Raiders sign Culpepper

CBS5 reports that the Raiders have signed Free agent quarterback Daunte Culpepper to a one-year deal. The former Minnesota Viking and Miami Dolphin QB conducted a private workout for the Raiders in Florida, before flying out to Alameda on Tuesday for a full work out.

Financial terms of the deal are unknown. Culpepper's signing was motivated by the Raiders inability to sign 1st round draft pick JaMarcus Russell, who remains a holdout.

"We are very excited to have Daunte, and add him to the mix and see if he can help us," Coach Kiffin said. "We think that he adds definite competition."

Culpepper was released by Miami in June after they acquired former Kansas City Chiefs QB Trent Green. Miami tried to deal Culpepper, but they found no takers.

The signing gives the Raiders some new found depth at quarterback, although Culpepper wasn't exactly evasive in the pocket for Miami last season. Mirroring Andrew Walters woes, Culpepper was sacked 21 times in the first 4 games for the Dolphins.

Offensive line coach Tom Cable will have his work cut out for him, given the immobility of the Raiders QBs.

Camp Musings - Day 4

* Getting rookie TE Zach Miller signed and in camp was huge. Too bad things never worked out for Courtney Anderson.

* Not having 1st round pick JaMarcus Russell signed isn't the end of the world, given that he won't see a snap in a meaningful game in 2007.

* After 4 days of camp, 3rd round draft pick DE Quintin Moses is the rookie making the most obvious impression.

* Mike Lombardi joined the Denver Broncos as a personnel assistant. The over / under on Lombardi claiming the Raiders owe him back salary OR that he starts secretly bad mouthing Mike Shanahan is 6 weeks.

* Camp hasn't even broken yet and the Raiders are 150 to 1 long shots at taking the Super Bowl this season.

* If the Raiders are smart, they get Derrick Burgess inked to a new deal as soon as they can. While Lane Kiffen tries to mold an offense, the defense can turn itself into one of the best if the pieces are in place.

* Wonder if anyone will get to realize Jarrod Cooper's talents?

* What a difference a year makes. Jerry Porter is in camp, the coaching staff appears to have a plan and that Moss guy isn't stinking things up.

* Kiffen reminds me a Jon Gruden, minus the attitude. The can certainly handle the media. Offensive Coordinator Greg Knapp raves about his maturity. Can't wait to see the offense in action against real opposition.

First a Raider

Walsh at SJSU 1955

Football lost a giant on Monday. It's certainly not news to anyone reading this, because Bill Walsh, the legendary coach of the 49ers and Stanford Cardinal, was an icon. When icons pass, news travels like lightning.

The Raiders issued a simple statement...

"We are deeply saddened by the passing of Bill Walsh. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Geri, and two children, Craig and Elizabeth. He was a giant among giants and an innovator whose commitment to excellence was unparalleled.

"Bill began his legendary pro coaching career with the Oakland Raiders as offensive backs coach in 1966 and went on to achieve greatness in the coaching ranks, both at the college and professional level. Bill will be sorely missed."

The list of Walsh’s disciples is a who’s who of NFL coaches, and the list of those that tried to mirror his patented offense is even longer. Even with three Super Bowl rings, mentoring up & coming coaches was where Walsh found the greatest satisfaction. Passing on football knowledge was something he first learned to appreciate as a member of the Raiders coaching staff in ’66.

Under the wing of a renegade leader named Al Davis, Walsh was given his first shot in the NFL. 15 years later, he would turn a hapless franchise into a dynasty. There’s no doubt that Davis was responsible in part for the evolution of a coaching genius, and through it all the two remained friends.

The rivalry that the Raiders and 49ers maintain will always be bitter, but outside the lines, legends like Walsh and Davis always maintained a mutual respect.

In the begging, Walsh was a Raider. Once a Raider, always a Raider. May he rest in peace.

Preseason Power Rankings

Jason Cole and Charles Robinson from Yahoo Sports provide their preseason power rankings, with the Raiders firmly planted in the cellar.

From Cole:

The Michael Vick news dropped the Falcons from a spot in the middle all the way down to the bottom of the league. Wait, you say, Oakland is at the bottom of the league. Well, the Raiders are so bad that they are in a class by themselves at the bottom of the barrel.

From Robinson:

...Minnesota, Oakland and Cleveland all have major quarterback issues to be sorted out.

Checkout their complete rankings at [Yahoo Sports]

Big Hits, Bigger Headaches

Timely announcement coinciding with Sports Illustrated's article on "Big Hits" in the NFL.

NeuroLogica Corporation, a neuroscience-based medical imaging company, today announced that The Oakland Raiders will use the CereTom® portable and cordless CT scanner on site during the 2007 NFL season. The Raiders are the first NFL team to incorporate a technology that will allow for on-site and rapid assessment and diagnosis of head injuries. The CereTom produces instant high-quality images of the neck and head to diagnose various brain injuries and brain bleeds, as well as injuries occurring in the extremities including elbows, knees and ankles.

“Player safety is of paramount importance to us. We felt that the best interest of the Raiders organization was to ensure our players have access to this technology,” said The Oakland Raiders.

The CereTom allows a player to be scanned and diagnosed within minutes of leaving the field. The CereTom’s portability and small size allows it to be used anywhere in the stadium, including the locker room and training room. Scans will be instantly and wirelessly transmitted to a radiologist for diagnosis. The CereTom can also be used to scan and diagnose injuries occurring in the extremities within minutes from when they occur – which is more effective, efficient and comprehensive than the X-ray scans currently used by many NFL teams.

Well, I suppose if you can't upgrade the offensive line, you may as well invest in CT scanning equipment.

A bad week to be Mike Taylor

It’s been a hum-dinger of a week for the Raiders. It’s certainly been no picnic for team spokesman Mike Taylor. First the team gets rejected in the California Supreme Court on a long standing dispute with the league, then newly signed running back Dominic Rhodes is suspended for the first four games of the season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.

It can’t be much fun for Taylor, who has to deal with the questions that arise when things like this happen.

Heck even the practice squad guys are finding a way to make the wrong kind of headlines. On Thursday, backup defensive end Bryant McNeal was arrested on an outstanding warrant for defrauding a pawn broker back in 2005.

Bryant allegedly sold a Ranger Rover to a Florida pawn broker, even though he didn’t actually own the automobile. What I want to know is, why did the Raiders have this guy on the practice squad? They should have had him in the ticket office, hawking all those empty Coliseum seats last season.

While Bryant awaits extradition back to Florida, Rhodes gets to prepare himself for 4 weeks of R&R, while his teammates attempt to claw back to some semblance of respectability.

It’s baffling to think that high profile athletes still think they can get away with stuff like this. Rhodes hasn’t taken a snap in silver & black and he’s already sending the wrong message.

If the Raiders are serious about turning their ship around, then they need to come down hard on Rhodes. At least as hard as the NFLPA will allow (don’t get me started on the protections that they provide).

Lave Kiffin needs to nip this public relations fiasco in the bud by making an example of Rhodes. Would these shenanigans take place if Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick or Mike Shanahan were at the helm? Nobody is bigger then the team, and that’s the environment that Kiffin needs to establish.

Court loss is a chance for a new beginning

Monday was a bad day for the Raiders, and also a good day. It all depends on the perspective you take. After years of litigation and law suits, the Raiders closed the book on an ugly part of their history when the California Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of the NFL on an appeal to a 2001 ruling.

The case stemmed from a lawsuit that Al Davis brought against the league for undermining a stadium deal at Hollywood Park in Los Angeles. The case was appealed after Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Richard Hubbell ordered a new trial amid accusations that a juror was biased against the team and Davis for losing money on a football bet.

The court ruled in favor of the league because the judge didn’t provide details of the juror’s misconduct. Losing a court case isn’t exactly the best way to kick off your week, but what Davis really needs to do is to cut his losses and use this as the first day of the rest of his team’s life so to speak.

There’s no doubt in my mind that the Raiders have suffered on the field as a result of Davis’ legal exploits. How many new rules have been enacted because some referee twisted the spirit of the rule book on a fluke play by the Raiders?

The NFL is a club and Davis tried to exploit the club because he felt that he was being singled out. The result of those actions have resulted in 20 years of inequalities on the field. I’m not saying that referees were instructed to deal with the Raiders differently, but it’s only human nature for those referees to exact a little spite on behalf of the league. Who pays their salaries?

So now Davis has that litigation behind him. It’s time to move forward. Heck, why not even attempt to establish a little good will with the league and the other owners. There is no doubt that Al Davis is a respected football man. The same can’t be said for his reputation as a businessman.

The fact of the matter is, the league is not like any other business in the world. In the real world, you defeat your opponents by eating them for lunch. The NFL’s success is largely dependent on the ability for the league to market its product as a whole. It’s not communism, but football owners are franchisees. If the franchise goes belly up, so do the franchisees. Eating your own doesn’t work in this type of business.

In attempting to strengthen his franchise, he ended up doing more harm than good along the way. The slate will never be wiped clean if he doesn’t make amends with the rest of the league. As he spends the twilight years of his ownership run, he should be revered not reviled.

Dropping his existing lawsuits with the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority was a start. Now he needs to show the rest of the league that the Raiders can be a contributor to the greater good of the league. When that happens, the wins will follow.

The desperado needs to come in from the rain and start mending fences.