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Oakland Raiders OTA answers questions, but leaves new ones

By Patrick Patterson | May 17th, 2008

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The coverage of the organized team activities at the Oakland Raiders’ facility has centered around JaMarcus Russell’s weight, or lack thereof. There are the cursory mentions of the few players who did not take part in these voluntary workouts, which is surprising that no one is claiming that Derrick Burgess or Nnamdi Asomugha is holding out as of yet. There are concerns rearing their head on the wide receiver and backup quarterback fronts, but overall it seemed to be a productive minicamp.

He’s not JabbaMarcus Russell!

Russell prepares to take a snap in practice.

JaMarcus Russell’s weight has been discussed this offseason even more than Oprah Winfrey’s ever since Don Banks published an article on SI.com claiming that “it was common knowledge around the combine that Russell was out of shape and pushing 300 pounds.” This rumor hit the street and was repeated so many times that it was taken as a fact, despite John Clayton dissenting.

It has been widely reported that he was 269 at the minicamp, and was able to move around very well. Of course, that has been the center of the reporting since the earlier rumors had run amok. Rather than talking about his growth as a passer, the headlines were that he wasn’t the size of Ted Washington. The few reports that focused on his play told of maturing quarterback who was making the right decisions, which portends well for the coming season.

Injury bug buzzing by

Tommy Kelly, who just signed a contract extension the size of Kazakhstan’s GDP, did not participate in the minicamp as he continued his rehab. This is likely a precautionary measure as it is only the first minicamp, but if he isn’t practicing full speed by the time that training camp opens up in August, it would be time to become concerned about the return on Al Davis’s investment.

Jake Grove, Jarrod Cooper, Isaiah Ekejiuba, and Stuart Schweigert all sat out the camp with injuries. Coop and Eke who make up two thirds of the Bermuda Triangle of the Raiders coverage unit were rehabbing their season ending injures. They will be needed at full health come the opening of the season, as they are the key to the Raiders’ success in stopping the opposing return game. Stu, who seems to be only slightly less hated by the Raider Nation than Marty Schottenheimer, had a tweak of the knee and should be good to go. Grove seems to always be injured.

Receiving Pains

The Oakland Raider receiving corps was supposed to have gotten a major upgrade with the addition of Javon Walker and Drew Carter. While Russell looked in great shape compared to the reports, Walker showed up in less than perfect condition. Multiple reports had Lane Kiffin saying that Walker showed up out of shape. That is an inauspicious way to have a fresh start with a team that forked over enough money to purchase a used MIG Jet Fighter.

Ronald Curry missed camp after having foot surgery. It is not expected to be serious, but Curry has an injury history that is nearly as long as War and Peace. His skills as a possession receiver are vitally needed as a midlevel threat to go between Zack Miller as the underneath guy and Carter and Walker working the deep patterns.

Backing up Russell

Jerry McDonald reported that Andrew Walter did not look good trying to be a roll out passer, which would be a detriment to him as a backup to Russell who can excel on the move. This gives the Raiders a real conundrum as the next most experienced quarterback on the roster is Jeff Otis who handed off a couple of times last preseason and took a knee. Walter is a player who got a raw deal in Oakland going from the quarterback of the future to being thought of as a bum by the Nation, despite his only playing time being in an offense that would have made Ken Stabler look like Todd Marinovich.

If Walter does not fit the current system, it would be in the best interests of both parties to let him catch on elsewhere. That would leave the problem of a backup quarterback. Josh McCown who would have been a prime chose is a Dolphin. Daunte Culpepper is still on the market, but likely sees himself as starting material. Davis may want to raid the 9ers and grab Trent Dilfer, who has shown himself to be a positive influence on young quarterbacks.

No Shows

Nnamdi Asomugha, LaMont Jordan, Derrick Burgess, and Robert Gallery did not attend. Despite this being a “voluntary workout” as Burgess reminded everyone last season, expect Adam “False Rumor Mongerer” Schefter to report that at least one of them held out. Gallery didn’t hold out, as he was spending time with his new bride. (Insert holding joke here.) Jordan has expressed his displeasure with being in Oakland once he was outplayed by Justin Fargas and relegated to the bench to collect splinters. He is likely just biding his time hoping to be given his walking papers on June first. Aso has not yet signed his tender, and thus is not allowed to participate in the camp. This could portend trouble in Raiderland, as players with the franchise tag are considered likely to hold out. Burgess, who had a false rumor mongered about him holding out last year, could receive the same treatment this year as he is said to want a raise after seeing Kelly’s contract.

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 17th, 2008 at 4:06 am and is filed under Drew Carter, Andrew Walter, Javon Walker, Derrick Burgess, 2008 Offseason, JaMarcus Russell, minicamps. 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.

12 Responses to “Oakland Raiders OTA answers questions, but leaves new ones”

Bill says:

May 17th, 2008 at 6:59 am

Hey I like Stu, I don’t think he is the best player we got but he has been out there working from day 1. He also does a lot for the area kids. As far as Walker goes, did’nt we just sign him? Was he sitting in Al Davis’s office not long ago signing a contract? How could he get that out of shape that fast? Mabey he just is not in football shape. If thats the case then give him time he is trying to get over a knee injury.
Ronald Curry has a foot problem, what is up with his feet?
Twocents says:

May 17th, 2008 at 9:16 am

Pat,
All valid and somewhat worrisome questions.

Walter is in his fourth year and if he isn’t the backup then waive him. I just can’t see wasting a spot on someone they have no confidence in.
OGKUSH says:

May 17th, 2008 at 3:37 pm

good article, keep every raiderfan in outa the clouds dreaming of DMAC breakin LBs legs and taking it to the house and bush getting that 4th down extra yard to move the chains. With most of these worst case scenario situations, time will only tell if they become a reality.. i am confident raiders are going at least 8-8 this year still.

the biggest ? is the backup QB in my eyes. If Al & lane decide to keep him, i hope he can make the screen passes, pitches, and handoffs that he’s getting paid to do as a backup. which again poses the question of going is if the new and hopefully improved o-line can pass block for him, keeping the pocket clear long enough to hit that pass to move the chains if he has to. again, only time will tell, they still have a while to answer these questions so keep the faith brothers!
Thoughts from the Dark Side: Oakland Raiders OTA answers questions, but leaves new ones | The RaiderCast says:

May 17th, 2008 at 3:41 pm

[…] Read more. Posted in Blog | […]
wildkatandrew says:

May 17th, 2008 at 5:18 pm

go raiders 2008 Remeber As I Die Every Raider Survives
eks says:

May 17th, 2008 at 6:12 pm

what’s up with j. walker? Hope motivation is not a concern.
Spencer Mills says:

May 18th, 2008 at 5:36 am

Its the first OTA of the season, and the Raiders are months away from the start of the season. If Javon is still out of shape, or lacks peak conditioning in camp, then I will listen to complaints. Cause after all the BS Raider rumors this off season, I am not about to believe this one regarding Javon. Hell, if it was speculated that J Money was 300lbs w/o a shred of proof, then I don;t even want to contemplate what Javons weight is, and I certainly wont let some reumor mongers decide that for me.

OakFoSho
Rolni says:

May 18th, 2008 at 7:09 am

How Ed Hartwell do in OTA??
It’s gonna be interesting what can RR get out of him…i read that they tried to play him at MLB, but i don’t find any info about how he did…If he could be our MLB, Kirk could go to SLB(where he played in college) and be a beast…
I like Kirk as our MLB, but he could be better at SLB IMO…
If Ed can be a force against the run in the middle than it would help our run D a lot…
Javone should be train hard for his money, but i’m not worried about him much yet…
TK hopefully be healthy till TC…
jeff knos says:

May 18th, 2008 at 12:22 pm

I hope we can win two games in row this season
Patrick Patterson says:

May 18th, 2008 at 2:15 pm

Spencer- the Walker info was from a quote by Lane Kiffin. I expect it will no longer be an issue by camp.
MrMojo4321 says:

May 19th, 2008 at 1:41 am

You know I like Stu too. He has excellent hands for a safety and above average speed for the position. With that said he also propensity to miss tackles in space, but this year he’ll give the nation something we’ve lacked since this coaching carousel started which is depth. Stu is most likely not gonna start unless there’s an injury but could utilized in passing situations much like the end of last year. Enough Stu cheerleading, as the article pointed out there are significantly less “if’s” for this year’s team, We know who are quarterback is, I think everyone has a pretty good idea what the backfield will look like. And its scary. The receiving core finally looks solid. In short, if our biggest question is will Hartwell start or even make the team? It’s gonna be a great year. One Nation..
ALLEN says:

May 19th, 2008 at 10:15 am

LETS TALK ABOUT OUR RUNNING GAME YEA WE GOT D- MAC AND IM SO HAPPY WITH THAT AND IM NOT A BIG FAN OF FARGAS IN A WORLD WHERE EVERY THING GOES RIGHT MY BOY CHARLES ROBERTS WOULD BE A RAIDER PICTURE THIS 2 BACKS WITH OVER 1500 YARDS AND 10 TD EACH HERE IS HIS STATS AND LET ME KNOW WHAT U THINK

Roberts attended Sacramento State, where he set numerous DI-AA rushing records for the Sac State Hornets football team, including total rushing yards and most yards in a game (an amazing 409 yards vs Idaho State in 1999). His nickname while with the Hornets was “Choo-Choo Charlie”, in reference to the train that would often come by behind the stadium during games and practices. Upon graduation, he went to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada to play for the Canadian Football League team, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Blue Bombers
In his 6-year tenure to date, he has established himself as one of the premier running backs in the Canadian Football League. He lead the league in rushing yards again in 2006 with 1609 yards and 10 touchdowns, earning a nomination as the East’s Most Outstanding Player.

Off the field he has experienced highs and lows. The enigmatic back has missed team flights, led the league in all-purpose yards, pondered retirement, led the league in rushing yards, publicly criticized some decisions, and signed a long-term big money deal to remain as the face of the Bombers.

Through the 2006 season, Roberts has rushed for 8,091 yards in just six seasons with the Blue Bombers. He has also tallied up 2,732 receiving yards and 57 touchdowns in his professional career so far.

On Sept. 2, 2007 Roberts passed Leo Lewis to become the Winnipeg Blue Bombers all-time leading rusher. He is also fifth all-time in CFL career rushing totals.

Despite being relatively early in his career, Roberts was selected in 2005 as one of the 20 All-Time Blue Bomber Greats.

Rushing Statistics
Year Team Attempts Yards Average Long TD Fumbles
2001 WPG 107 620 5.8 22 1 3
2002 WPG 216 1,162 5.4 70 5 5
2003 WPG 264 1,554 5.9 51 8 2
2004 WPG 300 1,522 5.1 49 8 11
2005 WPG 290 1,624 5.6 69 12 5
2006 WPG 303 1,609 5.3 - 10 5
2007 WPG 246 1,379 5.3 - 16 6
2008 WPG - - - - - -
Totals (to 2007) WPG 1742 9470 5.4 - 60 37