Is It Time For Oakland to Play It Smart? T.O., Haynesworth Options

Let's do a quick recap, just in case someone tuned in late.

Oakland went into the off-season and after a time, kept Tom Cable as a coach.

They brought in Hue Jackson, as another coach, to help out.

They also ditched several players, some as free agents, but also got rid of Cornell Green.

Then they went to the draft and turned in a major coup for the fans.

The biggest shock of the draft didn't involve a player this year, but the trade of a pick for Jason Campbell, starting a chain reaction of events leading to JaMarcus Russell's departure.

Got all that?

Good. Now the Raiders are starting to rumble again, as some sources think the Raiders are looking at Terrell Owens and Albert Haynesworth.

Both are not bad players, but the issues that arrive with both players can make anyone uneasy.

First Terrell Owens, former 49er, Cowboy, Eagle and Bill. Not in that order, of course.

Granted, he still feels he can contribute in the league, even if he has lost a step. Last season with the Bills, he produced 55 catches, 829 yards and 5 TDs. Moving those numbers to the Raiders, he would have been the second highest reception total while leading the team in yards and TDs.

And most people agree that last year, Terrell Owens had a down year.

With all that, Owens is a tempting target to look at for a free agent, but only under two conditions.

The first, is Terrell's attitude. Will this be the Throw me the D-ball Terrell we all hated with the Eagles? Or will this be a team player for the Raiders, who is willing to help himself and everyone around him grow better?

Second, is his contract. If we sign him, let's not sell out the farm for a player who is running out of time. Terrell Owens may still have gas in the tank, but forget about a contract with seven zeros in it. At age 36, Owens has, if he stays healthy maybe 3 more years to play. Historically, these are not the bread and butter seasons careers are made out of, and I don't think Owens is the next Jerry Rice.

It might also be noticed, that if Owens numbers are impressive, it stands to reason that those numbers came with a Bills quarterback—not JaMarcus Russell.

The second name that has the press tied up is Albert Haynesworth, a man-child of muscle that loves to tackle. At Defensive Tackle, he doesn't get interceptions, but can control the game where it meets him, on the line of scrimmage. He's collected 28 sacks, knocked down 23 passes in his career and picked up 228 tackles, by himself.

But he seems to make a lot of noise off the field, as he does on it.

When he gained free agency from the Titans, he signed a monster of a contract, about the size of an Al Davis deal—with the Redskins.

After a single year and the Redskins planning on switching to a 3-4 defense, Albert wants out, even after all the money the team dropped in his lap.

How nice, a million-dollar baby. Didn't we just have one of those named Russell?

At least Haynesworth did have some production, but nothing like the last season in Tennessee.

As things go, Haynesworth would be a useful plug-in for our defensive line which in previous years has been near the bottom in stopping the run.

But at what cost?

With the draft, the Raiders did pick up some new blood, with people quietly contemplating the team switching to the 3-4. Cable thinks of it as a "look", something other teams wouldn't contemplate.

Personally, I think the sticking point for Albert would be money. And what happens if Albert isn't happy?

We have Russell 2.0, and we're still working to lock up Richard Seymour for a long term deal.

Personally, let's keep going in the right direction and let these two find another place to call home.