Oakland Raiders - The Vertical Game

News Archive
Mar. 21 - Mar. 31, 2006

Friday, March 31, 2006

Here today, gone tomorrow: LB Henri Crockett, who was trying to make a comeback after injuries had prevented him from playing in the NFL the last two years, has been released by the Raiders. Henri is the younger brother of RB Zack Crockett and, when things were going well, was a Pro Bowl selection one year while playing for Minnesota. He'd only been on Oakland's roster since March 15.

New head coach Art Shell is allowed an extra mini-camp as a new coach, and will also receive an extra week's time to train in camp by virtue of the team's participation in the Hall of Fame Game. Shell also mentioned to reporters in Orlando that he's looking to open a veteran mini-camp before the NFL Draft (April 29-30), possibly the second weekend of April.

There's been a lot of scorn in fans' reaction to Shell's choice of Tom Walsh as offensive coordinator. Walsh worked under Shell before in the same capacity and was purged by Al Davis along with Shell (and virtually the entire Silver and Black coaching staff) at the end of the 1994 campaign, the team's last year in (ugh!) Los Angeles. After that he coached at Idaho State (1997-98) and coached minor league football in 1999; he's been out of football entirely since then. He was a Raiders assistant from 1982-94, a considerable period. Still, it's a curious choice, there's no denying it. But Jon Gruden, who espoused a West Coast offensive style of football that's anathema to Davis—and to this observer also, it may be added—was a curious choice as well.

Baltimore coach Brian Billick says he's interested in ex-Raiders starting QB Kerry Collins, but only if his price comes down.

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Someone's been out in the sun too long . . . The Raiders are one of seven teams which have asked, and received, permission to talk to . . . gulp! . . . Joey Harrington. Lord help us if we get him on the Raiders!!

Harrington is the latest version of Heath Shuler, the top first-round draft pick who couldn't miss but always did, big time.

The Contra Costa Times reported today that the Raiders had OLB Keith Adams in for a visit. He started 16 games for the Philadelphia Eagles last season and had 101 tackles.

UFA CB Charles Woodson is indeed scheduled to visit the Green Bay Packers later this week, according to his agent. He met with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Friday. Bucs coach Jon Gruden said he would expect Woodson to play free safety if he signed with the team.

Low-life special: Dante DiTrapano, agent for Randy Moss, was arrested again in Florida last Saturday after failing to appear to answer charges growing out of his original March 14 arrest in a St. Petersburg hotel room. DiTrapano, his wife and 3 others were charged with felony possession of crack cocaine. According to the AP, police say they recovered 73 pieces of crack cocaine and 21 grams of powder cocaine.

Free agent signing: Finally, yours truly saw an entry late this afternoon on a readers' Raiders board at the CC Times to the effect that DT Rahad Moore has signed with Oakland. Nosing around, I discovered that should be Rashad Moore, who has played in the NFL for three seasons, all with Seattle. He was apparently cut by Seattle or else would have been a restricted free agent.

He played in 14 games in 2003 and all 16 in 2004 but none last year. Clearly he's another guy coming off injury on whom the Raiders are willing to gamble, probably with a minimum contract. At 6-3 and 324 pounds, he has the size the Raiders favor in the defensive line.

P.S. Found it later on KFFL.com. Moore was released by Seattle with an injury settlement in September 2005. So make him a two-year veteran.

Earlier this week: The NFL announced the opening day and Thanksgiving schedule, and the Raiders will play the second-half of a first-ever Monday night doubleheader to open the regular season, on ESPN on Sept. 11. See the Articles section for more.

Also announced were pre-season opponents and the week during which those games will occur. Specific dates for pre-season normally aren't announced until after the complete NFL regular season schedule is announced (usually in mid-April). But the Philadelphia Inquirer media report which had penciled in Oakland as Philly's opponent in the Hall of Fame game at Canton, OH proved correct. That game will be played Aug. 6. The following game (which was announced because it will be nationally televised on ESPN) pits Oakland at Minnesota on Aug. 14.

Bearing in mind that the HOF game is a 5th, extra pre-season game, that means we have specific dates and times for two of the Silver and Black's five exhibitions.

Saturday, March 25, 2006

Charles Woodson arrived in Tampa Bay Thursday night and was to meet with club officials on Friday. The Bucs appear set at corner, with starters Ronde Barber and Brian Kelly and backup Juran Bolden, who recently was re-signed to a multi-year contract. They are, however, in need of an experienced free safety, so they could have in mind asking Woodson to consider a move there.

"Charles will do anything, including selling popcorn, if it's going to help his team win," said Woodson's agent, Carl Poston. "The good thing is Jon [Gruden] and [Bucs general manager] Bruce [Allen] know what they're getting with this kid. But [economics] will obviously be a determining factor."

Woodson, who is (thankfully) not in the Raiders' plans for 2006, also plans to visit Green Bay and Seattle.

RB Najeh Davenport said earlier this week that he had an offer from the Packers but had also visited Miami earlier in the week and expected to visit Oakland soon. He is since reported to have worked out for the Raiders. Built like a fireplug—6-1, 247 pounds—Davenport, a 4-year veteran, is what you'd call a pure power runner.

"I passed my physical for the Dolphins," said Davenport, who had ankle surgery Oct. 10. "I've met with [new Packers] Coach [Mike] McCarthy twice. I'd love to come back to Green Bay."

Friday, March 24, 2006

Oakland added more quality depth to its secondary yesterday with the signing of free agent CB Duane Starks. Starks, like corner Tyrone Poole several days before him, was last a New England Patsy and is a well regarded corner who fell upon injury last season. Unlike Poole, who has made his mark largely as a dependable nickel back, Starks was a starter and considered a free agent prize just a couple of years back. Even more than Poole, he's on the smallish side—5-10 and 175 pounds, according to Raiders.com (which typically inflates smaller players' weights, in this observer's view . . .)

G Larry Allen, cut by Dallas when he refused to take a pay cut, signed a two-year deal with—gulp!—the Whiners.

It turns out Allen owns a house in Danville, so he's coming home.

The Raiders have had some good success in the past with older O-linemen who started their careers elsewhere—Ron Stone aside. Guards Kevin Gogan, Max Montoya and Charley Hannah and Hall of Fame tackle Bob Brown come readily to mind.

Thursday, March 23, 2006

Oakland re-signed backup T Brad Lekkerkerker. The Raiders have quietly been locking up their offensive line depth this week—Hulsey, T Chad Slaughter, and now Lekkerkerker. As the CC Times's Raiders beat reporter Steve Corkran ably points out, after four years as a backup Slaughter proved his mettle in last season's finale with a dominant job on New York's Michael Strahan, whom he essentially shut down after starter Robert Gallery broke his fibula in the 15th game.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

To their credit, the Raiders weren't indecisive when free agent QB Aaron Brooks came to town. Faced with a dismally small pool of starting quarterback candidates, the Raiders grabbed the best of the lot in agreeing on terms with Brooks.

Brooks had been planning to talk to the Packers—the club which originally drafted him out of Virginia—after visiting Oakland, but the Raiders didn't let things get that far.

The Associated Press reported it was a two-year contract worth more than $8 million, much of it apparently in the form of incentive clauses. We should have further details here tomorrow.

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

The Raiders signed 11-veteran CB Tyrone Poole, 34, yesterday, to help provide secondary depth. Basically he replaces journeyman Denard Walker, who was released on Mar. 2.

Poole, who played collegiately at Fort Valley State in Georgia, was hobbled by injuries the past two years and appeared in only six games, ending both seasons on injured reserve. And he's not a big guy—5-8, 190 pounds. Even so, he should still be a distinct improvement over Walker, whose pathetically soft coverage the past two seasons was infuriating. Poole played in all 16 games for the Patsies in 2003 (as a starter) but was released by New England just last week. ESPN opines that if his health holds up, Poole should see action as Oakland's nickel back.

As usual the Raiders avoided any discussion of contract terms. ESPN quoted "league sources" as saying that the contract was for considerably more than the NFL minimum.

The Raiders also re-signed two players yesterday, SS Derrick Gibson and G Corey Hulsey. Gibson, 27, was actually released after last year (to avoid a major escalation in his contract salary) but rejoins the roster, presumably to compete with Jarrod Cooper for the starting strong safety position. Hulsey is invariably characterized by the Raiders as "physical"—read, a mauler rather than a finesse guy.