For Oakland, Curry needs to mend in a hurry

By Anthony Carroll  |   Tuesday, May 30, 2006  |  Comments( 12 )

Oakland Raiders
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At probable, the teeth are showing.

At questionable, the smile is apprehensively upright.

At the doubtful echelon and beyond to the injured reserve..."Well, what do you expect from Ronald Curry?"

Rooting from Hampton High School in Hampton, Virginia, Curry received a dual-sport scholarship to the University of North Carolina. Playing both basketball and football, Curry was one of the most highly-touted athletes coming out of the collegiate ranks. As the football program's four-year starting quarterback, he shattered the school's career passing record, throwing for 4,987 yards. On the court, Curry was the Tar Heel's starting point guard on the team's 1999 ACC regular season championship squad.

Following his senior season, Curry decided to take the football route of his career. Selected as a late seventh rounder in the 2002 draft, the young wideout remained on the Oakland Raiders' practice squad for the bulk of his rookie season. In the following season, it was but another boring year for an exciting player, as Curry hauled in just five passes for 31 yards, while chipping in with 20 special teams tackles.

Finally, in 2004, the last-round pick made 31 NFL teams feel misinformed. Curry dazzled his way through defenses, hauling in 50 passes for 679 yards and six touchdowns. The 6-2, 210-pounder proved to be one of the most acrobatic players in the NFL, navigating his way through defenders while making one-handed grabs. However, twelve games into the excitement, Curry was placed on the injured reserve in early December.

But there's always next year, right?

Not for Ronald Curry. Just two games into the 2005 season, he went down once more with a severe Achilles tendon injury. Shortly after, on October 19th, number 89 was placed on the injured reserve; as a result, he caught just two passes on the season for 12 yards.

Heading into the 2006 campaign, the face of the Oakland Raiders' wide receiving corps looks unblemished. The big three of 2005--Randy Moss, Jerry Porter, and Doug Gabriel --will be returning to accept passes from, as it looks now, Aaron Brooks. However, as endowed as the three names appear together, there is a huge void left by the disappearance of Curry.

While Randy Moss has always been labeled as a player known to make players miss, over the past few seasons, that role has taken a diminishing utility in his game. Also, after suffering nagging rib and groin injuries in 2005, the dancing aspect of Moss' game slowed to a catch and retreat technique. That leaves the dancing to the other big men, Jerry Porter and Doug Gabriel. Both players share an almost identical body frame--a frame built for taking long strides and executing physical routes. After catching the ball, expect Porter and Gabriel to attempt go through defensive backs, not around them.

With Curry, on the other hand, a sub-five yard pass can turn into a twenty-yard touchdown prance.

Oh, and he can leap for one-handed snow-covered footballs, too. (See the November, 28 2004 game tape against the Denver Broncos).

Anthony Carroll can be contacted at acarroll@realfootball365.com

Get more on Ronald Curry at Realfootball365.com
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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...
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CommentsComments: 12  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
Jorge		12:58 PM
05/30/2006
This season could really be a good one for the offense if Ron Curry could return. We have three soild recievers, and if Curry...
No.2
$howtime		01:54 PM
05/30/2006
I always thought that Curry was one of the better recievers in the league. It's just that many don't know that because he got...
No.3
Damon from NYC		02:56 PM
05/30/2006
I think the Raiders should work Curry in very slowly as not to risk injury. He would be very effectively used as a "slash"...
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