It has been rumored for the last two weeks and now the news has been broken by Oakland Raider beat writer David White of the San Francisco Chronicle via Twitter of all things.

According to the aforementioned White and Jerry McDonald of the Contra Costa Times, the Oakland Raiders have added fullback Lorenzo Neal to the roster. Neal, a former Fresno State Bulldog and central California native, is a four time pro-bowler and has made his mark in the NFL as a top tier blocker for no less than five different 1,000-yard rushers.

Lorenzo spent last season in Baltimore backing up Pro Bowl fullback Le’Ron McClain. At 38-years of age, Neal’s best days are behind him but his professional demeanor, hard nosed style of play and years of experience will be invaluable to the young Raider roster.

 
After parting ways with Justin Griffith back in February, the Raiders were banking on Oren O’Neal to recover from a severe knee injury and emerge as the first team fullback. Lorenzo Neal’s addition is the best possible insurance policy for the depth chart should O’Neal’s injury issues persist.

With O’Neal and Neal (sounds like a Vaudeville act) in the back field, Michael Bush can breathe a little easier knowing that Tom Cable won’t be asking him to open holes for Darren McFadden in 2009. The very thought of being able to line up with Lorenzo Neal and Michael Bush on short yardage situations is a scenario that should cause major concern for defensive coordinators in the AFC West.

Under normal circumstances, returning the bulk of your roster from a team that finished with a record of 5-11 would appear to be a recipe for disaster. In Oakland, however, familiar faces are a welcome sight.

Over the last six seasons, the word “continuity” has been a fable in the East Bay.

Five head coaches in six years to accompany five different starting quarterbacks on opening day and countless roster moves have left Raider fans swimming in a sea of outdated authentic NFL jerseys.

While most NFL teams were pounding kegs of coffee in preparation for the February 27^th free agency frenzy to begin, the Raider brass was sound asleep having already inked two of the most prized free agents on the market.

The re-signings of Pro Bowlers Shane Lechler and Nnamdi Asomugha happened in succession just prior to the countdown to 12:01am on free agent Friday.

In stark contrast to the 2008 spending bonanza, 2009 has been all about keeping it in the family. 

Tom Cable manufactured a miracle of sorts in 2008. As the interim coach, he oversaw consecutive victories to end a Raider season for the first time since 2002.  Raider fans need not be reminded that the 2002 edition of the Silver and Black was featured on football’s biggest stage, the Super Bowl.

Yesterday, six more signings were announced on Raiders.com. Of the six, five are returning players with offensive tackle Khalif Barnes being the lone new addition. The majority of the newest, old, Raiders to put ink on new deals were special teams contributors including return specialist Justin Miller and long snapper John Condo.

There have been but three new additions to the Raider roster (quarterback Bruce Gradkowski and offensive tackles Erik Pears and Khalif Barnes) to offset a total of seven departures.

Five players were given their out-right release (FB Justin Griffith, OT Kwame Harris, SS Gibril Wilson, DE Kalimba Edwards and WR Ronald Curry) and two signed with other teams (C Jake Grove and S Rashad Baker).

Also, there was one tragic subtraction from the Raider roster: linebacker Marquis Cooper. His roster spot will be filled, but what he brought to the locker room may never be replaced. He is still listed on the roster and you can expect every Raider to be donning a #95 patch on his jersey this season.

There is but one minor mystery of sorts with regards to cornerback Chris Johnson. Johnson, the man who made DeAngelo Hall expendable, was reported to be the first Raider to re-sign this off-season.  As of now, his status has yet to be posted on Raiders.com. Maybe it is just an oversight. Maybe it is a sign that something is still in the works. As it stands now, he is listed on the roster but not on the transactions page.

There are still voids to be filled. The most glaring are at safety and center. Still other positions are in need of an upgrade such as defensive tackle and wide receiver. Expect the majority of these positions to be addressed in the draft.

Monday was the beginning of the first off-season workouts . Raider players converged on the team facility in Alameda, some greeting each other for the first time since the rousing victory in Tampa.

Second year defensive end Trevor Scott said of his return, “I just got in last night, but it feels good to be back and seeing all the guys.”

Raider fans can’t help but share those sentiments, Trevor. It’s good to see the same guys back in black for the upcoming season. We’ve never been more proud of a 5-11 team and we can’t wait to see the majority of that same team take the field again. Well, we’d like to see a few more new faces in some key positions, but all-in-all, these are good signs

With the core of the roster re-signed, a foundation has been laid and now the heavy lifting can begin to build a winner in 2009.

Chris Shellcroft

The news of Harris being dropped is only shocking in regards to the amount of time it took to occur. Yet another one of the members of the woeful 2008 Raider free agent class has been shown the exit. Years from now many will wonder which class was filled with more duds: The 2008 Raider free agents or the class in the 1987 Carl Reiner film “Summer School”.

 Harris, a former first round pick of the 49ers, was given a three year contract last March yet by season’s end found himself watching Mario Henderson playing his position of left tackle. His release will save about $7 million against the cap, or roughly half a Javon Walker. Saying Kwame’s brief Raider career was a disappointment would be like saying that Goldie Hawn’s cleavage had no business being seen at the Oscars last night: It’s pretty obvious.

Justin Griffith’s release can be viewed as a simple roster move and his Wikipedia page best sums up his time as a Raider:

It is being rumored that Tommy Kelly has agreed to restructure his massive contract by changing the way his roster bonus is to be paid. But again this is just rumor as of now and most likely is a nervous reaction by Kelly in an attempt to salvage his job as he is the last man standing from the 2008 spending spree. Should Kelly be the lone member of the 2008 class to survive, he will no doubt be referred to as the Will Smith of the Oakland Raiders, or “I Am Legend” for short.