Oakland Raiders - The Vertical Game - News Archive (Apr. 1-Jun. 30, 2006)

News Archive
Apr. 1 - June 30, 2006

Friday, June 30, 2006

Tomorrow (July 1) is DE Bobby Hamilton's birthday. Out of respect to the veteran we'll omit his age, but if you'd like to wish him a Happy Birthday by e-mail, here's the web page with an e-mail link on it.

WR Randy Moss appeared on "The Afternoon Blitz" on SIRIUS NFL Radio today, and KFFL.com has three sets of excerpts from his comments on its web site.

First, Moss said he is back close to 100 percent health after struggling with a groin injury during the 2005 season. Moss said, "I'm pretty back to 100 percent. Last year was so frustrating because I think, with my injury, I could've probably taken a couple of weeks off but I personally had some high hopes for the Raider team to try to have a push for the playoffs to prove the critics wrong. So if people were wondering why I kept playing nicked up, that's the reason why. I wanted to help my team do whatever they can to make a playoff push. I fought through it. I've rehabbed this off-season, trying to get that part of my body, my groin area, a little bit stronger. So I'd say I'm back to almost 100 percent. I'm ready to go."

Discussing the progress of second-year QB Andrew Walter, Moss said, "My last OTA was a couple weeks ago and he was throwing the ball very well. I like his arm because he has a lot of zip on the ball and that's what I need, personally, in a quarterback, somebody with a fast release that can get the ball to me. Receivers are not really open that long so you need somebody with a strong arm that can get the ball there. I like Andrew Walter. With them taking him last year, everybody was wondering why they took him. We needed somebody who could play on the field and this and that. But with what I've seen, with him being tall, being able to see and read the defense, I like him. I like his upside."

And lastly, Moss had this to say about QB Aaron Brooks: "I'm really excited about having Aaron Brooks, a little more mobile than Kerry Collins. Taking nothing away from [free agent QB] Kerry Collins, I enjoyed playing with him and I enjoyed learning from and with him but knowing that the team had to move in another direction, bringing a guy like Aaron Brooks in, what he's done in his career thus far and having receivers like Donte Stallworth and Joe Horn down there [in New Orleans], then being able to come and work with me, [WRs] Doug Gabriel, Alvis Whitted, Ronald Curry and Jerry Porter, hopefully that's something he can smile about also."

Thursday, June 29, 2006

According to the Sporting News fantasy "news spotlight," ex-Raider Kerry Collins does not plan to retire. And NFL Network writer Adam Schefter wrote today that friends of Collins say they think he's preparing to play this season. Tennessee remains the team most likely to sign Collins.

There's an ESPN column dated June 27 which I came upon today, Now, if only we knew who tested positive for what, by SacBee columnist Mark Kreidler. I couldn't have made his points better myself . . . . I only wish I'd gotten paid for them.

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

The State Bar of West Virginia has petitioned that state's Supreme Court for suspension of the license to practice law of Dante DiTrapano, Randy Moss' former agent, pending proceedings to disbar him. No surprise there . . .

Where Are They Now Dept.: WR LaShaun Ward, a Cal product who was in camp with the Raiders in 2004 after spending the previous season on KC's practice squad, was released today by Buffalo.

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Harold Henderson, NFL executive vice president of labor relations, said the league and players union worked together to toughen the penalties for amphetamines after the Congressional hearings last year on drugs in sports.

"We never looked at it as a competitive issue for our players, like steroids and other things, but realized the possibility that some players would use it for a gameday edge," Henderson said Tuesday in a phone interview from San Diego, where he was attending the annual rookie symposium. "The union quickly agreed with us."

Wow! As many times as I took one form or another of upper in my salad days, to say they never thought of that class of drugs as providing a competitive edge is naive in the extreme. I used to clean house for 10 hours straight when I was wired . . . without the artificial energy boost, I'd have run out of gas after two or three hours. Can you imagine the amount of energy that's exerted on the field in an NFL game?

Late update: I knew that I'd heard of Donnell Washington before and was stumped when I saw that NFL.com shows him appearing in no games in either 2004 or 2005. So I did a Google search, and came up with the explanation why Washington was available. Here is the June 9 AP article in its entirety:

So there you have it. Another seemingly lost soul to whom the Raiders are offering a second chance. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Vinnie Iyer, who normally writes primarily on fantasy matters for The Sporting News, published a critique of the 2006 Raiders yesterday. See the Articles page at the top of the links for June 26.

Personnel matters: Yesterday the team re-signed exclusive rights free agent TE James Adkisson to his one-year tender.

Today the Raiders have signed DT Donnell Washington, a two-year veteran who was a 2004 third-round draft pick of the Green Bay Packers but saw no game action while in Green Bay. He's 6-6, weighs 328, and played collegiately at Clemson. He'll no doubt enter the mix competing to join the rotation at defensive tackle.

Monday, June 26, 2006

Late, later update: Catching up on the ESPN.com site—which propagates so much material I can't read it all on a daily basis—I came across a well written Len Pasquarelli piece on one way in which NFL clubs are utilizing the huge salary cap increase of 2006: large, large contract extensions used as a way to lock up desirable players. This one should be required reading for anyone trying to fathom the salary cap environment post-2006 CBA extension: Teams using cap room for early extensions.

Late update: Gravy Train Special!! Yep, none other than DT Grady Jackson, former Oakland sixth-round draft pick who literally ate his way out of the Raiders starting lineup, is returning later this week for a visit, according to ESPN.com scribe Len Pasquarelli. It's not known whether the Raiders have scheduled a physical for Big Grady.

Jackson, most recently a Packer for three seasons, had a stout 2005 campaign but for reasons unknown received virtually no attention from the Green Bay organization—that despite his having reportedly gotten in his best shape in a number of years for the '05 season. According to Pasquarelli, Jackson has received interest this year from a number of franchises, including the Raiders earlier in the spring. The St. Louis Rams were likely the closest to signing Jackson, but decided to sign DL Jason Fisk instead. Some teams (not surprisingly) have had questions about Jackson's weight problems.

Here's a good reference primer for learning about the supplemental draft, to be conducted July 13. It's Gil Brandt's piece on NFL.com: Brandt's supplemental draft primer.

The Brandt link above has all the details of Brooks' Pro Day, BTW, which was held June 22 in 96-degree-plus heat (heat index 110). The Scout.com network will tell you all about it in a subscriber article (1 year for an outrageous $79.95), but NFL.com has the skinny for free.

If you're wondering why so little attention seems to be paid to this draft, it's because the NFL intentionally does not publicize the rules any more than it has to. The league says it doesn't want to be a position of encouraging athletes to apply outside the standard, end-of-April NFL draft.

On Saturday, at the U.S. Track and Field Championship, former Bears and Raiders wide receiver Willie Gault set a world record of 10.72 seconds in the master's 100 meters, a division for athletes aged 45 to 49.

The previous mark was held by Neville Hodge, who ran 10.96 on April 27, 2001. Gault bested that time by more than two-tenths of a second. Gault had also run a 10.79 on May 15, but there was no wind reading during that race (required for world records).

"I feel pretty satisfied with the time I ran," he said. "I ran a 10.49 last year, and I expected the same thing or something similar and I think I can do that in the right situation."

Gault, 45, was a track and football star at the University of Tennessee and played on the Chicago Bears 1984 Super Bowl championship team. He later joined the Los Angeles Raiders for the 1988-93 seasons.

Friday, June 23, 2006

LB Ahmad Brooks, one of four players who have complied with the necessary formalities for the NFL supplemental draft to be held on July 13, continues to draw a good deal of interest. He worked out yesterday with a heat index at 110 at Charlottesville, VA, for some 40 scouts and personnel types from 22 of the 32 NFL clubs. An initial NFL.com report that said 31 clubs had representatives in attendance was corrected by Brooks' own agent, Gregory Williams. Still, 22 out of 32 is nothing to sneer at.

Brooks, who weighs roughly 260 pounds, is loaded with talent but also is said to have some character ("off-field") issues that will scare some teams away. And he wouldn't come cheap. If the Raiders were to draft him in the supplemental's first round it would cost them their 2007 first-round pick.

If you're not familiar with Brooks' name, here's a link to the original Yahoo article, dated June 6, which first profiled him.

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Late update: The Raiders' new Director of Ticket Sales, Jarrod Dillon, was profiled two days ago on a web site—perhaps it's a blog?—called PursuethePassion.com. Here's a direct link.

Dante DiTrapano, until last month the agent for WR Randy Moss, was back in the news yesterday. A federal magistrate refused to set bond (bail) in his case, meaning he will remain locked up until he goes to trial on the latest charges against him. The trial date currently is set for Aug. 23.

The account of DiTrapano's troubles with the law—which have included other members of his immediate family—makes for some lurid reading, and the photo of the attorney looks like someone under the influence, to be quite honest. (In fairness, though, orange-red jump suits don't exactly become most people.) If you want to read a sad tale of drug dependence gone awry, the (West Virginia) Recorder piece is linked on the Articles page for June 20.

Where Are They Now Dept.: Fans are down on LB Napoleon Harris these days in Minnesota. A column today on RealFootball365.com, while recognizing the foregoing reality, argues that they may be judging prematurely.

Where Are They Now Dept., part 2: I came across an item about former Raiders fullback J.R. Niklos in the June 9 issue of the Examiner. Kansas City has signed him to a one-year contract.

Monday, June 19, 2006

This Sporting News "Magazine Exclusive" teaser, which appeared yesterday, really does tease:

It says here that we can safely assume WR Jerry Porter was one of those players . . . . Wouldn't you love to know who the others were?

Sunday, June 18, 2006

Steve Corkran, the CC Times beat writer for the Raiders who also authors the Raiders Team Report for The Sporting News, reported in his latest column two days ago that both Randy Moss and Jerry Porter skipped the recent mini-camp. While the camp was technically voluntary, you just know a new head coach of a team coming off a dreadful 4-12 season would like to have his top players set an example . . . . Corkran concludes with something of an understatement, "This doesn't bode well for team chemistry and Shell's command over the team in the long run."

Thursday, June 15, 2006

The Associated Press reports that Randy Moss' former agent, Dante DiTrapano, was arrested again today on firearms possessions charges, the latest arrest for the former attorney/agent. DiTrapano appeared before a U.S. Magistrate and was remanded to the custody of U.S. marshals. A detention hearing was set for next Tuesday, June 20. DiTrapano had the handguns while he was addicted to a controlled substance, according to a seven-count indictment released Thursday.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Late, late update: FOXSports Fantasy 'News'—take that latter term with a pound of salt—says Tennessee's interest in ex-Raider Kerry Collins has "cooled." Opines the author-less factoid, "Collins reportedly wanted too much money. Even if he signed between now and training camp, he would [be] far behind Billy Volek in learning the team's offense. (Thu. Jun 15, 2006)" [sic]

Where Are They Now Dept.: There is an inspiring piece on the New Orleans official team web site profiling ex-Raiders DE Tony Bryant, who has played for the Saints the past two seasons. Check it out.

The Whiners today signed three low-round draft picks. In contrast, the Raiders almost never sign any of their picks until shortly before the opening of training camp. At the same time, the Oakland club does virtually always sign all its picks by that deadline . . .

The signings have significance because the rookie signing pool comes out of the team's overall salary cap. At present Oakland is estimated to be $1.8 million under the 2006 limit—probably not enough to sign all its draft selections. If veterans are to be cut, such moves will likely come when draft choice signings are imminent.

It's, truly, easily missed, but there is a link on the Santa Rosa Press Democrat's web site to a joint Raiders-49ers blog which I had never noticed until now, despite the fact that I check the site every day! The great majority of the blog posts are from the SF beat writer . . . . Why that is becomes oh so clear if you search for "June 5" and read the most recent post from Raiders beat scribe Phil Barber, aptly entitled, "Scaling Raider Castle isn't easy."

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Late update: Vote for Raiders great Jack Tatum as the Best Damn Sports Show's Best Damn BadAss: Toughest Man Alive!! (Yes, it's silly, but Tatum's only ahead 52-48% in a close contest.) Here's the URL: http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/5668404.

Not too long ago—last month, to be exact—Kyle Turley was looking for an opportunity to try out as a tight end with an NFL team. Having missed an entire year with back problems, he was reportedly down from his one-time playing weight of well over 300 pounds to 265 or so, and was expressing a desire to stay at the new, lower weight so as to forestall any recurrence of the back ailment.

As of today, however, Turley has magically grown back to 300 pounds and has agreed in principle to a contract with Kansas City, contingent upon his passing a physical. And he is being pencilled in at his ostensible "natural" position of tackle . . . either competing to start at right tackle, or possibly serving as a backup to left tackle Willie Roaf. The AP article reporting this says first that back in May, Turley had "slimmed down" to 260, ignoring the fact that gaining forty pounds in a month (to arrive back at the 300 mark) is a really prodigious feat, not a ho-hum sort of matter. At least the Len Pasquarelli ESPN.com piece dealing with Turley acknowledges that Turley's weight swing, in the end, may be "40-50 pounds." Strange, to say the least—one can't help but wonder if it isn't another instance of better living through chemistry.

Sunday, June 11, 2006

Word is that Tennessee is looking to give up on RB Chris Brown. Brown ran for 97 yards and a TD on 19 carries in the Titans' home loss to Oakland last season. A three-year NFL veteran, he has averaged 4.3 yards per carry on 500 career attempts, including a career-high 1,067 yards and 4.9 average in 2004.

In this observer's view, he would make a great second running back to pair with Lamont Jordan. The injury-prone Justin Fargas has yet to prove that he can stay healthy and hold on to the football long enough to contribute in a meaningful way to the Silver and Black offense.

Thursday, June 8, 2006

This site's Articles page normally omits links to marketing announcements which appear on Raiders.com. I'm not anti-Raiders. I simply think they have a more than adequate marketing apparatus without needing my assistance. They don't underwrite this site, and I don't help them sell their merchandise . . .

But, that said, I came across an item in the Fresno Bee this evening concerning Raiders great Greg Townsend which does not appear to be about an appearance sponsored by the Oakland Raiders. Rather, Townsend will appear at a collectables show next weekend in the Fresno area, presumably for his own benefit. And so, for the benefit of any of you readers who live that way, or might want to take a drive through the Central Valley, here's the skinny.

Townsend, along with some Fresno Falcons—whatever team that may be—will appear at the Sports Cards & Collectables Show, June 16-18, at Sierra Vista Mall in Clovis. That's next Friday through Sunday. Hours, and a number to call for further info, are included in the article.

Wednesday, June 7, 2006

Leave it to the Raiders to start their mini-camp in the middle of the week for the first time in some years, and of course to close practices to the media. Only one local paper—the East Bay ANG chain, which includes the Oakland Tribune—even mentioned that it had started. ANG's NFL editor, Jerry McDonald, a knowledgeable man, included that little factoid in a piece about QB Andrew Walter today, reminding us that Walter is as yet a largely unproven commodity. Fair enough. What I particularly liked about McDonald's article were his observations about past Raiders quarterbacks, which were right on the money.

He mentioned that the development of the zone defense was Daryle Lamonica's undoing. Indeed it was. Better quarterbacks even than the Mad Bomber were done in by the newfangled defensive schemes, e.g., Joe Willie Namath. And McDonald is absolutely correct that most of the great Raiders offensive teams did not rely on 50-yard fly or post patterns.

One of these years, when I complete my "What Is the Vertical Game, Anyway" project (see Planned for the Future page), I'll stress this latter point. Neither Ken Stabler nor Jim Plunkett threw bombs; rather, they threw (most often) to spots where they knew the receivers would be. And Oakland receivers were the first group—as a team—to employ the practice of coming back toward the quarterback to make the reception. Oakland's running game in the great years was smash-mouth, but its passing game was pure finesse, a thing of beauty.

I tossed out the possibility a week or two back in this space of the Raiders considering signing ex-Rams tackle Kyle Turley, who is considerably lighter these days and wants to remain that way. Turley would be a tight end prospect.

The Kansas City Star reported today that the Squaws and Turley's agent are talking and, according to KC coach Herm Edwards, "Both parties are speaking, so it's just a matter of whether it can all get worked out. Both parties are interested."

What's odd about this is that KC wants Turley as a backup to LT Willie Roaf, or possibly to start at right tackle. But at 265 pounds Turley would be seriously underweight for such duty. Is he willing to risk a recurrence of the back trouble by putting on the weight again?

Tuesday, June 6, 2006

If you've followed the spirited back-and-forth involving Vegas handicapper Ted "Teddy Covers" Sevransky (of www.SportsMemo.com) and "Raider Nation" (Gawd, how I hate that overused cliche), you may have noticed that both sides are making some valid points, but not in the same language. Case in point: whether QB Aaron Brooks was a winner at Virginia. Sevransky is only interested in how a team or specific athletes do against his hallowed spread, which is of little or no interest to the vast majority of us who do not gamble seriously on NFL games.

But even though I reluctantly concede the professional's command of stats having to do with performance vis a vis the spread, I came across a highly amusing note about handicapping pro football in several blogs today, which makes one wonder just how "scientific" handicapping really is (at least when it comes to the NFL). The two blogs were entirely unrelated, by the way, so it's impossible to attribute authorship to anyone. And judging from other items in the post, which aren't included here, the post was originally written in November, 2005 and republished within the last three days. To wit:

Sunday, June 4, 2006

Late update: I frequently have to play catch-up as far as actually reading the many links I find each day dealing with our favorite team. A USA Today article from May 31 which I've just perused contains news about an interesting (and highly sensible) rules change which will take effect in the NFL this season. Here's a link to the article.

Where Are They Now Dept.: Anyone remember C-LS Jordan Hicks from Oakland's pre-season roster last year?

ESPN has just run a summary of NFL Europe free agents whom they think have a shot at getting on an NFL 53-man roster. Among them they include Hicks, listed now solely as a long snapper:

Also from ESPN.com, writer Len Pasquarelli penned this trenchant observation which appeared on June 1st:

"Once a red-letter event for teams seeking to pursue veteran players who were pink-slipped late in the spring, June 1 suddenly has become just another slow day during what is one of the grayest times of the NFL year."

Yes indeed. And what is the grayest time, bar none? The period from the conclusion of the last mini-camp (fast approaching) until training camp opens in late July. Brace yourself, fans, because that time is nearly upon us . . .

Friday, June 2, 2006

Waiting for the shoe to drop: Many media writers had predicted the demise of DE Bobby Hamilton on June 1. With a 2006 salary of $1.335 million, he's expensive if—as some writers think—Tyler Brayton has the starting LDE job locked up. And Hamilton will be 35 in July.

This observer's much more likely candidate would be SS Derrick Gibson, who has played himself out of the starting lineup several times, been IR'd several times, and is on only a one-year contract at the minimum salary for his years of experience. Compare Jarrod Cooper, who got a 3-year deal with seven-figure base salaries all three years. Granted, releasing Gibson wouldn't save as much as losing Hamilton, but Bobby has value to the team that Derrick lacks. And if there's an NFL team that knows how to renegotiate the contracts of well-paid veterans, it's Oakland.

But—so far, no releases. Or at least, none reported. In fact, there were no names of significance in the news the past several days reported as having been released. Media types are crediting the bigger salary cap this year, but the cap increases every year, and this cynic thinks teams like the Raiders will always be close to the maximum allowed simply because such teams prefer signing free agents to rebuilding through the draft. But that being said, there could still be veterans released. Stay tuned . . .

NFL Network writer Adam Schefter says the Tennessee Titans are looking to put together a sufficiently attractive package to interest ex-Raider QB Kerry Collins, who remains unsigned.

That's what I wrote earlier, after reading just that and no more on CBS Sportsline today. But a little digging produced the original article, which appeared two days ago and had a decidedly different emphasis.

To begin with, Schefter was discussing the Titans-McNair situation, and how the arbitrator's decision that Tennessee must allow McNair to practice on its facilities puts both sides in what Schefter aptly characterized as "an awkward spot." Schefter predicted that McNair will likely move on to Baltimore. (That's not at all certain, since McNair's agent has had the Titans' permission to negotiate with the Ravens for nearly five weeks now and talks are stalemated.) With that as background, Schefter noted that Collins has been considering retirement and concluded, "But if the Titans could put together a lucrative enough package, then Collins could be enticed to play another season, which would give Tennessee another veteran quarterback presence and allow the Titans to continue grooming their first-round pick, Vince Young."

Yesterday, citing Schefter's article, FOXSports' Fantasy Source got into the act, adding its two cents' worth and in the process further fleshing out the Collins angle to all this. Restating Schefter's main point as just quoted, Fox added, "Impact: The Collins-to-Tennessee rumors have been around for about a month, but aren't losing steam. They wouldn't make the move until Steve McNair is off the roster, but it shows a clear lack of faith in [Titans backup QB] Billy Volek."

Indeed, it does. Volek has had some incredible numbers in past seasons when forced to fill in for an injured McNair, but observers say he holds on to the ball too long and makes too good a target for opposing rushers, setting up a real risk of his incurring a serious injury over the course of an entire season.

Saturday, May 27, 2006

Where Are They Now Dept.: Remember Andre Somersell? Of course you don't. (Don't you know that your nose grows a foot long when you lie?

) He was 2004's Mr. Irrelevant, drafted dead last by the Raiders out of Colorado State as a 235-pound linebacker. And cut in the roster reduction to 65 players.

Well, he's evidently put on some weight since then. And/or perhaps just not evidenced enough skill to play standing up. He's heading North to assume a three-point stance as a defensive end for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. And he's shown as (most recently, anyway) a Colt, a 230-pound rookie linebacker. He was released by Indy on 9/3/05, so apparently he was out of football last year. Ya gotta admire the kid for hanging on to his dream.

And, continuing on down Memory Lane, QB Rob Johnson, who spent a quiet 2003 season—he never got into a game—backing up first Rich Gannon and then Rick Mirer when Gannon went down, has signed with the Giants. Johnson hasn't played in the NFL since 2003. If memory serves Johnson was a Giant once before . . . .

Sports Illustrated put a teaser for the Michael Silver article on their web site. It fooled me initially, because it runs down past the fold, so at first glance you figure they decided to make the article public four days or so after it hit the streets. But it's only a tease, as you discover when you scroll down . . . .

I find that tactic annoying since the story had been widely summarized already in the media. The article has leaked out if one knows where to look for it. So if you want to see exactly what Silver wrote, send me an e-mail with "Silver article" as the subject. Use the mail link at the bottom of this page to reach me. The reply will be entirely automated, so you must use that precise subject line.

Where Are They Now Dept.: Former Raiders FB J.R. Niklos had a 12-yard touchdown run for the Frankfurt Galaxy in today's World Bowl.

And, NFL.com's Vic Carucci notes of new Cleveland Brown Ted Washington, "As long as he remains at his current listed weight of 365 pounds, he will become the heaviest player in the long and storied history of the franchise, surpassing the 350 pounds of two former Cleveland offensive linemen, Orlando Brown and [new Raider] Kelvin Garmon."

Catching up on some articles from several weeks back, I came across a May 9 piece by ESPN's Len Pasquarelli reporting the Raiders' signing of free agent TE Marcellus Rivers which provides some useful background on him. Wrote Pasquarelli, "Rivers, 27, is a solid in-line blocker who will provide a different dimension to the Oakland tight end corps. The Raiders' incumbent tight ends, including starter Courtney Anderson, are better known as receivers. But under coach Art Shell, the Raiders figure to be a more physical team, and Rivers will give them a tight end who can take on linebackers and defensive ends."

Pasquarelli, added, "A former Oklahoma State star, Rivers made the New York Giants' roster in 2001 as an undrafted college free agent. He played four seasons for the Giants before signing with Houston as an unrestricted free agent last spring, so the Raiders will be his third team in three seasons."

In that same article Pasquarelli also reported the signing of free agent RB ReShard Lee. One fact he provides that I didn't know previously is that Lee, a two-year veteran, has returned 56 kickoffs in the NFL for a 22.9-yard average. So RB Rod Smart isn't the only kickoff returner among the new signees.

Friday, May 26, 2006

If you read this News section regularly you saw the recent recitation of the Raiders' history in converting players from other positions to play tight end. What do you readers think about former T and free agent Kyle Turley as a tight end prospect? He weighs about 265 these days and wants to stay at that weight. ESPN.com reports today that talks between Turley and Kansas City are "heating up," and that he's recently worked out for both KC and Miami.

Turley is something of a medical risk—he hasn't played since 2003, when back trouble caused him to retire. But there are physicals and contingency clauses in contracts to handle that sort of thing . . .

And speaking of free agents—well, he's not, actually, but he's on the trading block if San Diego is offered the right deal—remember LB Donnie Edwards? He played at Kansas City, then went to the Dolts, and this observer thinks Sh*ttinhammer still wants him. But GM A.J. Smith wants to get rid of him, and you know we need quality linebackers . . .

Edwards is nothing if not consistent, and he's also versatile—can play inside or out.

A FOXSports piece by Adam Schein makes the point that Edwards is the "heart and soul" of the San Diego defense. So why would Smith still have him on the trading block? Partly it's money—Edwards wants a raise after four very consistent years for the Dolts—but many observers also think that Smith is on a control trip, determined to show Marty who's boss.

Finally, following up on the May 19th item in this space reporting that the Fritz Pollard Alliance had put forward the names of Willie Lanier and Ted Cottrell as candidates to replace Raiders coach Art Shell in the league's front office, Schein reports in the same article (published yesterday) that Cottrell, perturbed because he didn't get so much as a single job offer this past off-season, has in fact applied for that VP spot (as the NFL's director of football operations).

Thursday, May 25, 2006

Late update: Surprise!! Not . . . According to KFFL.com, which probably got its info from ESPN.com (granddaddy of all rumor mills), Santiago's contract is for one year. Want to take a wild guess at the base salary? Suppose I told you that the veteran minimum for players with 5-7 years experience is $585,000, and further, that Santiago has played 7 seasons in the league? You got it!

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

The latest issue of Sports Illustrated, due out on the newsstands today, contains a provocative article by Michael Silver on the NFL-Los Angeles market situation. Silver makes several key points, one of which was echoed by Jerry Jones' comments included in yesterday's AP summary of the owners meeting now in progress: there is little or no sentiment among the owners for expansion. Thus any team(s) for the Los Angeles area would almost certainly be an existing franchise relocating from elsewhere.

Now to Silver's more provocative points, which are two. One: he writes that Eddie DeBartolo is looking to get back into an NFL ownership role, quite possibly in tandem with his former buddy Carmen Policy, with whom he's said to have had a rapprochement; and two: one of the target franchises for relocation to LA, indeed, one that "intrigues" DeBartolo greatly, is Oakland's. Silver writes that many believe that Al Davis is in fact suffering health problems—that's denied, of course, by Raiders CEO Amy Trask—and, faced with chronically small revenue streams in Oakland, could be persuaded to sell to Eddie D.

This observer was sent a copy of the article yesterday by Sports Illustrated's Director of Communications. The article is titled, "Scorecard: California Dreamin'," and appears in the May 29 issue, which as previously noted, will hit newsstands today.

Today's San Francisco Chronicle also discusses Silver's article and quotes considerably more of Trask's reply than did Silver. Trask told Chron reporter Nancy Gay that Silver simply chose to omit most of what she (Trask) had to say when asked to comment.

Anatomy of a Rumor: The other Raiders-related rumor currently in the news concerns DT Warren Sapp and seems to have been started yesterday by Detroit News sportswriter Mike O'Hara. Actually, it provides a classic example of how a tiny, utterly casual reference with no evidence cited to support it gets blown up into a full-scale "story" as it is ping-ponged back and forth between web sites based in different cities.

The entire original item, buried deep down in an article about DT Dan "Big Daddy" Wilkinson leaving the Lions, was this single sentence: "There has been speculation in Oakland that the Raiders might part company with Warren Sapp, who had a strong relationship with [new Detroit head coach Rod] Marinelli with the Buccaneers." Notice that O'Hara included no source attribution.

From there, FOXSports listed it as one of its five HOT NFL rumors for the day that "you won't want to miss," yada yada yada. And SportingNews.com cited the Detroit News as reporting that Oakland wanted to trade Sapp . . . . In fact it seems to this observer that the Raiders, who neither drafted any defensive linemen in April nor have signed any free agent D-tackles since, are depending on Sapp to make a full recovery from his rotator cuff surgery and return to the level of play he was demonstrating last season before he went down. Tommy Kelly, Terdell Sands, and Rashad Moore can be a decent tackle rotation on defense but have only limited experience between them. The Raiders seem uninterested to trying to re-sign free agent Kenny Smith. Sapp's experience, leadership, and locker room presence would all contribute to the team's defensive play, in this fan's view.

Saturday, May 20, 2006

Correcting what I wrote yesterday about Central Michigan product, WR Jacob Brown, I should know better than to rely entirely on my memory. It was at a Scout.com web site, and not a Michigan-based paper's site, where I saw the May 1 item about Brown and college teammate Kent Smith having signed free agent deals with Oakland. And while the Sporting News does list Brown as a wide receiver, he was a tight end at Central Michigan. Notwithstanding that, the very brief Scout.com draft profile for Brown (6-2, 215) showed him as a wide receiver.

As for the other free agent listed by SportingNews.com but not Raiders.com—FB Quadtrine Hill—the link you just passed will tell you a little bit about him.

Friday, May 19, 2006

Steve Corkran of the Contra Costa Times also writes the "Raiders Team Report" weekly column for the Sporting News. This week he analyzes the defensive depth structure that was in evidence at the last mini-camp and opines that the Raiders are phasing out DE Bobby Hamilton in favor of DE Tyler Brayton. Could be, although it's also possible that the Raiders are giving Brayton one last chance to show something, just as they did last year to SS Derrick Gibson by releasing Marques Anderson more than a week before the roster cutdown date. With this team you can never be sure . . . .

Corkran argues that Hamilton, as a long-in-the-tooth veteran, is expensive, but let's bear in mind that Brayton was a first-round draft pick (along with Nnamdi Asomugha) in 2003 and is still enjoying the economic fruits of that contract, so he's not exactly playing for minimum salary. And Brayton, after a decent (not great) first year, has been anything but since. So to this observer the jury's still out on Mr. Brayton, and he may be receiving the rope with which to hang himself if he fails to meet expectations.

The SN site also shows two additional free agents whom Raiders.com does not list. One, WR Jacob Brown, played with current Raiders QB Kent Smith at Central Michigan. And I saw an article in a local Michigan-area paper, while doing a Google search, which was published prior to the Raiders' second mini-camp and reported that both players had signed free agent contracts with the Raiders. So I tend to give credence to Jacob Brown being around and will add him to the Personnel Changes page as soon as I have a chance.

There may be squabbling over who gets first crack at Art Shell's old job with the league. The Miami Herald's Jason Cole, writing for MSNBC, reports that the Fritz Pollard Alliance, which monitors minority hiring within the NFL, is watching who's considered for the Vice presidency vacated by Shell. Cole writes, "[Alliance Chairman John] Wooten said he received assurances from the NFL that Oakland coach Art Shell's old job wasn't already designated for Houston GM Charley Casserly. The Pollard group has suggested Hall of Famer Willie Lanier get a look and/or former NFL assistant coach Ted Cottrell." [Emphasis added.]

Combing through sites I visit occasionally rather than daily, I found the list of the top ten salaries at each position which are used to calculate the price of franchise and transition tags. The data is published each year by USA Today in February. I missed this year's report initially because my computer was broken down then, but never fear—better late than never, right?

Only one Raider appeared in any of the top ten groups: Seabass was number nine among the kickers.

Why no Raiders? Partly the roster cupboard is fairly bare, no matter how we want to think otherwise. But partly, too, the Raiders organization has managed the salary cap for years by annually renegotiating many of their player contracts. So you may see a gaudy number, like the cap cost Kerry Collins would have meant, but few Raiders are making huge salaries in any given year.

Thursday, May 18, 2006

Here's an amusing tidbit from a SportingNews.com summary of how things went at the first mini-camp for four top draft picks: "LB A.J. Hawk, Packers. Hawk lined up on the weak side with the starting defense and showed great speed and determination. He later had the gauntlet dropped at his feet when veteran cornerbacks Al Harris and Charles Woodson both fantasized out loud about how much Hawk could help their games."

Monday, May 15, 2006

Late update: As I'm doing the research on the remaining free agents signed by the Raiders prior to the early May mini-camp, I've come across another interesting pedigree (another referring to the paragraphs which follow this one). WR Will Buchanan's father is Willie Buchanan, who was an NFL corner for 11 years and went to three Pro Bowls. The elder Buchanan played seven seasons for the Pack, then finished up down South with the Dolts. And by the way, you'll need the free Adobe Reader to read the material on son Will that's posted at USC's official team site.

The Raiders added three new undrafted free agents to the roster over the past few days. As player agents are well aware, most teams conduct a second round of such signings after holding their first mini-camps.

One of the new Raiders is a name familiar in the Bay Area: WR Burl Toler of Cal. 6-2 and 190, and formally Burl Toler III, he comes from a distinguished family. His grandfather, Burl Toler Sr., now in his late 70s, was the NFL's first African-American field judge, appointed by then-Commissioner Pete Rozelle in 1965. He was unable to have a pro career because of a knee injury suffered in a post-season game, but had a long and distinguished career as an educator in San Francisco.

Toler, Sr. played on CCSF's (mythical world) championship team in 1948 along with Hall of Fame RB Ollie Matson, among others, then played on the 1951 USF Dons team which went 9-0 and produced nine eventual NFL players, three of whom are in the Hall of Fame (Matson, DE Gino Marchetti, and T Bob St. Clair). His son, Burl Jr., was a linebacker at Cal during the mid-70s.

Toler was signed on May 10, according to Raiders.com. Two days later the team added a pair of corners: Fresno State's Raymond Washington, 6-0 and 210 pounds, and Georgia Tech product Dennis Davis, listed by the Raiders at 5-10, 190. That 5-10 figure is interesting, since a number of pre-draft profiles listed Davis at either 5-11 or 6-0. On the other hand, they also all had his weight at 185, whereas the Raiders say 190. But then, every smallish guy who comes to the Raiders immediately gains five or ten pounds. Maybe they give him some rolls of coins to put in his shorts before weighing him . . .

Source(s): Raiders.com, Cal Bears web site, CCSF archives, Fresno State Bulldogs web site, SI.com

Saturday, May 13, 2006

Hey hey! Raiders.com has just today added to its Transactions page the names of the various free agents who were signed in time for the team's recent mini-camp. I'll be updating the Personnel Changes page on this site a little later on to reflect the specific signing dates.

If you're wondering why the rosters continue to show 2005 data, it's because the primary (DOS-based) database which I used to store the player data and generate the roster printouts was entirely lost in the series of hard disk and OS disasters that befell this machine between late January and mid-March of this year.

I was able at least to recover most of my computer data in general but some important stuff was lost, including a partition holding that Raiders roster database (which had data going back to 1996, the team's first year back in Oakland).

I hope eventually to re-create those reports, and I have data for last year (going through mid-Nov, 2005, anyway) in a second, Windows-based database. Fairly soon I'll be able to generate what I hope are temporary rosters for the site. I say "temporary" because they'll probably require the Adobe Reader to view and/or print. It's a high priority for me to try to get back to keeping the player info in the old, DOS-based dinosaur because it does generate reports which can be read by site visitors using simply a web browser without the need for any plug-ins or additional software.

Friday, May 12, 2006

Going back through some unread RSS feeds from last week, I came across a brief item in a hodgepodge column which ran on May 2, after the draft but before the team's second mini-camp. CC Times beat writer Steve Corkran, in addition to mentioning some of the undrafted rookies whom the Raiders had signed or were about to sign (all of whom are already noted on this site's Personnel Changes page), reported that the Raiders said no to an inquiry from the Cleveland Brownies as to whether they were interested in trading QB Marques Tuiasosopo, who is in the last year of the 6-year contract he signed as a rookie.

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

This site apprised its readers early last season that WR James Adkisson was about to become another Al Davis conversion project. Listed then as 6-5 and 230 pounds, Adkisson was asked to put on weight and learn the tight end position. My notes tell me it was beat writer Phil Barber of the Santa Rosa Press Democrat who published that little tidbit.

(Of all the many position changes for which the Raiders are justly famous, no class of them has had more success than moving players to tight end. The first great subject, Billy Cannon, came to Oakland out of LSU as a Heisman Trophy-winning tailback. Then undersized Notre Dame tackle Dave Casper, who could really motor for such a big guy, became a Hall of Fame tight end. Fullback Todd Christensen, mediocre with Dallas, routinely caught 70-80 balls a year for the Raiders in his prime. Tailback Ethan Horton became a better than average tight end after an undistinguished early career trying to make it as a running back. So there is history and precedent galore any time that the Raiders ask an athlete to move to tight end.)

Fast forward to the mini-camp just concluded. According to Oakland Tribune NFL Editor Jerry McDonald, Adkisson now weighs 250 and was a frequent target of the quarterbacks. Said coach Art Shell, "He has the ability to catch the ball, and we all know he can run. He has to learn to block better, and that's improving."

Here's a link to a photo of Adkisson making a great one-handed catch during said mini-camp.

Saturday, April 29, 2006

John Clayton wrote yesterday that both Denver and Oakland are interested in Stanford OLB Jon Alston as a likely high second-round pick. Denver picks at No. 6 in the second stanza, one ahead of the Raiders.

Alston lacks size—he's slightly under 6-1 and weighs only 223—but then so did free agent Keith Adams. And Alston has run a 4.5 40.

Friday, April 28, 2006

Skimming the San Francisco Chronicle's Raiders section online today, I see there's been a sports staff reassignment and promotion.

<Soapbox alert> A few weeks ago Ira Miller, a Hall of Fame sportswriter who'd been at the Chron for almost 29 years, retired. (As a sidelight, he left a very entertaining and informative final podcast which is still available on The Gate in the podcast section.) I see today that the "On the NFL" column which Miller so ably handled every Friday for quite a few years is now the responsibility of Nancy Gay, who was until very recently the paper's Raiders beat reporter. She is also specifically denoted "until recently" the beat reporter for Da Raidahs. Congratulations are in order!

Doubly so, in my humble opinion, because Gay is a woman and it's nice to see a woman get promoted, in a male-dominated area, to a position where she'll write a column on the entire league, not just the home town team. Gay was the female reporter to whom Warren Sapp made a highly offensive remark in the past which caused some of her colleagues among the press to urge a boycott of the loudmouthed lout. Gay discouraged that course of action and counseled her fellow reporters to just ignore Sapp's crudity. This observer thinks that shows a good thick skin and a lot of maturity, both of which characteristics are priceless when dealing with overgrown boys who often forget just how doggone lucky they are to be getting paid millions to play a kids' game. <Off the soapbox>

Thursday, April 27, 2006

Here's a tiny bit more information about two of the recent signees mentioned here yesterday. G Kelvin Garmon was released by Cleveland on 3/28/05, so as to him my guess about being out of football last season was correct. DE Bryant McNeal actually spent time with three clubs in 2005: he was released by Tampa Bay on 8/31, then from Miami's practice squad on 10/14, and ended the season on Seattle's practice squad.

And . . . although almost none of the web sites I visit had his name listed, FB John Paul Foschi was an ERFA—an exclusive rights free agent. (That's a term of art for players with less than three years in the league, who aren't free agents at all. They can accept what their owning team offers or not play in the NFL, period.) Foschi, a street free agent who first joined the Raiders via the practice squad in mid-October 2004, was re-signed two days ago. For whatever reason, nearly all the sites that purport to list the various Raiders free agents had TE James Adkisson, DT Anttaj Hawthorne and DL Tommy Kelly covered as ERFAs, but missed both Foschi and T Brad Lekkerkerker.

Be warned: No doubt mindful of how long Day Two of the college draft dragged on in recent years, this year the NFL will begin Sunday's activities at 8:00 a.m. Pacific. If my addled brain is correct that's an hour earlier than in past years.

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

There's more information available on three of the four free agents the Raiders signed recently, specifically, the linemen, courtesy of the Oakland Tribune. And it shows that when I assume facts about NFL careers I'm far from omniscient!

Of DE Bryant McNeal, the Trib said, "A highly regarded pass rusher out of Clemson, McNeal, at 6-foot-4, 248 pounds, has not been able to add enough weight to be a full-time defensive end but has not made a successful transition to linebacker." So, the classic "tweener" . . . . And, rather than being out of the NFL last year, as I had assumed, McNeal spent most of 2005 on Seattle's practice squad.

G Cameron Spikes is succinctly described as "a seven-year veteran with 30 starts with St. Louis, Houston, Arizona and Denver." (This is why they get paid to write about the NFL and I don't.

) I have one niggle with that description . . . . Ever notice that my experience figures are almost invariably one year less for a given player than Raiders.com or most other web sites show? That's because, nonsensically, most sites count the coming year—or year in progress, depending on the time of year—as a year's experience. I don't. My figure is years completed, which is the only meaningful way to measure experience. Counted my way, Spikes is a six-year veteran.

G Kelvin Garmon, wrote the Trib, "started 50 of the 52 games he played with the Dallas Cowboys (2001), San Diego Chargers (2002-03) and Cleveland Browns (2004-05)."

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

This observer is happy to report that with four days remaining before the NFL draft, the Raiders.com draft section finally has some material on it. You won't confuse it with NFL.com or ESPN.com any time soon, but at least there's more now than simply "Check back often."

I suggest you'll do very well by checking this site's Draft Picks page—not to be confused with the Draft Links page, which is quite different—throughout the weekend. You'll see the Raiders' draft picks about as fast here as you would on Raiders.com, and you will have a choice of far more background on those choices, from more sources, that you would at the "company" site.

Thursday, April 20, 2006

Late update: Wow! Yours truly has just perused the roster on Raiders.com—something I do fairly often, actually, being a trivia nut—and I see that new Raider FB Joe Hall's weight is shown as 318 pounds!! This must be a man who likes to eat! Yet he must be in some kind of shape or the Raiders wouldn't have wasted the time to sign him.

Oakland signed another pair of free agents yesterday, according to the team's web site. They are G Kelvin Garmon and DE Bryant McNeal. They follow the pattern of the Cameron Spikes signing of Tuesday—veterans who were not active in the NFL in 2005.

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Late update: The Arizona Republic quotes agent Chuck Price as saying he intends to talk to the Raiders soon about free agent wide receiver Az-Zahir Hakim, last with New Orleans. Price named about half a dozen other teams, too, that he said he'd be calling, so I doubt Michael Lombardi will be holding his breath waiting for the phone to ring. (And yes, that's the same Chuck Price who's one of Matt Leinart's sub-agents, no doubt trying to strike while his name is in the news.)

And . . . The Oakland Tribune confirmed both free agents signed yesterday, so I did a bunch of hunting for nothing. I could have just waited, I guess, but often the local papers don't pick up small items like that.

And, by the way and fyi . . . more often than not, the terms of player contracts surface on the KFFL.com web site a day or two after the signing news breaks. When that happens, I generally add the terms to the Personnel Changes page rather than here.

Here's what I've been able to turn up on Joe Hall, folks. He's the running back whose signing Raiders.com reported yesterday. What follows assumes that several different sites are referencing the same person, since the name is hardly unusual.

First, a Google search turned up an entry for Hall on NFL.com. He's shown as belonging to the Chefs but appearing in no games in 2005, and there is no data given for him such as height, weight or college. That could indicate he spent last season on the KC practice squad, or that he was with the team only in the pre-season.

Also courtesy of Google, NFL Europe lists a likely hit. There is (or was) a Joe Hall playing fullback for the Rhein Fire. This specimen is listed as 6-2, 285 pounds, and has previous pro experience with Kansas City and St. Louis. I think that's enough for a match.

Hall is 26, a native of Compton, CA, and played collegiately at Kansas State. And not what you'd expect of a huge fullback—his majors were humanities and English. Impressive!

And as for G Cameron Spikes, it turns out he's a 6-year vet, 29 years old, last under contract with Denver. (It's amazing what gaps the player indices have at sites such as NFL.com. You can learn more about NFL.com at Google than you can at NFL.com.) He's listed as 6-4, 313 pounds, contract status inactive. He was apparently out of football last year.

After attending Texas A&M, Spikes, a Texas native, broke in with the Rams in 1999 and played in St. Louis for three years, then with Houston in 2002. He saw action in all 16 games of the 2003 and 2004 seasons while playing for Arizona.

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

I've just seen my first clue that DT Anttaj Hawthorne is playing in NFL Europe this spring. Raiders.com mentions him in its summary of Week 5 action. Indeed, he's playing at a high level, it would seem—four tackles and a sack (even if it did come against the league's only winless team).

CB-S Michael Huff was due to visit with the Raiders today, according to KFFL.com. He is this observer's choice for that No. 7 pick in Round 1. We haven't had a dominant safety since the late Eric Turner first came to Oakland.

Another site, the Dallas-area Star-Telegram, reported today that Huff will be in Oakland tomorrow. Whatever . . .

Raiders.com's transactions page lists a pair of signings today. I wasn't able to find either of the names on any of the major player data sites, so these are not likely to be gamebreakers. With camps imminent, teams are always looking for players ("camp fodder," in the parlance) to flesh out drills. (That's not always a reflection on those players' abilities, by the way; it's just that, for various reasons (e.g., a roster glut at a certain position, experienced vets a team is not going to cut so long as they continue to produce at a high level, etc.) such street free agents have an long, uphill road to climb to actually crack the final roster.

The two players are RB Joe Hall and G Cameron Spikes. Rest assured, if I come across any bio material for either of them I'll add it here later.

Sunday, April 16, 2006

USC quarterback Matt Leinart will work out for the Raiders this coming Thursday, fresh off a visit the day before at New Orleans.

This observer doubts that the Raiders have much interest in Leinart, whose arm strength is at best average. But the Oakland franchise is notorious for not tipping its hand prior to college drafts as to where its interests lie. With the rare exception, such as 2004, when virtually every single poll or forecast had the Raiders taking Robert Gallery with the No. 2 pick, players drafted by Oakland say afterward that they had no clue the Raiders were interested in them. So one would expect the Silver and Black to bring in all three of the top quarterbacks just to hide their true intentions.

If Oakland does use its first-round pick to take a quarterback, it would almost certainly be Young or Cutler, not Leinart.

Saturday, April 15, 2006

For those who may have forgotten—yours truly had, to be honest—the circumstances of Lance Johnstone's last year with, and departure from the Raiders, his career is nicely summarized in the latest Inside Slant report from the Sports Xchange. You'll find the link in the Articles section.

Donnie Edwards would make a great addition to the Raiders linebacking corps. The Chargers currently have him on the trading block because he's seeking a long-term extension they're unwilling to give. The mark of consistency, he has led San Diego in tackles the last four years and had 154 in 2005, 114 of them solo.

Teams typically don't let talent go to other teams in their own division, but it would be nice if the Raiders at least made an effort to sound out San Diego. Oakland's need for an outside backer in particular—Edwards, it's said, can play either inside or outside, although he's been on the outside with the Dolts—was detailed here recently in connection with Keith Adams. And Edwards has played his entire 10-year career in the AFC West—six seasons at Kansas City, four now for Sh*thammer's crew—so he knows the division and could help teach the other backers. It says here that he would be worth the money he's seeking.

Friday, April 14, 2006

New/old Raider Lance Johnstone's agent, Joel Segal, talked some to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. While declining to discuss terms—unusual for an agent—Segal said, "Three other teams were bidding significantly for Lance. He decided to return to the Raiders based largely on the teammates and the owner (Al Davis)."

The camp that wasn't (isn't), aka, only in Oaktown: The Oakland Tribune managed to dig this elucidation out of the Raiders front office yesterday: what had previously been described as a "mini-camp" which concluded on Wednesday is rather a continuing series of voluntary practices. The practices have been closed to the media, but according to a Raiders spokesman, since the camp has been labeled as "voluntary," it exempts the club from the league policy that opens mandatory mini-camps to the media.

The Raiders will hold a mandatory camp the first weekend of May after the draft.

A Raider to the rescue: A Sacramento Bee article today details the heroic action of School Board member Rick Jennings in confronting a purse snatcher who might well have been armed. (Fortunately, he wasn't.)

Rick Jennings, originally from Washington, D.C., was a wideout from Maryland who played for the Raiders in 1976 and 1977, according to the Raiders.com all-time roster. I knew the name sounded familiar when I saw the article title and wondered why it was in the Raiders section . . .

KFFL.com reported yesterday that the Whiners have announced that the date of their exhibition game with Oakland will be Aug. 20.

Thursday, April 13, 2006

Settling a question raised by conflicting reports on different newspapers' web sites, Raiders.com announced today—and, in the process, confirmed ESPN's report from yesterday—that the team has re-signed 1996 second-round draft pick DE Lance Johnstone, who was an unrestricted free agent.

Cut loose by Oakland after the 2000 season, Johnstone spent the past five years in the purple of the Minnesota Tykes, where his production remained at about the same level as with the Raiders earlier. He remains a great pass rusher who gets worn down by the run and is at his best when used situationally. But Minnesota had offered him only a one-year contract and had signed a free agent to (arguably) replace him.

ESPN reported this yesterday, but without DSL service I'm unable to check the long list of sites I would regularly visit on a daily basis. (That is why I'm asking for help from readers, solely to do a more thorough job!!! Faster speeds allow me to check far more sites in the same amount of time.)

ESPN said the agreement was for two years but had no info on terms. Financial data typically surfaces on another site which I monitor (when resources permit) a few days after the initial transaction.

And yes, if you sensed a little sermonizing just then, well, this site needs a little help from its readers right now . . .

UFA outside backer Keith Adams, who had visited Oakland and about four other teams, signed with Carolina today.

Where Are They Now Dept.: P Leo Araguz signed a one-year contract with Baltimore.

The Raiders apparently just concluded a veterans mini-camp. I say apparently because two media sites made reference to it without any details whatever. Why no details? Because the Oakland Raiders front office, in grand Raiders style, ordered a press blackout. That's right, the professional writers, who are desperate for something to give their readers—it's their job to write something!!—were intentionally and systematically shut out by the organization. Talk about a PR disaster!! The next time you hear a Raiders mouthpiece (e.g., Artie Gigantino) or a Raiders shill (Bob Carr of Raiderfans.net, who writes the blog published at The Gate) talking about the press not giving the Raiders fair treatment, ask yourself what the Raiders have done that would encourage the same.

Monday, April 10, 2006

Great Blue North's Colin Lindsay has a brand new revision of his three-round mock draft out on his excellent site. He has interesting, indeed provocative, choices. At No. 7 he shows Oakland getting QB Matt Leinart, who's still available in his scenario when New Orleans doesn't trade out of No. 2 and Tennessee takes Vince Young, rather than Leinart, at No. 3. The Jests, at No. 4, elect to pick tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson rather than Leinart. Of course, all this presupposes that even were Leinart still to be on the board for the Raiders, that they would pick him given (a) his skill set, and (b) his advisors, who want a big money market for him, top dollar pay, and lots of media exposure—all hard to come by in revenue-poor, blackout-prone Oakland. It also ignores the Norm Chow-Matt Leinart familiarity from their days together at USC. But as I say, it's an interesting theory all the same . . .

At No. 38 in Round 2, Lindsay sees the Raiders taking Ohio State LB Bobby Carpenter, and in Round 3 (69 overall) he picks T Andrew Whitworth from LSU.

Made the big time, did it? As recently as last year, your humble webmaster received some e-mails from serious fans who'd never before seen the "Trade Value Chart" which is linked on this site's Draft Links page. That chart has been around for some time; I believe I first came upon it at least three, and more likely four years ago. Nonetheless, the chart is suddenly very much in vogue.

Links to it have appeared on NFL.com (an anniversary link, no less; it was first mentioned there last year, and this year's link points back to that); Scout.com; and several other, similar sites whose names I can't recall. The point being, it's hardly esoteric or "insider" information any more.

Saturday, April 8, 2006

In the latest team report which he writes for The Sporting News, CC Times writer Steve Corkran said yesterday that WR Ronald Curry's rehab from his Achilles' tendon injury is going well. It is not clear, as Corkran points out, where Curry fits into the team's immediate and long-term plans. (This observer notes that at one point before the eventual compromise on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement was reached, the Raiders were said to be prepared to release both QB Kerry Collins and WR Curry to free up cap room.)

Like last year, when he was rehabbing the opposite Achilles, Curry likely won't be turned loose until training camp, at the earliest. Corkran concludes, "Curry figures to be with the Raiders for years to come, as long as he isn't used as part of a package for the Raiders to move up in the NFL draft."

ESPN's draft section leads with an article today urging that the Raiders should take OLB A.J. Hawk at No. 7. Unfortunately it's a paid article so I don't have access to it. But if you subscribe to the Insider features at ESPN, this link will get you there.

The Washington Post article about LB Keith Adams which was mentioned here in yesterday's News is online today—see the Articles section for a link.

Friday, April 7, 2006

KFFL.com quotes Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post as reporting that Oakland has "reportedly shown interest" in free agent LB Keith Adams. Ya don't say!

KFFL.com also reports that Adams visited Washington today and, according to his agent, is expected to choose between the Skins and four other teams by next week. The Raiders really need to move on this one!

Thursday, April 6, 2006

Late update: Leave it to ESPN's Len Pasquarelli to dig up the details on DT Ed Jasper's new contract with Philadelphia, the team which originally drafted him in 1997.

Wrote Pasquarelli, "The nine-year veteran has agreed to a one-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles, who chose him in the sixth round of the 1997 draft. The deal, which is expected to be officially executed on Thursday, includes a $40,000 signing bonus and $710,000 base salary."

Blast from the past: WR Art Powell played before the time of most of today's Raiders fans. He was a true star of the original AFL and came to the Raiders for four seasons relatively late in his career—1963-66. He left in the trade with Buffalo that brought the Mad Bomber, Daryle Lamonica, to Oakland. This observer thinks it's fair to say that Powell and RB Clem Daniels were the first two "stars" the Raiders had, so far as name recognition was concerned.

Just to set the era for you, the pose in this photo I have says it all. Trading cards looked like this in the late '50s through mid-'60s, folks. Seems corny now, but to a teenager (as I was then) the pictures were dynamic! Here we see Powell reaching across his body to snare a pass seemingly thrown behind him.

Powell will be appearing at a Raider Image store Friday and Saturday in Lakewood, CA, which judging by the ZIP code (90___), is in southernmost California. If I had the chance I'd jump for an opportunity to shake his hand or maybe get his John Hancock. You can find details on how to get there on the team's Raiders.com site.

Yes, the 2006 NFL calendar is out, and the Raiders fared amazingly well for a team that went 4-12 and 5-11 the past two years. And yes, I know the company line about how "global" the Raiders are, but recent editions of our beloved Silver and Black haven't been able to sell out either at home or in most venues on the road. So I think a little bit of gratitude to the schedule-makers is in order.

As for analysis, almost every site that published the schedule also analyzed it to some degree (or will have done so by tomorrow), so we'll leave you to the Articles section.

Wednesday, April 5, 2006

Late update: The Tampa Tribune opines that Charles Woodson might prefer Tampa Bay because of its strength within its division and his familiarity with Jon Gruden and Bruce Allen. Said motormouth agent Carl Poston, "Charles wants to win, and that's the bottom line. He went 12-0 his last year at Michigan and won a national championship. Now, he wants that Super Bowl ring and he wants to join a team that's committed to winning."

Anthony Carroll, who writes the Raiders articles for the site RealFootball365.com, knows how to make a point from the soapbox. Today's piece is an excellent example. He takes the Raiders to task for apparently having made no offer—at least no newsworthy offer—to UFA LB Keith Adams a full week (or more) after Adams visited Alameda. (Adams's visit was reported by the Contra Costa Times on March 29.)

Adams, who played in all 16 games last year for the Iggles and had 101 tackles, would help considerably to beef up a Silver and Black linebacking corp that is woefully thin after starters Kirk Morrison and Danny Clark. Unless, that is, you call statues like Tyler Brayton and Grant Irons outside linebackers. Sam Williams may yet develop into a player, but given his history of injuries, sadly the odds are better that his NFL career won't continue much longer. Tim Johnson is a good special teams player but has never been able to play his way forcefully into a starting role even when Rob Ryan was trying his ill-advised 3-4 schemes. Finally, there's DeLawrence Grant, a walking brain fart who was a surprise signing last year and may not even be re-signed for 2006.

Among the aforesaid supporting cast, Adams would shine. And, as Carroll forcefully points out, not only would Adams not cost an arm and a leg, but Oakland can clearly afford him. So what are the Raiders waiting for? Go figure . . .

Remember Lorn Mayers, the 20-year-old British kid who tried out for the Raiders late in the 2005 pre-season? Hint: He's a BIG defensive tackle who'd only played football for two seasons and was working as a mover prior to getting the call from the Raiders. (Ya gotta like this story . . .)

He's back in NFL Europe and was profiled a day ago by BBC Sport. Check the April 4 links on the Articles page.

Raiders managing general partner Al Davis was named by NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue to the eight-owner search committee charged with finding his successor. No, not because of that "Team of the Decades" propaganda or Davis' specific football acumen—sorry to disappoint you cult worshippers. It's much more likely he was picked to represent the faction of three California NFL clubs, all of which play in older stadiums and are in the lower half of the league revenue-wise.

Tagliabue admitted just two or three days back that the California situation (including also the lack of a franchise in Los Angeles) is a priority for the league.

Monday, April 3, 2006

Late update: Yours truly missed it earlier, but the NFL announced the 2006 Compensatory Selections for the draft on March 27, and Oakland got one of the 32 awarded—the very last, deemed a "supplemental" compensatory pick (whatever that is). The pick, No. 47 in Round 7 (255th overall), will be 2006's Mr. Irrelevant.

Adam Schefter of NFL.com reported today that UFA Charles Woodson visited Green Bay today. A Packers official was quoted as saying that the team has "significant interest" in signing Woodson.

A blurb this observer saw yesterday suggested that Tampa Bay, while interested, was also being cautious because of Woodson's propensity for injuries the past several years. Bucs coach Jon Gruden noted that because he's a "physical guy," Woodson has a higher risk of injury than the average player.

Schefter also wrote that Baltimore is the only team to speak with free agent QB Kerry Collins about playing in 2005. But . . . the Ravens were not offering Collins enough money to make it worth his while, which could force him into thinking retirement. And Schefter says that those close to Collins say he is indeed seriously considering that course of action.

Sunday, April 2, 2006

Late, late update: CB Lenny Walls, who had apparently agreed on terms with the Raiders last year after Denver released him, but then failed his physical because a groin injury hadn't fully healed, signed a one-year, $1.75 million contract with Kansas City Saturday. That's pretty fair change for someone who lost his starting job in Denver to a rookie (speedster Darrent Williams, who burned the Raiders), although in fairness to Walls, he was also battling injury problems.

Walls, 6-4 and 192 pounds, visited with both Da Raidahs and the Squaws before accepting the KC offer. He has the distinction of being the NFL's tallest cornerback.

I've just come upon a great piece on Raiders hero Gene Upshaw that appeared on the ESPN.com web site on March 29. It's accompanied by an (unfortunately brief) photo essay of Upshaw both as player and as NFLPA Executive Director. Check it out.

Kerry Collins has largely been mentioned in connection with the Baltimore Ravens, but apparently there's a possibility he could sign with Arizona also, where he would compete with Kurt Warner.

"Kerry has been a good starter in this league," said Cardinals coach Dennis Green, "and is somebody we might look at, but it hasn't gone any further than that."

It's annoying to this observer how new coach Art Shell's comments from the AFC coaches' interview session in Orlando are getting dribbled out by the media little by little. By all accounts Shell, who is normally not given to frivolous speech, had lots to say for reporters and enjoyed the spotlight. So why can't the media spit out all that he had to say at one time? This (the Orlando press session) was the first time the big man has talked publicly since being hired, fer gawd's sake!!

Another great quote appeared yesterday and I've added it to the Quotes to Note section on the News page.

Saturday, April 1, 2006