The case for signing TO
Posted: Sat Mar 7, 2009 2:57 am
Fact #1: The Raiders have leaked sources stating that there is no way TO becomes a Raider
Subfact: The Raiders are never right about anything.
We could look at our history of failed 1st round picks, including trading one for Moss, Gallery, Huff... and underperforming 1sts like Russell and McFadden, though the jury is still out. Maybe our free agency history will convince you, where we inked Kelly, Sands, Javon, DeAngelo Hall, G.Wilson, and other scrubs last season. Let's face it - whatever the Raiders want to do is almost, by default, incorrect.
Fact #2: TO always has a honeymoon period.
Remember when he first became a star in SF? There was no TO Show. Just TO the man-child. Remember him in year one in Philly? No complaints, just balling. Played in the SB w/a broken leg for chrissake. Year one in Dallas, he defended Romo to tears, and was a great WR. Sign him to a contract with little guaranteed money but big #s... he'll patch up a **** WR corps and give Russell a legitimate #1 to play with instantly.
Fact #3: Really, how much worse can it get?
What are we afraid of losing? Money to overpay an over-the-hill scrub? Money we can throw at another 1st round bust? Money we can throw at our own average players and pay them like stars? It will be no less of an experiment than Deangelo Hall, and this time we'll save our 2nd rounder.
There is NO DOWNSIDE to paying TO to come here. I was a staunch supporter of bringing in Boldin with our #1, but that was before this all happened. Draft Crabtree, sign TO, and cut TO after the season or if you can, trade him. A WR corps of TO-Schilens-JLH-Crabtree won't set the world on fire in year 1, but it should provide enough of a threat to allow McFadden, Fargas, and/or Bush to wear down the D-lines.
Subfact: The Raiders are never right about anything.
We could look at our history of failed 1st round picks, including trading one for Moss, Gallery, Huff... and underperforming 1sts like Russell and McFadden, though the jury is still out. Maybe our free agency history will convince you, where we inked Kelly, Sands, Javon, DeAngelo Hall, G.Wilson, and other scrubs last season. Let's face it - whatever the Raiders want to do is almost, by default, incorrect.
Fact #2: TO always has a honeymoon period.
Remember when he first became a star in SF? There was no TO Show. Just TO the man-child. Remember him in year one in Philly? No complaints, just balling. Played in the SB w/a broken leg for chrissake. Year one in Dallas, he defended Romo to tears, and was a great WR. Sign him to a contract with little guaranteed money but big #s... he'll patch up a **** WR corps and give Russell a legitimate #1 to play with instantly.
Fact #3: Really, how much worse can it get?
What are we afraid of losing? Money to overpay an over-the-hill scrub? Money we can throw at another 1st round bust? Money we can throw at our own average players and pay them like stars? It will be no less of an experiment than Deangelo Hall, and this time we'll save our 2nd rounder.
There is NO DOWNSIDE to paying TO to come here. I was a staunch supporter of bringing in Boldin with our #1, but that was before this all happened. Draft Crabtree, sign TO, and cut TO after the season or if you can, trade him. A WR corps of TO-Schilens-JLH-Crabtree won't set the world on fire in year 1, but it should provide enough of a threat to allow McFadden, Fargas, and/or Bush to wear down the D-lines.