InsideBayArea.com columnist Dave Del Grande has proclaimed that Oakland will — or at least should — take JaMarcus Russell with the the first overall pick. In fact, he asks the question “why?” when hearing that Lane Kiffin, Al Davis, and the Raiders are unsure.
OK, I understand what’s going on. The Raiders are 99-percent sure they’re going to take JaMarcus Russell. They just don’t want anyone else to know that.
But here’s the problem with a smokescreen: Depending upon which way the wind is blowing, you might be sending a potentially dangerous smoke signal.
I mean, what’s Russell thinking right now? I’ll tell you what he’s thinking: The Raiders aren’t sold on his abilities, so they’re exploring other options.
Here’s the problem with this assumption: as of now, yes, the Raiders are fairly certain they will take Russell with the first overall choice. But even if they are simply blowing hot air with their talk of potentially selecting Johnson first overall, I don’t think Russell is concerned that Oakland is “exploring other options.” I’m sure he understands, as every NFL fan seems to, that the Raiders are simply playing the media.
But even if the team is considering the selection of Johnson, they would only do so under the right circumstances. For example, pretend the Dolphins dangle injured quarterback Daunte Culpepper as trade bait because they plan to take Brady Quinn if the first round; if the Raiders decide they can still get a few good years out of Culpepper before his strong arm and broken body begin to seriously fail him, they may take the opportunity to add two Al Davis-type players to the roster: Culpepper and Johnson.
Sure, the team loves Russell. Al Davis mentioned his name in the same sentence as Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway, so I’m pretty certain Russell isn’t concerned that the Silver and Black don’t have faith in him. But if the right opportunity presents itself, don’t be surprised if the “99-percent sure” Raiders take Calvin Johnson instead of Russell.
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