Before they signed with the Raiders during the offseason, cornerbacks Ron Bartell and Shawntae Spencer already knew they had something in common.
They were born on the same day -- Feb. 22, 1982 -- and now, some 30 years later, their lives and NFL career paths have brought them to the same place as Raiders teammates, training camp roommates and starters.
Both corners are trying to bounce back after nightmarish 2011 seasons. Bartell broke a bone in his neck in the Rams’ opener last year against Philadelphia, ending his season. Spencer injured a hamstring early in training camp with the 49ers, got passed on the depth chart, appeared in only nine games with zero starts and was inactive in the postseason for then first-year coach Jim Harbaugh.
“When we first met, we sat down and talked and really got to know each other,” said Spencer, who started 72 games over eight seasons with the 49ers. “I know how he felt about the neck injury and battling back from that, what he was going through. He watched a lot of football. He was a longtime Ram, and we were in a similar situation.
“For me, getting hurt in training camp and with a new staff coming in, you really don’t get to put your resume out there, a fair evaluation, because of the injury. So, not playing that much last year, we’re both very grateful for the opportunity to be here and excited at the same time to be playing the game of football.”
Bartell, a big corner at 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds, started 65 games in seven seasons with the Rams, including the opener last season. Bartell missed the rest of the season, but he said he’s a better player now than he was before the injury.
“I had a chance to watch a lot of football,” Bartell said. “Got a chance to dissect myself and my game and got a chance to see where I really was at as a football player and see what areas I really would need to improve on. I did a lot of that this offseason, trying to improve on certain things. I think I’m a lot smarter than I was, and I think this scheme has allowed me to be a better player because I think this scheme fits me perfect.”
As far back as OTAs, Bartell said his neck was 100 percent healthy, but he was still anxious to see how it would handle hard contact in a game. He finally got his answer Friday night at Arizona in the Raiders’ second exhibition game when he broke on a route and “got a pretty good lick” on a Cardinals tight end.
“So far so good,” Bartell said. “It felt great. I wanted to get over that hump. I’m over it. It’s not even an issue anymore. Just looking forward to playing this game on Saturday and tuning up for the regular season.”
During the offseason, new Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie released starting left cornerback Stanford Routt and right cornerback Chris Johnson, ridding the team of two big contracts. Bartell replaced Routt on the left side, while Spencer replaced Johnson on the right. The new starting cornerbacks will get their toughest test of the preseason Saturday night against the Lions, particularly All-Pro wide receiver Calvin Johnson and quarterback Matthew Stafford, who threw for 5,038 yards and 41 TDs last season.
“We’re going against, arguably, the best wide receiver in the NFL,” Bartell said of Johnson. “One of the best passing offenses in the league. … Calvin Johnson, you can’t say enough about him. He’s the best of the best -- 6-5, 235 pounds, fast, physical. It will be a great measuring stick. If we want to be great as a secondary -- and I think we have the talent to do that -- this will be a great challenge for us this weekend.”
After what they endured last season, Bartell and Spencer are savoring every challenge.
“I feel good,” Spencer said. “The biggest thing for me is I’m healthy. I’m happy about that. I’m grateful about that.”
“You learn to appreciate the small things,” Bartell said. “Like practice. We often complain about practice, but once it’s taken away from you, when you’re not really ready for that to happen, you learn to appreciate it, just being around the guy. I definitely appreciate it a lot more.”
Follow Raiders reporter Eric Gilmore on Twitter: @CBSSportsNFLOAK.
