Raiders coach Hue Jackson insists wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey and tight end Kevin Boss weren’t benched on Sunday against the Broncos.
They just didn’t play a lot of football.
Heyward-Bey, who had been starting for Oakland, played only 12 snaps. He saw one target come his way, and played behind Jacoby Ford, Denarius Moore, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, and Chaz Schilens. Ford enjoyed a terrific game.
Jackson said Heyward-Bey’s offensive packages just didn’t factor in to Sunday’s gameplan. The same was true for tight end Kevin Boss, who didn’t get on the field except for on special teams.
“I was surprised,’’ Boss said Monday via the Oakland Tribune. “Coach’s decision.’’
Good or bad, there have been a lot of in-season changes to the Raiders offense. They haven’t been working lately and it has some in Oakland wondering if Jackson knows what he’s doing.