Who wants to read nonsense?

By Anthony Carroll  |   Friday, April 25, 2008  |  Comments( 53 )

Oakland Raiders
Got something to say?

Log In above and share your thoughts on this topic with other fans!
The 2008 NFL Draft is now just hours away. Naturally, there’s no shortage of news out there. Most of it’s rehashed or been said at least once before, but, nevertheless, it’s out there.

Yahoo! News broke a major story on Thursday, however. This one’s groundbreaking.

Here’s the premise: Anyone who has ever touched a football before does not, under any circumstance, want to play for the Oakland Raiders. Even the players playing for the Raiders don’t want to play for the Raiders.

The article, titled, "Who wants to be a Raider?" paints the silver and black into a franchise of, well, just black -- a big hole that players are pushed into by team owner Al Davis until death, or free agency, whichever comes first.

The writer of the article, Jason Cole, begins by asking, “The $16 or $17 or $18 million (depending on the contract) question that nobody could answer truthfully Thursday at the annual NFL draft luncheon: Which one of you top prospects wants to be a Raider?”

The answer, he claims, is “none of the five yet-to-be signed players in attendance.”

He follows up with about 550 words explaining why none of those players -- RB Darren McFadden, DT Glenn Dorsey, QB Matt Ryan and DEs Vernon Gholston and Chris Long -- want to play in what he refers to as the “NFL wasteland.” In those 550 or so words, none contain actual quotes from any of the players saying they’d have any issue being selected by Oakland.

The closest quote was from Boston College QB Ryan, who said, “you know they’re not taking me.” That, of course, is because Oakland made quarterback JaMarcus Russell the first overall pick last year, not because Ryan said a prayer to the football gods wishing otherwise.

Cole also made sure he brought up (made up) something about McFadden.

“Draftees are probably thinking through scenarios where they can avoid becoming Raiders,” Cole wrote. “Take running back Darren McFadden, who has drawn a lot of interest from the Raiders and the New York Jets, who pick No. 6 overall. The thinking in that camp is if LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey goes No. 2 overall to St. Louis, Atlanta at No. 3 might trade with the Jets at No. 6, giving New York a clear path to him.

Phew … the path to freedom. The New York Jets.

That whole paragraph is a bit sketchy, considering: One, I don’t think Cole can read minds; and, two, all reports claim that McFadden had a very impressive visit to the Raiders’ Alameda headquarters earlier this offseason. In fact, the 210-pound running back said after the meeting: “I’m just a guy from little ole’ Arkansas meeting a legend like him (Al Davis). That was great.”

The article also cites several of the players already currently on the Raiders -- CB DeAngelo Hall, S Gibril Wilson, DT Tommy Kelly and RB Justin Fargas, in particular -- claiming that each one of those players came or stayed with Oakland strictly for the money.

So what about Dominic Rhodes and William Joseph and Kwame Harris and John Wade and Kalimba Edwards and Javon Walker and Drew Carter?

They’re all money-hungry, according to Cole. None of them actually want to be in Oakland.

“That’s why when the Raiders pick at No. 4 overall on Saturday, some player will manage a smile for the cameras,” the Yahoo! columnist wrote. “And if he smiles, he should get an Oscar with his Raiders jersey.”

And we all know what piece of trash the acceptance speech should be scribbled on.

Anthony Carroll can be contacted at
Got something to say?

Log In above and share your thoughts on this topic with other fans! (53)

About Anthony Carroll

Anthony Carroll began writing for RealFootball365.com on Sept. 26, 2005, making him one of the longest tenured contributors to the “365” team. As a senior writer, Anthony has taken on the task of delivering original content to the silver and black faithful year round, despite having to deal...
read more
Article Tools Share!   |  RSS  |  Bleacher Report About Bleacher Report
CommentsComments: 53  |  Sign Up  View all comments
Avatar
No.1
RaiderSensation		02:54 AM
04/25/2008
That's the problem with internet sports "journalists", nobody ever checks their facts. It's alright, it just means that we...
Avatar
No.2
03:10 AM
04/25/2008
I agree that a lot of today's athletes care more about money than the jersey they don, but basically that in itself proves this...
Avatar
No.3
The Shape		06:05 AM
04/25/2008
All these journalists who write this crap can go screw. "Yahoo", those guys are freaking dorks. I would die to be a Raider....
Team News  |  View All Raiders Content
Oakland Raiders:  Is Nnamdi...
The Raiders have a lot of key free agents to sign. Guys like Zach Mil...
11 months, 3 weeks ago   |   Oakland Raiders:  Is Nnamdi Asomugha really done as a Raider? ( 15 )
Meanwhile… Back at the Asylu...
As many expected, the Oakland Raiders named offensive coordinator Hue...
1 year ago   |   Meanwhile… Back at the Asylum ( 1 )
The Oakland Comet Rides Agai...
The NFL post-season is underway, with a wild, wild, wildcard weekend i...
1 year, 1 month ago   |   The Oakland Comet Rides Again! ( 0 )
Eight and Eight Doesn’t Beat...
Note: This article was written prior to the news about Tom Cable being...
1 year, 1 month ago   |   Eight and Eight Doesn’t Beat Seven and Nine ( 3 )
Banner Day in Raider Nation
When you have a 24-hour period involving the Raiders sweeping one divi...
1 year, 2 months ago   |   Banner Day in Raider Nation ( 1 )