Silver and Black Report

The Oakland Raiders continued to purge their roster of undesirable contracts on Monday when they released tackle Kwame Harris and fullback Justin Griffith.

Cutting both players cleared $8.3 million in cap space.

Harris, 26, signed a three-year $14 million deal last off-season and was given the starting left tackle spot in 2008. As the season wound down, his woes in pass protection and undisciplined play led to his demotion and eventual release.

The Raiders signed the former 26^th overall pick of the 2003 draft in hopes of getting the most out of his footwork and ability under the tutelage of Tom Cable. But Oakland gave up on the project just like the 49ers did when they realized that Harris was a defeated player and in need of a change of scenery.

Griffith suffered a torn ACL at Baltimore in October. His veteran leadership helped the younger players during camp, in the locker room and throughout the regular season. But with Oren O’Neal on the roster – also recovering from a major knee injury – and his cap number, the Raiders felt they could part ways with the pass catching fullback who is adept within the zone-blocking scheme.

Oakland will need to add a fullback due to their many questions on that unit and lack of depth there.

In total, the Silver & Black have saved $14.6 million in cap room since last week whey parted ways with Gibril Wilson, Ronald Curry and Kalimba Edwards.

Most of Oakland’s acquisitions from 2008 off-season have moved on; dating back to the in-season cut of DeAngelo Hall.

Another signing last year that may be on the verge of being released is wide receiver Javon Walker. Many reports indicate that Oakland will bite the bullet and rid themselves of the unproductive target, as he is due a $5 million bonus on March 3.

If the Raiders release the former Packer and Bronco, he will account for $14.16 million against their cap in 2009. At this point, it appears that Oakland is willing to absorb that hit now and move on with their younger and cost efficient set of receivers.

ANALYSIS

The Raiders had to get rid of Harris. Penalties, mental lapses and inconsistent play at left tackle as they try to develop a very talented and pricey quarterback could not be afforded. Not to mention that heavy cap number for inept play.

His career as a starter is likely over, as teams have seen him fail now in San Francisco and Oakland. Harris is tainted goods right now, and with his malaise and lack of confidence, its back to square one in order to revitalize a career that appeared promising coming out of college. He’ll probably land as a back up somewhere. Raider fans hope it’s in the AFC West.

Mario Henderson is the leading candidate to get the left tackle spot. The Raiders will likely need two new tackles. And with the draft having some intriguing options that are justifiable talents at their 1^st round spot, Oakland could target a tackle to help fix an offensive line that could have a lot of new starters in 2009.

Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

The Oakland Raiders cleared salary cap space on Friday with the release of wide receiver Ronald Curry, defensive end Kalimba Edwards and safety Gibril Wilson.

After signing Nnamdi Asomugha to the richest deal ever for a defensive back and retaining Shane Lechler for four more years with a contract that was dubbed “the greatest ever awarded to a punter in the history of the National Football League,” Oakland needed some relief in order to move forward with their off-season maneuvering.

Curry, 29, was expected to be a casualty some time ago, as they saved nearly $2.3 million by taking him off the roster. After posting 117 receptions in two prior seasons, the former 7^th round pick struggled in 2008 with a meager 19 catches for 181 yards and 2 touchdowns.

The wide-out was even benched midway through the season, which left him pondering his future with the team that gave him a chance to develop at wide receiver after starting his career as a quarterback on the scout team.

“It’s like the team gave up on me. You go from playing to getting one or two snaps a game, the decision is being made. I’m going to go out there and continue to work at practice, work at games and once the season’s over, the picture’s pretty clear,” Curry stated after his demotion.

Wilson was one of the major free agents acquired last off-season when the Raiders attempted to solidify the back-end of their secondary.

After winning Super Bowl XLII as a member of the New York Giants,Wilson cashed in on his success and inked a lucrative six-year, $39-million deal with the Silver & Black that included $16 million in guarantees and that would’ve  paid him $19.5 million over the first three years.

Wilson was one of the more outspoken Raiders in 2008, demonstrating good leadership on the field and during the tumultuous end of Lane Kiffin’s stay as head coach.

In November, he opened up and had one of the more compelling thoughts regarding the happenings in Oakland:

This is a soap opera over here, man. If this was New York there would have been about 50 media people around here. This is a soap opera. I just think we need to settle on something. We need to have a vision of where we’re trying to take this team. If you don’t have a vision and you’re just trying to plug in players, then you’re always going to get the same results. We’re not about losing. This is the first team that I’ve been in a situation like this ever since I been playing football. We gotta win. That’s all I’m worried about, getting a win. I’m getting phone calls from friends asking me what’s going on and all that stuff. Right now, to be honest, football’s not even really fun just because of all the losing and stuff. Coming to work is kind of hard. Now dealing with D getting cut and all that stuff…

One thing is losing and another is dealing with all the extra stuff. We have so much on our plate already. To deal with the extra stuff is not healthy for anybody, especially when you’re trying to get a game plan in and you’re trying to know what you’re supposed to do and all that. It’s not a healthy situation at all.

 The 27-year old tallied 96 solo tackles, 1.5 sacks and 2 interceptions in his only season in Silver & Black.

Edwards started 11 contests for the Raiders and compiled 5 sacks. After signing a two-year deal, the 29-year old defensive lineman was scheduled to make $2.25 million in base salary in 2009. 

Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

A day after agreeing to a four year deal with Pro Bowl punter Shane Lechler, the Oakland Raiders rewarded their other stand out player with the richest contract ever paid to a defensive back in league history.

Many reports indicate that Nnamdi Asomugha has inked a three-year deal worth $45.3 million with $28.5 million in guarantees.

Per a ESPN report, the deal features a provision in which the entire contract can be guaranteed if the Silver & Black decide to keep the cornerback throughout the entirety of the deal.

Asomugha, 27, is coming off his first Pro Bowl appearance and his second All-Pro designation (2006, 2008). A first round pick in the 2003 draft, the former California product has developed into one of the elite defensive backs in the NFL. Entering the 2006 campaign, Asomugha had no career interceptions, but that season, he tallied 8, as well as his first career touchdown on a 24-yard interception return versus the Pittsburgh Steelers. Being on a 2-win club, not having enough notoriety and complications with arranging a flight after being chosen as an alternate several hours before the game, obstructed the former first round draft pick’s path to his first NFL all-star game.

In 2007, opponents started neglecting his side of the field; earning the respect of quarterbacks with his crafty cover skills. But again, he was bypassed in the selection process for the Pro-Bowl – named only an alternate – despite being thrown at a meager 31 times with only 10 receptions completed to the receiver he was covering.

Before the 2008 campaign, he signed a $9.765 million tender after being tagged by the Raiders as their exclusive franchise player. That tag kept him off the market, and this off-season, it was believed that Oakland would tag him again even after he openly showed displeasure for the first time in his career regarding the state of the organization.

“Last year, Al (Davis) called me the day before just to let me know he’s going to do it, and then they waited until the very last possible second,” Asomugha said a few weeks ago. “I don’t know how they’ll do it this year, but the expectation from my agent is that the tag will happen.”

Asomugha outwardly critiqued moves by the organization during the season and his comments regarding his future with the team left many doubting whether he wanted to remain in Silver & Black.

“Yeah, uh, I won’t comment on that on what will happen next year, what will happen with me as far as the contract. I would say all those types of questions I’ll just say no comment.”

Agent Tom Condon represented both Asomugha and Lechler, with Raiders owner Al Davis being an active participant during the negotiations.

Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

Raiders.com is reporting the Raiders have re-signed All-Pro punter Shane Lechler to a four-year contract, dubbed “the greatest ever awarded to a punter in the history of the National Football League.”

That’s only fair, as Lechler’s career average of 46.8 yards a punt makes him the greatest punter in the history of the NFL, even exceeding those of should-be-Hall-of-Famer Ray Guy.

Lechler, a fifth-round draft pick in 2000, was feared to be headed out of Oakland after some comments suggested frustration with the team’s recent struggles.

However, Al Davis seemed likely to break the bank to keep one of his best draft picks ever, and apparently did just that.

Lechler, a four-time Pro Bowler, led the AFC in gross punting average last season, and led the entire NFL in the more important net average. He and kicker Sebastian Janikowski, chosen in the first round the same year, are among the mainstays of the special-teams units that thrived in 2008, and the longest-serving Raiders on the roster.

According to the NFL Network, the Oakland Raiders are ready to part ways with wide receiver Ronald Curry in a move that could save them up to $2.3 million in salary cap space.

Curry, 29, had been one of the more dependable players on the roster in recent memory. But after posting 117 receptions in two prior seasons, the former 7^th round pick struggled in 2008 with a meager 19 catches for 181 yards and 2 touchdowns. A turf toe injury, inconsistent play and difficulties integrating him into an aerial attack that ranked last in the NFL in passing yards per game were just some of the reasons his numbers dipped significantly.

The wide-out was even benched midway through the season, which left him pondering his future with the team that gave him a chance to develop at wide receiver after starting his career as a quarterback on the scout team.

“It’s like the team gave up on me. You go from playing to getting one or two snaps a game, the decision is being made. I’m going to go out there and continue to work at practice, work at games and once the season’s over, the picture’s pretty clear,” Curry stated after his demotion.

After showing toughness and determination, sustaining season ending injuries only to bounce back and produce on teams that struggled, Oakland signed him to five-year, $20 million extension that included $8.5 million guarantees.

He said in November, “It’s a tough pill to swallow, especially when you go from that to not playing at all. Like I said, the picture’s pretty clear. I feel like my past kind of speaks for itself and I’ve shown that I can make plays and hopefully my talent will be wanted somewhere else.”

Reports are also circulating regarding the future of Kwame Harris. The one-year experiment at left tackle with the former 49er was a disaster and at this point, a situation that may not be salvageable for the Raiders.

The Raiders could free up an estimated $7.2 million if they release Harris, who has an $8.8 million cap number for 2009.

ANALYSIS:

Curry was a model citizen, worked hard to get on the field after season ending injuries and at times, appeared to be the lone productive talent on offense through the years. But he did not warrant the big contract bestowed on him and at best, he’s a complimentary receiver and not the type of target you can depend on as a ‘go-to’ guy.

He was not happy with the happenings with the club this year and soured throughout 2008.

Yes the Raiders have a lack of talent at receiver and need an infusion at that position, but they ranked at the bottom of the league with Curry, and with the cap being a major issue for them this off-season, it’s a move that Oakland has to make if they want to find JaMarcus Russell a top tier receiver an improve the rest of the roster.

Curry is a good player, but not at that price. Moreover, the drops, mental lapses and dip in play were signs of a player that may need a change of scenery.

As for Harris, the time has come for Oakland to purge themselves of inept players. And he was a main reason why the offense sputtered with his penalties, sloppy pass protection and malaise at left tackle.

Tom Cable tried to get something out of the former 1^st round pick and it didn’t work. Incredibly enough, the Raiders did structure his deal in a way where they could severe ties with him without major ramifications. Probably the lone silver lining in their decision to bring in a player who at times looked defeated after games with no signs of confidence in his abilities. 

Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

Unlike the 2008 off-season, the Oakland Raiders are not likely to toss money around to big name free agents. With two key players of their own ready to hit the market, the Silver & Black need to find ways to lock up their prized cornerback, valuable punter and add talent to a team that has posted 24-72 record since 2003.

Nnamdi Asomugha earned $9.765 million last year after being slapped with the exclusive franchise tag. He could make up to $2 million more in 2009 if that tag is applied again, and with no signs of a long-term deal getting done and growing concerns about the teams direction – especially after Asomugha showed displeasure with happenings within the organization during the season – its quite possible that Oakland may have priced itself into a tight corner for the Pro Bowler.

Asomugha is a top priority for the Raiders, and keeping him is in their plans. But at what cost do they keep him?

Shane Lechler is also free to walk, and if they cannot work out a deal with Asomugha, then Oakland cannot use the tag on their punter. A franchise designation on Lechler will only cost them $2.48 million. Since Asomugha is more valuable, it’s likely they won’t be able to retain the six-time All-Pro, who has been through the ups and downs of this organization since entering the league and just last season, was punched in the face by teammate Terdell Sands during an argument on the team flight home from Denver according to several sources.

“We’ve got a tough problem with Nnamdi and Lechler, a tough problem,” Al Davis said in early February. “They’re both unsigned and you only have one franchise designation. I’m not resigned to anything, but I say it’s tough.”

It’s all but certain that one will go. And with an estimated $34 million in bonuses to players currently on the roster coming, there isn’t much this team will be able to do to upgrade several positions that are in dire need of help.

Wide receiver is one glaring problem. But with Javon Walker’s immovable contract, the Raiders will have to hope to squeeze anything out of him in 2009 and look forward to the likes of Johnnie Lee Higgins, Chaz Schilens or any of the other young targets to evolve into solid pass catchers for JaMarcus Russell. Drew Carter, who was acquired last season, but did not play in any regular season games due to a torn ACL, could come back and has stated that he would like to be back.

Along the offensive line, Oakland needs a serious upgrade at one and possibly two tackle spots. At this point, Mario Henderson has made the coaching staff more at ease with possibly handing him a job to start the season. But with very little after that and the cost of tackles in this market, Oakland will be hard pressed to find cheap good talent to protect Russell.

With the draft combine just around the corner, its safe to say that the team will make receiver and offensive line help top priorities especially with their cap situation.

This team has a lot of holes to fill. They have to surround Russell with better talent. But their resources will be very limited this off-season.

It’s time for them to be crafty with their personnel moves, draft well and groom talent to their best of their abilities

Something the Raiders have not done well in a long time.

Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

Ok – so the season is over and now we are getting a weekly injury report on two of the Oakland Raiders biggest talents?

These are the Raiders, and should we really be surprised that their prized rusher, Darren McFadden, had a minor arthroscopic shoulder surgery in mid-January?

The veil of secrecy, or deceit – whichever term fits appropriately – is just what Raider fans have been accustomed to. And per a report by the San Francisco Chronicle, a team spokesman was unaware of any injury, and was never mentioned in any of the weekly reports that are mandated by the league prior to the game on Sunday.

According to reports, McFadden first injured his shoulder early in 2008. In that same game he hurt his foot, an injury that lingered all season. The rookie did not finish the finale due to a bum ankle, and every time he was listed on medical reports, his toe was the culprit.

McFadden is expected to be at full strength when camps open up, but will he show signs of fragility next season?

Oakland needs McFadden on the field as much as possible in 2009. With the lack of pop in the offense and the diversity he can bring with his multi-purpose abilities, its imperative the new staff finds varying ways to get him the ball and keep defenses on their toes.

The owner already has hinted how he would like to see more of the former Arkansas star in the mix, “McFadden is tough for the defense,” Al Davis said last week. “You put him and (Michael) Bush in the backfield. You got your two wide receivers and you stick McFadden in the slot and you have to cover him as a wide receiver. …McFadden is a dangerous player but we’ve got to find out what he can do. We don’t know that much about him.”

JaMarcus Russell first hurt his ankle midway through the season and re-aggravated it in December. Last week he underwent minor ankle surgery as stated by Davis some time ago.

When Russell did miss time in 2008, the cause was a bruised bone in his knee and not the ankle that has been attended to lately.

Stay tuned, maybe the Raiders will update the inactive list for the off-season. 

Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

The Oakland Raiders re-signed cornerback Chris Johnson to a four-year contract on Thursday, according to his agent.

The monetary terms of the deal have not been disclosed, but this move, which is the first significant personnel transaction of the off-season for the Silver & Black, is the initial step in keeping the secondary in tact.

Pro Bowler Nnamdi Asomugha can become a free agent again, but the Raiders intend to slap the exclusive franchise tag on him for a second straight year. Oakland has until February 19 to make that decision, something Asomugha expects to happen once again.

“Last year, Al (Davis) called me the day before just to let me know he’s going to do it, and then they waited until the very last possible second,” Asomugha said Wednesday per a report in the San Francisco Chronicle. “I don’t know how they’ll do it this year, but the expectation from my agent is that the tag will happen.”

The Raiders need to work out a long-term deal with their best player. Asomugha has earned his payday, playing for a lowly franchise since entering the NFL and developing into a premier player at his position while being a model citizen and a fan favorite. Last year was the first time he showed any displeasure regarding the happenings in Raider-land, yet he played his finest football in earning his first pro-bowl honors.

It should have been a slap in the face to Asomugha when the Raiders traded for and forked over a huge sum of money to DeAngelo Hall last off-season.

Hall is now gone, Johnson became the beneficiary of his departure, but Asomugha still remains the one guy in the secondary that has not been compensated accordingly.

The time is now for Oakland to do so.

Asomugha won’t scoff at the big payday when he gets hit with the franchise tender, which will net him one of the highest salaries at his position. But what he really deserves and what the Raiders really need is to lock him up and ensure that he is around when and if this team starts righting its ship. While others around get long-term deals, you have to wonder whether or not Asomugha feels insulted about not getting what he has earned.

Johnson cashed in on his three interceptions, 12 passes defended and a forced fumble after replacing the dumped Hall midway through the season. His man-to-man prowess lends itself better to the prototypical Raider cornerback mold, something Hall never adjusted to, and surely a style that Raider owner Al Davis would like to see on the field, especially since the former Falcon was torched on national television in the season opener and in other instances throughout the season.

The former seventh round pick of the Green Bay Packers was actually one of the better defenders as the season wound down and his loyalty to the Raiders was a deciding factor on why he would remain in Silver & Black.

“It was the best opportunity for him,” agent Anthony Brown said. “His loyalty was to Mr. Davis for all the wonderful things he’s done for him.”

Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

On Monday, the Oakland Raiders announced the hiring of offensive line coach Jim Michalczik.

With 18 seasons of college coaching experience, including the last seven at the University of California, Michalczik believes in a similar offensive philosophy as Raider owner Al Davis.

In 2007, Michalczik stated on California’s official web site, “To have a great offense you have to be able to strike any part of the field in multiple ways at any time, and you have to be physical.”

With Tom Cable at the helm of the offense and being the head man on the sidelines, it was imperative to find staffers that could alleviate some duties and add stability to the various units on this lackluster offense.

Paul Hackett was brought in as quarterbacks coach; to further JaMarcus Russell’s development and add an experienced game planner to an offense that ranked 29^th in scoring offense. Ted Tollner was added as a passing game coordinator to support Cable who will continue to call plays from the sidelines as he did in the latter part of 2008 when he stripped Greg Knapp of those duties.

Michalczik will likely inherit Cable’s zone blocking scheme, which has helped turn around an offensive line that was in shambles two years ago.

With a talented trio at running back, the Raiders will like to get back to a more power running style and Michalczik could help ease the transition.

But with so much instability along the trenches, it will be a tough task to get this offensive line solidified.

Robert Gallery is a lock at left guard and tackle Mario Henderson has earned a spot after his strong finish. Beyond that, Oakland has many questions.

The Kwame Brown experiment failed, Cornell Green would’ve been public enemy number one along the line if not for Brown’s ineptness and center Jake Grove and guard Cooper Carlisle will be free to test the market.

Considering that they have a young passer still developing and a plethora of talent in the backfield, its mind boggling to think that the Raiders have not addressed the lack of talent along the offensive line and whether or not they will do so this off-season.

They cannot continue to hope for something to stick in their efforts to plug failures from elsewhere to this young offense.

Whether via free agency or the draft, its time for the Raiders to upgrade the talent level and play of their offensive line.

SBReport.net was in attendance when Oakland Raiders’ owner Al Davis opened up to talk about varying topics at the team’s facility in Alameda. Here are some quotes from the session:

Davis talking about the team going younger:

[Kiffin] wouldn’t do it. Yeah, he wouldn’t do it. That’s why he got fired.

Tom [Cable] tried to start breaking it in. But there was resistance from certain assistants, and their not here.

The idea was to go young, because we were young.

Someone the other day said we had to go get a receiver. We should’ve drafted Calvin Johnson instead of JaMarcus Russell. He continued, “But their record was 0-16 last year with Calvin Johnson.”

Then [someone said] we should’ve drafted Larry Fitzgerald. But the year we didn’t draft Fitzgerald, we drafted a guy that was considered the best offensive lineman in the draft. We had as I said, Jerry Rice, Tim Brown, Jerry Porter; who everyone had thought had greatness in his future.

What kind of effort you made in trying to keep Rob Ryan around?

I like Rob Ryan a lot, but it was time to make a change.

It was time for him to move on.

What about Brian Schneider (special teams coach)?

Well, Brian did well. John Fassel did real well and you have to remember, one of the things that hurt us on special teams for a short period in the middle of the season was when we lost probably the best special teamer we’ve had in a long while [Tyvon] Branch.

We were good on returns, no question about it. But [the opponents returns], against us, we were not great.

[Schneider] wanted to go, and young Fassell is a young talent that we think is pretty good.

On Tom Rathman

The only coach that left, that really we probably would’ve kept at his position was Tom Rathman. And he wanted to go over there, we understood that, that’s where his history was made…

Whether Davis’ old offense works in this new era of football:

They certainly don’t say it now.

When we started 2000, 2001, 2002; I thought we had chance to run this decade. We didn’t do it. It slipped away from us. And we became mediocre.

In every decade, as I told you before, in every decade that started since the 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s, we’ve played in the championship game at the start of the decade. And the vertical game, you got to throw the ball deep. There’s no one around who can win without doing it, Whether it will be Arizona, or Pittsburgh.

If a coaching change at the start of the 2008 season would’ve made a difference:

I tried to reason with the guy [Kiffin]. I thought we could get something out of him. And I wanted to push it through to see if I could push it through. I guess it was my stubbornness too. But he was bad, He was a liar – flat out. Which I told you. I’m never broken away from it. They know it. The players know it.

All he wanted to do is get out of here and get his money.

Greatest needs in terms of player personnel:

We’ll let you know in a little while. I’m interested to hear how they evaluate our players and what they think of them.

We have a general idea; we’ve got a tough problem with Nnamdi [Asomugha] and [Shane] Lecher. That’s a tough problem. Both are un-signed and we only have one franchise [tag].

On hiring Cable, finally deciding on him:

Just listen to him. Just the fact what he did with the team at the end.

His excellence with the offensive line was never in doubt. He always did well with them.

He’s good, he really is. He really loves football; he has a passion for the goddamn thing.

On Mario Henderson:

We took a left tackle and didn’t play him the whole season because he was my pick. And then when he got in the goddamn game, in the couple games he played– he dominated the game.

On the stadium situation:

I like this stadium right here, I like this location right here.

Sharing a stadium:

I would have to think about that.

Can the Raiders succeed with the current stadium lease and revenue generated:

It’s very difficult. Yeah, it’s very difficult. Succeed? Yeah, it’s very difficult. Because when you talk to me about free agency and things like that, off-course its difficult. It’s ridiculous not to say. You have to have the finances to compete with other teams.

I’m not used to building stadiums.

Do you expect a playoff run next year?

No.

I do like to win Super Bowls, but I’m also realistic. We can win the division. But winning Super Bowls – No. I don’t think this team is ready to win a Super Bowl. We may be a year away from putting a good group together.

On Paul Hackett:

Number two [JaMarcus Russell] – that is a formidable thing. I really think Hackett can handle him. I really feel good about that.

Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist