Raiders coaching staff delivering convincing message

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In the opening months of his tenure as the Raiders’ head coach, Jack Del Rio has periodically paused workouts to tell his players that this is a new era in Oakland, not a continuation of the past decade’s organizational malaise.

“You get that little slogan when something goes bad,” said offensive tackle Donald Penn. “‘Aw, here we go again.’ We’re not doing that ‘here we go again.’ We’re starting new, we’re starting fresh.”

The fresh mind-set within the coaching staff is present on both sides of the ball, according to linebacker Curtis Lofton, who said defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr.’s energy is tough to match.

The collective experience of Oakland’s coaching staff, which boasts an impressive quantity of NFL coaching experience, also goes a long way, according to Lofton.

“The number one thing that we’ve got to do is listen,” Lofton said. “Those guys have been in your position, they’ve done everything, they’ve seen everything, so when they’re telling you something, it’s not just ‘coach talk.’”

Janikowski’s spot secure: Del Rio declared an open competition at all positions prior to offseason workouts in May and June. It’s no surprise, though, that at least one Raider already has his spot locked up: placekicker Sebastian Janikowski.

Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio is bringing a convincing message to players. Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio is bringing a convincing message to players. Photo: Jeff Chiu, Associated Press Photo: Jeff Chiu, Associated Press Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Raiders coaching staff delivering convincing message 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

“You have to come in and establish who you are and what your abilities are,” Del Rio said. “I think he’s done that.”

Janikowski, whose lone competition is Cal product Giorgio Tavecchio, has been a regular attendee at offseason workouts, even though they’re optional and his grasp on the placekicker position is firm.

Carr getting closer: Derek Carr briefly donned his helmet and threw warm-up tosses, but was still unable to participate in full team drills. Backups Christian Ponder, Matt McGloin, and Cody Fajardo again took full-squad reps in his place.

Del Rio said that Carr is doing well, and the team will move forward at the appropriate pace in his recovery.

“I have no concern at all,” Penn said. “Derek knows his offense almost as good as an offensive coordinator.”

Williams on the mend: Asked to describe the condition of defensive tackle Dan Williams, who has been sidelined throughout the offseason with an undisclosed injury, Del Rio was coy: “Dan’s big.”

Williams, who’s listed at 6-foot-2 and 327 pounds, showed signs of progress Tuesday, putting in individual work on the sidelines before heading in early, unable to participate in team drills.

“He’s got work to do, but he’s got a good mentality,” Del Rio said.

Briefly: Rookie tight end Clive Walford is learning to excel in multiple roles, much like Mychal Rivera, who earned the majority of regular-season playing time at the position in 2014. Walford arrived at the post-practice media availability in a custom-designed silver and black sweatshirt bearing his signature, a project he worked on with his marketing team in recent months. … Penn says he hasn’t jumped on the Warriors bandwagon just yet, describing himself as a lifelong Lakers fan. But he’s also a “LeBron hater,” he said, and will be rooting for Golden State in the NBA Finals.

Lev Facher is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: lfacher@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @levfacher