WANTED & UNWANTED » one nation.”Lillard reps Oa

ALAMEDA Bo Jackson Jersey White , Calif. (AP) — Nathan Peterman became a national punchline as the quarterback in Buffalo because of his poor performance filled with interceptions and other numerous bad plays.So when the Oakland Raiders signed Peterman to the practice squad this week, coach Jon Gruden got quite a few calls asking about it and he saw criticism of the move that he tried to deflect Thursday.“He’s on the practice squad right now,” Gruden said. “I want to reiterate that to everybody. He’s on the practice squad.”The Raiders brought Peterman in this week because backup AJ McCarron went back to Alabama to be with his wife, who gave birth to a child. Oakland needed a second quarterback for practice and Gruden knew Peterman from his time in college at Tennessee and Pittsburgh and from Gruden’s pre-draft quarterback camp during his time as an analyst at ESPN.While Peterman is only on the practice squad for now, Gruden said he’d like to keep Peterman for the offseason program to see if he can compete for a backup spot next year.“I know what kind of kid he is,” Gruden said. “I know what kind of worker he is. I like what he did at Pitt. They beat Clemson. I like what he did in that game, at Clemson. He showed some real savvy and some real pocket presence. He’s an athletic guy. I know he’s had some problems in Buffalo but we’re talking about our practice squad quarterback here.”Peterman’s problems in Buffalo were big after he was drafted in the fifth round in 2017. He ended up getting cut last month before the end of his second season.He feels fortunate to have a second chance.“It’s awesome,” he said. “It’s great to be here and there are some things in the offense that are smiler to things I have done in the past. … Gruden is obviously a master at what he does. I am just here to watch, learn and do whatever they need.”Peterman struggled mightily with the Bills. He began his rookie season as Tyrod Taylor’s backup before getting his shot to start midway through the season. He threw five interceptions in the first half https://www.raiderslockerroom.com/authentic-derek-carr-jersey , while completing just 6 of 14 passes before getting pulled for Taylor.Peterman then won the starting job for the Bills this season, beating out rookie Josh Allen. But his tenure lasted just two series into the third quarter of the opener when he was pulled for Allen after going 5 for 18 for 24 yards with two interceptions in a 47-3 loss.Things unraveled further when Peterman took over after Allen was hurt in the third quarter of a 20-13 loss at Houston on Oct. 14. After hitting Zay Jones for a go-ahead touchdown, Peterman closed the game by throwing two interceptions, including one returned for the decisive score in the final two minutes.He then threw three more interceptions in his final start against Chicago on Nov. 4 before getting cut.For his career, Peterman has completed 52.3 percent of his passes with 12 interceptions, three TDs and a 32.5 passer rating. Only two players since the merger have thrown more passes than Peterman’s 130 with a lower rating. Scott Bull had a 24.8 rating for San Francisco and Kim McQuilken had a 17.9 rating for Atlanta and Washington, both in the 1970s.“I don’t watch or read anything, so I don’t see what people are saying about me,” Peterman said. “One thing you learn pretty quick is to tune out the outside noise.”NOTES: Gruden said he’s more optimistic that LG Kelechi Osemele can play this week after missing the past two games with a toe injury. … Gruden said he doesn’t expect RT Donald Penn to be able to return from a groin injury that has had him on IR since he got hurt in Week 4. Penn has been practicing the past few weeks. Damian Lillard sends Thunder packing with biggest shot and game of his life and his first Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY SportsFull disclosure Derek Carr Jersey White , I am a Blazer fan from birth. I was born in Portland in the heart of Rip City mania. There is a picture of me as a toddler in a shirt that reads “Property of the Portland Trailblazers.” They were my first love as a sports fan. So, yeah, Tuesday night was a good night for me.It’s all the more gratifying to watch Oakland’s finest Damian Lillard go out and have the game of his life capped by hitting the shot of his life at the buzzer to knock out the easy-to-hate Russell Westbrook and send his stolen franchise back to Oklahoma City. Lillard scored 34 points in the first half alone last night. And yet the Blazers still found themselves down 15 late in the game. So, Dame went back to work, helping bring the Blazers back. He hit the game-tying layup with 30 seconds left to give him a new franchise playoff record 47 points. He already had a franchise playoff record 9 3-pointers in the game.So, they gave him the ball in the waning seconds to try and put the Thunder away in regulation. He dribbled the ball down the court. Stood well off the 3-point line with Paul George guarding him and dribbled time off the clock. With about three seconds left, he made a little move that didn’t seem to fool George, but it didn’t matter, Dame leaned right and shot a 37-footer just over George’s outstretched fingers and as the buzzer went off he buried it. And buried the Thunder.A thoroughly defeated Thunder team walked off the court with their heads down. Russell Westbrook looked up just for an instant; long enough to see Lillard waving goodbye to him before Dame was mobbed by his teammates.Shortly after the game Antonio Brown Raiders Jersey , Dame checked his twitter and found the Raiders had given him a tip of the cap. So, before saying anything about his incredible performance in the game, Dame’s first tweet was to his hometown Raiders saying “It’s only one nation.”Lillard reps Oakland and the Raiders often. He has a tattoo of the Raiders shield on his right arm which you get a full view of when he’s lining up a free throw shot. He brought his entire Blazers team to Oakland last year when the Raiders faced the Browns and watched a 45-42 overtime thriller — one of just four wins by the Raiders on the season. Dame was, of course, wearing his Marshawn Lynch jersey as was Al-Farouq Aminu.‘Logo-Lillard’ will now continue leading the Blazers and repping the Raiders into the second round of the NBA Playoffs where they will face the winner between the Spurs and Nuggets. Should they win that game, he could face the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. It’s the Warriors’ final season in Oakland just as it will be for the Raiders in 2019.Follow @LeviDamien