Kawakami Tweets JaMarcus weighs 271

Jerry McDonald puns off Kawakami's tweet that Jammy weighs in 271.

Bill Williamson is Lazy; Jerry McDonald is Not (UPDATED)

The headline over at Bronco Bill's blog is "Sound-off: Michael Vick and the Raiders." He's soliciting reader emails, now that Vick's been conditionally reinstated, on whether or not he'd make a good Raider. I'm so tired of this, I don't even know where to begin. But since I had to say something, I submitted this:

Amy Trask would never allow it. You've written elsewhere that the Raiders linked with Vick is knee-jerk "Al Davis Loves Renegades" logic (or something). That fact that you've resorted to this on the day that Raiders training camp opens, and not whether or not Heyward-Bey is signed, or if JaMarcus can hold off Garcia, is just plain lazy.

I know, why doesn't Josh McDaniels bring him in to compete? Or is he happy with the duo of Kyle Orton and Chris Simms? Are Thigpen and Croyle really better than Michael Vick backing up Cassell? You'd be better off going back to transcribing Mike Shanahan press releases.

We'll see if he runs it. My guess is there'll be 20 emails for it, mostly from Denver, Kansas City, and San Diego, saying things like, "Of course the Raiders want Michael Vick. They're gangsters, blah blah blah Al Davis renegade blah blah blah if his 40 time is still blah blah blah wildcat."

It makes me want to puke.

UPDATE: From Jerry Mac's brand new Twitter page:

Nnamdi on Vick: ``Anytime there’s a criminal, or someone’s just gotten out of jail. Everyone says the Raiders are going to take him.”

Or, as our Permanent Man Crush might put it, the stories linking Michael Vick to the Raiders are apocryphal.

Why Jerry McDonald is still the best

Because as good as David White has been since the end of last season, nobody knows his readers like Jerry Mac:

...although there was no mention of the abolition of Walt Coleman.

That's called playing to your audience.

Ratto on Lorenzo Neal

In addition to finally finding a use for Twitter, I'm finding myself being talked into this Raiders off-season as well.

Ray Ratto makes the case for the Lorenzo Neal signing:

Neal's is the type of signing the Raiders are often accused of making too seldom - that of the guy who spreads belief on the ground and in the room. His M.O. has been as the man who takes the "dys" out of "dysfunction," because he has done it with bad, mediocre and good teams in his career. He also knows that he can't be taken seriously if he can't lead with his play, and if he couldn't play, Al Davis would have tried to find someone else who does what he does.

Only there isn't anyone like Neal even at this stage of his career. Training with Liddell alone doesn't make that happen. Though this minicamp is showing off the Raiders' much-discussed draft class, Lorenzo Neal's arrival might be the more important development. If he can do what he has done in his other stops, he will be worth his weight in Darrius Heyward-Bey's money.

Here's hoping.

Mini Post

As Raider minicamp kicks off, just a quick post on what interests me. Later I'll have overcome my Kool-Aid hangover and will be able to discuss the draft again.

Both Jerry and David White have compiled thoughts on what to watch for during minicamp. While I'm very interested to see what changes an almost entirely new coaching staff will bring, the three first impressions I'll look for today are as follows:

1. Michael Huff's role - the one good thing I can say about drafting Huff is it has helped me come to terms with this year's draft. After all, Huff was a can't-miss prospect and a no brainer at #7. But will Lionel Washington work some magic or will Huff be as good as out the door? The Raiders' struggles at safety have held them back.
   
2. DHB and the WR corps - will he impress the way DMC did in practice last year? If he's as athletic as the Raiders say, he should stand out next to the rest of the WRs. And will anyone else emerge from this relatively deep group of #2 / #3 WRs that the Raiders have assembled?
3. The accuracy of JaMarcus - obviously, hopes begin with JaMarcus stepping up in a big way this year. Minicamp should provide an indication of whether he's sharp and ready for bigger things.

And I see that David White is now Tweeting. Can a Twitter CLOAK be far behind?

Dumbest Thing Anybody's Said so Far

You can follow Jamie Dukes on Twitter. Awesome. I tried, but I can't even find him, because I don't know his super-secret Twitter name. It's probably "Fattest Man On NFLN" or something.