Oakland Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha

Then the trade for Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell  and the eventual release of JaMarcus Russell -- a No. 1 overall bust -- seemed to confirm that the Raiders were no longer trying to play Fantasy Football and had a plan about building a real team.

"The vibe here is different, the feeling here is different from other years that I've been here," said perennial Pro Bowl cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, who has never played on a Raiders team that has won more than five games since he was drafted by Oakland in 2003. "We've had years where we've had so much talent that it was assumed we were going to be a great team -- like maybe three years ago. We've had years where we brought a coach back and, again, it was assumed we were going to have a good team.

"(But) this year it actually feels like our team is going to make some noise because the product that we're putting out speaks greater than the names on the team. It doesn't matter what we have here. What we're doing in practice looks like winning football. It's a different feeling."

Caution: Just because the Raiders seem to be working off a legitimate NFL template and things feel decent, these are the Raiders. We should probably wait and see.

For instance, on Tuesday, four times there were pre-snap penalties. Receivers Nnamdi Asomugha dropped passes. It was very Raider-like. However, this wasn't much different than some of the things I'd seen at previous training camps. And coach Tom Cable isn't letting these things slide.

Add safety Michael Huff to the Darrius Heyward-Bey Fan Club. Asked if DHB looks different this season, as everyone has said, Huff was quick to answer.

"Oh, definitely," Huff said. "I've been there, so I know it's tough being the high draft pick, you come in and put all kinds of unwanted pressure on yourself. I came out here and expected to get 10 picks my first year. You feel a ton of pressure. Then, you sit down and watch the film from the season and you realize that you should have just calmed down, played ball and let things come to you."

Huff also said he has talked with the second-year receiver.

"Me, Nnamdi Asomugha and him have the same agent, so we've all sat down and talked," he said. "I took Nnam's lead. It took me four years until I settled in. Hopefully, it takes him a lot less time than me. We're trying to help him get his head right, get him to focus and let everything come, don't force or rush anything."

New defensive tackle John Henderson is a run-stuffing specialist.

"No pressure, I love stopping the run," he said. "I take a lot of pride in it. That's something we gotta get better at. I live for it. You can take me out on third-and-long. Just put me in on short yardage and all that good stuff."

So who would he rather hit, a running or a quarterback?

"Nailing the running back," he said. "That's weird, ain't it? Think who talks the most - running backs. I want to shut them up. Quarterbacks, he's down there, looking like...running backs talk, I want to shut them up."