Boyd blindsided by $20k fine.

While we all try to put the disappointment that was last Sunday behind us guys like Jerome Boyd have to relive their worst nightmare all over again. Aside from Boyd being one of the men burned late on a big gain by Calvin Johnson, the former Oregon Duck will have to pay a heavy price for his personal foul committed during a kick return.

The NFL has hit Boyd, a former two year vet of the practice squad, with a $20,000 fine for his blindside block that negated a big return.

Myself personally, I’m not throwing a flag. Kick coverage is a brutal aspect of the game. So long as nothing intentionally dirty occurs then the refs should swallow their whistles.

But this is the Goodell era where player safety has been pushed to the front burner thanks to a few pending lawsuits against the league.

But I digress…

Unlike his teammate Richard Seymour, who can afford these fines, Boyd’s tally will take a hefty chunk of his check. Guys like Boyd who arrive in the NFL as undrafted are promised nothing expect that they’ll be treated the same as every other player when it comes to league punishment. Goodell kept his end of the bargain.

In addition to Boyd, Aaron Curry was also slapped with a fine for $7,500 due to his excessive celebration after scoring his late meaningless TD.

This week the Silver and Black brought in a few more players for tryouts before settling on Terrail Lambert. The former Golden Domer from Notre Dame, as you would expect, has blazing speed. However the Los Angeles native has yet to see any action in the NFL despite spending some time with the Dolphins and Saints.

Lambert is the latest in a long line of men that have been added to the Raider roster for help in the secondary. In the last month alone Lito Sheppard has been re-signed after being cut in camp. Jerome Boyd was demoted to the practice squad, waived and the re-signed. Meanwhile another Notre Dame alum, Chinedum Ndukwe, was signed and then waived as well.

Got all that?

It should be noted that former practice squad member, Sterling Moore, is currently starting for the Patriots after being waived by the Raiders earlier this season.

The Raiders signed Dave Rayner to handle kicking duties tomorrow. Oakland confirmed the news via the team’s Twitter account.

The Raiders have signed K Dave Rayner and waived DB Ron Parker

Parker was recently signed to the practice squad to replace Sterling Moore who moved on to New England. Perhaps Parker, or the recently waived Jerome Boyd, will return in the future as Rayner’s roster spot is temporary so long as Jano is unable to go.

When Janikowski will return is unknown. As stated previously a healthy Janikowski could prove vital against the rival Chiefs tomorrow should the contest be a close one. While the timing isn’t great his injury issues come at the most opportune time for recovery. After Sunday the Raiders will enter their bye week where the NFL’s best kicker will have time to rest and recovery.