This week's episode of "Hard Knocks" wasn't, shall we say, eventful. Or even that interesting. Enlightening? Definitely not.
After Antonio Brown was heavily in focus through the first three episodes, No. 84 was barely in the penultimate installment. He complained about a certified helmet he had to wear in a workout, went to a De La Salle-Concord football game for no apparent reason other than the visuals, and signed some autographs in Winnipeg.
And that's about it. We didn't see anything about him giving up his helmet fight, or his return to practice when the team reached Alameda.
This one was feature-heavy, focusing on tight end Luke Willson, -- a Canadian -- before the team's preseason game in Winnipeg and middle linebacker Jason Cabinda. We got caught up with Maxx Crosby, Nate Peterman and Keelan Doss, as we have several times before.
Let's get to a few interesting things we gleaned from this episode. Knock on wood if you're with me:
Peterman? Peter-CAN!
The show sure made it seem like Mike Glennon was supposed to play longer against the Green Bay Packers than he did. Raiders coach Jon Gruden put in Nathan Peterman quickly, and was pleased with his second-half play that ended with a game-winning field-goal drive.
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Gruden has done a good job getting Peterman ready to play, and has brought his confidence back. He's hard on the young quarterback, but he was complimentary as heck after his productive night in Winnipeg.
"That's as good as I've seen you play since you were at [the University of Pittsburgh]," Gruden said. "… I'm proud of you Nate."
That conversation surely bolsters the possibility Gruden keeps a third quarterback on the roster so he can continue tutoring the 25-year-old talent who had a rough start to his NFL career in Buffalo.
Glennon remains the heavy favorite to be the backup quarterback, but Peterman's progress is real, and he's starting to produce tangible results.
Gruden was pissed at the Packers
The Raiders coach had no problem with the IG Field playing surface in Winnipeg. He made that clear with a not-so-subtle jab at the Packers in his postgame comments, but his sentiment was solidified with annoyance at playing on an 80-yard field because of Green Bay's issues with a patch in one end zone.
Gruden wasn't thrilled during a conversation with Packers coach Matt LaFleur, where he asked if they were going to cancel the game. LaFleur pleaded the Fifth there, but some members of the Packers contingent didn't like the playing surface.
Gruden also was bothered by someone on the Packers, a "guy who just got off the plane and doesn't like the field."
An official who told Gruden to get back in the designated coaching area received an earful as well.
"Just throw the flag on me," Gruden said. "I've taken enough grief tonight."
Crosby will have a tough time with airport security
Crosby, the rookie edge rusher, updated the cameras on his fractured hand, which he sustained when he tried to knock the ball free from a ball carrier during the preseason opener against the L.A. Rams.
Crosby showed us X-rays of his hand, where you can see a large screw in the bone of his hand. He is practicing again, and Gruden asked his son Jayson's trainer - he's working to become an MMA fighter - how to tape a hand so it's stable and provides the use of his fingers.
Buckner has moment of frustration
Raiders defensive line coach Brenston Buckner has been charged with turning the NFL's worst sack attack into something respectable. It's a multi-year project to be sure, but Buckner is trying to light a fire under some of his players heading down the preseason's final stretch, with an epic rant about how he needs better play.
"Some of you all feel like a waste of my time," Buckner said in a position group meeting. "I'd respect you more if you said, ‘Coach, I can't play for you,' and we can get you out. Just going through the motions, it isn't going to work. We have standards. Either you meet them or you won't be here. ...
"I don't hate anybody here. I love everybody. But I dislike some of the football with a passion. Some of y'all's football sucks with a passion, and you ain't man enough to take it."
Buckner is trying to form a functional defensive line, and issuing tough love to make that happen.
[RELATED: Antonio Brown re-integrating well into Raiders offense after absence]
‘Hard Knocks' catches Trent Brown in a tough spot
Right tackle Trent Brown hasn't been on the show much at all, save the very end of this episode. That's when cameras caught him inhaling a bunch of candy/snacks all at once.
It fits what people think happens for a 380-pound tackle, even though he's in solid shape and has put in great work that has not been shown this season.
