Oakland Raiders - The Vertical Game

News Archive
July 2 - Sept. 1, 1998

Tuesday, September 1, 1998

Regardless of the media pundits' conclusions, this observer thought the Raiders' final cuts on Sunday contained some surprises.

For one thing, the team will carry six receivers on the roster for the first time in recent memory. The Raiders didn't dare try to sneak rookie Rodney Williams through waivers to put him on the practice squad. Terry Mickens came up big in two of the four exhibitions. Kenny Shedd wasn't considered indispensable as a receiver, but he was too valuable as a special teams contributor to cut. Desmond Howard, not a favorite of this observer—he simply hasn't produced since coming to Oakland—was assured a spot although his receiving skills continue to be questionable. One wideout, Olanda Truitt, was effectively cut by placing him on injured reserve.

The tailback and linebacker positions bore the brunt of the cuts. Joe Aska, a pet project of Al Davis, had that one memorable game against the Jets several years back, but other than that he never did learn to block adequately and frequently missed assignments. He was screamed at by Donald Hollas during the Green Bay exhibition this year after he missed a safety blitz from his wingback position and allowed Hollas to get creamed.

Tim Hall's release surprised me, because it means the Raiders assessed Randy Jordan as being more valuable than Hall. Jordan spent one year on the Raiders some time back but was inactive for most of the games. Hall, on the other hand, was an excellent kickoff returner when Howard was injured (I'd suspect his average per return was higher than Howard's), and college scouting reports also described him as having excellent hands—something the Raiders never really utilized. Jermaine Williams must be some kind of blocker in the coaches' eyes.

Rob Holmberg, excellent in pass coverage, was undersized and had a history of injuries. No-name Myron Smith hung on longer than expected, but at 225 he lacked size too.

Finally, the release of G Scott Whittaker surprised me. Just a few weeks ago he was described by coach Jon Gruden as being in competition with Derrick Graham for the starting right guard position.

Depth chart changes: Recent acquisition LB Richard Harvey has moved ahead of Mike Morton at the weak side linebacker position and will start against Kansas City in Sunday's season opener.

"We like Harvey's physicalness," said Gruden. "Mike Morton is going to be another big part of the (defense) this season, but we like what we see in Richard Harvey."

The Raiders are said to be close to signing veteran LB Terry Wooden, who was cut Sunday by the Chiefs. Wooden was a standout in Seattle for a number of years.

Wooden visited Alameda and came away saying he's "99.9 percent sure" he would sign with Oakland.

"I'm excited about possibly joining the Raiders," said Wooden. "I just want to come in and work hard. I'll have to earn everything I get."

Also, the San Francisco Chronicle claimed yesterday that the Raiders are very interested in QB Rick Mirer, something this observer finds hard to believe. Rumors are also floating about concerning ex-Cal QB Pat Barnes.

Where Are They Now Dept.: CB Larry Brown, arguably the biggest bust in the history of NFL free agency, didn't even survive the cut to 60 players with Minnesota. Another ex-Raider CB, with considerably more skill than Brown, 5-time All-Pro Terry McDaniel, was a victim of Sunday's final cut by Green Bay.

Other big names who aren't ex-Raiders that were cut Sunday included QB Rich Mirer, kickers Cary Blanchard and Brett Conway, and WR Horace Copeland.

Friday, August 28, 1998

According to the latest "Football Insider" column from CBS Sportsline, what had been listed by the Raiders as a "knee sprain" suffered by LB Rob Holmberg is in fact ligament damage, and he's out indefinitely. The column speculates the team may be looking for a replacement. (If true, this makes the recent decision to release LB Travian Smith that much stranger . . .)

This observer highly recommends reading the entire column whenever it's updated. (It's linked in the Articles section just like the articles from the daily papers, and the Previews of Next Game section always includes the latest edition for both the Raiders and their coming opponent.) Last year it was called the "The Sports Xchange Inside Report." Published erratically—so infrequently, in fact, that at times it's aggravating—it's nevertheless lengthy, thorough and thought-provoking. It's much meatier than its Sporting News counterpart, the "Team Report," which generally offers little more than a rehash of Chronicle beat reporter Ron Kroichick's views.

Thursday, August 27, 1998

More on the acquisition of LB Richard Harvey from the Saints. Don't confuse him, by the way, with LB Ken Harvey of Washington.

Harvey, 31, started 13 games for the Saints last year, whose defense ranked 4th in the NFL. But he'd lost his starting job this year to a rookie, Andre Royal, and the Saints released him on August 25th in the required cutdown to 60 players. Harvey has also played previously for Buffalo, Denver and New England.

Saints coach Mike Ditka—ever the diplomat—said Harvey hasn't been the same player since undergoing surgery in December to correct a bad case of "turf toe." "Richard lost a step and he knows it," said Ditka.

As for the Raiders' perspective, defensive coordinator Willie Shaw said, "We're hurting for experience and depth at linebacker, so he upgrades us right away." Asked whether Harvey would start, Shaw said he has "a good chance to start."

"Any linebacker on this team has a good chance to start," said Shaw. "We're thin. He helps us in an area where we need help."

Wednesday, August 26, 1998

The Raiders today waived promising OLB Travian Smith and replaced him on the roster with journeyman free agent LB Richard Harvey, most recently with New Orleans.

Smith, drafted in this year's fifth round out of Oklahoma, was described as raw but had great speed. Observers at the Fans' Day in Napa said he was easily the fastest of all the Raider linebackers.

In the meantime, still on the roster at linebacker are rookie Myron Smith, who at 225 pounds probably isn't big enough to play in the NFL, and Aaron Wallace, a strictly one-dimensional pass rusher who's never been able to nail down a starting role either as a linebacker or a defensive end. That's not to mention John Henry Mills, who hasn't contributed a big play on special teams for a long time now. Go figure . . .

In the last several days this franchise has begun to blunder just as badly as it did during the Mike White and Joe Bugel days. Coach Jon Gruden in particular made one comment yesterday as dumb as anything Bugel ever said. I'll have an opinion piece about all this soon, probably over the weekend.

Tuesday, August 25, 1998

Late update: The Raiders announced the names of the final three players cut today, and to this observer's utter astonishment, one of them is second-year FB Chad Levitt. Also released were CB Kevin Franklin and TE Bob Rosenstiel.

I've watched rookie FB Jon Ritchie closely in the exhibitions, and while at times he's looked impressive, he's also regularly missed a substantial portion of his assignments entirely—failing to pick up blitzers, going into the wrong hole, etc. And the Raiders cut Levitt, a polished runner with good hands, in favor of no-name Randy Jordan and perennial "project" Joe "What's My Assignment Again?" Aska. Unbelievable!!

Mid-afternoon update: In a refreshing change from past practice, coach Jon Gruden announced the majority of roster cuts promptly today. In previous years it's usually been evening before reporters managed to ascertain the names.

The surprise, at least to this observer? Dan Land, who'd been on the bubble for years but always found a way to make the roster anyway with his special teams play. And Tim Kohn is a mild surprise, too, in that the Raiders are giving up so quickly on a third-round draft pick.

Correction: I inadvertently wrote in Sunday's news that NFL teams could sign five players to their developmental (practice) squads on Wednesday if the players weren't claimed off waivers by another team.

In fact, the designation of practice squad players is the very last step in the roster process, and occurs after the final cutdown from 60 to 53 on August 30th. I apologize for the confusion.

Sunday, August 23, 1998

The Raiders broke their Napa training camp this morning after a brief walk-through drill, ending 34 days of isolation.

CB Charles Woodson hasn't practiced since the blow to his knee, and it's not clear if he'll see action tomorrow night.

"He's still a little bit sore, but we hope to have him out there as soon as possible," said coach Jon Gruden. "He's still experiencing a little soreness out there."

The only Raider who appears definitely out is SS Anthony Newman, whose groin pull means he'll probably miss both remaining exhibitions.

Newman might be replaced by journeyman Louis Riddick, who has good size (210 lbs.) but has never been a regular starter in 6 NFL seasons, or possibly by Calvin Branch, whom the Raiders have been playing at both corner and safety this year.

This observer, personally, would love to see Kenyan Branscomb start, just to see how the experiment of converting him from a wideout to a safety has worked out.

With the mandatory roster cut to 60 players coming on Tuesday, 19 Raiders will soon be out of work. Expect to see a lot of the younger and lesser-known players get a good deal of playing time against Tampa Bay, as the coaches approach their final decisions.

The team will be able to re-sign five players to the practice squad on Wednesday if they haven't been claimed off waivers first by another team.

That means, as a practical matter, that rookies who've been impressive, in particular WR/KR Rodney Williams, can't be cut, because they'd never make it through waivers without being snapped up.

I'm going to do something here which I generally avoid, and that's offer some predictions. Among those released, of course, will be the no-names. Cole Ford will also be cut, in all likelihood, although the team does have until the 30th to make the final roster reduction to 53. There'd be little point in keeping him on if, as it appears, the Raiders have decided on Greg Davis as the placekicker.

But some ex-"regulars" (if not starters) will get the axe, too. RB Joe Aska showed against Green Bay that he still hasn't learned to block or remember his assignments, and I think the "project" with him may have run its course. WR Olanda Truitt has yet to make any mark or establish himself in the NFL, and will be a victim of numbers as the Raiders keep both Rodney Williams and Terry Mickens.

The Raiders are unlikely to keep four tight ends around. Either fifth-round draft pick Jeremy Brigham or second-year player Bob Rosenstiel will be expendable.

Finally, a player whom I see as being on the bubble is Kenny Shedd. He's a demon on special teams, he hustles and has a great attitude, but there must be something the coaches find wanting in his receiving skills, because after two impressive pre-seasons in '96 and '97 he got little playing time either year once the regular season began. And every time Jon Gruden has mentioned the fierce competition this year for the No. 3 receiver spot, he's rattled off the names of almost every receiver except Shedd.

Long-time Raider DE Anthony Smith retired Friday. Signed by Denver as a free agent about a month ago, he apparently decided he'd simply played football about as long as he cared to.

Saturday, August 22, 1998

Another casualty of the roster squeeze this past week was WR Kofi Nartey, a rookie out of Cal.

All NFL teams must reduce their rosters to 60 by August 25th (Tuesday). The Raiders presently have 79 players, which leaves 19 on the bubble. In a departure from the norm in the NFL, coach Jon Gruden says he will personally deliver the bad news to those released rather than engage in the usual practice of having an assistant coach do it.

DT Russell Maryland was accidentally poked in the eye by rookie Gennaro DiNapoli on Thursday. It gave everyone a scare, particularly in view of the memory of the horrible, career-ending injury to Don Mosebar. But Maryland's OK—he sat out the remainder of the morning practice, then returned for the afternoon session.

Yuk of the Week: I promised an amusing anecdote about Chester McGlockton the other day but didn't get a chance to relate it until now. This story ran on Wednesday.

McFatty, as you all know, is now a Chief. KC Coach Marty Schottenheimer is growing increasingly impatient with the amount of time Chester has missed from training camp. Specifically, Schottenheimer is concerned with how quickly McGlockton will be able to learn the adjustments in the Chiefs' defensive schemes.

"It's going to be a problem in my mind because he is new to what we are doing," said Schottenheimer. McGlockton hasn't played in the Chiefs' last two exhibition games and hasn't practiced since he started having back spasms prior to the Aug. 8 contest against Tampa Bay.

Schottenheimer said he spoke to McFatty by phone Wednesday morning. Apparently, Chester is feeling better but hasn't been able to eat a decent meal. What a shame!! Wouldn't it be ironic if he got into shape for the first time in years in spite of himself?

Thursday, August 20, 1998

Cut this week along with K Phil Dawson were CB Butler By'not'e and RB Erric Pegram.

Later today I'll have an amusing story concerning Chester McGlockton and his new team. Check back in the late afternoon. :-)

Wednesday, August 19, 1998

The Raiders listed three injuries after Sunday's game: SS Anthony Newman suffered a groin pull, LB Rob Holmberg sprained a knee, and CB James Trapp had a neck sprain.

There was a scare in practice Tuesday when Charles Woodson took a blow to the knee, but a subsequent MRI determined it to be a bruise and Woodson is now listed as day-to-day.

Also yesterday, Holmberg's and Newman's injuries were described by the team as more serious than originally thought. Holmberg will miss the Tampa Bay game and possibly more. Newman will probably sit out the Tampa Bay contest, to be replaced by either Louis Riddick or Calvin Branch (whom the Raiders are using at strong safety as well as corner this year).

Sources: Associated Press, San Francisco Chronicle, Sacramento Bee, San Jose Mercury News

Rookie free agent placekicker Phil Dawson was waived yesterday, and coach Jon Gruden says Greg Davis has the lead in the competition for the one kicker's roster spot. Davis's 54-yard field goal in Sunday's game equalled the longest ever by a Raider.

The big-time play of rookie WR Rodney Williams may cause a considerable dilemma for the Raiders when roster cutdowns are required.

Unlike the other candidates for the No. 3 and 4 receiver slots—Terry Mickens, Desmond Howard, Olanda Truitt and Kenny Shedd—Williams could conceivably go on the practice squad if he cleared waivers. But after Sunday's performance there's no way another team wouldn't grab him, and Jon Gruden said the Raiders weren't considering him for the practice squad.

"We're not going to let any good players out of here," said Gruden. "It's going to be a tough call for us. I don't think Rodney Williams is looking at being on the practice squad."

"We haven't been able to get rid of the kid. He's one of the hardest workers I've been around. He's taken a lot of wrath from (wide receivers coach) Freddie Biletnikoff and myself. We've yelled at him and screamed at him and encouraged him from Day 1. He's in the thick of things right now."

Friday, August 14, 1998

The latest issue of Pro Football Weekly (August 16th) is worth grabbing. It features a cover story on CB Charles Woodson, "The Next Great Raider Corner." In the background are photos of Willie Brown, Terry McDaniel, Mike Haynes and Lester Hayes. (They should have included Dave Grayson, too . . .)

Thursday, August 13, 1998

Coach Jon Gruden announced Thursday that CB Charles Woodson will get his first start this Sunday at Green Bay. James Trapp has officially been ahead of Woodson on the depth chart thus far in camp and started last week's game at left corner, but no one seriously expected Trapp to remain the starter for long.

"We want Woodson to see (Antonio) Freeman and Derrick Mayes," said Gruden. "We want him to see Brett Favre in a real-life situation."

Greg Davis will also be the "starting" kicker. Gruden says he's been the most accurate of the three candidates over the last two weeks. With the first roster cut coming on August 25, either Cole Ford or Phil Dawson could be gone.

Back at practice after time out with injuries were FB Chad Levitt and DT Grady Jackson.

As for Levitt, who's been bothered by tendinitis in his ankle, it's been amusing to this observer to see how quickly the so-called pundits were ready to anoint rookie Jon Ritchie as the starting fullback simply because Levitt missed two weeks of practice.

In the first place, the Raiders rarely start rookies. Woodson will be an obvious exception, but this observer has to think back to Marcus Allen to recall a rookie who started for Oakland from Day One of his first season. And Allen was hardly a typical rookie. The Raider coaches were astounded to see how well he could already block and catch coming out of college. (Not to mention that, as a former high school quarterback, he could also throw the option pass.)

Ritchie looked good in the Thursday scrimmage against Dallas, then seemed to disappear in Saturday's exhibition game.

About this same time last year, many of these same writers were proclaiming that Jerone Davison would start at fullback simply because he happened to be atop the depth chart when camp started. Davison, you'll recall, never started, carried the ball exactly once all year, and finished the season at the bottom of the depth chart. And although the Raiders could have brought Davison back at minimum salary as an exclusive rights agent, they didn't even bother to make him an offer.

Barring the unforeseen (another injury), don't count Levitt out yet. In fact, Miami's Jimmy Johnson is said still to be interested in getting him.

Finally, here are some weight changes—seriously, folks!—worth noting. Both Lincoln Kennedy and Grady Jackson are 25 to 30 pounds lighter this year, which should help improve both their quickness and stamina. Kennedy hopes to avoid a recurrence of the foot problems he suffered last year, and Jackson's being counted on as the third man in a three-tackle rotation on defense now that McFatty's gone.

On the opposite end, word has it that Aundray Bruce, hopeful of capturing a starting DE position, has bulked up considerably. It's unlikely the Raiders would want to start both Pat Swilling and Lance Johnstone at the same time, because neither of those "tweeners" has the size to consistently stop the run. If you buy that logic, it leaves Bruce to compete with James Harris, who was out of football last year, for one of the starting spots.

Monday, August 10, 1998

WR Tim Brown rejoined the team Monday after missing a week of camp to be with his wife for the birth of their first child. Timon Damarius Brown was born four and a half weeks premature and weighed 5 pounds, 10 ounces.

Thursday, August 6, 1998

Sorry the news updates have been running behind for the last 10 days or so. Unfortunately, that may continue for a few more days. I'm just extremely busy at the moment. Thanks for your patience!

This info courtesy of an unnamed reader: There will be no live telecast of today's scrimmage with the Cowboys in El Paso. Those with DirecTV will be able to see it televised on channel 325 (Fox Sports Southwest) tonight at 11:00 p.m. and again tomorrow (Friday) at 11:30 a.m. Pacific.

The game will be carried live on streaming audio by KTCT-AM ("The Ticket") at 6:00 p.m. Pacific, and will be preceded by a live interview with owner Al Davis at 4:30 p.m. Pacific.

Sunday, August 2, 1998

Raiders managing general partner Al Davis, who rarely gives public interviews, will appear on KTCT radio ("The Ticket," 1050 AM) for a live interview this Thursday, August 6, at 4:30 p.m. Pacific. Doing the interviewing will be the Raiders' regular game announcers, Greg Papa and Tom Flores.

FB Chad Levitt, who outplayed Jerone Davison last season to become the starter by season's end when Derrick Fenner went on IR, has got to be a frustrated guy right now. An inflamed tendon in his ankle has kept him on the sidelines during the last three days of practice as, for the moment at least, rookie Jon Ritchie gets the first team reps.

Levitt, penciled in during minicamps as the starting fullback, originally injured the tendon on the outside of his right ankle about 10 days before camp began. He felt it was only a sprain; it seemed to be healing and he expected to be able to practice. Then, as a result of overcompensating for the tender ankle, he injured the tendon on the inside of the same ankle and it's now badly swollen. Levitt underwent an MRI Friday, which revealed the full extent of the injury.

"I'd really like to get back on the field, but right now I can't say when that will be," said Levitt yesterday. "It's very frustrating (missing practices). It's the worst feeling in the world. You just can't do anything."

"Walking around, I'm fine, but I can't run on it. I'd have to say I probably won't be ready for the Dallas game (on Saturday) the way it looks now."

Fifth-round draft pick TE Jeremy Brigham has left camp for the second time this preseason and may be thinking about quitting football, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Previously he missed two days for "personal reasons."

RB Harvey Williams is practicing again after arthroscopic surgery on his knee and appears to be OK.

Thursday, July 30, 1998

Bits and pieces: I'd intended to do some catching up earlier this week in reporting minor personnel changes and updating the roster, but in at least one instance, events overtook me. :-)

The Raiders signed DE Shannon Clavelle, a 4-year veteran, and he worked out once with the club last Saturday. He was cut Sunday morning when it came to light that he has arrest warrants outstanding in two jurisdictions and another charge pending in a third. Bye bye, Shannon!! One paper commented that he may have set a record for briefest career as a Raider.

His roster spot was filled by former long-time Chief Danny Villa, who was in camp with the Raiders last year too. Normally listed as an offensive tackle, Villa can play every interior line position but is primarily a long snapper.

T Pat Harlow was scheduled to have practiced for the first time on Tuesday. I'm behind on my reading—I haven't seen whether or not he actually did.

Holdout RB Curtis Enis, Chicago's first-round draft pick, fired former Raider safety Vann McElroy as his agent last week. He replaced McElroy with someone who's never negotiated an NFL contract. Go figure.

What's missing? Several recent articles have described the No. 3 receiver position as one of the most competitive spots this year in camp. Yet each lists the players fighting it out as Desmond Howard, Terry Mickens and Olanda Truitt. So where's Kenny Shedd?

Shedd's a mystery to this observer. He has speed to burn, makes spectacular plays at times, and has ability as a returner that ought to give him an edge. I once thought he had a great career ahead of him, and said so in an opinion piece on this site. Yet he's never really gotten big-time reps during the regular season. What is it the coaches see that he can't do, or doesn't do well? There must be some reason . . .

Sunday, July 26, 1998

Evening update: The Raiders have signed center-guard Greg Engel. He's 6-3, 285, and signed with San Diego as an undrafted free agent in 1994.

Mid-day update: Rookie Gennaro DiNapoli received two surprises on reporting to camp. One, not entirely unexpected, was a hazing visit from the veterans Friday night. DiNapoli had his head half-shaved. The vets told him if he's good, maybe they'll take pity on him and shave the other half today.

The bigger surprise is that DiNapoli is being switched to center, a position he's never played, to fill in for the suspended, self-proclaimed "wild child" Curtis Whitley.

More on Pat Harlow and Mo Collins: Harlow says he's impressed with Collins' footwork. "Mo's the future left tackle here," said Harlow. "If that future starts September 6 (in the season opener), then it starts September 6. I think they'd like me to push back the future a little, to let him get acclimated."

This is the time of year when fans' interest is rekindled, and the media tend to oblige with lots of articles, even though there may not be a lot of "hard" news content in them. Most of the Bay Area papers are currently averaging about two articles per day on the Raiders. Enjoy it while you can!

Some interesting facts, which one would have expected the Raiders to announce weeks back, have come out.

For instance, Albert Lewis was moved to free safety during minicamps and has been officially relegated to No. 2 on the depth chart behind Eric Turner. James Trapp is "officially" a cornerback again and (at least nominally) competing with Charles Woodson for the starting left cornerback spot. (Not much doubt who'll win that one. :-) In fact, with Perry Carter waiting in the wings, Trapp could find himself cut before the season starts if he doesn't finally start showing some aptitude for playing football.

Finally, Harvey Williams had offseason arthroscopic knee surgery and won't be practicing for a few days yet, at least. Williams is once again a running back rather than a tight end, and relieved about it.

Fourth-round pick G Gennaro DiNapoli finally signed a contract Friday morning and began huddling with OL coach Keith Rowen to make up for lost time. His agent had said earlier in the week that the issue wasn't really money, but declined to elaborate further. DiNapoli was the last unsigned player listed on the roster.

S Patrick Bates failed his physical on Friday due to an elbow problem and was released. The Raiders said they weren't ruling out Bates trying to play again at a future date if the elbow healed.

Keep your eye on these four players during the coming weeks. Their performance will have a lot to do with how the team does as a whole.

T Mo Collins looks more and more like he'll be the starting left tackle from Day One this year. He's doing well in practice and evinces a serious attitude, avoiding trash talk and emphasizing, "I'm here to learn." Last year's starter, Pat Harlow, is only mediocre even when healthy, and he can't practice because of the offseason back surgery. The only thing Harlow seems to have gotten ready is his hairdo, which is now dyed blond.

Interestingly, Harlow himself commented this week that there's no reason a rookie (Collins) couldn't start at left tackle.

The right guard spot is officially up for grabs between veteran Derrick Graham and second-year man Scott Whittaker. Whittaker went undrafted largely because of a reputation for a surly and nasty attitude—run-ins with coaches, etc. If he can channel that natural aggression into pulverizing defensive linemen, this observer expects him to win the starting job.

DT Russell Maryland will have to be more than simply a "steady" guy in the middle this year. Especially with the untimely loss of Leon Bender, the Raiders need Maryland to become a force and give them some real push in the middle.

Finally, OLB James Folston will be in a fish bowl. Folston was a pass rushing end in college, an undersized "tweener" like Lance Johnstone and Pat Swilling. The Raiders drafted him with the specific intention of converting him to linebacker. He's had five years to learn the outside linebacker position. He's quick and has done well on special teams. How well he performs as a starter will tell us something not only about Folston's ability, but also about the Raider position coaching. In these days of free agency and the salary cap, teams need their third-, fourth- and fifth-year players to be able to make major contributions.

Wednesday, July 22, 1998

Afternoon update: The Raiders signed RB Erric Pegram to a one-year contract yesterday. Pegram, 5-10 and 195 pounds, has had a couple good seasons in the NFL—one with Atlanta, one with Pittsburgh—but has also been injury-prone at times.

Ex-Raider DE Anthony Smith is reported to be close to signing with Denver, but not for anything resembling the $2.2 million his agent had told the Raiders was Smith's asking price. Denver's offering Smith a one-year deal for $350,000 plus incentives.

Several media report that the Raiders have shown considerably more than a passing interest in free agent LB Greg Lloyd.

Lloyd's agent yesterday made a point to say that several teams were interested in his client.

Asked about Lloyd several days back, coach Jon Gruden said, "We're going to explore every veteran at the position of linebacker. We're investigating (Lloyd) as a player and his health. But he hasn't (taken a physical) and everything is premature with Greg."

Lost in the shuffle: On July 18, the Raiders signed two free agents, rookie RB Saladin McCullough and first-year WR Jason Shelley.

Shelley, 6-1 and 190, was in the Dallas preseason camp last year and has played in NFL Europe (the "World League") the last two springs. McCullough, 5-9 and 200, played at Oregon and had considerable success as a kickoff returner.

Tuesday, July 21, 1998

Despite fears of a holdout because of the aggressive reputation of his agents, Kevin and Carl Poston, top draft pick Charles Woodson signed with the Raiders Monday and was to report to the Napa training camp with the other rookies and a handful of veterans tonight.

Woodson's deal: six years, $14.5 million including a whopping $8 million signing bonus.

Said Woodson at the team press conference, "I told my agent when we first talked that I didn't want to be a holdout. But we can only go as far as the team goes, and both parties wanted to get this thing done. That's what we did."

Fourth-round pick G Gennaro DiNapoli of Virginia Tech is the only draft pick of the Raiders remaining unsigned.

Rookies were to report tonight and begin workouts tomorrow. Veterans will report Friday.

A select few veterans were asked to report with the rookies, among them T Pat Harlow, recovering from back surgery.

Sunday, July 19, 1998

There's an interesting and informative interview of coach Jon Gruden conducted by the Oakland Tribune's Carl Steward. You'll find it linked in the Articles section.

Saturday, July 18, 1998

The Raiders announced today that they have signed two more of their draft picks, third-rounder FB Jon Ritchie and fifth-rounder TE Jeremy Brigham.

That leaves top pick CB Charles Woodson and 4th-rounder G Gennaro DiNapoli as the only remaining unsigned rookies.

David Klingler, the Raiders' backup quarterback last year, signed with Green Bay today.

Friday, July 17, 1998

Mid-day update: Matt Pitzer, a so-called fantasy football "expert" for The Sporting News, writes that RB Napoleon Kaufman will be a bust this year because he lacks durability. Sounds suspiciously like Mike White.

It seems Big Al didn't get a chance to read my news update on Wednesday. The Contra Costa Times reported yesterday that the Raiders were one of the first teams to contact Greg Lloyd after Pittsburgh released him.

A five-time Pro Bowler with a nasty disposition, Lloyd blew out a knee in the opening game of the 1996 season and missed that entire year rehabilitating from surgery. Last year he suffered a serious ankle injury, then came down with a staph infection in November which caused him to lose 25 pounds.

Observers say Lloyd was limping badly at the Steelers' May mini-camp. The staph infection is potentially more troubling, however, as that sort of illness can last indefinitely.

Details on the Mo Collins deal: he's said to have gotten a $5.2 million contract covering five years, with a $2.5 million signing bonus. His cap figure figure for this year works out to about $1 million, meaning his 1998 base salary is about $500,000.

Thursday, July 16, 1998

According to an AP listing published today, ex-Raider CB Carl Kidd is back on the roster, signed as a free agent. The list shows him as having been with Denver last year.

Wednesday, July 15, 1998

T Mo Collins, selected at No. 23 in the draft by the Raiders, came to terms with the team on Monday and signed a five-year deal today, including a substantial signing bonus, the first the Raiders have given to a first-rounder since Chester McFatty in 1992. (No, folks, Chester doesn't rate boldface.)

Collins will almost certainly see substantial playing time this year, and could even emerge as the starting left tackle after training camp. By all accounts Pat Harlow has not been recovering well from off-season back surgery—he sat out all the mini-camps during the spring—and he was forced to sit out many practices last year because of the same chronic problem. There were also a number of games in which Harlow had to come out at halftime. His replacement, Rick Cunningham, was underwhelming, to say the least.

Collins also has the advantage of having played in a pro-style passing offense in college, so he's more developed in that respect that most rookies would be.

With Collins now in the fold, the sole high-round pick still unsigned is CB Charles Woodson, who's represented by the notorious Poston brothers. Their first-round clients have held out the last two years in succession (Tim Biakabutuka in 1997, Orlando Pace last year), so it's a better-than-even bet that Woodson will be absent when the Raider rookies report on July 21st.

The remaining unsigned rookies: FB Jon Ritchie (3rd round), G Gennaro DiNapoli (4th round), and TE Jeremy Brigham, taken in the fifth round.

Although unsigned players can attend mini-camps, under NFL rules they cannot participate in training camp.

Sources: Associated Press, Oakland Tribune, San Francisco Examiner, ESPNet SportsZone

BayInsider.com and KTVU-TV (Channel 2 in Oakland) are jointly producing what promises to be a very entertaining series of multimedia articles, including video clips, on the Silver and Black. The first of six parts, aptly titled "Building on a Proud Tradition," spotlights six famous Raiders and is available on the BayInsider site now. You'll find it linked in the Articles section. Highly recommended, especially for you younger fans. :-)

LB Greg Lloyd, once feared throughout the NFL but coming off two serious injuries in successive years, was waived by Pittsburgh yesterday.

Given the Raiders' lack of depth and playmakers at the linebacker position, some fans may call for the team to sign Lloyd, but in this observer's view he's damaged goods—no longer the player he once was.

Finally, Green Bay is interested in former Raider CB Terry McDaniel if he'll lower his asking price. McDaniel would be a nickel back for the Pack, though, and some writers question whether he'd be willing to accept such a role at age 33.

Friday, July 10, 1998

The Raiders passed on selecting anyone in yesterday's supplemental draft. Indeed, only San Diego and Green Bay chose to pick players.

I had intended to flesh out the news concerning the ongoing Raiders litigation more yesterday but truthfully, I don't have the heart to repeat the depressing details. Suffice it to say that it will be a long time before the team this observer loves enjoys much community support in Oakland.

Thursday, July 9, 1998

Sadly, the Raiders are back in the position that seems most comfortable to them—in court. On Tuesday they filed a countersuit against the City of Oakland and Alameda County, asking that all contracts between them be voided and claiming damages of $104 million.

The local government also issued a statement, mild by comparison. Oakland Mayor Elihu Harris said, "We have yet to see anything from the Raiders except anger and hostility."

The NFL holds its supplemental draft today, with the top player considered to be DT Jamal Williams of Oklahoma State.

A team selecting a pick in the supplemental draft forfeits its pick in that same round in the regular 1999 NFL draft.

Tuesday, July 7, 1998

The Raiders solved the question of whom their No. 3 quarterback will be yesterday by signing 39-year-old veteran free agent Wade Wilson.

The much-traveled Wilson, who's played 17 NFL seasons, spent the last three years in Dallas. He's also played for Atlanta, New Orleans and Minnesota.

Coach Jon Gruden made it clear in announcing the move that Donald Hollas has moved up to No. 2 on the depth chart at quarterback, and Wilson will fill the No. 3 or emergency slot.

The team also announced the signing of 5th-round draft pick OLB Travian Smith from Oklahoma.

The chances of the Raiders and the various city and county agencies settling their lawsuits against each other diminished yesterday as attorney Joseph M. Alioto, speaking for the Raiders, fired off a salvo at the settlement proposal which had been offered by the City of Oakland and Alameda County. Alioto also indicated the Raiders are preparing yet another countersuit. <sigh>

In a written statement, Alioto said, "The City and County have not made any realistic, reasonable or viable proposal to the Raiders to resolve the debacle caused by the City and County."

Thursday, July 2, 1998

DT Chuck Osborne was recently signed by the Raiders. Like DE James Harris, Osborne played under defensive coordinator Willie Shaw in St. Louis in 1996, then sat out last season.