Oakland Raiders' Offense Is Suffering: Why Isn't Javon Walker Playing?

It’s no secret the Raiders have a struggling quarterback.  More than anything, what is needed are guys who can make plays downfield to help ease the burden.  With Chaz Schilens injured, most of the playing time has been going to rookies Darrius Heyward-Bey and Louis Murphy.

DHB is a ways away from being a consistent playmaker.  Louis Murphy has made the most of his opportunities or at least has been positioning himself as best as possible.

Zach Miller has been unable to spring free much of the time from the tight end position.

We only see brief glimpses of Todd Watkins.

Johnnie Lee Higgins is also used sparingly as a receiver.

There is, however, a guy on the roster who has the experience to make big plays happen and he is not being given any playing time.

Last year, Javon Walker was considered a joke after his Vegas mugging experience and then wanting to quit the team.  He did not produce on the field very much either.

Then he had leg surgery without informing the team this past offseason

Though Walker appears to be in playing shape right now, Head Coach Cable says Walker is still recovering from injury or sometimes he hints that Walker has not earned playing time.

For his part, Walker has looked sharp in workouts.  He may be a little rusty with his routes but a guy with his experience just needs the reps and he’ll get back into the routine.

So at this point, does it not make sense he is a solid option to be a reliable target for  JaMarcus Russell?  Is there a legitimate reason why Walker is not getting any time on the field?

Let’s be realistic, Walker is not playing because Al Davis insists on DHB and Murphy getting the majority of playing time.

This is not a Sanjay Lal call (WR coach) or a decision by Tom Cable.  This is direct influence by Al Davis to deny Javon Walker.

We have to ask why this is so since the evidence is staring us in the face.

Every season, Al selects his doghouse victims, while oblivious to how much he is paying those guys he just doesn’t want to see them play.  That is the sum total of Al's reasoning.

One would think he would just waive the guy, despite a guaranteed contract.  Al does not seem to care he is paying them anyway to sit.  One would think the sight of his doghouse victims in a Raiders uniform would disturb Al but it does not.

Al just does not want some guys to play for whatever reason. 

I think Al just likes making guys bewildered and frustrated.  It’s a personal thing, not a football thing or a medical thing or business decision.

There is no reason Javon Walker is not playing other than he is being punished for (in all likelihood) getting surgery without team consent.

So Al continues to make bad decisions based on his own ego.  Rather than help the team when they desperately need a veteran receiver on the field, he chooses the egotistical way.

He will of course tell us that he expects DHB to become great.

The sad part is Javon is oblivious to Al’s vendetta.  Javon says he’s ready to play.  No one has communicated to him any explanation why he is not on the field even a little bit.  That would be par the course as a member of the Raiders.  The front office can’t be bothered with those types of details.

So, the offense suffers.  Who’s to blame?  Not the coaching staff.

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