It no longer matters what exactly it is that’s kept both sides from coming to terms. This falls squarely on the shoulders of Reggie McKenzie and his front office staffers to get this deal done.

McKenzie was the one who singled out Branch as his franchise player, choosing to let Michael Bush walk while severing ties with Stanford Routt and Kamerion Wimbley for salary reasons. Now the Raiders are in a position to free up a little more cash by getting Branch under contract yet the dragging of the feet continues.

Clearly McKenzie values Branch above all other Raiders he could have re-signed or traded away. And it’s not like we’re talking about a contentious situation that in any way resembles what’s going on with Drew Brees and the Saints.

Nope, as far as contract situations go this one is as close to a slam dunk as McKenzie is likely to encounter during his career as a GM.

Branch is a quality defender with a team-first mentality. Whatever the ever-changing coaching staff in Oakland has asked of him he’s done. His play has improved each year and he signed his tender without minimal delay.

Also, Branch plays a position that isn’t ever going to break the bank. No safety will ever be in a place where they can afford to holdout for mega-dollars. Tyvon and his representation knew this and that’s why they haven’t caused any commotion during this drawn out process.

So this falls on McKenzie and the Raiders to get a deal done. If behind the scenes Branch and his agent are asking for too much then that should have been vetted before he was ever given the tag.  The clock is ticking and the last thing McKenzie needs is to revisit this dilemma all over again when the stakes will be even higher in a year’s time.

Earlier this offseason another round of rumoring linking Owens to Oakland began when he popped up in a picture with Carson Palmer and a few other Raider receivers. Turns out T.O. was getting some work in with his one-time QB in Cincinnati.

Now that NFL teams have concluded their offseason programs some players are taking it upon themselves to stay ready for camp by organizing their own workouts.

Wouldn’t you know it, Palmer and Owens are again playing some catch as part of a group that includes Drew Brees and Kyle Boller.

While the delusional Owens might think he’s got a chance to be back in the league his odds are likely longer than those of Boller who stunk it up during his lone half of football played for the silver and black last season.

So let’s just go ahead and move on from this now. At this point nobody is biting on the Owens bait, not even with a ringing endorsement from Carson Palmer. Thankfully it looks like this could be the last flirtation Owes makes with the highest level of professional football.

Brett Davis-US PRESSWIRE

For those of you who do not engage in the porn of the sports world that is fantasy football I’d suggest moving along to other more engaging topics today such as celebrating Lionel Richie’s belated birthday or searching Octomom videos. The rest of you, follow me, we’re going to take on the dicey subject of debating Darren McFadden’s fantasy value.

Now there really shouldn’t be any debate about this one. Darren McFadden is a top 5 fantasy stud that, obviously, were it not for health reasons would be in the top pick conversation. He is the quintessential fantasy running back racking up points in multitude of ways as a runner and a receiver…basically you name it and Run DMC does it. Most important of all is he finds the end zone. Anybody that had McFadden for the first half of last season was likely contending until disaster struck.

Of course if you were really proactive you didn’t sweat McFadden’s health issues because if you were hip to the game you went out and grabbed Michael Bush too. In my league I missed out on McFadden but landed Bush. For the first half of the season he sat on my bench but once McFadden went down I rode Bush and Marshawn Lynch to the title game…which I eventually lost no thanks to Drew Brees’ pursuit of history. But we’re getting off course here.

So here we are again. It’s June and your fantasy draft is a month or two away. By now you’ve already pegged a few sleepers, guys ready to breakout and you’ve also got your list of wildcards.

At the top of the wildcard list is McFadden. Unlike other rolls of the dice like Chris Johnson last year, there is no concern over McFadden’s ability to produce. Even in games when he doesn’t eclipse the golden 100-yard rushing barrier McFadden is still getting you at least 100 total yards. Johnson, on the other hand, just didn’t produce – at all.

For McFadden’s value to be so closely tied to his health is frightening. If he’s there and anyone you valued ahead of him is gone you’ve got to take McFadden. He’s a gamble but not the Peyton Manning type of gamble. Quiet as kept Manning is the biggest fantasy gamble this year and anyone taking him in the first round is really spinning the wheel. No telling how productive Manning will be or if he can even take a hot.

What confounds the McFadden dilemma is there is no insurance policy this time around. He’s not being backed by Bush any longer and there is no reason to think that Taiwan Jones, Mike Goodson or even Cedric Benson should he join the ranks can crank out Bush type numbers.

So the reality is this season you’re simply twisting in the wind with McFadden. Naturally every fantasy running back needs a backup plan. With injuries, bye weeks, bad matchups, etc. However with a healthy McFadden all you need to worry about is the bye. There is no such thing as a bad matchup for Run DMC. Ask the Jets and their supposed top notch run defense about that.

In short, McFadden is a fantasy stud that really shouldn’t last past the first 5 picks of any fantasy draft based on talent alone. Then there is all the uncertainty surrounding some of the other top backs around the league. Contract situations are making the likes of Matt Forte, Maurice Jones-Drew and Ray Rice a little less attractive in the fantasy market. Adrian Peterson’s health has taken him out of the conversation and top back Arian Foster has a new deal which, in recent years, has been a little like the Madden curse when it comes to top producing fantasy running backs.

Aside from his injury issues the other gamble with McFadden is the zone scheme Greg Knapp is installing. During the Raiders offseason program McFadden was singing the praises of the new scheme. But everything looks good when you’re not hitting in May. Then again, with McFadden’s talent he should be able to produce in any system. The problem is there is no system that guarantees his health.

What fantasy value do you give McFadden?