick Baptiste told The News. “But there’s only room for improvement. If we can as a group kind of look at ourselves in the mirror and figure out what it is as an individual that you can bring to the table to be better in a team sense, it will help us immensely and improve this team.”
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