OK team, I am back. I spent draft weekend inside Raiders HQ feeding information back to Levi and Bret, who did a great job holding it down out here in the real world. They really kept on top of things. I also would like to thank those of you who kept coming to TFDS for your draft coverage.
It was an exhausting weekend from my perspective, and I am starting this way later than I planned. I got caught up in a post mortem article for JaMarcus Russell’s time in Oakland for Examiner. It is sad to see that much talent go by the wayside. But it goes to show that it comes down to the choices you make, as Coach Cable said last year.
This was my second year of covering the draft from inside the Forbidden City, and it is a different energy. Instead of hearing people cheering that the Raiders made an incredibly smart pick when they got Rolando McClain, instead, it was time to get on the Blackberry to get information out to my cohorts here, and get to my laptop and start cranking out information.
I got an inadvertent confirmation of the Jason Campbell trade when I was getting some coffee. I overheard a Raiders employee on the phone saying “Yes, we completed the trade.”
We were preparing for coach Cable’s post draft press conference when Amy Trask issued a statement saying, “Al spoke with Kirk today and thanked him for his service to the organization, and told him that the doors to the organization would always be open to him.”
On another note, Cable was truly “geeked” with all the picks. It was obvious that he wasn’t just toeing a company line.
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Minicamp is coming soon, and once again the team of TFDS and Examiner will be providing in depth coverage as it happens. This will include a first look at the rookies, and the state of JaMarcus Russell.
I should have the dates confirmed within the next day or two.
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Tomorrow, I will look back at my predraft predictions.
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The winner of our “Predict the Raiders Draft” contest is long time TFDS reader Jeff Little.
He correctly predicted the Raiders would take ILB Rolando McClain in the 1st round as well as OT Jared Veldheer in the 3rd round. You can view his entire Raider draft predictions here.
He has earned the title of “Draft Master” and his accomplishment is currently being honored with a cyber trophy that will display on the TFDS homepage for the next month. He will also be given a chance to contribute his own Thoughts from the Dark Side with a guest piece. Congratulations, Jeff Little. The force is strong in you.
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Instead of singling out one comment for the week, I would just like to thank everyone who took the time and contributed to the draft weekend discussion.
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Classic movie of the week: Mars Attacks
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Annette Benning
This is Tim Burton indulging in the ultimate b movie. He was able to sign on a cast of top stars to appear in this camp classic. It is a throwback to the early days of science fiction, and combines dark humor to great effect. It is the story of a Martian invasion of the Earth, where the president is prone to inactivity. However, the Earthlings find a creative way to fight back and win.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=
VYHeZCEFwhI[/youtube]
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