Bill Williamson Talks Raiders on ESPN

Following up on Dan's excellent post from yesterday, the only thing I can really say is that at least people are talking about the Raiders again. I still don't think the weirdness of the Kiffin firing can ever be topped, but if what Williamson is saying is true, and Javon Walker, Tommy Kelly, Kwame Harris, Gibril Wilson, and Gerard Warren are all cut during the off season at the latest, then it's clear that perhaps the denial that Alameda's been mired in for the last 5 years may finally be fading.

We can only hope. It's come at a great cost: 2nd and 5th round picks for Hall. Plus all that Salary Cap money in the guarantees to Walker. Especially after Al could have just let Javon retire and it would have cost him NOTHING.

But sometimes lessons are expensive. There is a good core of players here. I'm not trying to sound like Tom Cable, but I think there really is a foundation to build on here. JaMarcus, Nmamdi, the Linebackers, Run DMC. And didn't Super Mario play pretty well in Buffalo?

So the weirdest thing of all may just be Al Davis looking himself in the mirror and understanding that he's made some atrocious moves in the last couple of years, and taking action, no matter how embarrassing or drastic, to finally, actually remedy things.

Waiting for Tape Delay

We should be used to tape delay after weeks of Olympic "spoilers." While watching track & field and unfortunately already aware of the disastrous results, I couldn't help but think of Al's love for Olympic sprinters at the WR position as the US men's 4x100 relay team dropped the baton in qualifying. It looked painfully familiar.

So tonight we will watch to see whether any of the current Raider WRs can get open and catch. The good news is that Walker and Carter welcome the attention. The bad news...well, all visual evidence so far suggests they shouldn't. Making this more difficult will be the tantalizing presence of a disgruntled Anquan Boldin, one of my favorite WRs in the league.

Run defense is another area of focus for tonight's game. I'm afraid we may have to discount positive results, however, given the stagnant Arizona running game. But we can look to the details - Kelly blowing up lanes, Sands staying low and eating up blockers, Morrison running free, Wilson plugging gaps, etc. Based on the Tennessee game, long runs continue to be a problem for this defense, so it would be nice to see them eliminate those tonight.

Johnnie Lee Higgins. This guy is under my microscope. He has thus far proven to be worthless as a WR, yet somehow we've stuck ourselves with him as the only viable returner on the team. (Is it even worth pining for Carr in light of our thin CB ranks? Of course not.) If JLH does something dumb - again - tonight, then it's time to look to the scrap heap for a punt returner and give Schilens a roster spot.

The offensive line should be interesting to watch tonight given the pass-heavy game plan and extended playing time for both JaMarcus and the OL starters. I'm not yet a Kwame believer, but Cable is, publicly, which is at least nice to read. And Gallery's continued improvement, along with Grove's potential to take over at Center, makes for heartwarming TV.

Saving the best for last, I really look forward to watching JaMarcus tonight. He is beginning to look like a starting quarterback. Maybe we'll even get an Al Pleaser to the deep post, just for fun.