The Chargers officially started preparing for Monday’s season opener against the Oakland Raiders with a full practice Thursday.

“It’s nice to get started with an actual game-plan week,” coach Norv Turner said. “You can consider this the first day of an actual game-plan practice even though we have been working on Oakland. I thought our guys had a lot of energy, and we practiced extremely fast.”

Brinkley in the mix: RB Ryan Mathews (broken right clavicle) remained limited in practice, and it’s unlikely he will play against the Raiders. RB Ronnie Brown will get the start, with RB Jackie Battle listed as the backup.

RB Curtis Brinkley will factor into the game plan after not playing in the last two preseason games. “He had a strained quad early,” Turner said. “He is 100 percent. So we have Brinkley available. We have a variety of different packages we can use. Yeah, I would expect Brinkley to play some.”

Action early for early picks: OLB Melvin Ingram (round one, 18th overall) and DE Kendall Reyes (round two, 49th overall) will see significant playing time early in the season. “There really isn’t much choice,” Turner said. “We are going to dress those guys. I am excited to watch them play. They are both extremely good athletes. They have outstanding speed. If they make a mistake they can cover for it a little bit with their speed and athleticism.”

Return by committee: WR/KR Richard Goodman had a 105-yard return for a TD vs. the Raiders in the final game of last season. Goodman played in every game in 2011 and ranked fourth in the NFL with a 27.5-yard kickoff return average. The Chargers have also added WRs Micheal Spurlock and Eddie Royal, who are both capable return men. Spurlock has a career 25.1-yard kickoff return average and has three returns for scores -- two kickoffs and a punt.

Coach Norv Turner said all three will be used. “The best thing we got in the return game is we have a lot of people available,” he said. “They have different styles. During the course of the early season we are going to use them all. I imagine the Raiders will see all of the returners we have.”

Enemy wives are cozy:  Turner and Raiders QB Carson Palmer are next door neighbors in Del Mar Calif. Palmer said he never sees Turner because he is always working, but their spouses are a different story. “My wife and his wife get along great,” Palmer said.

Practice Report: LT Jared Gaither (back spasms) did not practice. NT Antonio Garay (foot) and RB Ryan Mathews (clavicle) were limited. 

What’s next: The Chargers will conduct a full practice Friday afternoon.

Follow the Chargers and Dan McLellan on Twitter @CBSSportsNFLSD and @sandiegosports.