Oakland Raiders - The Vertical Game

News Archive
Jan. 18 - Mar. 29, 2005

Tuesday, March 29, 2005

ESPN's John Clayton ran an item in his "Quick Hits" column today stating that the Raiders have "reached a one-year contract agreement" with ex-Saints DT Kenny Smith, from Alabama.

It should be noted that to this point absolutely no other medium that I can find has carried the same story, so it is unverified.

Clayton wrote, "Smith will fit nicely in the defensive tackle rotation along with Warren Sapp, Ted Washington and Terdell Sands."

6-4 and 304 pounds, Smith was a third-round choice of the Saints in 2001 and started 10 games for the team, including nine during the 2003 season. He spent last season on the injured reserve list, meaning that, like Derrick Burgess, he's a gamble as far as his physical condition.

Monday, March 28, 2005

This personnel tidbit: RB Chris Downs, who played collegiately at Maryland but never played a down for the Raiders, was not tendered an offer as an exclusive rights free agent. He is therefore free to negotiate with anyone. In effect, the Raiders have told him they don't want him.

Thursday, March 24, 2005

DE Bobby Hamilton's new contract was previously reported as for $6 million over 3 years. The Sports Xchange, however, in its weekly "Raiders report: Notes, quotes" column, provides radically different numbers: a five-year deal with annual base salaries of $665,000, $1.335 million, $1.5 million and then two $3.5 million seasons following a third-year option.

No more mystery about those comp picks given the Raiders. They're both 6th-rounders, Nos. 38 and 40, giving the Raiders a total of four in that round. Watch Oakland try to swap that cluster to a team with big needs—say, SF or the Brownies—in return for something higher up the food chain.

Tuesday, March 22, 2005

The Raiders have been awarded two compensatory picks in this year's draft. Such picks are awarded by the league to teams to compensate for the loss of free agents after the previous season. Philly and St. Louis led the 2005 parade with four selections each.

What's interesting, however, is that different sources report the selections as being in different rounds. (Compensatory picks come at the bottom of rounds three through seven.) The San Francisco Chronicle's Ira Miller, a very knowledgeable writer, reports that Oakland got one pick in each of the sixth and seventh rounds. In contrast, the Great Blue North Draft Report, a first-rate amateur site, shows both picks as coming in the sixth round (specifically, Nos. 212 and 214). It's late tonight, but fear not—your humble scribe will track down the exact details in the next day or so. In fact, we'll be looking to flesh out our Raiders draft picks page with all the relevant minutiae in the coming days.

Monday, March 21, 2005

The Palm Beach (FL) Post reported online that fullback Rob Konrad has signed a one-year deal with the Raiders. Konrad is a back in the John Ritchie mold—adept at blocking and receiving, but a guy who rarely totes the rock. He's played for the Fish the past six years. He was due to make $900,000 this year but Miami wanted him to take a pay cut. Also not to his liking, apparently, Nick Saban's new offensive coordinator doesn't use his fullbacks as receiving targets.

6-3 and 255 pounds, he's a Syracuse alum (the Grand Poobah's alma mater as well) and has played for Norv Turner before; Turner was Miami's offensive coordinator in 2002-03. Konrad almost gushed in his enthusiasm at being reunited with Uncle Norv. "I'm pumped to be back with Norv Turner," he said. "He really knows how to use a fullback. I want to re-spark my career." In 2002, in a typical Turner offensive scheme, Konrad caught 50 balls, so it's easy to see why he would prefer playing under Turner. The Post reported the contract with the Raiders as being for $700,000.

The Raiders, for their part, acted disinterested. Unofficially, they told media that Konrad was interested in becoming a Raider, but they hadn't offered him a contract yet. And the same day, the club announced the re-signing of free agent FB Chris Hetherington. A ploy to lower Konrad's salary expectations? Stranger things have happened . . .

Sunday, March 13, 2005

The Raiders, not averse to spending big on players with questionable bodies—remember Matt Stinchcomb, he of the oft-dislocated shoulder?—took another big gamble Saturday when they signed free agent DE Derrick Burgess for a good-sized chunk of money.

Burgess was drafted by the Iggles in the third round in 2001. After playing in all 16 games in 2001, he saw action in only one game in 2002 and 2003 combined as a series of leg injuries forced him out of action. 2004 was a comeback year for him; he started 11 games and had three sacks in the playoffs.

The "book" on Burgess is that he's a first-rate speed rusher but has difficulty with big, power blockers and playing the run. He's 6-2 and weighs 265 pounds.

According to the Rumor Mill column, Burgess failed a physical with the Seahawks, but concerns over his Achilles' tendon didn't stop the Raiders from signing him. . . . the Raiders wanted the speed rusher badly enough that they are gambling on his physical condition.

Burgess, who starred for Philadelphia in the playoffs, signed a five-year deal worth approximately $17.5 million, league sources said, with a $5-6 million signing bonus. He had been talking to Seattle and Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported today that he signed with the Raiders after Philly told him they wouldn't match what Oakland was offering.

"We're excited to add a veteran performer of Derrick's caliber to the Raiders roster," coach Norv Turner said. "Derrick is an extremely athletic player who can have an impact for our football team."

For his part, Burgess, sounding as though he were reading from a team media guide, rattled off this string of pearls: "I'm ecstatic and proud to have the opportunity to wear the Silver and Black. I'm joining a quality organization in the Raiders with a great tradition and history."

Source(s): Associated Press, Oakland Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer, CBS Sportsline, ProFootballTalk.com

Friday, March 11, 2005

Late, late update: Colin Lindsay's first-rate draft site, Great Blue North Draft Report, has mocked the first three rounds of the draft. He has the Raiders taking Missouri DT Attiyah Ellison in the second round (No. 6, 38 overall) and in the third, at No. 5 (69 overall), Oregon State CB Brandon Browner.

Many writers think the Raiders hold out hopes of getting a first-round pick back in a Charles Woodson trade, but this observer questions whether Woodson can command nearly the kind of money he thinks he's worth.

Late update: We have the 2005 Raiders' draft picks—all of 'em—as things stand now, courtesy of NFL.com, which just put up its draft tracker about 40 minutes ago.

Great news! Barret Robbins is off the respirator and breathing on his own—conscious! He's still motionless and cannot speak, but he's able to communicate in limited fashion by nodding his head. His attorney, Ed O'Donnell, described Robbins' condition as "miraculous." O'Donnell said Robbins had good muscular tone and was not paralyzed.

He remains under guard and under arrest, of course. But this observer is overjoyed that he made it through the coma.

WR Mike Williams' private workout today was by all accounts impressive. His 40 times were apparently in the range of 4.58 or so. Not Olympic sprinter stuff, but this guy stands almost 6-5 and weighed 229, and considering his skill set, he seems a definite top-5 pick.

Reportedly both Jon Gruden and Bruce Allen were in attendance and want Williams badly with the No. 5 pick in the April draft. They're not alone—the Yahoo report by Charles Robinson mentions several other teams with very high picks.

Thursday, March 10, 2005

Late update: The Rumor Mill column at ProFootballTalk.com is reporting as of this afternoon that the Raiders have re-signed G Ron Stone. Indeed so . . . Raiders.com has just confirmed it.

And, in our ongoing Where Are They Now feature, TE Roland Williams has signed with the Rams, whence he first came to the Raiders.

According to CBS Sportsline, in addition to releasing seven players (Middleton, Grant, Ron Stone, Wheatley, Parrella, Buchanan, and Roland Williams), the Raiders saved an additional $14.78 million against the cap by restructuring the contracts of these players: QB Rich Gannon, T Barry Sims, DTs Warren Sapp and Ted Washington, PK Sebastian Janikowski, P Shane Lechler and CB Denard Walker. The restructuring of Gannon's, Sims', and Lechler's deals had previously been reported.

Wednesday, March 9, 2005

KFFL.com breaks down the LaMont Jordan base salary figures this way: $550,000 (2005), $550,000 (2006), $1 million (2007), $4.7 million (2008) and $5 million (2009). Which would mean, essentially, a three-year deal, then restructuring time.

Tuesday, March 8, 2005

According to KFFL.com, Clark Judge of CBS SportsLine reports that the Raiders quietly restructured a portion of WR Randy Moss' contract to open additional salary cap room. According to the report, the team turned $5 million of his base salary into guaranteed money, which is prorated over the life of his contract. That, in turn, dropped his cap hit to $3.75 million for the 2005 season.

(Actually, in the interest of accuracy, it may have been Minnesota that did the restructuring, since Moss was in the middle of a seven-year contract with the Tykes. And it was reported on March 1, cap compliance day, that Oakland was asking Minnesota to do just that—restructure Dandy Randy's deal.)

KFFL.com claims that the new deal WR Jerry Porter received from Oakland has base salaries of $1 million (2005), $1 million (2006), $1 million (2007), $5.2 million (2008) and $6.4 million (2009). You can see why it was called a contract which automatically voids after three years; those last two salaries will never be paid in that form because the cap hit would be prohibitive for a No. 2 receiver.

Monday, March 7, 2005

DE Bobby Hamilton—depending on whose account you read—either agreed on terms, or actually signed a three-year deal worth approximately $6 million, this past weekend.

This is a key signing. Hamilton led all Raiders defensive linemen with 57 tackles in 2005 and was by all accounts a good locker room influence (something not to be minimized on a team like the Raiders which has its share of turmoil.) And—for those of you who like the Horatio Alger, rags-to-riches tales—not too shabby for a 33-year-old who was originally undrafted out of Southern Mississippi.

Hamilton started 15 of the 16 games and, frankly, produced a lot more than several other, highly paid free agent signees. (They know who they are . . .)

Punter Steve Baker has been assigned to the defending NFL Europe champion Berlin Thunder. All those allocated except punters and placekickers had previously been assigned.

Sunday, March 6, 2005

Where Are They Now Dept.: DL Chris Cooper was re-signed by the Whiners, where he ended up last year after first going to Dallas in a trade by the Raiders.

Friday, March 4, 2005

Lost among the hoopla—stretch limos and seven-cop escorts—were several personnel moves that the Raiders, with their customary indifference toward fans, didn't bother to report on Raiders.com until a few days later.

Not at all surprising was the release of two players whose salaries would have involved substantial cap hits for 2005. G Ron Stone came in hurt last year and never did get healthy with nagging knee and leg problems causing him to miss entirely 11 of the 16 games. He could return at a lower salary, but Brad Badger's play makes Stone's salary a luxury.

OLB DeLawrence Grant is simply a dud, having worked his way into the doghouse of three successive head coaches. There's little likelihood he'll be back irrespective of the salary level.

Signed were two relative no-names. LB Maugaula Tuitele, a 6-1, 250-lb. human cinder block, is back for the third time in the last five months or so. He's a special teams guy who played collegiately at Colorado State and spent a little time with the Patsies in the past. And T Ivan Douglas is the other player. I wasn't able to find anything whatever on him.

Tuesday, March 1, 2005

The Raiders released three veterans yesterday to get under the cap: G Frank Middleton, FS Ray Buchanan, and the injury-prone TE Roland Williams. The news didn't break until this morning. As of 8:30 p.m. Pacific tonight, Raiders.com still hasn't acknowledged it. Their lead article today: a Raiderettes visit to Yokosuka, Japan, where there's a large U.S. Navy base. (As it happens, this observer lived on that base in 1961-62.

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Also, according to the Contra Costa Times—the only local rag that managed to write its own story on the cuts—a source in the Raiders' front office who wanted to remain anonymous told the Times that Oakland was asking the Tykes' brass for help in trying to renegotiate Randy Moss' contract in a way that would reduce his 2005 cap number from the present $7.25 million.

Remember, no deal has actually happened because of the league anti-tampering rules, and Moss is still a Vikings vassal. (Riiiight! Bears don't sh*t in the woods, either.) Depending on how things shook out today, the trade might be delayed a few days until a compromise is found. Right now Moss isn't on the Raiders' books, nor will he be until a contract is signed and then approved by the NFL.

A big surprise to this observer was that John Parrella, due to get a base salary of $2 million, wasn't released. Not that I don't think he's valuable to the Raiders—quite the contrary, he's better than Warren Sapp. But he was hardly used this past year, after he had healed from that terrible groin injury in 2003. Then again, Rob Ryan's ideas seem upside down to me most of the time.

Next up: Free agency and the trading period start tomorrow. Stay tuned . . .

Monday, February 28, 2005

Late update: It pales in significance after the other news of the week, but we like to be thorough! LB Robert Chapman was cut a few days back. He had been allocated by the Raiders in 2004 to NFL Europe but was injured and never played, nor did he attend training camp with Oakland. Nevertheless he had been re-signed in January 2005.

Naturally the move was not announced on Raiders.com, just as the team's site never reported signing many of the players they allocated earlier this month to NFL Europe. So tomorrow, if you want to know the casualty list from the salary cap deadline, you'll do well to check here.

The 22nd was designation day. The Raiders had apparently decided by the evening of the 21st to use a non-exclusive franchise tag on CB Charles Woodson. Figuring he wanted to test the market, they thought they would at least get a chance to match another team's offer, or two first-round draft picks, or whatever the two teams might agree upon; but they would get something substantial if he left, And they could rescind the designation later if Woodson didn't seem to be drawing interest in the free agent market.

Then WR Jerry Porter came to terms on the 22nd, resolving the second of the Raiders' two dilemmas. Reports differ on the terms of his contract. ESPN, the AP, and the San Francisco Chronicle all reported it was a five-year contract which Porter can (and no doubt will) void after three, but the money amounts varied significantly between the accounts. ESPN claimed it was a contract extension and said, "The three-year value can be as much as $15 million and the contract includes $10 million in guarantees." The AP reported the deal was "worth close to $20 million" and included "at least $8 million in guaranteed money," and the Chron valued the contract at about $21 million overall, with $7 million guaranteed. So . . . take your pick.

We'd all been hearing rumors about Minnesota WR Randy Moss being on the block and the Raiders having interest in him. This site summarized one such report several weeks back (see News Archive for Feb. 11, 2005.)

It actually came to pass! In an absolute stunner, Minnesota agreed to trade Moss to Oakland in return for OLB Napoleon Harris, the Raiders' first-round draft pick (No. 7), and a 7th-round 2005 draft pick. It seems like a steal—setting aside the substantial baggage Moss does bring with him—but the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported that the Tykes had concluded that the Oakland offer was the best they were going to see.

There's another side to the trade which Carl Steward pointed out yesterday in the Oakland Tribune. The Raiders have agreed to pay Moss' $7.25 million salary for 2005, but all of his $18 million in guaranteed bonus money has already been paid out by Minnesota. Which gives the Raiders excellent leverage to encourage Moss to restructure his contract. He may have to now, in view of the subsequent move by Woodson.

At any rate, none of this is official, and both teams refuse to confirm it. That's because the trading period doesn't start until March 2. So the clubs and the NFL are adopting a "see no evil, hear no evil" stance. All the talking has come from Moss' agent, Dante DiTrapano, who naturally wants all the publicity he can get. But the entire sports world seems to accept it as a genuine done deal.

Moss will wear No. 18, a number he had as a rookie in training camp before another wideout wearing No. 84 got cut.

Source(s): Associated Press, San Jose Mercury News, Contra Costa Times, Oakland Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, St. Paul Pioneer Press

The Moss story broke in the afternoon on the 23rd and consumed most of the headlines the following day. By Friday, the 25th, it was time for another blockbuster.

In the evening, Woodson's agent, Carl Poston, who was in Indianapolis for the Scouting Combine, walked into the hotel where the Raiders contingent was staying and handed team execs (probably Mike Lombardi) a copy of the $10.537 tender the Raiders had given Woodson just three days earlier. It was signed!

By all accounts this caught the Raiders completely unprepared. They never expected the truculent Woodson to sign quickly. Now they can't withdraw the designation. They either have to pay him much too much or hope a team approaches them about a trade. Indeed, the Raiders' initial response, all in capital letters, was combative. In an e-mail to reporters, the Oakland front office said, "The actions of agent Carl Poston and Charles Woodson tell us that they must have reached a long term deal with a team and we expect a trade very soon."

Now the Raiders did have a Plan B, which I'll get to momentarily, but the timing of Woodson's move throws a monkey wrench into all their salary cap maneuvers. They already had to fit Jerry Porter's new money in, they had an 'understanding' (wink) that Moss would get $7.25 million, and now $10.5+ million had been added to the tape. Conventional wisdom said the Raiders were far over the cap, that Woodson was trying to force a trade.

But Raiders sources told the Chronicle late in the week that they had been quietly restructuring veteran contracts for some time—Plan B— and could, if need be, fit Woodson in without the necessity of trading him. It is known that QB Rich Gannon agreed to play for the veteran minimum of $765,000 (down from an $8 million base salary), and T Barry Sims, the Raiders' best offensive lineman who received a well-deserved contract extension last season, also restructured. Various media cited the NFL Management Council as saying the Raiders were $10.9 million over the cap yesterday (Sunday).

The club must be in compliance by 1:00 Pacific tomorrow. They'll make it, albeit possibly by having to release several veterans before the deadline. Senior Personnel Executive Mike Lombardi has proven to be at least as adept, if not more so, as was his predecessor, Bruce Allen, at capenomics.

Source(s): Associated Press, San Jose Mercury News, Contra Costa Times, Oakland Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, Santa Rosa Press Democrat, Sacramento Bee, St. Paul Pioneer Press

Monday, February 21, 2005

Late update: It's definitely jumping the gun, since many of the players may be re-signed during the next 10 days, but ESPN has published a list of all the potential 2005 NFL free agents. (Without the qualifier "potential".) And since the genie's now out of the bottle, this site would be remiss in not sharing the data with our readers. So here's a link to that list.

The Oakland Tribune, whose information is generally quite accurate, has a detailed article today on the options open to the Raiders vis a vis Charles Woodson and Jerry Porter, and what each would cost. Unlike previous reports, the Trib says the Raiders (1) have $6.7 million of dead cap money, not $8 million (as NFL.com had reported), and (2) are $5.27 million over the cap, not $2 million under (as claimed by the Contra Costa Times last week).

In either event, as the article points out, the Raiders have lots of leeway to lower their payroll—QB Rich Gannon alone, for instance, has a $10 million cap hit. T Barry Sims ($5.15 million), who got a well deserved raise last year, will no doubt be asked to restructure his contract, as will FB Zack Crockett ($2.05 million). The Raiders annually restructure many players' contracts, and it's old hat to both the front office and the players.

Sunday, February 20, 2005

Fanball makes this unsettling point about new quarterbacks coach John Shoop:

"Shoop is famous for favoring short, timing routes, whereas [Norv] Turner runs an offense that stresses the vertical passing game, a strength of quarterback Kerry Collins. In other words, we're not confident that Shoop will be a good fit in Oakland."

So what is Turner doing? Panicking because Sarkisian left? Shoop was fired by Chicago and spent one year with the Bucs' version of musical chairs at the quarterback position. Couldn't Oakland have found someone with a more appropriate background and/or offensive philosophy?

Saturday, February 19, 2005

NFL.com's Pat Kirwan points out in a recent column that "skeletons in the closet," as he calls them—or what most sportswriters refer to as dead cap money—will cost the Raiders $8 million this year.

Kirwan wrote, "Lincoln Kennedy retired, Jerry Rice was traded, and Tim Brown, Rod Woodson and Barrett Robbins were released, but they'll be eating up a little over $8 million of 2005 space, which is hard to deal with when you are trying to build a better team this season."

The Raiders announced the hiring of John Shoop as their new quarterbacks coach. Frankly, this observer doesn't know a thing about him beyond what's posted on Raiders.com, so I refer you to the bio there.

Friday, February 18, 2005

Leave it to a knowledgeable Raiders fans to catch a small but important point, as reported in the Rumor Mill column.

Sportswriter Mike Sando of the Tacoma News Tribune—a one-time subscriber to the Raiders Fans Mail List—points out that with the CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) between the NFL and the players union set to expire after the 2007 season, signing bonuses on any new contracts may be spread over a five-year period only. This has obvious ramifications for, as the Rumor Mill put it,

Indeed, this will affect Personnel Exec Mike Lombardi in his negotiations this summer with the Raiders' 2005 draft picks. The Raiders have often preferred to sign top picks to 6-year deals, ensuring that they're locked up for the first two years they'd otherwise be unrestricted free agents. (Case in point: Jerry Porter, although he had performance incentives allowing him to void the sixth year.) Now that won't be so easy.

Tuesday, February 15, 2005

The franchise tags are beginning to appear as the all-important Feb. 22 deadline nears—Iggles DT Corey Simon and Bungles RB Rudi Johnson have been tagged, and Ain'ts DE Darren Howard is a sure bet to be so named any minute now. St. Louis T Orlando Pace, even after firing the Postons as his agents, has been quoted as saying he expects to be franchised for a third straight year.

I'll have an opinion piece here on the site shortly with my $.02 on how the Raiders should proceed with Messrs. Porter and Woodson, their two stars. Somehow, though, I doubt the front office will follow my suggestions . . .

Monday, February 14, 2005

In their first personnel release since before Christmas, the Raiders announced the allocation of ten players to NFL Europe.

This observer often wonders why the Raiders organization can't be bothered with announcing transactions involving players who are less than big names. Other teams routinely list their transactions on their web sites. But prior to today the most recent transactions listed on Raiders.com were the assignment of Tyrone Wheatley and Ron Stone to IR on Dec. 24 of last year. To me that shows contempt for the fans. BOO!! HISS!!

Saturday, February 12, 2005

Personnel minutiae: The Raiders signed SS Marquis Smith yesterday. He's 6-2, 213 pounds, a Cal alumnus who was in the Cleveland organization in 1999-2001. He has apparently been out of football the past three seasons; he's 30 years old.

Correction: DE Mark Word spent 1999-2000 in the Chefs organization, seeing action in 5 games his rookie year. (Six is the minimum for an accrued season under the CBA.) He was a Browns property in 2001-03, seeing action in all 16 games in 2002 and 2003 and registering 8 sacks in 2002. Cleveland cut him on Sept. 5, 2004.

The Raiders could use help at defensive end—someone to spell Tyler Brayton and Bobby Hamilton. (Warren Sapp should be moved back inside where he is effective.) So it would be great if Word pans out, because Grant and Gbaja-Biamila are not the answer!

Friday, February 11, 2005

A few days ago the Rumor Mill column quoted an unidentified source to the effect that during the 2004 season, Oakland offered the Tykes CB Phillip Buchanon for WR Randy Moss—straight up! Naturally, goes the rumor, Minnesota said no.

If true, that would be roughly equivalent to offering $500,000 to Indy for QB Peyton Manning. If the Raiders saw this rumor there must have been some hearty guffaws coming out of the Alameda team HQ. Even assuming Oakland were willing to put up with the baggage Moss carries with him—one writer calculated he's good for 2.5 major incidents per year—Buchanon has almost no trade value.

Reportedly the New York Giants, looking for corners with hands, are interested in Buchanon, who's under contract to Oakland through 2006 (at $700K this year, $800K next). Please, Lord, take anything the Giants offer to be rid of this clown. He can't return punts and gives up about 1.4 big catches for every good play he makes.

Here, in compressed mode—and taken from last season's material, when he was still on Denver's coaching staff—is the bio for new Raiders assistant coach Keith Millard:

Keith Millard - asst. defensive line/pass rush specialist; born March 18, 1962, Pleasanton, Calif. Defensive lineman Washington State 1980-84. Pro defensive lineman Minnesota Vikings 1985-1991, Seattle Seahawks 1992, Green Bay Packers 1992, Philadelphia Eagles 1993. College coach: Fort Lewis 1996, Menlo College 1997-2000. Pro coach: San Francisco Demons (XFL) 2001, joined Broncos in 2002.

Where Are They Now Dept.: The excitable but ineffective Bob Casullo is the new special teams coach in Seattle.

Thursday, February 10, 2005

To absolutely no one's surprise, WR Jerry Porter told the San Francisco Chronicle that "I owe it to myself" to test the free agent market. This after Porter's seemingly earnest pleas that he wanted to stay in Oakland, if only the team would make him an offer.

The Raiders have made him a five-year offer, and a pretty good one at that, given Porter's history of injuries. You can read about it in the Chron article. But as soon as they did, Porter's tune changed.

Coaching Carousel: Gone: QBs coach Steve Sarkisian, as expected, to rejoin his buddies at USC, where he helped develop Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart. Irrespective of the title he's given, Sarkisian will apparently be an assistant head coach and co-offensive coordinator with Lane Kiffin under head coach Pete Carroll.

Arrived: And hired away from the Donkeys, no less: one-time All Pro DL Keith Millard, to be an assistant to defensive line coach Sam Clancy. Millard helped coach a Denver front four that in 2003 had three different players with at least 8.5 sacks. Here's hoping he can work some magic on the Raiders' thoroughly mediocre line.

Here's a smidgen of additional info on DE Mark Word, signed recently. His rookie year was 1999, and he was part of the Browns organization from 1999 through 2003. It appears, however, that he was on the active roster only in 2002-03, so he has two years NFL experience. Cleveland released him in the final cutdown prior to the 2004 season. He was apparently out of football this past season.

Saturday, February 5, 2005

Another journeyman lineman was apparently signed by Oakland during the past few days. He's Mark Word, 29, who played college ball at Jacksonville State and is shown as having three years NFL experience. He's listed as 6-5 and 295; for an end, that's pretty big. We'd figure he's probably not a speed rusher.

Thursday, February 3, 2005

USA Today isn't normally a publication where you'd expect to find a deep, thoroughly researched article on a topic that's no longer in the headlines each day. It's a paper which sells to the masses, heavy on the photos with short, shallow articles the norm. But lo and behold, columnist Jay Saraceno wrote a wonderful piece on Barret Robbins which appeared yesterday. Here's a direct link.

In "A troubled life on the line," Saraceno took the time and effort to document Robbins' life from childhood through college and, finally, his tumultuous days as a professional athlete. He traces the seeds of Robbins' mental illness from their earliest indications, pointing out along the way that what the Raiders explained away early in B-Robb's Raider days as "flu-like symptoms" were all the signs of complete, utter disorientation and mental breakdown. Sadly, no one intervened sooner—not that anyone can say with any certainty that it would have changed the way things have played out. It's just a sad, sad tale . . .

Wednesday, February 2, 2005

Attorneys for embattled steroid king Bill Romanoski filed what in the legal world amounts to an 11th hour motion to postpone the upcoming civil trial brought by Marcus Williams so that they can prepare motions to change venue. The trial date—set many months in advance in civil matters—is Feb. 10.

Romo's lawyers contend specifically that a large San Francisco Chronicle spread published recently effectively tainted the entire pool of prospective jurors for Alameda County, where the suit was filed and is scheduled to be heard.

This observer doubts there's a backwoods corner anywhere in this country that hasn't heard about steroids ad nauseam. Don't forget, it's even more a baseball and track story than it is a football one. And you can bet your child's next allowance that 8-year-old Little Johnny, living in rural Montana or Missouri, can tell you that BALCO made steroids. Truth or not, the publicity's been out there for months on end . . . Talk about trying to put the genie back in the bottle!

Romanowski and the Raiders are apparently about to sue each other also, if they haven't already, over whether the attack on Williams occurred as part of Romo's "employment."

Raiders.com, never lacking in chutzpah, published an article today entitled "Whatever Happened to Sean Jones". Whatever happened to Jones was that he was shipped out at the height of his career for being too eloquent a union rep during the player strike. Jones knows who butters his bread, since he now works for the Raiders and keeps his mouth shut. He tried his hand as a player representative for a year or two but wasn't particularly successful.

Excerpt from an "NFL Small Talk" column published by Scout.com several days back: "Talks are ongoing with wide receiver Jerry Porter who can void the remaining years of his contract and become a free agent. At this time progress is slow and it appears Porter will head to free agency."

The same article says what everyone knows, that the Raiders are looking for a power running back; Travis Henry is mentioned. (This observer would prefer LaMont Jordan, who has practically no mileage on him.)

Thursday, January 27, 2005

Like mushrooms on the forest floor, more "below the radar" free agents have sprouted on the Raiders roster. In no particular order: QB Brett Engemann (with the team in camp last season); DB Kevin Curtis (Texas Tech; in camp with Green Bay, 2004); punter Steve Baker (with the team, pre-season 2004); RB Chris Downs (allocated to NFL Europe last year but was injured); LB Robert Chapman (same); RB DeJuan Green (cut in pre-season, 2004); and T Shaun Rose (East Carolina; no further info available). Then there's OLB Edward Thomas (Georgia Southern), who's well-traveled—he's 30, with 4 years of NFL experience; and T Joe Wong is back after spending 2004 on PUP/IR.

Here are the specs on the two free agents signed late last week. WR Cedric Bonner is 6-0, 180, and was in camp with Buffalo in 2004. He played collegiately at Texas A&M-Commerce. RB Jarmar Julien (San Jose State) is 5-11 and 235; he was with three different teams during pre-season 2004.

A "high-placed source" in the Raiders organization confirmed to media this week that defensive coordinator Rob Ryan will return next season. In fact, said the source, it was apparently never in doubt.

The Raiders defense was among the very worst in the NFL this past year, and the team seemed to waffle between playing a 4-3 and a 3-4. Many observers thought that Tyler Brayton, for example, looked lost as an outside backer, and DT Warren Sapp was just plain out of position in 2004. Sapp has always played in the gap between opposing center and guard; moved to defensive end, he produced paltry stats for his hefty salary. Third-round pick LB DeLawrence Grant has managed to work his way into the doghouse of the third consecutive head coach with his mediocre performance at outside linebacker, but no one seemed to be able to brainstorm and try moving him back to his original position, defensive end.

Apparently Ryan's been absolved of responsibility for the debacle. To this observer it defies reason that the organization would retain him, notwithstanding that the defensive players largely defended his coaching and defensive schemes; but then, the Raiders' decisions about coaching are often mystifying.

To this fan, more apropos is the harsh appraisal of Contra Costa Times columnist Neil Hayes, published yesterday, deriding coach Norv Turner's opinion that the Raiders are only one year removed from the playoffs. In a nutshell, Hayes questions Turner's sanity in making such a statement. This corner does too. The team has no pass rush, no running game, a porous defense that couldn't stop either the pass or the run, and—with the notable exception of Oakland's kickers, the best pair in the league—special teams (return units and coverage units) are atrocious. Fix all that in one season? Not likely . . .

The Raiders wasted little time replacing departed O-line coach Aaron Kromer. The new hire: former Purdue head coach Jim Colletto, who spent the last six years coaching the line for Baltimore. Brian Billick fired him on January 10, so he didn't stay unemployed long. In fairness to Colletto, fans in Baltimore wanted heads to roll after the Ravens' offense finished next to last in total offense in 2004. Offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh resigned under pressure just one week before Colletto got the axe.

Saturday, January 22, 2005

The Raiders signed two free agents, WR Cedric Bonner (Texas A&M-Commerce) and RB Jarmar Julien, from San Jose State.

Thursday, January 20, 2005

Here are some minor notes on recent signings by the Raiders. This is the time of year when teams sign substantial numbers of players to their offseason rosters. Often they're denoted "reserve/future" signings.

Practice squad contracts recently expired, and the Raiders moved quickly to re-sign several prospects. One player they didn't apparently try to re-sign was T Jason Jiménez.

TE John Paul Foschi, 6-4 and 270, from Georgia Tech, was re-signed during the week of Jan. 10-16. Foschi was with the Jets briefly in 2004 but saw no game action. To give you an idea of the life of an NFL taxi squad player—that's why they used to call it the 'taxi squad,' duhh—last fall Foschi was released by the Jets on 9/6/04, released from the Donks' practice squad on 9/14, and then from the Vikings practice squad 9/28. He was added to the Raiders practice squad (where he ended the 2004 season) on 10/12/04. He's been re-signed by Oakland to a 2005 contract.

Also signed was big guy Robert Hicks, a late pre-season cut by the Raiders last year. 6-7 and 330, from Mississippi State, Hicks is the kind of not-exactly-svelte tackle who typically tickles the Raiders' fancy. Hicks had three years of experience playing in Buffalo in 1998-2000. FB J.R. Niklos

Another guy who's back on the roster is fullback J.R. Niklos, who was cut in August of 2004 but then signed to the practice squad, only to be waived in November 2004. Niklos is listed as 6-3 and 233 pounds.

Finally, there are several possibles. These players are listed on the latest Raiders roster at CBS Sportsline's site but with no further data supplied. If it turns out they're on the roster, hey, you read it here first! These latter guys include Shaun Rose, a tackle out of East Carolina listed at 6-5 and 300; punter Steve Baker, the 2003 NAIA (small college) punting champion from tiny Southern Oregon who was briefly on the Oakland roster last year; and S Kevin Curtis (Texas Tech), who was worked out by the team last December but not offered a contract at the time.

Tuesday, January 18, 2005

The ongoing story, which has this observer tied up in angst, is the suffering of Barret Robbins. This observer, who is unipolar (I have "only" depression), has many dear friends who are bipolar. Off their medications they struggle horribly with demons we can't begin to imagine (to paraphrase a very sensitive piece published today, by CC Times columnist Gary Peterson. To me it makes perfect sense that Robbins could have been calm, then gone off at the sight of a uniform. Something as minor as seeing a police uniform—or the white top worn by a hospital attendant—could well be all it takes to trigger a bipolar delusion, a flash of extreme paranoia . . .

I've often editorialized in this site's News space about Robbins. To me he was a warm and fuzzy, "feel good" example of Raiders "family" at its best, the franchise embracing its own who'd run into life troubles after their careers were over, giving them support—usually without seeking (and, in fact, actively trying to avoid,) publicity. It's just a tragedy that, without the anchor of the Raiders to help him tread the straight and narrow, he seems unable to stay on his medications and away from alcohol. His diagnosis includes depression, bipolar disorder (fairly clearly, with psychotic features), and alcoholism. You couldn't concoct a much more volatile combination of illnesses if you tried.

With all respect to Hall-of-Famer Jim Otto, who is a magnificent example of courage and loyalty to the Raiders, the Raiders tradition of excellent centers is—with the notable exception of Otto—more than a little star-crossed. Dave Dalby struggled with alcohol abuse after leaving football, and some have even suggested his fatal parking lot accident might not have been so accidental. Don Mosebar is essentially blind in one eye following a freak injury that forced his retirement from football. And now Robbins, who basically followed Mosebar (there was a year of comic relief first with Dan Turk) is fighting for his life with bullets in his heart and one lung and pneumonia. He's described in one report out of Miami as having ballooned up close to 400 pounds.