What happened to all of that salary cap space that was supposedly eaten up by the CRAAAZY spending spree that Al Davis and company have been on?
Unfortunately, I don't have access to Mr. Davis' checkbook register or his accounting books. If I did have access to any of it, I probably wouldn't tell you anything anyway for fear of losing that access.
The reason why I ask though is because I keep hearing and reading that the Raiders are either at the cap, or over it. As always, I can't see that any of that is true.
The last time the Raiders were in REAL salary cap trouble, they were still accounting for the ill-fated Larry Brown contract. My guess is that Mr. Davis learned back then how to balance that checkbook of his.
In case you haven't heard, the Raiders signed another QB today...or should I say re-signed? According to the transaction log, Jeff Otis has been signed again.
According to his Wikipedia page, he was signed one day short of exactly one year since the last time the Raiders signed him. How's that for consistency? Here's what Wikipedia says about his college career:
"He played for the Columbia Lions[2] in his NCAA career. Jeff ranks second in the All-Time
With this signing, the Raiders have now signed two Div II college quarterbacks in the same number of days. It's not uncommon for the Raiders to bring several QB's in before the start of the preseason, so this probably doesn't rate as huge news. At least it's something to chew on for the day.
Russell Sighting
Something interesting happened at the Oracle when the Lakers came calling upon the Warriors. Russell was courtside. After the rumors of him pushing 300 pounds, I expected to see a guy that looked more like Terdell Sands rather than what I did see, a semi-svelt big guy.
If you've read any of my past articles, then you know that I don't approve of the lack of true reporting that we often see in the media today. That's why I was interested to see if anyone would have the courage to write about how good Russell actually looked, despite what they've actually reported so far.
No such satisfaction was obtained. Raider Nation can take heart in knowing that their young gun is working and staying in shape. According to some reports, Knapp has said that he's been in the facility for several weeks now working out and studying everything he can.
If the Raiders have found the right formula of talent, they may have also found the right men to lead this team for years to come. With players like Asomugha, Fargas, Morrison, Howard and Russell, the Raiders have marquee players who put in the extra time to get better.
That is a big difference from the C-Wood/D-Russ/J-Porter days where players mostly relied on their abilities to make up for their lack of study.
Letter to the reader:
Thanks for all of the support. I've been reading your posts and have really enjoyed them. I'm so glad that many of you have voiced your opinions about the truth and fairness in journalism.
One thing is sure, Raider Nation is alive and well! The most visited articles have been Raider articles on Bleacher Report. While I can't speak for everyone here at BR, I'd like to take this time and promise to continue to give you honest and objective reporting.
I can't promise to always be good at it though, but I'll continue to bring my lunch pale and put in the work. If you're looking for truth, honesty, and fairness, you've come to the right place. While you may not always agree with me, you can count on the words to be as objective as possible.
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7 months ago
Wow Ron: I’m getting very excited about this team. I was curious if Russell was studying and training. Raiders have a lot of up swing for 2008 and Russell is in the center of it all. With his first year in training camp and preseason not to mention Kiffin’s concept the AFC West will be challenged by the Raiders. “The autumn wind is in the air”
from 7 months ago
JR has been with Knapp during off season studying the films. He is eager and I am excited too.
7 months ago
They still have no offensive line and until they do Russell better be ready to run and run lots. They won't challenge the division unless it is horrible again or they upgrade significantly, quickly on the O-line.
from 7 months ago
What? We have no offensive line? You have got to be kidding me. Tom Cable is the man. We signed Kwame to be our Tackle and that should be enough, hopefully. And Sims the Russell Killer is gone.
7 months ago
Another good article. Keep it up man.
7 months ago
Old Raider: I'm just not sold on M.Bush, L.Jordan or D.Rhodes. I do like J.Fargus and D-Mac as a serviceable attack that has to be recon with. It reminds me of the Duce & Bush thing in New Orleans. I believe the success of Russell depends on our rushing attack. So when we play action to D-Mac the defense must fear the run.
7 months ago
who is jeff otis ive never heard of him?
from 7 months ago
The best I can tell you is to click on the 'Wikipedia' link above. That's probably the most information you'll find about him anywhere.
7 months ago
they signed another qb too never heard of either of the 2 they signed though
7 months ago
kalimba edwards was a nice pickup though
7 months ago
I doubt that we will see either of the two new QBs stay on the roster after pre-season. It looks like Culpepper isn't get any offers anywhere else, so I wouldn't be surprised to see him stay on the roster as 2nd or 3rd string back up. The o-line is strong and I think that our 4 current RBs will take LOTS of pressure off J-Russ so he should have an easy time easing in and showing off the cannon of his. I actually have what I feel are reasonable hopes of a season above .500. Lets hope our D can stay healthy and we will certainly be giving teams a package as hard to handle as the Raiders of old.
(on a side note, I think I actually agree with the decisions Davis has made this off-season. Lets just hope he picks up Gholston!)
7 months ago
Jamarcus Russell is not 300lbs.....But Ughhh Jeff Otis And Erik Meyer?That Was no use of signing them they shulda signed a veteran quarterback like Daunte Culepper,Byron leftwich or someone around their tier you feel me?
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