Raiders Gunning to Replace Eugene

By trade, Hiram Eugene is a safety. That’s what it says right next to his name on the Oakland Raiders roster.But Eugene also has played a large role on special teams, particularly as the “gunner” on the punt-coverage team, tasked with sprinting downfield under one of Shane Lechler’s booming punts to seek and destroy the return man.As Paul Gutierrez of Comcast Sports Net wrote earlier this week, “In Hiram Eugene the Raiders had one of the most skilled gunners in the league.”So when the Raiders lost Eugene – possibly for the season – to a dislocated hip suffered in Thursday night’s exhibition game against the Arizona Cardinals, it was a double whammy: to the depth of the secondary and the proficiency of the special teams.“That’s a tough one,” head coach Hue Jackson told reporters.In four seasons with Oakland, Eugene has played in 60 games, including several starts at safety. Last season, the former Louisiana Tech ...