Qbert wrote:i'd HATE to side with m2 on this?
Thanks, q.
Your reputation was on the line there.
Actually, the more I think about this, the more it makes sense...
that and a bottle of 1989...FLEUR d'ALEXANDRA.
-- Al Davis might like QB's who throw the long ball, and Russell is certainly that...but Davis also doesn't like drafting QB's in the first round, nor does he like starting rookies at QB.
-- Maybe getting rid of Art Shell is a sign that Davis is ready to show a little deference to a good young offensive mind (similarly to what he did with Gruden) after years of failure. Maybe he has finally come to terms with the fact that he has run the organization into the ground over the last 9,000 beers, and some new ideas are in order? If that is the case, I could see Kiffen lobbying to bring in a guy like AR rather than starting with an inexperienced (but admittedly very talented) QB who is leaving college as a jr., etc.
-- Davis might also be thinking about it in terms of $$$ -- and AR at QB would bring in the local Cal fans.
-- AND Davis might be thinking about it in terms of what he can get for the #1 pick now that Russell is becoming a hot commodity.
-- Moss for AR also makes a lot of sense for both teams. Both teams get rid of a guy they clearly don't want anymore. Green Bay shows Favre that they are committed to putting lots of talent around him and helping him win now. Favre continues showing up, selling tickets, and throwing picks. Moss gets the hint that Green Bay might be the last team willing to put up with him if his antics continue, and shapes up. Meanwhile, the Raiders add a QB who was formerly thought of as a potential #1 pick, but with at least some NFL experience. This makes the #1 pick this year expendable, so they can trade down, get more picks, and get some young talent on the offensive side of the ball (a strategy that seems to have worked reasonably well on the defensive side)...most notably, a running back of Adrian Peterson or Marshawn Lynch calibre, which the offense desperately needs...especially since I don't expect to see LaMont Jordan in silver and black next year.
As far as the offensive line worries go, I have to think that even Al Davis can see that this is a problem that requires immediate attention. I suspect that the line is going to get a facelift this offseason. Sims (the biggest problem) is as good as gone. With all the free agent money the Raiders will have, they might make a run at Luke Pettigout, who was just released by the Giants because they would have owed him a lot of money. Grove and McQuistan are not a problem (McQuistan is young but seems like he's going to turn out fine), and Gallery will continue to improve, but maybe should be moved back to the right side for now, especially if the Raiders can sign a free agent veteran OT like Pettigout...and maybe big Langston Walker could be squeezed in at OG to replace Sims. Grab another free agent vet to start at RG (rookies from the Ivy League don't really cut it as starters in the NFL I'm afraid). And all of a sudden, you have a decent NFL offensive line...good enough, at least, to protect a quick release QB like AR.
Yeah...I'm liking this in a way a protective brother would of his retarded brother. But yeah...still sounds way too good to be true. This is the Raiders, after all.
