Wait a minute, Walker’s still loitering?

By Os Davis  |   Thursday, February 26, 2009  |  Comments( 32 )

Oakland Raiders
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First of all, apologies to all RealFootball365.com readers who were confused and/or disappointed (in the case of Oakland Raiders fans) that the team had not in fact officially released Javon Walker yet. Sorry for the premature reportage on my part; a number of sources likewise reported so, including local NBC and CBS affiliates, the former of which shamelessly pilfered the RF365 headline.

The “scoop” was originally attributed to the ubiquitous Adam Schefter of NFL Network; Schefter implied strongly Monday that Walker was gone, as in done-deal gone. By the next day, he’d backed down a bit, stating that “Another likely [move] is ahead with WR Javon Walker.”

That’s the trouble with blogs, one supposes.

Assuming that Schefter didn’t merely pull his theory together with equal parts common-sense logic and conversations with the quasi-fictional “source” (Schefter is typically no Chris Mortensen, after all), why hasn’t this widely reported story actually occurred? A few theories follow.

Theory No. 1: Contrary to expectations, they’re going to keep him after all. Maybe someone at Oakland Raiders Football Inc. realized that Michael Crabtree isn’t the answer after sitting through the combine, and that (rationally) the Raiders’ll be taking a flier on receivers until at least Round 4. Maybe Al Davis is waiting to have another heart-to-heart with the troubled Walker a la last year’s preseason pep talk, but football gods only know why. Wasn’t it clear that Walker’s cardiac muscle wasn’t in it last season?

Theory No. 2: Davis actually has no intention of letting Walker loose (until it’s disastrously too late). Look, nobody wants to admit they made a mistake, least of all certain owners of certain football teams; and say what you will about Davis, but the man is certainly loyal. Plus, in a bit of a stretch, it could be argued that Walker never really got a proper chance to shine in 2008 before going down to injury.

Plus, consider this. Thus far, the Raider front office has made a number of unquestionably correct releases: Losing Ronald Curry, Kalimba Edwards, Justin Griffith and Kwame Harris drew little negative criticism from Raider Nation and with good reason. Honestly, Raider management is showing more sense than perhaps in any offseason this decade thus far, odd Gibril Wilson release aside. Isn’t the Raider Nation waiting for the other shoe to drop -- i.e., for another inevitable bad personnel move? Keeping Walker would probably be that bad move.

Theory No. 3: That mysterious source is still talking. Mainstream media reportage of the Raiders camp in the last two seasons has been fueled by at least one “source” seemingly ever willing to comment on interrelations among the coaching staff, locker-room events and owner Davis’ next maneuver.

Though Schefter cited no source in speculating on Walker’s status as a Raider and the Griffith and Harris releases were matters of fact, one wonders if the NFL Network’s man was listening to the mutterings of someone “close to the team.” Fans should hope that this undermining individual has been removed in the recent personnel shuffle: The Raiders certainly don’t need this sort of backhanded dissension for 2009.

Theory No. 4: They just haven’t gotten around to it. As fans well know (and despise), full-time Raider detractor Warren Sapp’s main beef with the team stems from the general chaos in the organization.

Just about one year ago, Sapp put in his “Five Good Minutes” on ESPN’s "PTI" program. While praising Oakland as “a great place to play football” and Davis as “a legend,” the internal rot that brings down these Raiders is (possible paraphrase here) “just some crazy stuff that goes on that you wouldn’t expect in a football organization, but it does.” Those who remember said interview may also recall Sapp describing a constant blur of new faces, of players and trainers and coaches and even suits hanging around on the sidelines, identities completely unknown to the team’s mainstays.

Are things so crazily chaotic that the order just hasn’t come down to Walker yet? Are the Raiders so disorganized upstairs that they could enter the preseason with no new WRs and thus be forced to keep Walker? In fact, couldn’t Walker’s presence itself serve as an informal barometer measuring the psychological state of the team?

Four words: Just cut him, baby!
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About Os Davis

Os Davis has taken a twisted route to get to RealFootball365.com in his nearly 17 years in professional writing, working in any number of capacities in the sportswriting, news reporting and film criticism worlds. In print media, Os has served as editor at a few publications, including Albuquerque's ...
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