Training camp notebook: Carr and Cooper as roommates; Heeney on the green dot

Amari Cooper and Derek Carr are connecting more on a personal level as training camp roommates. (Kristopher Skinner/Bay Area News Group)

NAPA — So much of the Raiders’ season is dependent upon the continued development of quarterback Derek Carr and wide receiver Amari Cooper.

That made it music to Raiders fans’ ears to learn that the duo were rooming together during training camp this season.

“We’re having a good time,” Carr said Friday. “It’s good to come back and just talk ball with him. He tells me his goals, I share my stuff with him. I know how he thinks. I know how he likes to go about his business. I know what he likes to do off the field. Him and I should have the best relationship ever.”

Cooper had similar thoughts on what the extra time together will allow.

“Just getting to know each other more, that’s always a good thing,” he said Saturday. “We get to talk more, so I guess that’s basically the biggest thing. We talk about each other as a person, and we talk about the plays that we run.”

Raiders offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave loves the idea of his two most important weapons spending so much time together.

“I think all that interaction helps their rapport,” Musgrave said. “They talk football, they talk life and it’s a good thing.”

Musgrave is a former backup quarterback for the 49ers and harkened to an example from those days.

“Back in the day Steve Young and Brent Jones were roommates for years the night before the game,” Musgrave said. “It’s just good, as those two young players grow together, to be more productive.”

Ben Heeney will wear the green dot for the Raiders defense

Second-year linebacker Ben Heeney confirmed the news that he’ll be wearing the green dot communication helmet for the defense this season. That all but assures the Raiders’ plans to have him as their every down MIKE linebacker.

“That’s the goal, has been the goal, that I’ve been wanting to do,” Heeney said. “Happy to be there, just going to do whatever I can to keep the spot.”

Highlights from practice No. 2

The pads haven’t come on yet, so I don’t yet put a whole lot of stock into what we see at practice. Come tomorrow, when pads go on, it’s a little different story.

Running back Jalen Richard has shown a nice burst when he gets the ball. Same for DeAndre Washington.

Cornerback DJ Hayden had one of the highlight plays with a pick-six interception of Matt McGloin during team drills.

Heeney also had a strong day that included snuffing out a screen pass and stripping a pass caught by Cooper and taking it back for a touchdown.

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