Khalif Barnes Gets Me Pumped

David White catches up with new tackle Khalif Barnes and asks him five questions. My favorite question and answer:

Q: Tom Cable said you'll compete at left tackle, but some think you'll be on the right side. Your plans?

A: "I'm so determined to be this franchise's left tackle for the next nine years. I know that's a big challenge but that's my goal. What better place to be a dominant left tackle than with the Raiders? I get a chance to come in here and start I'm not going to let it go."

The next nine years? That's a nice commitment, seeing as he only signed a one-year deal. And showing his grasp of Raiders history by alluding to this guy (no, not that guy) shows he's doing his homework.

Nothing but Right

I'm fond of saying, "When you sign up to be a Raiders fan, you sign up for Al Davis for life." Sure, Al makes life difficult at times. But his grip on the organization just isn't going to change, and I'm not convinced that his grip will loosen beyond the grave.

That being the case, this is shaping up to be a really good offseason in terms of holding onto key players from last year and plugging holes as needed. Al still has something other than money to offer.

Khalif Barnes: "Mr. Davis has a track record of taking care of his own guys and he promised me the same, if I take care of my business on and off the field."

Chris Johnson: "Mr. Davis brought me off the streets in '07 when i first came here and I just wanted to be loyal to him for helping me start my career over. It wasn't nothing but right for me sign back here to solidify the No. 2 corner with Nnam ... We're probably the best combination in the league."

Of course, all of this important stuff is going on while the Lane Kiffin depositions take place. If we didn't have some crazy drama going on there would obviously be something wrong.

Aloha

Checking in from the beach in Maui while taking advantage of the Marriott's property-wide wi-fi. Approximately half of the CLOAK's readership is here enjoying a cup of coffee alongside me: Unk and Mikey. The whales are jumping, the sun is out.

And the Broncos have turned into a soap opera.

Despite Gwen Knapp's extremely backhanded compliments in that article, even SFGate has become a joy to read during this offseason thanks to David White's steady blogging. And on Monday he staked out the Raider facility to scoop a number of additional re-signings, including kick returner Justin Miller, a former Pro Bowler who returned two for TDs in about half a season last year.

With the Khalif Barnes signing, one would have to say this offseason has been a success. The Raiders played that one right, getting their guy at their price. And ESPN's article on the signing shows that Al can still talk a guy into playing for the Raiders.

There are plenty of holes yet to fill, but we have a draft coming and lots of time to plug in just a few more free agents. The big question is going to be the defense. How much of the problem against the run is personnel, and how much was scheme? Will Marshall change the scheme much or is it preordained by Al himself? Regardless, the Raiders should probably plug in a safety and pass rusher as free agency continues, then focus on drafting a WR and Tackle to play with JaMarcus for a long time to come.

But so far, so good. Kind of like my vacation.