Shaughnessy: If there was a game Sunday, I'd play

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OAKLAND -- Defensive end Matt Shaughnessy, who missed the final 13 games of last season after undergoing season-ending surgery on his right shoulder, practiced Tuesday for the first time this offseason.Perhaps fittingly, what with the Raiders setting an NFL record for penalties, Shaughnessy was hurt recovering a fumble against the New York Jets on a play that was wiped out by Lamarr Houston getting flagged for being offside.It felt good being out there," Shaughnessy said of taking part in practice. "You've got to get used to the tempo, but as soon as that happens, should be smooth."I'm full go now. If there was a game on Sunday, I'd play."Raiders coach Dennis Allen had previously suggested Shaughnessy would not practice until training camp in Napa. Instead, there was Shaughnessy manning his post at right defensive end with the first-team defense."Its nice to have him out there," Allen said. "Obviously hes rusty. Its been a long time since hes lined up and played defense. He is a little rusty but its good that we get him out here and get a little work."Listen, practice, thats the only way you get better. So the more he has a chance to get out here and practice, the better hes going to be."GUTIERREZ: Raiders notes -- 100 percent attendance at minicamp
Interestingly enough, Shaughnessy said he was injured merely extending his arm for the ball on the play in question, that there was no contact. No other player fell on him."I just think it's the adrenaline of the game," he said. "I was pulling as hard as I can."Veteran defensive tackle Richard Seymour, who was at the team's voluntary minicamp in April but skipped the three weeks of voluntary OTA's, sang Shaughnessy's praises when asked how much the defense missed him last year."Oh, man, tremendously," Seymour said. "I tell him all the time hes the best run defensive end in the NFLin terms of stopping the run. I think hes the best in the NFL against the runin terms of the run Ill put him out there with anyone."Hes definitely developed into a complete player. It was a big blow for us when he went down. It messed up our rotation a lot. Guys that werent normally in there were trying to understand what we were trying to do. To get him back healthy this year is big for us."And now, with a new defensive scheme, and the promise of a healthy year, Shaughnessy is looking forward to a fresh start, so to speak."Once we learn this defense and start playing together, I think its going to be tough to stop because theres so many different things we can do," he said. "And if were all on the same page, were just going to be working faster."

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