Oakland Raiders
There's been some mild debate about this year's draft. The Oakland Raiders have the dubious honor of sitting atop the draft board and their selection has been virtually set in stone. After the Bowl game Jamarcus Russell appeared to be the shoe in for the spot. Not because he's the best player available, but because he's the best player at his position available (Quarterback, the Raiders position of most need).

Meanwhile, Scouts are practically messing their pants everytime Calvin Johnson worksout. They text their buddies about his physical abilities and drool over what he could be in a few years. They say his the best player they've seen in years.

Then the Houston Texans up and trade for Matt Schaub. They've named him the starter and are actively shopping David Carr. That same Carr they took with their first ever drafte pick and number one overall in 2002.

I guess we shouldn't really be surprised this happened though. Starting in 1970 here is the list of Quarterbacks taken 1st overall:

1970: Terry Bradshaw
1971: Jim Plunkett
1975: Steve Bartkowski
1983: John Elway
1987: Vinny Testaverde
1989: Troy Aikman
1990: Jeff George
1993: Drew Bledsoe
1998: Peyton Manning
1999: Tim Couch
2001: Michael Vick
2002: David Carr
2003: Carson Palmer
2004: Eli Manning
2005: Alex Smith

Needless to say, there's been a big interest in Quarterbacks lately. The list includes plenty of talented guys, hey they wouldn't have been taken were they not talented. But it yields very few winners. And that's the idea when you take a Quarterback first overall. It's not enough to get a good guy, a guy who can help your team win games. You must get a great guy and one who will help win you Superbowls.

Some people would say those QB's who didn't win a Superbowl but were taken 1st overall simply didn't have the pieces around them or the coaching above them. But part of being a winner is making others better. A Quarterback taken 1st overall must be next to a miracle worker or else he will not be worth it. He must lead you to a Superbowl or you "should have taken somebody else."

And that brings me back to Russell. Is he great? That's the question the Raiders must think long and hard about. Will he lead them to the Superbowl, work with the coaches to get there, and make his teammates better? Taking a Quarterback first overall is risky because his not winning a Superbowl makes him a bust (Drew Bledsoe*, Michael Vick both turned their teams around but never won the big prize and have been much criticized for it [I realize Vick still has plenty of time]).

Personally, I think the Raiders should sign David Carr. I believe the kid has great talent but was handled poorly in Houston. I feel for Matt Schaub because I think he has great talent but he's going to Houston. The Raiders could sign Carr and rework his contract to more friendly terms, giving him one year to prove himself. Then they could do what they know they should do: draft Calvin Johnson.

The Raiders need a prolific receiver to make up for their many shortcomings. They need somebody who will make every catch no matter how poorly delivered. Johnson, allegedly, meets this mold and would be well worth the first round draft pick. Plus, it's much easier to recover from a Wide Receiver bust than a QB bust (seems like there are more reliable WR's than QB's).

Once they've signed Carr and targeted Johnson they can get about the business of trading Moss. I don't think they'd trade him to Houston for Carr (unless Houston threw in some serious sweetners) so they should try to look for the best deal out there. A second first round pick would be nice but I think Moss' value is in the second round plus some other incentives.

If they could get a nice lineman and some picks for Moss they'd be on their way to rebuilding their offense. It doesn't have to be prolific or anything since their defense is pretty good; it just has to score some points. Something they couldn't do at all last year.

If the Raiders did this I think they'll have a far better chance than drafting Russell, still having to rebuild the offensive line, and still having to deal and then replace Moss.


*Drew Bledsoe never lead a team to a Superbowl win though he does have a ring courtesy of Tom Brady.

Raiders Should Draft Johnson

Everybody's saying how the Raiders should snap up Jamarcus Russell like he's the hottest commodity since fire. Well, not everybody. Read this mock draft, for instance.

But it's something I've been thinking about for a bit. Calvin Johnson by all reports is a physical freak. Supposedly out jumping the machine designed to measure vertical leap among other feats. He's reportedly by far the best player in the Draft and best receiver in years.

If all this is true, and it appears to be, and Johnson is really such a phenom then the Raiders would be stupid to pass on him. They need a top receiver and pairing him with Joey Porter could do wonders.

Then, of course, theres the question of quarterback in Oakland. The Aaron Brooks experiment failed miserably and Andrew Walter appeared lost in that dysfunctional offense. They'll need someone smart and tough; someone who can make the reads quickly and get the ball to Porter and Johnson.

That's why I think the Raiders should  trade Randy Moss to Kansas City for Trent Green.

That's right, trade him to division opponents and watch him eat away at their soft core as he did in Oakland. Green's still a good Quarterback and would give Oakland a few years to find that marquee QB.

They've just singed Dominic Rhodes to compliment LaMont Jordan and their one-two punch should give the offense a little more power next season. If they start shoring up their line then they could address their QB situtation and get rid of a cancer at the same time. Maybe even get a draft pick out of it.

If they did this then they would get the best player in the draft, get rid of Moss, get a quality Quarterback (not a franchise QB, they're aiming too high right now), and give teams someone to worry about opening up more room for Porter.

With the Raiders Defense all the offense needs to do is score at least a couple touchdowns a game (something they couldn't do last season) and control the ball. With this running combination, talented receivers, and savy QB they would have a shot at being near .500 next season.