ALAMEDA -- As the theory goes, any lethargy remaining from having five days off in a six-day period was dealt with Wednesday as the Raiders engaged in a padded practice in preparation for the Atlanta Falcons.

Coach Dennis Allen said there is no secret to dealing with byes other than "just getting out here and playing football again."

That's been an issue for six previous Raiders coaches who have combined for nine straight post-bye losses starting in 2003. The last Oakland win after a bye was in 2002 -- the year of their last AFC West title and AFC championship.

The Raiders beat the Tennessee Titans 52-25 that season after a Week 2 bye.

The last two post-bye games were crushing. Denver came in last season with Tim Tebow and beat the Raiders 38-24 in Oakland under Hue Jackson. The previous season, the Raiders were soundly beaten 35-3 in Pittsburgh with Tom Cable as coach.

Cable coached three games after byes and lost them all.

Running back Darren McFadden is convinced the bye was a good thing for the Raiders.

'We had a good practice Monday. We went out today and had a great practice," McFadden said. "Guys are out here flying around, so I feel like the bye week may have helped us more than anything."

Quarterback Carson Palmer thinks the Falcons and their unbeaten record (5-0) have the Raiders' attention.

"You've got a little bit of rust coming off a bye, but hopefully we shake that off fast," Palmer said.

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"I expect us to. As big of a game as we're going into and as difficult a situation, the hostile environment we're going into, I expect we'll bounce back and be ready to play."

  • Not practicing for the Raiders as the team session began Wednesday were cornerback Shawntae Spencer (foot), tackle Khalif Barnes (groin) and tight end Richard Gordon (hamstring). Allen said he "would fully anticipate" Darrius Heyward-Bey (concussion) playing Sunday.

  • Former Cal safety Thomas DeCoud, who broke into the league with the reputation as a hitter and made his mark on special teams, has turned into a ball-hawking free safety. DeCoud is tied for the NFL lead with four interceptions.