What a difference a week makes in the NFL. The Raiders are suddenly contenders in the AFC West who are considering resigning estranged wide receiver Randy Moss while their former quarterback JaMarcus Russell works out for a team who traded their quarterback, Jason Campbell, to the Raiders for a future fourth round pick after acquiring a quarterback who was on the Oakland Radar for a minute this offseason from within their own division, Donovan McNabb, who is out of cardiovascular shape according to the head coach who used to own the Raiders during his tenure in Denver after a fallout with Raiders owner Al Davis. Wow…that is a mouthful of tangled webs that have been woven.
Here’s what I think.
Randy Moss will not be wearing Silver and Black this season. The most likely landing spot for this “I” in the word team would be to a team who is desperate like Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills, or how about the Cincinnati Bengals?
If you recall a while back, people were saying that Terrell Owens would be a Raider this year. I told you that would not happen. I told you that both Owens and JaMarcus Russell would end up in Cincinnati. The latter did not come to fruition after Russell was picked up by the police for his codeine kool-aid escapades. He did work out for them though. And how great would it be if you are Carson Palmer to be able to throw to T.O., Ocho, and A-Hole? My best guess for him though would be a reuniting with the Patriots. What do they have to lose; they already got their third round pick out of the whole situation.
JaMarcus Russell does not deserve an opportunity to be in the NFL again before proving himself worthy like Ricky Williams and Pacman Jones, a la Canadian Football league. If the Redskins sign him they are getting another fat quarterback, why would they even work him out? He’s certainly not bright enough to learn the two minute offense in the same amount of time McNabb has had. I think this was a complete question mark move by Mike Shanahan. I now see why Pat Bowlen fired him…still not sure why he hired Josh McDaniels though.
Next topic; so a lot of people think the Raiders should sit Bruce Gradkowski this weekend since Jason Campbell has had two nice games back-to-back. It appears Campbell is now able to “cut it loose”, and therefore there is now need to mess with the chemistry that is happening. But I am of this mind: Gradkowski cuts it loose every time he gets on the field. He doesn’t need the poking, the prodding, and the “shoulda, woulda, coulda” speech.
Gradkowski is the starter, that is the words of the Raiders staff, and it is the right words. Since when do you lose your job due to injury? Okay, I admit it happens, but this should not be one of those times. I think Gradkowski should sit out this week and come back as the starter after the bye week to go back home healthy and beat up on the Pittsburgh Steelers. I’d expect Chaz Schilens to make his debut that week as well.
Speaking of Schilens, what’s up with this guy? He made of glass or something. I guess the Raiders can only count him in for a good offseason of activity, a couple preseason games, and the second half of the regular season each year. That seems to be becoming a trend for this guy.
And speaking of people coming back from injury, Thomas Howard, Travis Goethel, and possibly John Henderson will be back in action this week. Goethel’s ghost injury that was apparently a back problem left the Raiders without…well…nothing really. While Howard’s knee injury proved just how valuable a player like Mike Mitchell is to his club. I’m kind of hoping that Mitchell still finds a way to get on the field with Howard coming back to his situational position and two extra special teams’ players coming back. I’m not going to knock Henderson, as he is a much needed presence this weekend against the NFL’s best rushing offense, but I think that he too should wait until Pittsburgh to consider his comeback.
Kansas City isn’t really that great of a football team. I’m not trying to say they aren’t capable of winning this weekend, by any means, but I am saying it’s not worth having these guys come back at the risk of further injury because if the Raiders play like they have over the last two weeks, the Chiefs really don’t have a chance in this game now do they?
But they do, because just like me, you are not convinced yet that the Raiders are for real are you. While you’ve never seen this kind of play out of this football team since (beating a dead horse here) Gruden and Gannon, your still don’t think they can pull the hat trick and win three straight do you? That’s why Rolando McClain is calling you out. That’s why Coach Cable keeps begging for you to come out and support the team. Because the bottom line is that consecutive weeks of whooping on less talented competition cannot continue to happen at this pace can it?
Here’s my prediction: 9-4. I had this pop into my head prior to the Denver Broncos game and I’m sticking to it. That puts the next loss at the week 15 mark…to the Broncos…in Oakland. Call it payback. See how my article comes full circle? You like that don’t you? And yes, I am crazy!
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