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X Rates the state of the Oakland Raiders as of now: Raider X

By Patrick Patterson | March 24th, 2008

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Artwork courtesy of Raider X

Raider X weighs in with his thoughts on the current state of the Oakland Raider offseason. From Chris Carr’s desire to move on, Al Davis’s financial situation, the acquisitions of Kwame Harris, Javon Walker, and DeAngelo Hall, and more. He also looks at what quarterbacks that the Raiders may take a peek at on draft day, and who may be on the trading block and what the Raiders could acquire from them. Could the Raiders get picks from Stuart Schweigert, LaMont Jordan or Fabian Washington?

The Money Train

By Raider X

Special to Thoughts from the Dark Side

The Raiders free agent money train is slowing. Not because Al is out of it. I doubt he is at least. It’s just the Raiders are just about out of cap room. It’s kind of funny how signing a few guys can erase a salary cap surplus. I am not going to rip any of the moves Al has made. Kwame Harris could be a find, or a steal or a bust, I don’t know. The fact is the Raiders have acquired recent pro bowlers in Javon Walker and DeAngelo Hall. Then you add in a player in demand like Gibril Wilson as well as a nice role player like Drew Carter. Have to think about when was the last time the Raiders acquired two still in their 20’s pro bowl players? When you are down as a franchise, you are going to have to overpay to get free agents to sign there. The Raiders haven’t had a surplus of cash or cap space for many years to sign many big free agents. I like the way this team is taking shape, I must say. Still need another Offensive Tackle. I would say also that there is a need at Sam OLB and DT definitely.

Chris Carr recently stated that he personally wants out of Oakland. Well gee wiz, Chris Carr wants out. That’s like George W Bush saying he doesn’t want to be re-elected for a 3rd term in Washington. I would say he is an average kick returner, a bad punt returner and a dime-back on his best day.

Derrick Burgess wants more money. There is a shocker. He wanted money last year as well. Derrick better remember what happened last year when he whined about more money. His production tailed off. If he wants more money, he needs to come into camp in great shape and be a bit stronger against the run. Another season of 10 plus sacks should earn him self a nice raise, or a trade to a team that will pay him.

I know some people are worried about not resigning Jarrod Cooper but he seems like a player that keeps himself in tremendous shape in the offseason. I think he gets resigned after the draft or even after June 1 after cuts are made. The Raiders have to have so much cap room set aside for their rookie so not having an extra player on the books helps.

I still have to think Al gets more day one picks. Even when he has multiple picks, he trades around. In 2005, he traded 2 players and ended up 2 2nds and 3 3rds. He traded up to nab Fabian so what does have for bargaining chips this offseason?

Fabian Washington and Stanford Routt could nab 3rd round picks, maybe late 2nds for someone desperate. Stu Schweigert is maybe a 3rd but more likely a 4th or even 5th. I doubt Nnamdi is at risk of being dealt. Burgess? Maybe not trade bait yet. He is 29, could maybe get a late 1st or 2nd and 3rds but is it worth trying to replace him? Offensively, Andrew “The Hostage” Walter could be dealt for a likely 2nd day pick. LaMont should be worth a pick. Too bad everyone knows he is gone. Maybe a backup offensive lineman like McQuistan or Jake Grove.

Then there is the fourth overall pick. The Raiders could move down small, like a few spots and recover a day one pick and maybe their 5th round pick by trading down with someone like the Jets or Pats who both seem to be after Vernon Gholston. Then there is a massive trade down like with Dallas for all 4 of their day one picks. I would say that and maybe a 1st next year would be worth moving all the way down there. The Raiders could really do some damage with the 2 1sts, 2nd and a 3rd. I would love to see the Raiders be able to pick up 2 guys like Phillip Merling and Sam Baker in round 1, a DT like DeMario Pressley in round 2 and then a RB like combine star Chris Johnson in round 3. I think I am overthinking the Dallas deal but it was just an idea considering Jerry Jones has a man crush on McFadden. But then again, do Al and Lane?

I will start looking at the Quarterbacks of the draft now since it should be short and sweet considering the Raiders have JaMarcus Russell as the starter or could be starter if you listen to KFFL lines. Andrew Walter seems to be given the Tui treatment and is being held hostage until his deal runs out. If Daunte Culpepper could be trusted to be a mentor and not try and run the 40 yard dash, I could see him remaining as a backup. There is now a rumor of the Raiders being interested in Trent Dilfer. He is known as a great leader and could show JaMarcus a thing or two. It’s funny to think that Dilfer had already graduated at Fresno St before Lane got there.

Now ruling out day one of the draft due to JaMarcus and the lack of picks, you go to day 2. There is the possibility of former Kiffin protégé and USC Trojan QB John David Booty being there. Booty is probably a better college QB than pro. He doesn’t have a great arm or mobility. He doesn’t have Matt Leinart’s accuracy either. He does seem like a smart QB and good backup for the system. Another intriguing guy is Josh Johnson of San Diego. I would bet Al Davis has watched him while following Jim Harbaugh at San Diego. The problem is this guy is playing non-scholarship sub-Division 2 football. He hasn’t seen D-1 defenses. Johnson is a talented guy who might be worth a late pick if there. There is still the previously mentioned Dennis Dixon of Oregon. He is going to need to sit out this year due to a serious knee injury but at a 6th round pick, could be worth developing.

That’s about it for the Quarterbacks; I am not going over every guy because it would be as pointless as Dane Cook’s comedy. Next time I will look at something else for you guys, until then, Raider on.

Raider X occasionally emerges from the Silver and Blackness to contribute his thoughts to Thoughts from the Dark Side. If you would be interested in contributing an article feel free to contact me at mvnraider at yahoo.com.

This entry was posted on Monday, March 24th, 2008 at 12:15 am and is filed under 2008 NFL Draft, 2008 offseason, Raider X, Free Agent Rumors, Free agent signings, Roster Moves. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

23 Responses to “X Rates the state of the Oakland Raiders as of now: Raider X”

Raider X rates the state of the offseason - Oakland Raiders Forum | Message Board - Where the Raider Nation lives! says:

March 24th, 2008 at 12:20 am

[…] X rates the state of the offseason Thoughts from the Dark Side | MVN - Most Valuable Network � Blog Archive � X Rates the state of the … __________________ "While there is a lower class, I am in it, and while there is a […]
raidz says:

March 24th, 2008 at 8:00 am

Dennis Dixon, I think, would be a steal to get in the sixth round. This guy has great speed, vision, and a pretty good arm too. I think Glenn Dorsey would be a good addition for us at our #4 pick. He’s a good sized tackle who can stop the run and get to the QB. JD Booty won’t be a good pro player, just a good back up and right now we have Andrew Walters and maybe Daunte Culpepper to back up Jamarcus so I don’t think Booty would be a good pick up for us, but who knows he might be great. Chris Johnson is going to be the Reggie Bush for the raiders, I think. He’s a small fast guy that can get to the outside, but if you take away the outside, hardly a good run. Then again, who knows.
Mad Road Dog says:

March 24th, 2008 at 9:00 am

Trade down, trade down, back to you.
Old Raider Fan says:

March 24th, 2008 at 10:38 am

I agree with Mad Road Dog. ^^^
LDizzle says:

March 24th, 2008 at 10:41 am

I just read an article called “Raiders silence is deafening” and I think it makes a good deal of sense. I started reading it thinking “oh here we go, another sports writer trying desperately to stir up controversy based on speculation” but as I kept reading it really made quite a bit of sense and renews my worries that despite all of the offseason moves, we may be doomed by the rift of Kiffin and AD. Here is the article link:

http://www.insidebayarea.com/sports/ci_8676553
LDizzle says:

March 24th, 2008 at 10:43 am

Raidz and Mad Dog I believe you are BOTH on the right track. Trade down (unless C Long is there at #4) and drafting Dixon if he is available in the latter rounds.
GeneY63 says:

March 24th, 2008 at 10:47 am

Get one of the DLine studs (C. Long, Gholston, Ellis or Dorsey) at no.4 unless they slip down and if so, trade down. Try to trade L. Jordan, A. Walter, S. Schweigert, F. Washington or S. Route. Does Dallas have any extra D Linemen that are worth anything? If so a trade of the No. 4 for him and Dallas’ two first round picks might be intriguing.
LDizzle says:

March 24th, 2008 at 11:00 am

I don’t reccomend a schweigert trade. He is a former strarter who’s salary is VERY cheap against the cap. He would be great off the bench to give Huff or Gibril a break from time to time.

McQuistan is not a backup Raider X. He started last year and was very good. He goes into the season as the starter at RT. Kwame Harris is penciled in to start at LT.

Count me in on the list of people worried about re-signing Cooper. I have always loved his play. He is a high motor guy and if we don’t sign him someone else will.

Dixon’s knee injury is not so serious that he would have to sit out a year.

“As pointless as Dane Cooks comedy” Haha. I like that. I hate that fucker Dane Cook. And he is not funny at all. I think everyone at some point are going to look at each other and say: “Wait a minute, I thought YOU thought he was funny?” and he will fade away. Here’s hoping.
Paul says:

March 24th, 2008 at 11:35 am

Monte Poole is a joker and his article was lame and full of recycled speculation and dead rumors. Mad Road Dog is on to something with the Trade Down comment. On the Poole article, Kiffin & Knapp interview Lofton prior to Al Davis meeting with him and working out the contract terms, thats the type of bad local reporting that people believe hook line and sinker… Just Win Baby!!
Dan says:

March 24th, 2008 at 11:49 am

Everyone is talking about Dixon and is probably a good idea, but is a guy with so much talent want to be a life time backup. I think not. If your thinking of him as a slash type player until he comes into his own as a QB then we need to pick-up a veteran QB such as Cullpepper or Dilfer to keep the depth chart in line in case of an injury to Dixon. The only moves left pre-draft are to get rid of the over-priced fat we still have on the team, which will probably not happen to draft day incase their value goes up to fill a need on another team.
I like the idea to keep Schweigert as a back-up as long as he is only a fill-in not a starter after a injury to Huff or Wilson. If Carr wants to leave so be it. The only time he flashes through my mind is what he did in the Chicago game.
June 1st may bring us the LT that we need, because the Raiders are not the only team that has spent big bucks in this market.
nilbymouth says:

March 24th, 2008 at 12:07 pm

I really don’t think we are going to get much for Jordan. Everyone knows he is going to be released sooner than later so if we can get any sort of pick for him I say we take it. I would like to see us resign Cooper like others have said and Carr can walk for all I care. Also keeping Schweigert as a backup is a good idea - plus I don’t think we are going to get alot for him anyway in trade.
Also as Gene said I believe Dallas does have an extra lineman/linebacker in Chris Canty we may be able to pick up if we are to trade down our draft pick.
Mildog69 says:

March 24th, 2008 at 12:32 pm

When will reporters really investigate, as much as they can, what the status of the Raiders is. The rumors about JaMarcus is that he weighs 300 pounds. I thought they had airplanes that fly to Mobile to do that little bit of investigation. I am tired of reading articles where it sounds like a “news items” is picked up at a free buffet and then passed along as truth. And this passes along with “facts” purported by anti-Al Davis/Raider reporters with the assumed presumption that if an article cannot be written with a negative slant about the Raiders then it cannot be published.
OakFoSho says:

March 24th, 2008 at 12:40 pm

Dane Cook is all attitude and presentation. His material blows, but his presentation is brilliant. He has millions of people that think he is funny just because he is confident. In fact, many people compare Dane Cook to a young Robin Williams. It has long been known throughout the comedy community that Williams is a ‘material’ thief, often sneaking into the back of comedy clubs so as not to be seen, but his presentation, confidence, and charisma took him to the top. If Dane Cook can actually get some good material, cause the material he writes IS terrible, then he could be really really good. Even if his material sucks, you have to hand it to the guy, confidence and personality can take a person a long way.

Al’s Mandate is McFadden!

OakFoSho
junior says:

March 24th, 2008 at 4:23 pm

I tried to read the article by Poole, but when I got to the part about Lane “finding out that Lofton was an assistant coach on his team” and Lane “coaching at the Super Bowl” I kind of tuned out. I happen to enjoy that nobody is saying anything, Silence is Golden.

I agree, trade down, trade down.
OakFoSho says:

March 24th, 2008 at 5:34 pm

Hey Junior,

Though I am hoping for an alternative outcome, you just gave me a line for all those Gholston lovers.

Raider Silence is Gholston!

but I am still thinking that…..

Al’s Mandate is McFadden!

OakFoSho
Juice says:

March 24th, 2008 at 7:30 pm

There is a lot of time left before the season starts people, so we can speculate all we want about what the Raiders need to do to improve themselves. We can all agree that both the offensive and defensive lines STILL need a good deal of improvement. True, the impact players have been snatched up in free agency and the draft is fast approaching, but the Raiders don’t seem to have many picks to address their many weaknesses. My suggestion is to just relax. So I repeat, RELAX! If we can see that the lines still need help, don’t you people think that the team’s officials can see it too? Don’t you people think that they are working on a way of aquiring more draft picks to help themselves out? There is plenty of dead weight left on this roster which equals plenty of bargaining chips for Ol’ Uncle Al to maneuver as he pleases. Do not forget the ultimate bargaining chip which is the fourth overall draft pick. There is no doubt in my mind that he will utilize his resources and manipulate his way back into the earlier rounds in the draft. After all he’s had plenty of experience in doing so. So once again, it’s March people. Calm down, enjoy the NCAA Tournament, watch the Draft, take a vacation, and start sweating out whether or not there are enough offensive tackles on the roster come August. By then we should know if this team can finally emerge from the cellar of the NFL, or just be fucked for another season.
bleedin s-n-b says:

March 24th, 2008 at 7:45 pm

go get mcfadden,trade rhodes for a late rd pick.
we only have him for one more yr anyway. mc
will light a fire on o for yrs to come.
artieaa says:

March 24th, 2008 at 7:54 pm

I agrre trade down with the cowboys for their 2 first chris canty and a third
artieaa says:

March 24th, 2008 at 7:59 pm

I agree trade down with the cowboys for their 2 first chris canty and a third use #22 drafting limas sweed wr, #28 drafting gosder cherilus ot from boston college, trade washington for a 3rd and use it to add depth at lb or dl well that´s my wish.
R.A.W. says:

March 24th, 2008 at 9:13 pm

look, we should trade down only only if Glen Dorsey, Chris Long, or possibly D-Mac, are gone. We could get some extra draft pics if we trade down to the no 6 and 7 spot and hopefully get Ellis down there.
Tyler says:

March 25th, 2008 at 11:31 am

Good article pat but I think you should start writing about a team with some hope like the niners lol j/p bro good work
BUZZ says:

March 25th, 2008 at 2:41 pm

TRADE DOWN…take the Cowboys two 1st rounders and 3rd. We need to sure up our D-line and O-line with these picks. Trade both Rhodes, Washington and Jordan for anything allowing us to select some WR depth & possibly a LB. Stu is a good / cheap backup we should keep around. If Burgess wants out so bad, ship him to Miami for Taylor and a 3rd rounder. Taylor and Asomuah would be great team leaders and keep ME-Angelo in line.

Do NOT draft D-MAc. Fargas and Bush will have monster seasons with an improving O-line in it’s 2nd year under Cable’s ZBS. I like the thought of Dixon in the 6th round. But ow long will he want to be a back up. Brining in Dilfer would provide a mentor of JR and be a great positive locker room precence.
john b says:

March 26th, 2008 at 6:18 am

there are a number of things id like to see happen. one of the most favorable is trading down with dallas for their 2 1st rounders and possibly a 4th or something like that. we then could take kentwan balmer or red bryant to address the dt need and could get manningham or doucet or hardy for a wr. in addition, that would mean dallas taking run dmc and the jets getting gholston (which in turn means the pats get neither). i would also like (as a different scenario) chris or jake long, ellis or dorsey or gholston.