Who Exactly Is Desmond Bryant, Oakland Raiders Rookie DT?

As the Raiders head into the preseason, they must evaluate the players on the roster in order to shed those under the bar or not conducive to the system.

As any observer of the NFL and especially of the Raiders would know, the Raiders appear to be deficient at defensive tackle with Gerard Warren, Terdell Sands, William Joseph, and Ryan Boschetti.

I can hear the cries.

“But wait! Joseph could be a sleeper!”

At 30, I do not buy it.

The former top five pick Warren, who went before Richard Seymour in 2001, has left much to be desired from a player of his draft status.

Boschetti is probably no more than a practice squad player is.

Sands lost me when he decked Shane Lechler. Sands should have gone the way of Bill Romanowski. The Raiders have tried to trade him, so we will see.

Then there was…Desmond Bryant? 

That is right—an undrafted free agent from, wait for it, Harvard University.

Maybe that means nothing. There have been defensive tackles from Harvard that flopped just like other rookies.

Given the Raiders’ situation at defensive tackle, though, I could not help but notice that.  To be straightforward, I generally like the Ivy League and the traditions of the Ivy League, although I don’t like every person who has graduated from the Ivy League (more than just Ted Kaczynski).

You would think, however, that a person who has graduated from the Ivy League should have the learning skills necessary to learn the schemes of new defensive coordinator John Marshall.

Every season sees the development of undrafted free agents into NFL starters and even stars. 

At defensive line, Adewale Ogunleye (2000), Maake Kemoeatu (2002), and Jacques Cesaire (2003) went undrafted. As you can see, it is difficult to find undrafted free agents for the defensive line. 

Moreover, I could not find much scouting information on Bryant either. All I know is that he weighs 290 lbs. and runs at around a 4.95 in the 40-yard dash.

By now, you must be wondering: Why then would I bother talking about this topic?

The answer is quite simple. 

The Raiders are so thin at defensive tackle that an undrafted free agent from Harvard has better promise to start than Terdell Sands, William Joseph, or Ryan Boschetti.

Unless, however, the Raiders plan to schedule games against Yale, I would hope that they aggressively find another option at defensive tackle.

Asking the Big Questions: Oakland Raiders in 2009

On review of the roster for the Oakland Raiders, I am left with many questions.  Though I believe that the Raiders have plenty of great talent in the mix, I wonder about the team’s direction.

Great talent can often drift when a team lacks direction.

Whether Coach Cable has resolved the issue of direction, I cannot say.  I however, can raise the questions that I do have.

 

Quarterback: Jeff Garcia

Once the Raiders signed Jeff Garcia, many in the media began to question the team’s faith in JaMarcus Russell.  Some even speculated that the Browns were more confident in Brady Quinn than the Raiders are in Russell.

To me, that is nonsense.

For any other team, the media would laud the acquisition of a veteran quarterback behind a young franchise quarterback.  With the Raiders, it was just a chance for the media to fuse an unnatural union of yellow journalism and muckraking.

The acquisition of Garcia was simply to create competition for Russell.  Russell was not exactly feeling the heat from Andrew Walter and Marques Tuiasosopo.

 

Runningbacks: Justin Fargas

Justin Fargas does not appear to be going anywhere, but I have started to wonder if he is log-jamming Darren McFadden, Michael Bush, and even Louis Rankin.

At 30, running backs tend to decline rapidly, although Fargas was not a starter from day one, so he could still have the necessary durability to be a running back in the NFL.

Nevertheless, I still wonder if the Raiders should trade Fargas.  Surely, the Bengals and others would be interested in Fargas (Carson Palmer and Fargas were college teammates).

He will pick-up yardage, but will struggle with touchdowns—which would work for Cincinnati, because Cedric Benson is a better short—yardage runner.

 

Receivers: Javon Walker

Whether you like it or not, Javon Walker is the most seasoned wide receiver on the Oakland roster. 

Walker nearly retired in 2008 after he was shot and robbed.  Walker later agreed to a restructured contract.

I do believe that in order for the Raiders to be successful in 2009, they need a go-to receiver to emerge for JaMarcus Russell.

Nevertheless, Walker no longer seems interested in playing, but perhaps that will change.

If it does, then Walker can give the Raiders a good stopgap at receiver until the others, such as Derrius Heyward-Bey, Johnnie Lee Higgins, and Louis Murphy can develop.

 

Offensive Line:  Cornell Green, John Wade

In the offseason, the Raiders pursued value for the offensive line by the acquisitions of C Samson Satele, LT Khalif Barnes, OT Erik Pears, and OL Marcus Johnson.

Whether they will each make the cut is another story, but they should provide good competition in training camp.

The big question is the futures of OT Cornell Green, OT Mario Henderson, and C Samson Satele. 

The Raiders selected Henderson in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft, with a pick they acquired by trade.

Henderson started his first game against Kansas City in 2008—the one where Darren McFadden ran wild on KC’s “defense.”

Henderson was not penalized that game.  Yet, Henderson has still had to rotate with Kwame Harris, and now must outperform Khalif Barnes.

Meanwhile, Cornell Green on the right side appears to be mostly a stopgap player, while the Raiders would seemingly have more talent on the field with Henderson and Barnes opposite each other.

Finally, the Raiders also acquired C Samson Satele from Miami after the Dolphins signed former Raider Jake Grove. 

I do not fully understand why Grove had a greater appeal to Miami than Satele, because both have durability issues. 

It seems to me that they offset each other, and that the only gain was perceived by the front office.

Nevertheless, the Raiders acquisition of Satele has created the impression that the Raiders could tinker with the Wild Cat formations, because of their trio of running backs (McFadden, Bush, Fargas), and blockers (Neal, O’Neal).

It seems to me that the Raiders cannot rely on John Wade as a full-time starter at his age, and thus need Satele to succeed.

 

Defensive Ends: Derrick Burgess

Both NT Terdell Sands and DE Derrick Burgess have been on the trading-block, yet the Raiders have yet to decide on Burgess.

The Raiders selected DE Matt Shaughnessy in the third round of the NFL Draft, which would suggest that he has an inside track to make the cut. 

The Raiders also selected Stryker Sulak and have retained Greyson Gunheim, but could serve mostly as training-camp competition.

The Raiders also signed veteran DE Greg Ellis, but it is hard to say whether he will make the cut.

Then there is Jay Richardson and Trevor Scott.  Richardson has done well against the run, while Scott has shown good pass-rush skills. 

The idea that the Raiders will carry five defensive ends is unlikely, so the question is, ‘Who is the most likely to go?’

I would think that Derrick Burgess is, since they have tried to trade him in the past. 

At the same time, he is the best of the defensive ends, so unless the Raiders can acquire good value for Burgess, I would hope that they retain him.

Since Shaughnessy was an early draft pick, it is hard to say whether he will go, but the Raiders have cut high pick rookies in recent years.

That leaves, Ellis, Richardson, Scott.  Simply because of age, I would think that Ellis is going uphill against Richardson and Scott, but I do know that Al Davis wants the best talent on the field, no matter what.

I think, then, that it is Ellis’ spot to lose.  If Ellis performs highly in camp, I think they will retain him.

 

Defensive Tackle: Terdell Sands

The Raiders have shopped NT Terdell Sands recently.  Whether they acquire another defensive tackle, who can improve the defensive tackle position is hard to say.

Though each position on defense is in question, defensive-tackle is easily the one that lacks promise. 

New defensive coordinator John Marshall has made a point to sweep those deficiencies under the rug with schemes.

Whether that will work is another story.

Whether a defensive tackle emerges from this group should determine the success or failure of the Raiders defense.  Despite the blowouts, the Raiders defense has performed highly only to be torched in the last eight minutes of the game. 

That tells me that the defense is gassed.  That can change by better offensive play in controlling the clock, but also from an improvement at defensive tackle, so that the backers and backs do not have to shoulder the load.

 

Linebacker: Jon Alston

Many questions and rumors have flown about the Raiders linebacking corp.

The big question was strongside linebacker.

Now, some have wondered whether ILB Kirk Morrison is still in the Raiders’ plans.  I think that the best way to explain it is to say that it is very competitive.

I think that Thomas Howard and Kirk Morrison will ultimately start, and that the question is whether Jon Alston can fend off his competition.

That would be the least “dynamic” scenario. 

I do not mean “dynamic” in a good way, I mean that if Alston cannot emerge as a starter, then the Raiders will have a “linebacker by committee” situation, which would not be good.

 

Safety: Michael Huff

The Raiders selected S Michael Mitchell in the second round in the 2009 NFL Draft, which has raised the question about Michael Huff’s future in Oakland.

Personally, I think the best scenario for Oakland would be if Mitchell can earn the position out-right, which would allow the Raiders to use Huff as a cornerback to see what he can do.

From 2003-2006, Nnamdi Asomugha played safety and was labeled a bust.  Now, Asomugha is the most dominant cornerback in the NFL, probably since Deion Sanders.

Thus, I would like to see what Huff could do at his natural position of cornerback.

The Truth About Pacman Jones and Tank Johnson

The NFL (and sports) is still plagued with racism and anti-Semitism (just ask Bill Russell, Al Davis, or many others).

The behavioral problems (specifically, alcohol abuse) of white people get rationalized (ex, Jared Allen, Matt Leinart) while the behavioral problems of black people get irrationalized (ex, Pacman Jones). 

In the case of Matt Leinart, he administered alcohol to underage girls in a dangerous manner, and no one cared.  Alternatively, they voiced their admiration for Leinart. 

No one questioned whether Leinart engaged in lewd acts with girls that were under the influence, and not of legal age to drink.

If he had, that would have been rape.  No one investigated or even asked.  If Leinart had been Terrell Owens, then I guarantee that TO would have been compared to Darrell Russell in suppositions and conjecture.

I do not know what transpired at that party.  That though is what disturbs me. 

I do believe that the reason we “don’t know” is that Leinart is white, whereas, had he been black, we would have known every gaudy detail about it, along with endless rumors and abstract moralism.

Moreover, Jared Allen has committed what is the equivalent of a felony DUI in some states by one arrest in Idaho in 2002 and two arrests in Kansas in 2006, yet Allen was suspended for only two games, after he had spent time in jail.

Meanwhile, Tank Johnson was suspended after a cluster of legal issues, most of which were thrown out.  The only issue that stuck is that Johnson had illegal possession of guns in Illinois.  However, the same possession would have been legal in his home state of Arizona.

In other cases, police arrested Pacman Jones for disorderly conduct in public, while strippers have twice accused Jones of spitting on them. 

I hope that you don’t infer that I think that the word of a stripper has no inherent veracity, but the fact is, the courts only ordered Pacman to stay away from those clubs or was given probation, partially extended from a bar fight he engaged in, while in college.

Yet, the NFL suspended Pacman and Johnson for extended periods and journalists demonized them in the media, yet Allen and Leinart went on their merry way.

I do find it sadistically ironic that Pacman would be demonized for the same behavior that is regularly lionized in country music songs, when he played pro football in the country music capital of the world, Nashville. 

The south has a notorious affinity for strip clubs, bar fights, and alcohol related antics.  The fact is that they will sing songs about it — that is an undeniable fact.  The message however has been, you can only live it down if you are white.

All I see in Pacman Jones is a player with an alcohol problem and a cluster of accusations against him.

Ask yourself this: If your father had been murdered when you were four, while the grandmother whom helped raise you died from cancer — can you say absolutely that you would you have been different?

As for the 2007 “make it rain” story from Las Vegas, if you read the info about that melee without raising an eyebrow then you probably did not read it.  A valet described the suspected shooter as a, “black man with cornrows,” who took-off into the night.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2775250

That sounds like every stereotype of black people I have ever heard.  Considering that, the melee occurred during the 2007 NBA All-Star weekend, that person could have been Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony, Jermaine O’Neal, or Richard Hamilton.

What also makes no sense is the order of events.  At the Minxx Gentlemen’s Club & Lounge, Chris Mitchell (and owner of “Harlem Knights”) claimed that he filled a trash bag of Pacman’s cash that he “thought” was for the dancers, while he also claimed that the melee broke-out after he told the dancers to gather the money.

Simultaneously, Mr. Mitchell claimed that the melee broke-out after he — and a male associate — left the club with the bag full of cash.  The police also recovered two Breitling watches from Mr. Mitchell.  (Who owned those watches?)

That raises another question in my mind: How much cash was in the bag?  Police say that $81,020 was retrieved, but there is no mention as to the percentage carried by Mr. Mitchell.  Did he have all of the money, or just part of the money?

As well as, when did Mr. Mitchell tell the dancers to gather the money: When it was in his bag, or when he was outside with an unnamed associate with plenty of opportunity (a bag full of cash) to bribe and intimidate the unnamed valet into baring false witness?

It seems to me that Pacman was just a patsy and red herring because he had a reputation of accusations by strippers.

I cannot listen to the Bob Dylan song “Hurricane” and not hear the eerie similarities to “make it rain.”  And something tells me that Mr. Mitchell was trying to live-out the plot from Ocean’s Eleven.

The reports would have you believe that the shooter was just some random thug in a flurry of confusion, rather than an inside job.

Ultimately though, I do believe that the trivial misconduct by black people gets irrationalized while the trivial misconduct of white people will get rationalized.

Legally, if you have engaged in lewd acts with a person whom was under the influence, and you were not, or if one person was not of legal age to drink — then that is rape. 

A common act amongst the antics of frat boys and white guys in general (but not me). 

Nevertheless, if some black guy gets drunk and hangs-out at strip clubs, then we’re supposed to believe that he’s Public Enemy #1.

What’s the difference?  Both sides are intoxicated and in pursuit of sexual gratification. 

The difference is, white people will impugn black people in all sadistic irony to deflect criticism and remorse for their behavior, in order to score their brownie points.

 

 

 

Maybe, It’s Just Me / The Real Reason For The Raider’s Struggles

So maybe it is just me, but I do believe that when fans become ungrateful, then that is why their team will perpetually struggle (ex, Cleveland Browns).

When the fans see everything negatively, then that voice will resonate through the organization.

When that does happen, executives do make rash decisions in attempt to appease fans, so that they keep buying tickets, merchandise, etc.

Players will then start to doubt themselves more than rely on their instincts and confidence.

Then the journalists will pile-on with their hack humor and “analysis” that they base on regurgitated groupthink that they call objectivity, which is really just a guise for their biases.  They try to hide their bias behind groupthink and an incomplete view of the facts. 

Then hope that, if everyone is wrong then the truth does not matter.  Thus, they turn into broken records that repeat the same “analysis” ad nauseum until it sticks, and if and only if it does, they tout is as truth.

Instead of reporting what they know to be true, they vainly pursue the “truth” in hopes that it will support their bias.

The truth is not out there.  It is right under your nose.

 

Confidence is a Revolutionary Act

When struggles do occur—every one has to look inward as to what they can do, and not shift any blame or attempt to coach others on what to do.

Just determine what they can do.

That is the real job of a journalist: To force those in positions of authority to look inward as to what they can do to end perpetual struggle, rather than allow them to blame shift or attempt to advise others. 

They will not do that willingly, and some are powerful enough to silence their critics through money, retaliation, censorship, or threats.

Just ask Bob Nardelli.  He failed as CEO of two major corporations, yet he still gets a job as a consultant.

When the fans give-up on Al Davis, so do the players, staff and others involved in the organization.

Thus, it is difficult to know whether the Raider’s struggles have been the result of deficient talent, or just a lack of confidence in the organization.

Face it: We are stuck with Al Davis.  

With Oakland though, confidence is a revolutionary act.  All we as Raider fans can do is create a positive atmosphere for the players and other personnel.

The fact is that many Raiders have left the team and produced elsewhere (Randy Moss, Charles Woodson, Tyler Brayton, Phillip Buchanon, etc).

On one hand, that sucks for us Raider fans; however, it does prove that those players had talent: So why did they struggle in Oakland?

I think that the reason is a negative atmosphere that we as Raider fans can do our part to change, and that it can resonate throughout the organization.

I think that many would like to think that talent has no psychological boundaries, but I do believe that even great players will struggle while in a negative atmosphere, because even the best players can doubt themselves. 

When that happens, they do not trust their decisions.

 

No One Here Gets Out Unbiased

I truly do believe there is no such thing as an unbiased sports journalist, yet bias, however, is not the force that which will obfuscate the truth. 

That force is the unwillingness to defend your bias, while the common belief seems to be that there exists an unbiased neutral truth.

Unfortunately, everyone will interpret facts the way they choose to interpret them, or the, “surly bonds of bias.” 

 

Thus, the greatest truth is the willingness to be honest about your bias, yet be willing to defend it, and willingly state things against your bias.

Do the Detroit Lions Have a Puncher’s Chance in 2009?

In 2008, I wrote an article as to why the Miami Dolphins could contend that year.  They did.  I predicated that argument on the idea that the Dolphins needed to incorporate all of their running backs into  the offense, and for then Miami QB Josh McCown to play like Trent Dilfer.

Funnily enough, the Dolphins would sign castoff QB Chad Pennington and trade McCown to Carolina.  The Dolphins would also install the Wildcat offense in order to utilize running backs Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams.

I am not taking credit for what Tony Sparano and Bill Parcells did.  However, in retrospect, I feel prescient in what I opined, and that I was thinking the way a Hall of Fame coach thought.

In a random aside, I have also taken Wonderlic practice tests and earned a perfect score.  The meaning of that is highly questionable, but I could not resist the chance to say it.

Anyway, the Detroit Lions are currently in a similar situation as the Dolphins were after 2007. 

A struggling team that did not win more than one game that will go into the subsequent season with a quarterback controversy that commonly does involve a castoff quarterback from the Raiders (Culpepper and McCown played for the Raiders in 2007).

In 2008, I compared the 1-15 Dolphins to the 1-15 Panthers of 2001, because that team went from 1-15 to 7-9 in 2002 and then appeared in the Super Bowl in 2003.

In this article, I will compare the 0-16 Lions to the 2-14 Bengals of 2002.  After all, the Bengals revitalized in 2003 with QB Jon Kitna and a record of 8-8, while Kitna led the Lions to a record of 7-9 in 2007 and posted more than 4,000 passing-yards.  Kitna is still on the Detroit roster. 

Cincinnati Bengals and the 2003 NFL Draft

In the 2003 draft, the Bengals selected QB Carson Palmer, G Eric Steinbach, WR Kelly Washington, FB Jeremi Johnson, CB Dennis Weathersby, LB Khalid Abdullah, DT Langston Moore, OT Scott Kooistra, and DE Elton Patterson.

In 2009, only Palmer, Johnson, and Kooistra remain with the Bengals.

Nevertheless, in 2003 the Bengals went from 2-14 to 8-8, only by one addition of two rookie starters, Steinbach and Johnson.  Washington produced promising numbers as a third receiver, but other than that, the Bengals did not rely on rookies as starters, and yet, they improved dramatically.

Why?

When the Bengals selected Palmer in 2003, they choose to sit him and start Jon Kitna.  Kitna led the Bengals to a record of 8-8 in 2003 after being the leagues worst in 2002.  Thus, Kitna helped remove the psychological funk in the culture of losing in Cincinnati, which gave momentum to Palmer.

I do believe that the reason why is that new coach Marvin Lewis understood his personnel, and understood that he had talent to work with.  Moreover, that his main challenge was the psychological cloud that hovered over the Bengals as an NFL joke with fans that no longer cared.

 

With so many Johnson’s in the NFL, no wonder Chad became Ochocinco

The difference makers for Cincinnati were mostly offensive youth that “stepped up,” such as WR Chad Ochocinco, WR/RS Peter Warrick (replaced in 2004 by TJ Houshmandzadeh), RB Rudi Johnson, rookie FB Jeremi Johnson, LT Levi Jones, rookie LG Eric Steinbach, C Rich Braham, RG Mike Goff, RT Willie Anderson, and DE Justin Smith, LB Brian Simmons.

Moreover, the Bengals also filled holes with scrappy players like DE Duane Clemons, DT John Thornton, LB Kevin Hardy, CB Tory Holt, CB Jeff Burris, and S Rogers Beckett.

In 2004, the Bengals gave the reigns to Palmer who went 8-8.  Palmer would then lead Cincinnati to the postseason in 2005 with a record of 11-5.  That was Cincinnati’s first playoff appearance in 15 years.

Nowadays, Bengals fans have started to care again, because the Bengals passed that threshold of winning, where staff, players, and fans start to crave more. 

Rather than just cross their fingers each week, even if the Bengals suffered a lousy season in 2008, they had averaged eight wins per season until 2008.

The Bengals went from total joke to middle-pack, which overall, is a triumph for the Bengals.

Enter Detroit

Call me crazy—plenty do.  It is merely because I am willing to say what I think existentially.  I argue hard, but I do not always invest my emotions into the argument (except on issues of bigotry).

With Detroit’s group, I do think that the Lions have at least a punchers chance of an “interesting season.”

Meaning that, they will not look like slop, but that their weaknesses will identifiable.  Sometimes, you cannot identify a team’s weaknesses and thus they look like slop.

Believe me, I know.  I am a Raider fan.

The Lions must decide between QB Daunte Culpepper and Jon Kitna, not Matthew Stafford.

If Culpepper or Kitna can make the offense functional (but not flashy), then I think the Lions will be able to identify their weaknesses.

In Detroit, the Lions have a rising star in WR Calvin Johnson as the Bengals had in the Receiver Formerly Known as Chad Johnson in 2003. 

Fortunately, for Calvin, they no longer have common initials with the same last name.  So let us hope that the new CJ does not eventuate into Calvin Ocho-uno. 

Added-in to that group will be wide receivers Bryant Johnson, Ronald Curry, Dennis Northcutt (also an RS), rookie Derrick Williams, and rookie TE Brandon Pettigrew.

In RB Kevin Smith, I do believe that the Lions have a solid runner who could perform as Rudi Johnson did for Cincinnati, while the Lions added blockers in the rookie Pettigrew and FB Terrelle Smith, as the Bengals added a rookie blocker in Jeremi Johnson.

The true stickler for the offense is the offensive line.  That led many to believe that Detroit should select an offensive tackle in the NFL Draft.  However, Detroit did the right thing in the selection of Stafford in order to build around his learning curve.

I do believe however, that Detroit’s best chance at a cohesive and stout line is to keep Raiola, Peterman, and Cherilus where they are.  They should focus on the void at left-guard.  They must determine whether LT Jeff Backus can still play as he did in 2007, or if they need to see what free agent LT Daniel Loper can do.

The solution for Detroit’s void at left-guard could require a creative one, such as veterans LT Ephraim Salaam, RT Jon Jansen, or LG Toniu Fonoti.  The Lions will eventually need to replace them through the draft, by trade, or free agency, but I think that Detroit has enough for an efficient stopgap.

 

On Defense

Like the Bengals in 2003, the Lions have loaded-up on scrappy defensive players, and even feature some promising youth.

Detroit’s promising youth on defense includes rookie S Louis Delmas, S Daniel Bullocks, LB Ernie Sims, pass-rusher Cliff Avril, rookie DT Sammie Lee Hill, DE Ikaika Alama-Francis, with depth in LB Jordan Dizon, LB Alex Lewis, S Kelvin Pearson, and rookie LB DeAndre Levy.

The Lions added CB Philip Buchanon, CB Anthony Henry, LB Larry Foote, All-Pro LB Julian Peterson, and DT Grady Jackson, along with holdover DE Dwayne White.

I am not sure about the futures of DE Jared DeVries and DT Chartric Darby.

 

Lions to Bengals

The style of Buchanon does remind me of Tory Holt, a style defined by big-plays as a ball hawk but deficient tackling. 

Henry compares well to Jeff Burris; Sims compares well to Brian Simmons; White compares well to Duane Clemons; Delmas and Bullocks compare well to Rogers Beckett and Mark Roman.

Peterson is better than Adrian Ross is; Foote is lesser than Kevin Hardy is.  Jackson is not an identical of John Thornton but plays defensive tackle; and Avril is a questionable comparison to Justin Smith.

I think those players balance out.

I think Detroit’s biggest questions marks on defense are Darby and the third cornerback spot for nickel formations (Eric King, Ramzee Robinson).  DeVries seems to be blocking the chances of Allama-Francis and Avril, two ends that I think could platoon at the position.

As For Special Teams

Never underestimate the value of special teams, especially when your team has struggled.  One of the best ways to stay competitive is by winning the battle of field position through punts, returns and coverage, but also by being able to score points from field goals.

All of which, are neglected.

Many people think that the “best” players should play special teams.  The reality however, is that one-dimensional players are best for special teams: Such as the fast receiver who cannot catch, or the physical linebacker who cannot cover in passing defense.

When the Baltimore Ravens gutted their roster after the 2001 season, they selected P Dave Zastudil in the fourth round on the basis that a good punter is a “weapon.”  The Ravens surprised many in 2002 with a record of 7-9.  That was surprising because they had not only gutted their roster in the offseason—they had nearly liquidated it.

The point being is that the best teams in the NFL understand the importance of special-teams.

The Lions added RS Dennis Northcutt by trade recently, while they also have potential coverage players in Dizon, Levy, Alex Lewis, and Cody Spencer.

I think Detroit’s problem is in their punter, Nick Harris.  He was a middle-pack player in 2008 and should be challenged by another player.

The Lions still have time to add players by free agency or trade.

The Case for Changing the NFL Draft: The Consumate Loser, Ryan Leaf

As a draft-nik, what I am about to advocate might shock some.

There has been plenty of talk about the ballooning salaries for rookie players that have become a detriment to veteran players that deserve the reward.

In my mind, the biggest examples for why the NFL Draft should be fundamentally and drastically changed are quite simple: Ryan Leaf, Heath Shuler, Todd Marinovich, and Tony Mandarich.

When you think about it, all that an immoral player would have to do in order to cash-in with the NFL Draft is to shoot steroids in college where testing is easier, get selected in the first or second round, and then take the money and run. Then they’re set for life.

That might seem like a quaint idea to those with minimal ethics, but as an NFL fan, I wouldn’t want the steroid freeloaders who shoot-up and take a hand-out like Tony Mandarich. 

Or simply, those who shake down a team, like Heath Shuler, and flop, or burn the money on drugs like Todd Marinovich.

Before you get confused, I’m less offended by drug-use than I am by the fact that college players inflate their draft status only to then take money to the detriment of veteran players, fans and club employees.

 

Four Examples

4) In the case of Heath Shuler, he shook down the Redskins in 1994 and flopped. Shuler would get elected to the US House of Representatives from North Carolina in 2006 and is now helping to spend money as if it grew on trees. It is like he returned to the scene of the crime.

 

3) In the case of Todd Marinovich, I just get queasy at the thought that the money he received from the Raiders after his selection in the first round of the NFL Draft only served to enable his drug problems.

 

2) In the case of Tony Mandarich, he’s once again cashing-in on his collegiate dirtbaggery with a book entitled My Dirty Little Secrets in which he admitted to be a juicer, junkie, and generic scumbag. He even said that he was jealous of his brother who was dying from cancer because of all the morphine he had. 

Mandarich juiced at Michigan State and then abruptly stopped after he was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 1989 because he thought he didn’t need the horse steroids and even insisted as much to the media.  That however was after he took the Packers and Green Bay community for millions and gave them nothing in return except the proverbial spit in the face and a kick in the rear.

 

1) And in the case of the one flop to rule them all, Ryan Leaf.  He was and always has been a dirtbag who in effect committed grand theft and then spit in the face of Charger fans and club employees.  Some people feel sorry for drug addicts. I draw a line, though—if the person can show contrition about their behavior, then I will. 

Unless the person wants to lie to themselves that their problem is just the product of peer-pressure and what others do. I then tune out. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. But the junkie is the one with the problem, thus it doesn’t help to enable their self-pity by overlooking the choices they made through dramatic attempts to fix their problems.

Just ask George Jones. OK, so most of you readers probably don’t understand that reference, so go listen to the song “Choices” by the country singer. That song can equally apply to all juicers and junkies.

http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Choices-lyrics-George-Jones/E3D9B8819021BDB748256BF8002BBB3B

 

By now, I think you get the idea that it is obscene to give millions of dollars to rookies that haven’t proved anything. You might say that some rookies turn out fine and don’t deserve to be lumped in with thieves and addicts. 

I say, yes—so that the clean players are more conscientious and willing to stand up to the thieves and addicts.

To me, what those players did was far worse than what Michael Vick did. At least, Vick gave Atlanta fans their money’s worth when they bought tickets. That is not to condone what Vick did, but simply to say, what those players did was worse by comparison.

 

Ideas to Improve the Draft

With that said, the problem with the Draft is that it has inflated the value of rookies.

One idea that has been proposed is a salary cap for rookies. The problem I have with that idea is the possibility that a salary cap for rookies will only hinder a club’s ability to sign all selections, while the top picks would still take more than they should.

Frankly, I believe that a salaries should be capped according to where the player was selected, meaning that no first-overall pick can make more than a certain amount. An agent can’t shake down a team based on perceptions of that club’s need or desperation—a “flat cap” if you will—when the player has yet to produce. 

However, the player would be allowed to opt-out after two years in order to seek a new deal, but that their club would still hold exclusive rights to re-sign him. If he produced, then he’ll get a pay raise. If no production, then out the door he goes, where he can earn a real living rather than live for life on NFL hand-outs.  What’s the worst that could happen—college players stay in school and graduate?

Even at *minimum salary,* NFL players make far more than most people ever will, so I really don’t feel badly for players that make $4 million to play a game.

Many players complain that they want a fair-share of what is earned, and I say that if the salaries of rookies had a cap—then Owners would have more money to spend to renovate stadiums or to build new a stadium, rather than force the fans to sit in a crumbling dump.  Instead of double-dipping from fans by getting the tax-payers to pay for it.

The other idea to change the Draft is to eliminate the act of trading draft picks. You heard me. No more trading of draft-picks, which only inflate the perception of that rookie’s value. 

Instead, I would like to see the NFL Draft act more like the MLB Draft, where a club would lose a pick when that club signs a free-agent and can’t stockpile draft picks so that they don’t have to pay the veterans what they earned. Moreover, clubs could receive additional compensatory picks from the Commissioner.

It seems to me that while Roger Goodell has been too aggressive on certain things—suspending players, for one—that he is at least trying to enhance the NFL such as expansion of the Rooney Rule.  Even if the NFL never admit what I believe to be the truth about, “The Tuck Rule Game.”

So I hope that changes are made to the NFL Draft, even if that means people stop caring about the NFL Draft, even if Jets fans no longer show-up to boo their picks.  Frankly, an obsession with the Draft has inflated the value of rookies to the detriment of fans, veteran players and other club employees.

So if we fans have to sacrifice an obsession over the Draft possibilities in order to fix an obscene problem, then I’m all for it.  Rather than allow the NFL Draft to be a get-rich-quick scheme.

Frankly, fan obsession over the NFL Draft in effect only serves to enable the problems of rookies, because our obsession leads to more money for rookies to burn. 

And I’m tired of it, and would hope that no one else wants to be part of it.

If The Broncos Trade Brandon Marshall, Where Would He Go?

As of now, the Denver Broncos have said that they do not plan to trade WR Brandon Marshall after he requested a trade in a meeting with Owner Pat Bowlen.

Well, Broncos fans—they said that about Jay Cutler to.

Thus, I cannot help but speculate about where Brandon Marshall could go.  I’m inclined to believe that Denver will send him to an NFC team before an AFC team—but, if the deal is right, I think the Broncos would trade Marshall to the AFC.

Before I begin, I will say that the universal conditional is: Is the team willing to take a chance on Marshall regardless of the baggage?

 

New York Giants

The Giants drafted WR Hakeem Nicks in the first round of the Draft in order to replace WR Plexico Burress.  However, rookie receivers rarely produce big numbers, and the Giants are thinking Super Bowl. 

Thus, the G-Men could be willing to send Nicks and a low draft-pick (say, 4th round which is the round that the Broncos selected Marshall in 2006) in exchange for Marshall.

The biggest roadblock for the Giants however is Marshall’s character issues and legal troubles.  But if they think that one great year and a Super Bowl ring would suffice, then the G-Men would make the deal. 

The follow up question however is: Would the Broncos want to christen the NFC champ by trading Marshall to the Giants?

 

Chicago Bears

Jay Cutler is already advocating for the Bears to make an offer for Brandon Marshall.  They already traded their 2010 1st round pick to Denver for Jay Cutler, thus, it’s hard to believe that Chicago will trade more draft picks.

They can offer defensive-players however, such as CB Corey Graham, LB Nick Roach and rookie DE Jarron Gilbert for Brandon Marshall and a draft-pick.

I picked those players, because other than draft picks, I doubt that Denver would want Chicago’s receivers, unless the Bears are willing to trade rookie Juaquin Iglesias or OT Chris Williams.

 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Buccaneers have Antonio Bryant and Kellen Winslow II as go-to receivers for the Quarterback to be named later, but after that, not much else.

One problem I have with this scenario is the mix of personalities.  Bryant, Winslow and Marshall all have checkered pasts, so I’m not sure that Tampa would want to deal with all three.

However, if Tampa Bay thinks they need another weapon to compete in the loaded NFC South, then I think they would trade for Marshall.

 

Seattle Seahawks

Okay, so they signed TJ Houshmandzadeh, but “The Housh” is going on 32 and had only average production in 2008.

After that, the Seahawks must rely on TE John Carlson, rookie WR Deon Butler, and the health of WR Nate Burleson and WR Deion Branch.

I’m still not sure about whether Matt Hasselbeck has anything left, but I do know that when a quarterback has receivers that can get open—it will take pressure off him, which can reduce the possibility of injury to Hasselbeck.

A scenario that seems feasible would be for Seattle to send Deion Branch and a draft pick to Denver for Marshall, where Branch would play for a former New England coach—which is the system that Branch began in back in 2002.

Arizona Cardinals

Sometimes deals that make too much sense, just don’t happen.

It would make the most sense for Denver to swap WR Brandon Marshall for WR Anquan Boldin.

For whatever reason, I just doubt that this one will happen.

 

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles aren’t in dire need for a receiver, but like the Giants, could use a more polished one. 

The Eagles could trade a draft pick and anyone of their many receivers: Hank Baskett, DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Kevin Curtis, etc.

 

New York Jets

If the Jets are willing to make an impressive offer, I think the Broncos would bite.

Really, the biggest question mark for the Jets is the experience of Mark Sanchez and whether Jericho Cotchery can be the number one receiver. 

Even then, the next best receiver is TE Dustin Keller, thus the Jets could use help at the receiver position regardless.

If the Jets are willing to go all-in on the deal and trade a first-round pick and a player or an additional pick, then I think that the Broncos would accept.

 

Oakland Raiders

I’m throwing this one there out just for kicks.  Considering that Al Davis loves to stock-pile receivers, I wouldn’t rule out an offer.

In the draft, the Raiders selected of course, WR Derrius Heyward-Bey and WR Louis Murphy, both of whom have solid pro-potential.

The other wild card is the status of DE Derrick Burgess.  The Raiders are shopping Burgess, so if Davis pulls another rare trade with Denver, then don’t be surprised if the Raiders acquire Brandon Marshall for Derrick Burgess, Louis Murphy and a draft-pick (and maybe Javon Walker as a salary throw-in).

The Reality of What I Really Believe (About Boston and The Patriots)

For regular readers and writers of the Bleacher Report, surely you know of my tirades about Boston fans and the New England Patriots.

Here then is a clarification, because perhaps you can understand the angle of my perspective on the issue.

I despise the myths perpetuated by the sports media, or those interested in the protection of their reputation…to the wrongful detriment of others (i.e. Al Davis).  Many of those myths are perpetuated by the “East Coast Bias” under the guise of objectivity. 

Especially since, Al Davis was an East Coast apostate who left Brooklyn for USC (not the University of South Carolina), and in my opinion, has been critical in the transformation of the sports world on the West Coast, as was Pete Rozelle and others.

Problem is, many of those journalists have actually convinced themselves of their objectivity, yet continue to spin myths from their bias. 

That is why I assert that a journalist must “Own Thy Bias,” because by owning your bias and putting it on the line, yet later stating things against your bias…then that is true integrity.

I also despise delusional thinking, such as, Boston fans that think the Red Sox represent the proletariat while the Yankees represent the bourgeois. 

That should indicate to you that there truly is an ‘East Coast Bias.’  Especially when a city like Oakland is in one of the mostly densely populated areas of the country, the SF Bay Area, yet has long been referred to as a ‘small market.’ 

It is not really a small market and all you must do to prove that is drive through Oakland or Fremont at rush-hour and I use the word ‘drive’ very loosely, but people have believed that it is a small market, which does make it difficult to attract free-agents, which can be detrimental to a team’s ability to succeed and thus, their ticket sales. 

What people want you to believe is that the East and South Bay are just subsections of San Francisco, when the reality is, the Bay is a wide array of people with different identities that don’t all identify with San Francisco.

Thus, I do assert that most of Oakland’s problems with ticket-sales have stemmed from the lies and myths about Oakland that are perpetuated in the media.

Sometimes I wonder if it’s just schadenfreude for the fact that the Raiders won the Super Bowl before the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams, while the Athletics would wander into Oakland from their mediocre days in Kansas City and win the World Series three times in the 1970s after the San Francisco Giants had long struggled with the Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals.

For a franchise like Boston that regularly has a payroll in excess of 100 million, it smacks of idiocy and narcissism to compare the Red Sox to proletariat.  Especially, when that team is able to snipe the best players from other teams (i.e. the Oakland Athletics).

A more accurate analogy for the rivalry between the Red Sox and Yankees is not proletariat vs. bourgeois, but rather, the rivalry after a divorce.  The Yankees got the the House that Ruth Built, while the Red Sox got the sickly cat and race car bed.

Your problem then was this: You thought that you had sniped the best, but still lost to the Yankees. 

Credit Where Credit Is Due

Let me make this as clear as possible.  I give credit where credit is due, however, I do not buy the nonsensical mentality of ‘admire ’em’ or ‘respect ’em.’

If you win, then you won.

However, I would much rather phrase it passively rather than to actively enable your ego by submission.  In an aside, I do believe that Curt Schilling does belong in the Hall of Fame, and that the main arguments against him, come from Yankee (and Cardinals) fans.

This might sound convoluted but, the Patriots earned their Super Bowl wins in 2003 and 2004, but I do believe that 2001 was a dubious win, while 2003 and 2004 were predicated mostly on the success of 2001. 

With that said, I do not argue that the Raiders would have won the Super Bowl in 2001-2002 because I’m not sure that they would have defeated the Steelers in Pittsburgh, but I do argue that New England would not have won without stealing-signals in 2001, and that the Raiders would have likely kept Gruden instead of trade him to Tampa.

The problem I have is that journalists and sports fans do not give credit where credit is due (i.e. the Raiders) and instead resort to defamation and other lies (i.e., ‘biggest post-Super Bowl collapse in NFL history’).

Generic lies and defamation only culminate in discord and dysfunction, such as Bill Callahan and the “dumbest team in America.”  That comment truly did symbolize the creation of a poisonous tree in Oakland in which reactionary decisions followed accordingly to the discord and dysfunction created by drama. 

The reality is … drama queens, not Al Davis, have sabotaged the Raiders

When people fail within the Raiders organization, their ego is tempted to use Al Davis as a scapegoat (i.e. Lane Kiffin, Michael Lombardi), and point to the success of Mike Shanahan.  When the reality is, Shanahan merely lucked-out, because he was able to coach John Elway.

All thanks to a media that loves to call itself unbiased with one hand, and perpetuate myths with the other.  The fact, however, is that most sports journalists are just bad poker players who reveal their bias with their tells.  Must be why many of them shoot Botox in hopes of masking their tells.

If Callahan had any real intelligence rather than the desire to fly on Gruden auto-pilot, then he would have adjusted the game-plan before the 2002-2003 Super Bowl against Jon Gruden and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

How could Callahan have done so, you say?  Well, even I knew that Tampa Bay’s front seven had trouble with bigger running backs, which is why they lost a game that season to the Philadelphia Eagles by the legs of Duce Staley.  In other matchups that season, the Eagles did not run Staley and instead focused on the passing game.

That begged the question: Why did Bill Callahan keep the ball from Tyrone Wheatley in the Super Bowl?  Wheatley was a bigger runner who was healthy at the time, yet the Raiders, not once, gave the ball to Wheatley.

I remain convinced that had the Raiders done so, the Raiders would have won that Super Bowl.

For those of you that question the importance of stealing signals, then chew on this: The reason that the Raiders lost that Super Bowl is that Gruden knew all their plays in advance, which is also information that a coach would have from stealing signals.

“Change your plays,” they all say. I say  a team should not be wrongfully forced to change plays when those plays are tailored to the skills of the personnel.  Thus, by stealing signals, a team is in effect depriving another team of their right to maximize strengths in order to mask the weaknesses of the personnel.

With that said, had Callahan merely given the ball to Wheatley, the Raiders would have won that Super Bowl. 

Where’s the Beef?

My other beef with Boston fans is that they love to be crybabies who act like nothing goes their way. 

The fact is that the Boston Celtics have benefited from some of the most lopsided trades in NBA history, one of which was on the back of my Golden State Warriors.

For those who don’t know, in 1980 the Warriors traded C Robert Parrish and the pick that landed F Kevin McHale to the Boston Celtics for C Joe Barry Carroll, aka Joe Barely Cares.

That trade helped build the foundation for the three championships by the Celtics in the 1980s.  That though is one reason I have torn allegiances with basketball teams.  It’s hard to follow the Warriors, but I can support the Lakers to beat the Celtics.

In other Celtic trades, the Celtics acquired Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett by trade before the 2007 season, both trades powered the Celtics to victory in 2008.

 

More Trades

When all is said and done, my San Jose Sharks benefited from the trade of C Joe Thornton by the Boston Bruins.

When it comes to the Raiders, people within the Raiders have lied to Al Davis, yet make him a scapegoat when things go wrong.  That is what I believe to be true, and a truth that I will defend, and one that others must accept as a sound argument.

The Patriots benefited from the collusion between Lane Kiffin and Michael Lombardi that sent Randy Moss to the Patriots for a fourth-round pick.  The myth has been that Al Davis pulled the trigger on that trade, when the reality was, Michael Lombardi did.

The other reality is, Kiffin is a cronyist and a “Master of Flops.”  Meanwhile, Lombardi proved that he was more loyal to his former colleague in Cleveland, Bill Belichick, than to Al Davis; especially since Lombardi was a dead man walking before he traded Moss, and would be fired two weeks later.

Lombardi told Davis that Moss had passed his prime, while he told Belichick that Moss could still run.  Meanwhile, Lombardi would assure Kiffin that Kiffin would receive his friend and former Trojan, Mike Williams, to replace Randy Moss.

Surely too, Lombardi must have believed that such a trade would position him well in any interviews for job-openings within the Patriots organization, but Belichick has yet to return that gesture. 

Likely because, the Patriots would be embroiled in the Spygate scandal, while Davis would accuse Lombardi of tampering; thus preventing the Patriots from hiring Lombardi without the appearance of impropriety.

So gloat if you want to that the Patriots acquired Moss for a song, just get the truth straight that it was not a blunder by Davis, but rather, an act of sabotage.

Thus, at the end of the day, all I’m saying to you Boston fans is to be grateful rather than pretend like you’re the victims of the sports universe.

Ingratitude is the reason why losing will begin

Frankly, gratitude is the reason why the Yankees won for so long.  Ironically, it it took cheating by the Patriots to win the Super Bowl in order for Red Sox fans to show gratitude.

All one must do is read the speech by Lou Gehrig on retirement from the Yankees.  Even in the face of death, Gehrig was thankful for all the things in his life from the squabbles to the success. 

The Yankees became ingrateful after winning the World Series four times with Derek Jeter and others, but lost in 2001.  Thus, they started throwing around money for players like Jason Giambi, Carl Pavano, and Alex Rodriguez and thus have struggled ever since.

That is truly a lesson that every one can learn from.

How the Oakland Raiders Can Acquire Vince Wilfork for Derrick Burgess

(This article is part of my application for CBS Correspondent)

I have previously written that the Raiders should acquire Vince Wilfork in a trade for Derrick Burgess.  Some thought that the trade would be unbalanced in favor of Oakland.

Well, here’s another scenario.

Carolina still must deal with the Julius Peppers situation and have been hesitant to act. 

I realize that multi-team trades are rare in the NFL, but are they impossible?  I doubt it. Thus if it fits your need, then why not?

The Raiders could send Derrick Burgess and a fourth-round draft pick to Carolina for Vince Wilfork, whom Carolina would acquire for Julius Peppers from New England.

Bottom line is…the Raiders cannot allow the “rich to get richer” by trading Derrick Burgess for less than he’s worth.  The Raiders need more help on defense, and should demand nothing less.  Rather than believe the lies within the media that pollute the decisions of the Raider turncoats that are only in the organization to enhance their résumé, the Raiders can make moves to improve their defense.

Thus, the Raiders must receive on-field talent for Derrick Burgess in 2009, particularly defensive tackles, in order to compete with the current players to ensure that the best talent is on the field for 2009.

Why the Oakland Raiders Should Trade Derrick Burgess for Vince Wilfork

The buzz is that the New England Patriots are interested in acquiring DE Derrick Burgess from the Raiders for a draft-pick in 2010.

After the fact that New England fleeced the Raiders in the Randy Moss trade (and that’s sugar coating the real word)—I say, the Raiders must get true fair-value.

For a two-time ProBowler who led the league in sacks—a draft pick is not fair-value.

A player like DT Vince Wilfork would be fair-value.

Think about it. 

Wilfork is a former ProBowler and in a contract year.  The Patriots selected DT Ron Brace in the draft as the potential replacement for Wilfork.

Derrick Burgess is also a former ProBowler in a contract year.  The Raiders selected DE Matt Shaughnessy in the draft as a potential replacement for Burgess.

The Patriots would get their rusher and the Raiders would get their run stopper on a one year basis—and can tag that player before free-agency if they need to.

I’m not sure there’s much else to say about that other than: What do you think, Raider Nation?

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