ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Oakland Raiders coach Dennis Allen is taking a different approach to the bye week this year. Almost half the team was excused from the first practice of this seasons bye week as Allen gave almost all of the teams veterans and injured players time away from the field. After the team held morning meetings, the veterans got some rest and treatment while the younger players held a short practice to tune up the passing game and clean up some mistakes. Thats a contrast to last years approach, when Oakland held mostly full practices during its week off in Allens first year as coach. "I just felt like with where were at as a football team, especially with the health of the football team, that I thought it was important for the veteran players to get some time to really take care of their bodies and get themselves back healthy and ready to go for next week," Allen said Tuesday. The Raiders (2-4) are riddled with injuries and were forced to cobble together a makeshift offensive line in Sundays 24-7 loss at Kansas City. Guard Mike Brisiel was forced to play at centre after backup Andre Gurode left the game with an injury with starter Stefen Wisniewski already hurt. That gave rookie Lamar Mady his first offensive action as a pro at right guard. Matt McCants, who played only a handful of snaps before starting against San Diego on Oct. 6, was forced back into action at right tackle after Tony Pashos got hurt. The Raiders have already had to move Khalif Barnes from right tackle to left tackle because of injuries to Jared Veldheer and Menelik Watson, and Lucas Nix made just his fourth career start at left guard. Running backs Darren McFadden and Rashad Jennings also are nursing hamstring injuries, putting the bye week at a most opportune time. "Its very important," receiver Rod Streater said. "I think its going to help get some linemen back. Just any nicks and bruises we have the week off will help us out." That led Allen to make the decision to keep his veterans out of practice as only 36 of the 61 players on the active roster and practice squad took part in the abbreviated workout. That included all the quarterbacks, receivers and tight ends, leading to a heavy emphasis on the passing game. Most of the time was spent in 7-on-7 passing drills with linemen doing individual work on the side. "Weve got a lot of guys that are banged-up, a lot of the veteran guys," Allen said. "We need those guys to get their bodies back, get their minds back. Well give them a little bit of time, but were still bringing them in, still meeting with them and spending a lot of time in the training room." The other focus this week is mental as a young Raiders team tries to learn how to win games. Oakland has been in position to win five of the six games this season with the only blowout coming in Week 3 in Denver. The Raiders faltered late in losses to Washington and Kansas City as they made too many key mistakes at the most inopportune times. "Weve given ourselves opportunities to win games. Weve got to continue to put ourselves in those types of positions," Allen said. "The more we do that, the more experience we get with that, the better were going to react to those situations and well begin to win some of these games and come out on the plus side instead of having to come back and make some adjustments after tough losses." Miami Marlins Gear . -- Chris Jones and Louisville have done a tremendous job protecting the basketball this season and thats led to easy victories. Miami Marlins Pro Shop . Steve has built a solid reputation throughout the years - first as a hockey player, then as an NHL general manager and now as a scout. https://www.cheapmarlinsjerseys.us/. Strasburg (1-1) got 14 consecutive outs in one stretch and allowed only three hits, including Marcell Ozunas homer in the seventh. The right-handers lone walk was to the last batter he faced. Washingtons starter Wednesday, Jordan Zimmermann, left after a career-low 1 2-3 innings, leaving the bullpen "taxed," as manager Matt Williams put it. Cheap Marlins Jerseys . 5 Trade Deadline is drawing closer and teams will be deciding on whether to buy or sell. Wholesale Marlins Jerseys .This one was bigger than most.Ben Roethlisberger and LeVeon Bell came up big in a game that Pittsburgh had to win Sunday, leading the Steelers to a 42-21 drubbing of the Cincinnati Bengals that left the AFC North race wide open.The Washington Capitals have traded forward Martin Erat just one year after acquiring him. The Capitals traded Erat and forward John Mitchell to the Phoenix Coyotes on Tuesday in exchange for defenceman Rostislav Klesla, forward Chris Brown and a fourth round draft choice in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. In 53 games with the Capitals this season, Erat scored one goal and added 23 assists. The 32-year-old has one season remaining on the seven-year, $31.5 million contract he signed with the Nashville Predators prior to the 2008-2009 season. He carries an annual salary cap hit of $4.5 million. The move comes over three months after Erat confirmed that he had asked for a trade out of Washington in late November. He was traded to the Capitals from the Predators on trade deadline day last season. "Weve been looking at Martin for a long, long time," Coyotes general manaager Don Maloney said.dddddddddddd "Were excited to have him." While Erat is the top player the Coyotes were looking to trade for, Maloney said the team is still willing to make more moves before Wednesdays deadline. "Wed like to add another NHL forward, maybe a defenceman too," Maloney said. Mitchell, 27-years-old, has never appeared in an NHL game. In return for Erat and Mitchell, the Captials receive a veteran defenceman in Klesla. The 31-year-old has one goal and three assists in 25 games with the Coyotes this season. In 659 career NHL games with the Blue Jackets and Coyotes, Klesla has 48 goals and 111 assists. He was selected fourth overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. Brown has no points in six regular season appearances with the Coyotes this season. He was drafted in the second round, 36th overall, of the 2009 draft. ' ' '