Routt goes to the rival Chiefs. (Photo: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE)

According to Pro Football Talk the Kanas City Chiefs have signed recent Raider cast-off cornerback Stanford Routt. If you listen closely enough you can already hear the penalty flags whistling through the air in Missouri.

Routt’s mega-deal inked last offseason was one of the last Al Davis handouts. It was also the first Davis contract debacle to be vanquished by Reggie McKenzie. Routt’s new deal is said to be a three-year contract valued at $20-million, a good $10-million less than the one he received from Davis for the same length.

There is no doubt that Routt can play. As you’d expect he’s got blazing speed, good size for an NFL corner and has very good ball skills. Routt also has a tendency to defend with his hands instead of his feet. That was the biggest difference between Routt and Nnamdi Asomugha.

In this modern NFL the rules are stacked against the defense so defensive backs can’t be as hands-on as they’d like to be. Routt was the most penalized player on a team that set the NFL record for penalties. That about says it all.

Another statement made by Routt’s signing is that the Chiefs are unlikely to re-sign free agent corner Brandon Carr. Then again KC is a good $30-million under the cap so you never know. Ideally the Raiders would kick the tires on Carr but McKenzie has plenty of work to do before the team is in a position to pursue top shelf free agents.

Routt's release is a clear sign of things to come. (Photo: Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE)

It is becoming very obvious that these are no longer the Al Davis Raiders. Once Mark Davis got into his first offseason as owner he set out to give the franchise a facelift.

As if the hiring of Reggie McKenzie, firing of Hue Jackson then the hiring of a defensive mind in Dennis Allen weren’t enough of a warning, today’s surprising release of veteran cornerback Stanford Routt pretty much spells out the current mission.

With all due respect to Al Davis, his heavy-handed decisions left quite a cap mess for McKenzie to cleanup. Well, no matter how much blood must be spilt McKenzie is going to get his team into better financial shape. Routt is just the first casualty and something tells me he won’t be the last.

The Raiders raised many eyebrows by inking Routt to a $30-million deal mere days before the lockout began. While Routt was by far the best corner that ever played opposite Nnamdi Asomugha during his time in Oakland there is no way Stanford was ready to be a #1 corner in the NFL.

Further frustrating Routt’s already impossible dilemma of replacing Asomugha, the Raiders gave him absolutely no support. Throughout the season a hodgepodge of rookies and cast-off veterans were put on the island opposite Routt. Anybody who watched the silver and black this past season knows how well that went.

While Routt is a solid cover corner with very good ball skills he has always been consistently caught using his hands in coverage. During the year the Raiders were the most penalized team in NFL history and Routt led the way racking up 17 flags.

There is no question Routt can play and he’ll definitely find a new home. There’s just no way to justify his $10-million annual salary.
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Having said that, our defense played very well. We kept pressure on Colt McCoy all day. Only two sacks recorded, but plenty of hits, hurries and knock downs. I’m sure someone on the Raiders D will get fined by Hitler Goodell this week.

The offense was clicking very well. Jason Campbell looked good up until the point where he decided to become a mobile quarterback. This is going to be a season changer for the Raiders. Campbell was having a productive year and was playing with great confidence. He will be missed!

Darrius Heyward-Bey is slowly becoming the teams best receiver. He is finally learning how to use his speed and actuall use his hands to catch the ball insted of his chest! I used to be a DHB hater but I’m slowly comming around. Keep playing with a chip on your shoulder DHB! (Crabtree who?)

Jacoby Ford had a fantastic game. That guy is amazing! He is so fast, with such great balance and instincts for the ball and the end zone. That tight rope walk down the side line was the baddest anti gravity exhibition I’ve ever seen. Running full speed as the upper half of his body was out of bounds for about 30 yards. Even Sir Isaac Newton flipped over in his grave and was like “Dang Bro!”

Darren McFadden looked unbelievable like normal. The Brown’s run defense is pretty stout but DMC showed why he leads the NFL in rushing! Michael Bush looked slow and sluggish but when he got in the clear, he ran pure and powerful like he normally does. (I was wanting to see some Tiawan Jones.)

For only having one practice under his belt, Aaron Curry played very well. Can you imagine playing for one team, being traded, having one practice and being a starter?

Our safeties looked fantastic. Very aggressive, big time bullies! They banged McCoy around so much that he didn’t want to hold the ball for more than two seconds. Happy Feet II, Colt’s day in Oakland.

All in all, we won the game. I’m thankful that we didn’t give the game away at the very end. Our defense really stepped up for Al Davis. I swear these games are driving me crazy. We can’t just blow somebody out by 20 points it has to always be a nail biter. These types of games wreak havoc on my digestive system.

Long live the Al Davis! Long live the Oakland Raiders! Long live Special teams! Long live JBB!

Greg Simon
JBB Staff Writer
@simonizr
@justblogbaby