Stanford Routt, Kamerion Wimbley, Kevin Boss and even Hiram Eugene were all victims of the benevolent dealings done by Al Davis. So too were Michael Bush and Jason Campbell among others who were either shown the exit or just weren’t welcomed back.

Despite all the salary shaving, the silver and black are still just barely avoiding the red. McKenzie’s first foray into free agency was more like a collegiate shopping spree at the local Vons. There was plenty in the cart at checkout but most of the items that made their way to the checker were of the Top Ramen variety.

Even with the cost conscious approach McKenzie’s franchise is another year away from being in a better place financially. That’s why there are still two unsigned draft picks despite the fact that Oakland wasn’t on the clock until the end of the third round. It’s also why there has yet to be any movement on the Cedric Benson front.

There has been some rumoring that the Raiders were considering bringing in Benson for the upcoming camp in hopes of finding a productive vet to backup Darren McFadden. While the inactivity in the pursuit of Benson could be more closely related to other issues the financial constraints can’t be ignored.

That top pick Tony Bergstrom, the man whose name wasn’t called until the 95^th pick, is still unsigned says it all. Juron Criner, the 168^th choice in 2012 and a standout in OTAs, is also waiting to put his name on a pro contract.

Now the Raiders aren’t flat broke. They’ll get their remaining unsigned rookies inked before camp commences. However they’re not exactly in a position to sign Bergstrom, Criner and Benson with enough cash leftover to address other needs that will surely arise as the season nears.

So for the time being it’s more Ramen dinners followed by coupon cutting with a big glass of water for dessert. Until McKenzie can rid his team of more costly contracts its more of the frugal approach.

Boss was barely in Oakland long enough to know which stop on the BART takes you directly into the Coliseum on Sundays and he hasn’t even been in Kansas City long enough to know what a Chiefs’ tailgate is like. Yet somehow he knows he’s on the better end of the Raiders-Chiefs rivalry and said so in an interview.

“I was in Oakland for such a short period of time that it wasn’t really something where I really understood the whole Chiefs-Raiders rivalry. I just know now that I’m on the better side of the rivalry. It’s been a great transition and it’s really been a blessing in disguise to have been moved on to greener pastures.”

So…let me get this straight. Dude knew nothing of the Raiders-Chiefs rivalry before becoming a Raider? Never mind that this cat grew up playing football on the West Coast. You’d assume at some point he would have seen or a Raiders-Chiefs game in his lifetime. Never mind that he hasn’t even played a game as a Chief yet. Somehow he already knows he’s on the “better side”.

For the record, Boss is likely going to be a blocking tight end in KC and nothing more. The Raiders gave him a chance to feature prominently in an offense that typically utilized the tight end position in a multitude of ways. He had his health issues but overall didn’t contribute much more than throwing a few big blocks and coming up with a couple of nice moments on special teams.

So now the backup tight end in Kanas City wants to run his mouth.

You’ve been warned, Boss. You know Raider Nation is loyal to a fault but all bets are off when you put on those enemy colors and call out the best fans in football. I’d say we’ll see you in the fall but nothing guarantees Boss will be either healthy enough to play or that he’ll get on the field for anything other than running downs.

Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

It’s almost impossible to say anything negative about Brandon Myers. As a sixth round pick out of Iowa Myers is a made man in the NFL. He arrived as a blocking tight end but has shown some receiving skills. Not the kind of skills that will make him the next Zach Miller but he’s solid enough to be in the mix for the starting gig in 2012.

2011 was by far the most productive season of his thus far three year pro career. Of Myers’ 32 career receptions 16 came last year as he started 7 contests while appearing in all 16 games.

Of course Myers is still looking for his first career touchdown in the NFL but he’s certainly had a hand in setting up a few big ones.

The most memorable moments for Myers as a Raider have occurred on special teams. As a rookie he came up with a clutch strip and fumble recovery to help the Raiders in a thrilling victory over the Bengals. Then in his second season he topped himself by blocking a punt against the Chargers that allowed Hiram Eugene to walk into the end zone as Oakland recaptured the ownership of the Chargers. Last season Myers pulled off the same feat by causing a fumble in Minnesota.

While he’s been a quality pro willing to do whatever is asked now is the time for Myers to step out of the role player model and into that of a legit starter. Odds are he’s not going to get many opportunities like this season. Thanks to Reggie McKenzie’s cap cleansing the tight end job is wide open what with Kevin Boss being shown the exit.

About the only somewhat negative comment I’ve ever had to say about Myers is that he loses focus. For whatever reason he seems to make incredible catches every year in the preseason yet seems to drop some easily catchable balls when it counts during the regular season. Maybe he’s just putting too much pressure on himself. Of course now he can’t afford to relax. Not with the chance of a lifetime staring him in the face.