Heyward-Bey hopes extra work pays off in year 2

NAPA, Calif. (AP)

Nearly every day after practice, Oakland Raiders receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey stays late to get some extra work in against Pro Bowl cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha.

The Raiders' best player and one of their most disappointing from a year ago work on getting off the line of scrimmage, getting separation and other key details a receiver needs to master to succeed in the NFL.

''It's helping me out a lot,'' Heyward-Bey said. ''With him being the top DB in the league, picking his brain is key. When you go against those other guys from the league, if I can figure out Nnamdi and he can help me out, it's going to work out for this team.''

Just about nothing worked out for Heyward-Bey and the Raiders during his rookie season a year ago. Oakland drafted him seventh overall ahead of more accomplished college receivers like Michael Crabtree and Jeremy Maclin in a pick that was widely mocked at the time as a typical Raiders choice of speed over production.

Nothing Heyward-Bey did as a rookie silenced those critics. He struggled to hold onto the ball in practices and that carried over into the games. He finished his rookie year with nine catches for 124 yards and one touchdown before missing the final five games with a foot injury.

If one play was emblematic of Heyward-Bey's season it came late in the ninth game of the season at home against Kansas City. With Oakland driving for the potential winning score in the final minute, a pass from Bruce Gradkowski hit Heyward-Bey in the hands, bounced off the receiver's knees and fell into Mike Brown's hands for a game-sealing interception in the Chiefs' 16-10 win.

''I'm not thinking about last year,'' Heyward-Bey said. ''I'm thinking about the next play, thinking about making plays. That's all I'm thinking about.''

Heyward-Bey put in extra work in the offseason. He put on about 10 to 15 pounds of muscle in hopes that the added strength will help him break tackles for big plays, put in extra work with the quarterbacks to improve his hands and did what he could to put the disappointing rookie year behind him.

While he claims to ignore the criticism, it was almost impossible to escape.

''It hurt him what happened last year,'' Asomugha said. ''Naturally he didn't feel good about the things that were said, whatever. It's not like it was a secret. He knew that he didn't play well. That hurt him. This year it looks like he's had a different purpose. He's going out and doing well.''

Asomugha had a similar experience coming into the NFL, although not at quite as high a profile. Like Heyward-Bey, Asomugha was considered a reach when the Raiders selected him 31st overall in the 2003 draft.

He also struggled early before having a breakthrough year in 2006 with eight interceptions. He has been to three Pro Bowls since then and signed a three-year, $45.3 million contract before last season that made him the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history.

Asomugha said he talked with Heyward-Bey about dealing with those expectations last year but has kept this year's focus on the positive. That's where the extra work comes in.

''I told him the first day before we even had practice that after every single practice that we're going to get some work on the things that he needs to work on,'' Asomugha said. ''Because even when he's getting the work, I'm getting the work and doing extra stuff. So we'll come aside after practice and I'll ask him what is it today. He'll be like, I need work on this, I need work on that. We just go out and do it.''

The improvement has been obvious in offseason practices and at training camp. Coach Tom Cable said he sees a very different player from the struggling rookie of a year ago, who would let one drop ruin an entire practice.

New quarterback Jason Campbell has also been impressed. Campbell said as soon as he joined the team he stressed to Heyward-Bey the importance of putting in extra work to improve his hands. Campbell likes what he has seen so far.

''He's a guy who wants to work,'' he said. ''You have some guys that don't want to work and put the time in to be good. He wants to be good. After practice, he catches passes. He asks a lot of questions and he goes hard each and every day in practice. You can't ask any more.''