If you only read the headlines, it would appear that this offseason has been business as usual for the franchise perceived as the NFL’s most dysfunctional.

Therefore, I’m going to take you through some of the key moments of the 2009 Oakland Raider offseason and will attempt to explain the logic – or lack thereof – behind each move.

Two of the best in the NFL

Nnamdi Asomugha and Shane Lechler cash in - Amazingly enough, when Albert Haynesworth inked a deal worth $100 million it caused less of a stir than Asomugha’s three year deal worth a reported $45 million and Lechler’s annual salary of $4 million for his punting services. While most will argue that Al Davis overpaid, keep in mind that these are the two best players at their respective positions. Sure, the Raiders could have easily lost 72 games in six years without the help of Nnamdi and Shane. It is just good business to let the rest of your roster know that the boss takes care of those who remain professional no matter the circumstances. Plus, after giving bloated deals to DeAngelo Hall, Javon Walker and Gibril Wilson, Al owed it to Raider Nation to place his chips on a proven commodity instead of again risking his portfolio on a Bernie Madoff inspired hunch.

Cutting Gibril Wilson – This was the first shockwave that reverberated through Raider Nation in 2009. Wilson was given a six year deal worth $39 million yet only made it through one season. He survived on Raider Island longer than MeAngelo but his public criticism of the franchise and his inability to be any kind of a factor defending the pass made him expendable. Yes, the ’08 season began in turmoil but it ended with a renewed belief in Raider football thanks to Tom Cable. Wilson didn’t appear to be on board with the new regime and was thus allowed to go freely to Miami where he is sure to be torched by Randy Moss at least twice this year. Dolphin fans enjoy!

Re-signing Isaiah Ekejiuba – He is listed as a linebacker but he’s a special teams player by trade. Ekejiuba’s deal is worth $5.4 million with a fifth of it being paid up front via his signing bonus. Is it crazy to give a special teams contributor a three year deal? From the outside many would think so. Behind the iron curtain in Oakland though, it is a solid move. Again, this is about rewarding those who lay it on the line and have a professional demeanor. This has been sadly missed in the East Bay for more than half a decade now. Yes, it is sad to have to rebuild your team on basic football principles. Just keep in mind that this is all about baby steps.

Russell has Garcia over his shoulder

Cable keeps it competitive – Tom Cable is not a fan of scholarships. He wants his players to earn their keep by holding their feet to the flame with each practice. Thus, Khalif Barnes was brought it to push Mario Henderson. Jeff Garcia returned to the Bay to breath down the neck of JaMarcus Russell. Michael Bush was not traded so that Darren McFadden and Justin Fargas wouldn’t get complacent and Michael Mitchell was drafted to give Michael Huff one last chance to prove his worth (more on Mitchell later).  The headline is the supposed position battle ensuing between Russell and Garcia but the fact is that Garcia’s job is to try and take snaps away from Russell. This is not to say he was acquired to replace Russell. Instead, Garcia is in town to push JaMarcus through the door that is keeping him out of the NFL Quarterback club.

The draft heard round the world – According to Cris Carter, Darrius Heyward-Bey “can’t catch the ball”. According to Chris Berman, Michael Mitchell was not even listed in his NFL Draft program. According to Tom Cable, Heyward-Bey is a perfect fit for the Raider system and Michel Mitchell resembles “Jack Tatum and Ronnie Lott“. Lost in the laughing and finger pointing is the fact that both are hungry, humble and hard working. Heyward-Bey’s potential is unquestioned and Mitchell’s hard hitting is an attempt to return to the Raider Way of football. Both are rolls of the dice. Both are unproven. Both have massive chips on their shoulders. The Raiders did miss out on the chance to address other needs in the draft. However, if this bet pays off, it will be a bold move to once again reestablish the Raiders as NFL mavericks. Should these two go bust, it will be yet another year of drafting in the top 10. This has the potential to be a make or break moment for Tom Cable’s tenure.

Lorenzo Neal’s in the house – Who doesn’t love this move? He’s got every quality Tom Cable and his staff has attempted to fill the locker room with and he’s the best blocking fullback in the history of the game. Since Al Davis is staying the course in attempting to resurrect the Raiders ways of old, Neal is the best acquisition this offseason.

Converting a tight end and waiving a defensive end – From the bizarre news department comes the stories of a tight end turned middle linebacker, a rookie who was waived before ever putting pads on and the release of a fan favorite who never even played single game. Frantz Jospeh was an undrafted free agent middle linebacker from Florida Atlantic with a heart warming story. Raider Nation was pulling for him to make the roster and become the feel good story of the Raider Rebirth. Instead, he was released before training camp and the Raiders opted to convert another UFA, Chris O’Neill, from tight end to middle linebacker. Then there was the news that the organization opted to part ways with 6^th round selection Stryker Sulak before training camp began. Attempting to explain the logic in this whole scenario is daunting but it doesn’t seem to be as aimless as many assume. To begin, the Raiders still have to trim the roster down to in order to open camp. This is war and there will be collateral damage. Not giving Sulak a chance to compete in pads is a harsh move but his only hope was moving to linebacker. Many believe he is better suited to stand up in a 3-4. With the addition of Greg Ellis, the inability to trade Derrick Burgess and a few other defensive ends on the roster, Sulak was just squeezed out. As for O’Neill, well we’re going to have to wait and see if the former Boise State Bronco can transition to his new position.

Many question the methods. Most have already chalked up another 5 wins for the Raiders in 2009. If there is any method behind this madness it is the stubborn attempt to reconstruct the Raider Way. While it might not be the best formula, it is a blueprint none the less. With the way the past six years have gone, devising a plan – no matter how it is viewed – is a step in the right direction.

Now, it is time to live up to the adage that defines the Oakland Raiders.

Just win baby!

Otherwise, all of the above is simply the ramblings of a myopic fan who roots for a mislead organization.

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Adam Schefter of NFL.com is reporting that the Oakland Raiders could soon be parting ways with free agent bust Javon Walker.

Last off-season, Javon put his John Hancock on a six year deal worth $55 million. He then was robbed in Las Vegas, had to be talked out of retirement, caught just 15 balls, found the endzone once and finished the season on IR. Honestly Javon, Andruw Jones thinks you’re a waste of cash! 

After spending nearly $200 million on Gibril Wilson, DeAngelo Hall and Javon Walker, one can only assume that Bernie Madoff was advising Al Davis. I just hope that Mr. Davis did not hold onto his stock in Enron, Lehman Brothers and WorldCom as long as he did his 2008 free agent class. Hall lasted only 8 games of  a 7 year deal while both Walker and Wilson only completed the first season of their 6 year contracts respectively. At least Al didn’t follow that anonymous tip he got from an e-mail in his spam folder that said Maurice Clarett was available too.

If the Raiders part ways with Walker before March 3^rd, they’ll be off the hook for the $5 million roster bonus he is owed. Yeah, that’s the good news. The bad news? An estimated $14 million will count against the salary cap!!! Why not just keep Javon on the team and send him to Vegas for a week? I’m sure the situation would work itself out.

Thanks for nothing Al! Hey, it’s your money so if you want to get Michael Olowakandi, Kwame Brown and Tony Mandarich this year, feel free. Raider Nation will always be around, but the NFL might seriously think of taking your franchise to Mexico City if you continue to run your business based on the Donald Sterling blueprint.

The sporting world was witness to a historic week, the likes of which make me rejoice for being alive in these modern times.

We saw what might be the greatest Super Bowl ever played, a game of can you top this between Kobe and LeBron played out on basketball’s most glamorous stage, another great installment of the best rivalry in sports (sorry Sox and Yanks fans, I’m talking C’s and Lake Show) and a legendary coach reaching a hostric milestone.

But what has grabbed our attention more than any of these has been the photo of a swimmer, the urine of a slugger and a running back in a rap video.

I am a California resident. Not so long ago our state voted, in a statewide election, to legalize the use of marijuana for medial purposes. Meaning any of us who live in this great state and pay taxes are more than welcome to see our physician and they, in turn, can prescribe an illegal substance for legal use.

As a California resident and die hard sports fan, I follow all things local. Some years ago I watched a track star and All-American running back at Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks named Justin Fargas. He was known as the son of an actor, but made his own name as a state champion on the track and as an elusive back on the field. After sustaining a career threatening injury at the University of Michigan, Fargas returned to his roots and attended USC. He would help Pete Carroll win a national title and was later drafted by my Oakland Raiders.

As a resident of California, and a tax paying citizen of the state, Fargas made headlines this week for appearing in a rap video with fellow Bay Area native, and state tax payer, Yukmouth in which the “advocacy of smoking marijuana” was a central theme.

For the record, as an entire state and through the democratic process, we as citizens of California have advocated marijuana. Yet we have singled out one of our own for exercising his right as a tax paying citizen. Mind you, Fargas never does consume any of the legal/illegal substance in the video. Instead, it is the rapper who is doing so and not the athlete. Guilt by association I suppose.  

On the other side of the nation, in a state where marijuana is illegal under any circumstances, a 14 time Olympic gold medalist has brought shame to his family for appearing in a photo face first in a bong.

Now I am not advocating the use of marijuana, but I will say this to Michael Phelps. As far as I’m concerned, you need only to make apologies to your family and friends and owe nothing to the rest of us. You’ve represented your country and given us all a reason to take pride in the colors of our flag as we’ve seen it hoisted above your head and watched as you stood proud to the tune of our anthem. You, sir, are guilty of stupidity and nothing else. I offer you this sage advice. White Owls, Optimos, Swishers. Should you appear in a photo with any of these, you will always have a chance. There is no defending a bong.

Finally, we spent this week obsessing over a urine sample from Barry Bonds that has been sitting in a refrigerator, like some can of cheap domestic beer, for almost a decade. As we speak, Federal agents are using our money to send a baseball player to prison for steroid use.

It was no secret that Bonds was on the juice. Any collector of baseball cards needed only to look at the progression of his stats on the back of the card and then flip the card over and compare the recent photo to that of his rookie year to suspect something was amiss.

What was a secret until this week, was how much money the man whose job it is to police Bonds was making. Bud Selig, commissioner of Major League Baseball, took home a cool $18 million last year. As Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles times pointed out, Mr. Selig’s salary was about $7 million more than the commissioner of the NFL. For the record, the NFL is financially head and shoulders above all other sports in the United States. Except for a few franchises in baseball, most all franchises in football are in another league in regards to their value. That’s right! Chances are the Detroit Lions are worth more than your favorite baseball team.

We say our athletes have a responsibility to those of us who help pay their salaries, to uphold the morals of society and be a role model to our youth. We tell them that their job is to set the example. Yet we allow those who are paid $18 million to oversee these athletes to do whatever is necessary to make their sport better.

Today, in that oval office in Washington DC, President Obama is mulling over a plan to salvage our dying economy whose spine has been broken in two by scandalous fund managers, greedy business owners and risk taking bankers. Yet the livelihood of Michael Phelps has been suspended for three months and Barry Bonds could face jail time while Bernie Madoff and Bud Selig are free to live their extravert lives at the expense of others.

Chris Shellcroft