New Raiders cornerback Shawntae Spencer broke into the league eight years ago with the 49ers. He still vividly remembers his first play in the NFL in the 49ers’ exhibition opener.
“I remember exactly,” Spencer said after practice Sunday. “My first game, my first play. It was actually against the Oakland Raiders, and my first play I was lined up across from Jerry Rice. And I was so nervous. This is the greatest receiver ever to play the game. And I remember he caught a curl route and we were playing at Candlestick (Park), and the crowd erupted. And I was confused, like, ‘OK, I thought this was a home game.’
“But at the end of the day, that’s Jerry rice, and his resume and the things that he did for that organization and that team, that fan base, were unprecedented. But yeah, I remember it.”
Spencer, now a 30-year-old veteran, doesn’t expect to be nervous Monday night when he makes his Raiders debut against the Dallas Cowboys. But he knows he’ll be excited to be on the field after appearing in just nine games -- none in the postseason -- last year for the 49ers.
“You know, I don’t want to make it more than what it really is,” Spencer said. “At the end of the day it’s about just playing football, so training camp really got me back into the flow of things to work off some of the rust, you know what I mean, get acclimated into the scheme of things like that. But I am excited just to get out there and compete against another team.”
Test time: New Raiders coach Dennis Allen has been evaluating his players on the practice field since camp opened. On Monday night, he’ll see how they handle their first true test against the Cowboys.
“You play the game under the lights, and that’s when it counts,” Allen said. “So we obviously are going to weigh these (exhibition games) very heavily. It’s kind of like being in college and you get some homework assignments. That’s like practice. They count, and it’s part of your grade, but you’re going to take your mid-term and you’re going to take you final, and those are going to weigh the heaviest. That’s how I look at that.
Down and out: Ex-Giants WR Duke Calhoun and LB Mario Kurn, an undrafted rookie from San Diego, are out for the season with ACL injuries, Allen said. Both were injured during practice Saturday and are headed for knee surgery.
Injury report: Allen didn’t offer a complete list of injured players who have been ruled out for Monday night’s game, but he said those who remained sidelined Sunday were all but certainly out. In addition to Kurn and Calhoun, eight players missed practice: WRs Denarius Moore (hamstring) and Eddie McGee (hamstring), RBs Taiwan Jones (hamstring) and Mike Goodson (neck), TE Brandon Myers (shoulder), OT Zach Hurd (head), LB Aaron Curry (knee) and P Shane Lechler (knee).
“Curry’s still in L.A. He’s receiving a series of treatments by a specialist,” Allen said.
During practice, Moore, McGee, Jones and Goodson went through a vigorous workout with a trainer on an adjacent field. It looked as if they are making significant progress.
Extra points: Allen said his QB rotation for Monday night will be Carson Palmer, followed by Matt Leinart and Terrelle Pryor. He declined to say how much playing time each of will get. With Jones and Goodson injured and McFadden expected to play briefly, RBs Lonyae Miller and Rashawn Jackson will get plenty of work against Dallas. Fullback Marcel Reece will also get some carries at tailback, Allen said. “We’re going to have to do some maneuvering.”
Follow Raiders reporter Eric Gilmore on Twitter: @CBSSportsNFLOAK.
