Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE

Al Davis let Nnamdi Asomugha walk to give Stanford Routt a rise the collective football world laughed. When Reggie McKenzie wasted no time in cutting Routt and his bloated contract it was understood that the past dealings of Davis were going to be wiped from the books.

Now when the supposed genius Scott Pioli let Brandon Carr take a hike only to give Routt another life line the former show runner in New England was given a pass.

So, what now will the great football minds say of Pioli in the wake of the Chiefs giving Routt the DeAngelo Hall treatment?

Today KC severed ties with Routt halfway through the first season of a three-year deal. As you’ll recall MeAngelo suffered a similar fate at the hands of Davis a few years back.

I find no satisfaction in seeing a man lose his job but you’ve got to admit the ill-fated dumpster diving the Chiefs did in Oakland this past offseason is downright comical.

Both Routt and Kevin Boss were cut loose by McKenzie and both found gigs in Arrowhead. Boss was lost for the season due to concussion concerns and Routt, apparently to the surprise of Pioli, played exactly like Routt causing his contract to be shredded like so many pounds of junk mail.

The real irony is that just two weeks ago Routt was bragging about being the only man getting paid by two teams in the AFC West. Now he can also boast of being cut by the two worst teams in the AFC West.

Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE

Carson Palmer tested Stanford Routt early and the former Raiders cornerback got the better of CP3. Routt’s first quarter interception during Oakland’s dominant 26-16 victory over the Chiefs would prove to be the lone moment he wants to remember of his first game against his former employer.

After that INT it was all downhill for Routt and the Chiefs.

Perhaps Palmer had no intentions of testing Routt all afternoon long but that hardly seemed the case. After getting bit the first time he threw at Routt, Palmer had no hesitations to come his way again…and again…and again.

Denarius Moore found plenty of success with Routt lining up in front of him including his TD catch so eventually Darrius Heyward-Bey gave it a try too. All DHB did was go 32-yards to the house on Routt, a score that pretty much sealed the Raiders sixth straight victory in Arrowhead.

It was classic Routt coverage as he bit on DHB’s speed off the line finding himself in no man’s land when Hey-Bey put on the brakes and came back to find a perfectly thrown ball by Palmer. Routt made a token effort to dive at DHB’s feet which only exasperated the damage done by the completion.

On the afternoon Raider Nation bore witness to all the classic Routt-isms that haunted us for years. All of the excessive use of hands in coverage, getting caught out of position and flailing missed tackles were there to be seen in a Chiefs jersey.

Nice signing there, Kansas City. And you guys thought Reggie McKenzie only cut Routt because of his bloated contract.

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.