Raiders finally arrive in London, believe they'll be ‘perfectly acclimated'

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LONDON – The Raiders finally arrived here in London on Friday afternoon, 53 hours before playing the Seattle Seahawks at Wembley Stadium.

That’s pretty late over previous squads making the same trip, but the Silver and Black believe they’ll be ready to go Sunday and that the travel won’t impact their performance.

“We’re here in plenty of time to acclimate ourselves,” head coach Jon Gruden said. “We’re getting our players loosened up right now, and we’ll get a great night’s sleep and be perfectly acclimated and ready to play our best football. Hopefully that’s the case.”

The Raiders typically travel domestic on a Hawaiian Airlines plane, but used a Virgin Atlantic jet to help make the long haul easier. The plane had a considerable number of first-class type seating, where coaches and players could lay down flat, get some shut eye and be as comfortable as possible traversing more that 5,600 miles to the United Kingdom.

“The flight was great, with the lay-flat beds,” Gruden said. “I got to sleep next to Daryl Worley and Emmanuel Lamur and Nick Morrow. I really enjoyed it.”

A sleep aid got Gruden to rest for part of the flight. Most players were able to relax and immediately work out the physical kinks right when they arrived at the team hotel next to Wembley Stadium. Players available to the press seemed unfazed by the long trek.

“I spent my flight with my eyes closed, underneath a blanket,” receiver Jordy Nelson said. “It was a great experience.”

The Raiders have a review day Friday with meetings, but will conduct a walk-through practice at Wembley Stadium on Saturday to get used to the environment.

The equipment staff brought several different cleats to adjust to grass typically used for soccer. They Raiders will get used to a unique game day environment with largely unpartisan fans.

The Raiders pumped crowd noise into their practices, though it could come at any moment.

“It’s going to be loud regardless, whether you’re on offense or defense,” said linebacker Tahir Whitehead, who has played in London twice with Detroit. “The fans there are just cheering to cheer. They’re just happy to be there. It brings a smile to my face that they love the game of football and aren’t scared to support the NFL. It’s a good feeling to see that the sport of football is growing. I enjoy it over here.”

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