Favre Trying To Trade His Competition For Randy Moss

The noise coming from the Packers right now that Rodgers is not on the block and is their QB of the future is pure posturing. What are they going to say? "Hey, we are desperate to get rid of this guy, and we'll take just about anyone or anything for him." "Gee, we tried hard to move Rodgers for Moss, but Al Davis just wouldn't bite. I guess we'll have to settle for a fourth round pick." Don't be naive. Of course they are lying.

The Green Bay fans might not be jumping up and down over Moss, but they don't want Rodgers either.

Favre absolutely does run the show. It doesn't matter how much "leverage" he has in terms of his playing ability. He has an amazing amount of leverage in terms of tickets sales, marketing, and goodwill. If the Packers piss Brett Favre off, they may as well burn a stack of Bibles.

And Favre is most definitely pushing for this deal. Why wouldn't he? It eliminates any competition for the starting spot, and brings in a wideout capable of making Favre look better than he really is. More glory for the ultimate glory hog, with the security of knowing that no matter how bad he is, there is nobody available to replace him.

If it doesn't happen (and it looks like it won't), it's not because of a lack of willingness on the Packer end. It's because Al Davis is looney tunes, and still thinks someone will give him a first round pick in this draft for Randy Moss. Which is completely insane. Rodgers is the best offer he's going to get. Maybe Al should hold out for the Pack to throw in a second day draft pick...he'd probably get one if he pushed for it.

Rodgers is clearly available for the right price. They would move him for Moss if they could. Unfortunately for the Packers (and Raider fans), Al Davis is crazy. Hopefully Kiffin can talk Davis into pulling the trigger on the deal, but I'm not holding my breath. In the meantime, expect to be fed a steady diet of b.s. from the Packer front office regarding their intentions with Aaron Rodgers.

NFL Draft Update

The smoke has cleared a bit on the free agency period. There are still plenty of moves to be made, but some of the moves already made have clarified the positions of the top 5 picks...

1) Raiders -- JaMarcus Russell, QB, LSU. The Raiders failed to grab a free agent QB. Trading Moss to the Packers for Aaron Rodgers is still a slim possibility, but it seems that if the Raiders wanted to do that, they would have done it already. The Raiders also appear to be making no effort to hang onto Tui, their #3 QB. This would leave only Andrew Walter on their depth chart. Look for the Raiders to draft Russell and pick up an aging veteran to mentor the youngsters. Walter should begin the season as the starter, and Russell will work in practice to pass him up, which could take anywhere from a few weeks to a few years.

2) Lions -- Joe Thomas, OT, Wisconsin. Nothing changes here. The Lions still badly need help on their front line. Thomas fits the bill. Quinn is a possibility here, but I would expect Millen to be a bit more conservative this year.

3) Browns -- Adrienne Peterson, RB, Oklahoma. Okay, now it makes sense. Trading Droughns makes room for Peterson, who will be an upgrade and will remind some fans of Jim Brown. He will fit nicely into Cleveland's offensive scheme and become a star in this league.

4) Bucs -- Calvin Johnson, WR, Georgia Tech. The Bucs have addressed their QB problem in free agency with Jeff Garcia, who will give them two or three good years while they figure out whether Chris Simms will ever be a worthy NFL starter, or whether they need to look in a different direction. (I'm guessing the latter). I think Garcia will be a great acquisition for the Bucs...he reminds me a bit of Rich Gannon, and we all remember what Gruden was able to do wtih Gannon. Johnson should see playing time right away, and be one of the league's top WR's by 2010. WR's rarely make an immediate impact their rookie year, but Johnson may be an exception to this rule.

5) Cardinals -- Gaines Adams, DE, Florida. I think that someone trades up here to grab Brady Quinn if he is still on the board...but if that doesn't happen, the Cardinals will take the best player left on the board, and that should be Florida DE Gaines Adams, who reminds me a lot of Jevon Kearse. He is the kind of holy terror DE who keeps offensive coordinators up at night, and the Cardinals currently have nobody of that nature on the defensive side of the ball. The Cards would rather have Joe Thomas here to replace departed Leonard Davis, and will obviously take him if he is available. (This is a possibility if someone trades up to the #2 spot with the Lions to take Quinn -- the Browns and Bucs would likely take Peterson and Johnson anyway).

Other Thoughts --

-- The Bills will take Marshawn Lynch at #12 after dealing troubled back Willis McGahee to the Ravens for a couple of third round picks and a seventh rounder...which, by the way, was a great deal for the Bills. This might leave the Packers out of luck in terms of backs...with Green gone, Morency appears to be their only option in the backfield, and he isn't going to cut it. Maybe the Packers think that Favre can just throw the ball on every down.

-- The Texans are heavily rumored to be in the Quinn market. They are now secure at RB with Ahman Green and Wali Lundy. Haven't heard anything about a possible trade of David Carr to the Raiders, but that trade would make a lot of sense for both teams if the Texans truly want Quinn. If the Texans are interested in Quinn, they might have to make a move to get him, as he is not likely to slip past the Vikings at #7.

-- Paul Posluszny is going to be a late first round steal for some smart team. With the departure of Tully Banta-Cain, he would be a smart pick for the Patriots...and he should be available at either of the Pats picks, #24 or #28. Maybe the Pats go with Greg Olsen if he's around at #24, and then Posluszny at #28 -- that would be an amazing start to this year's draft for New England.

-- This draft is heavy at the OT position. Tony Ugoh, a first round quality guy, might be available for the Raiders at the top of the second round. Ditto Joe Staley. Ryan Kalil, the top center in the draft, is another first round quality guy who may well be available in the early second round. Any of them would be a steal as second round picks. There is some chance that the potential for availability of these guys in the second round could hurt the stock of Joe Thomas, an OT who should be a top five pick. If teams think they can get Staley or Ugoh at the top of round two, they might be less inclined to spend a top 5 pick on Thomas in round 1.

-- Remember the name Mkristo Bruce. He probably won't go until the third round, and he will make a lot of teams regret passing on him.

-- Seriously...the 49ers really need to grab Ted Ginn, Jr. He will almost certainly be available at #11.

My Raider Wish List

1) Deal Moss to the Packers for Aaron Rodgers -- make him the QB of the future. If you can't get Rodgers, trade him for something else. A fourth round draft pick. Send him to the friggin' Cowboys so they can put him opposite T.O. and corner the market on great wideouts who are badly in need of therapy. Anything to free up the money under the cap and unload him, because he's not willing to play for the Raiders anymore.

2) Sign Jeff Garcia as a free agent -- make him the QB of the present. His mobility and competitiveness are just what the Raider offense needs.

3) Sign Leonard Davis, and insert him at left tackle. Sign Kris Dielman, and insert him at left guard. Move Gallery back to right tackle. Scoot Langston Walker in to play right guard. Put Kevin Boothe and Paul McQuistan on the bench. Send Barry Sims packing. Voila -- instantly, the offensive line goes from horrible to decent. And as the young guys (particularly Gallery and McQuistan) continue to improve, it might soon turn into a legitimately good offensive line. Imagine that!

4) Trade the #1 overall pick for lots of other picks, and stock up on young talent. JaMarcus Russell is fine, but I just don't think he's the answer. What the Raiders need now is either Adrienne Peterson or Marshawn Lynch. I prefer Lynch, but either one would be great. Then, use those extra picks to grab a young, talented safety to challenge Schweigart for the starting job, and some defensive linemen to spell old man Sapp. Might be good to pick up some WR's and TE's too.

5) Sign Joey Porter. The Raiders are in good shape on defense, but Porter is the prototypical Raider free agent -- a guy who is big on talent but whose price tag won't be so steep because he runs his mouth a lot. They don't care that you run your mouth a lot in Oakland, as long as you can (and will) play well.

If the Raiders do all of the above, they might even make the playoffs this year. Unfortunately, I'd be surprised if they do any of the above. And I'd be surprised if the Raiders aren't in a position to take one of the top 5 picks in next year's draft as well. Until Al Davis sells the team or kicks the bucket, this franchise is going to be in a lot of trouble. The frustrating part, however, is that there are some solid pieces in place, and the team is only a few common-sense moves away from being competitive. But I'll believe it when I see it.

NFL Draft 2007

Here's my guess for what's going to go down with the top 5 picks in the draft:

1) Raiders -- JaMarcus Russell, QB, LSU. Al Davis tips his hand by letting Aaron Brooks walk. Tui is likely to walk as well, meaning that there will be only one QB on the Raider roster, Andrew Walter. Walter will start next year while Russell gets ready to be the man in Lane Kiffin's USC-ish offense. Russell should be a good QB in this league. Comparisons to Culpepper and Leftwich appear to have a lot to do with his size (and race), and not much to do with his skill set. His legitimate similarity to Culpepper/Leftwich is that he's tough to sack, but Russell seems to have a better arm than either of them. The major advantage Quinn has over Russell is that he is more "NFL ready," but Al Davis is very unlikely to care much about that. I think Davis still likes Andrew Walter, and thus Walter will get his shot to prove he's worthy of starting in the NFL, while Russell carries a clipboard for a year or two and develops into a star. Hopefully, by then, the Raiders will have at least a decent offensive line to put in front of him.

2) Lions -- Joe Thomas, OT, Wisconsin. Millen will be very tempted to take Calvin Johnson here, but he wouldn't dare. Johnson might be the right pick here, but if Millen takes another WR with an early first round pick, he might find himself wearing concrete shoes at the bottom of Lake Michigan. Instead, Millen will go conservative for a change and take a badly needed offensive lineman. I think this pick is likely to be traded...good chance someone moves up to grab Brady Quinn. Maybe the Texans, Dolphins, or Vikings will make a move here. Also possible that Arizona trades up to take Joe Thomas. Otherwise, the Lions take Thomas, or a defensive lineman (Branch or Anderson). But not Johnson. No way.

3) Browns -- Calvin Johnson, WR, Georgia Tech. Johnson is a big time talent who could develop into the perfect home run threat WR to complement Braylon Edwards, who is more of a possession receiver type. Chances are very good that Johnson is available here, and the Browns would be foolish to pass him up. A lot of mock drafts have Adrienne Peterson going here. I think Peterson is a great back and well worth a #3 pick, but the Browns just spent a bunch of money on Ruben Droughns, so I doubt they will be spending their top pick on another bruiser RB. They should take a RB in this draft, but would be better off getting a speedy guy in a later round...maybe Louisville's Mike Bush in round 2.

4) Bucs -- Brady Quinn, QB, Notre Dame. Why isn't anyone talking about this possibility? Gruden has a stable full of crappy QB's right now. He has Rattay, who can fill the role of veteran mentor. He has McCown, who can't win anywhere. They have Chris Simms, who can't stay healthy and isn't that good anyway. Last year he had to resort to playing Gradkowski, a 6th round pick out of Toledo...and he might have outperformed the other three. This is a franchise in need of a franchise QB, and Gruden is just the guy to continue Charlie Weis's job of making Brady Quinn look better than he really is. Gruden has said some very positive things about Quinn publicly. If Quinn is not available (i.e. if someone swaps with the Lions to take him), they may take Joe Thomas if he falls here, or, failing that, one of the two top DL's (Branch or Anderson).

5) Cardinals -- Alan Branch, DL, Michigan. Assuming Joe Thomas is off the board at this point, and assuming the Cardinals stay put, the best player on the board at this point is Branch. This is also an area of need for the Cards, who need to shore up the talent of their D line to answer the emerging running game of conference foes like the 49ers' Frank Gore.

Other thoughts:

-- Assuming the Texans don't move up (and move Carr) to take a QB, they should take one of the two top RB's in the draft, Peterson or Lynch. My guess is they take Peterson, though Lynch may be a better fit. The one who doesn't go to the Texans may end up with the Bills, if Buffalo deals McGahee to the Giants, as is rumored. If that doesn't happen, either Peterson or Lynch will likely fall to the tundra wasteland that is the Green Bay Packers.

-- A lot of people have Quinn plummeting, and it certainly could happen. If he isn't in the top 5, the Vikings want to stick with Jackson/Johnson for now, the Texans stick with Carr, and the Dolphins are comfortable that Culpepper's knee will heal and Joey Harrington is an adequate insurance policy, Quinn could find himself at #14 with the Carolina Panthers, or even #17 with the Jags. Definitely disappointing. Still, I feel like someone will make a move like the Broncos did last year with Cutler to come up and grab Quinn before he falls too far.

-- Greg Olsen, TE from Miami, is a dark horse top 10 pick. I'd be very surprised to see him fall out of the top 20...and whatever team picks him up is going to be very happy they did. He's as talented as Shockey, but with a better work ethic and without the redneck side show antics. His blocking is so-so, but he has amazing speed and hands for a guy his size and will create matchup nightmares for defensive coordinators. Safeties will have trouble keeping up with this guy...linebackers can forget it.

-- The 49ers need Ted Ginn, Jr. NEED him. He is exactly what their offense is missing.

-- Calvin Johnson has the most upside, and Ginn's speed will make him a star in the NFL eventually, but my favorite WR in this draft is Robert Meachem. I think he lands with the Titans and takes over Drew Bennett's role as a go to possession receiver for Vince Young. (Bennett is up for free agency, and someone is going to throw a big pile of money at him. Couldn't happen to a better guy).

-- Guys who probably won't be first rounders, but should be: LaMarr Woodley, Brandon Mebane, Tim Crowder, Ryan Kalil.

-- Some potential late round steals this year -- Selvin Young, Trent Edwards, John Beck, Mason Crosby, Desmond Bishop, Mkristo Bruce, Prescott Burgess, Limas Sweed.

-- Drew Tate probably will not get drafted at all...but he should be. He is a Doug Flutie type -- he is undersized and does not have all of the tools you look for, but he has a way of firing up the offense and winning games. He is a gamer, and probably a future star in the CFL or NFL Europe...but he will likely never get his shot in the NFL, which is too bad, because I think he could be good.

-- Biggest sleeper pick of this draft -- Steve Smith, WR, USC. Jarrett gets all the attention, Smith gets all the receptions. Amazing how little attention this guy is getting. He was the best player on USC's offense last year.

-- Early picks for Rookie of the Year next year -- Offensive: Marshawn Lynch if he goes somewhere other than the Packers. Otherwise, Ginn or Peterson. Defensive: Paul Poluszny.

Berkeley Tree Sitters

The biggest threat to Cal football isn't USC -- it's Cal's students.

Cal is in the process of badly needed renovations of its awful athletic facilities, but their plan includes building a new athletic center where there currently exists a small grove of mostly oak trees. Of course, when you tell Cal students that trees are going to be chopped down to make room for football players, you know there's going to be trouble. However, their campaign is based predominantly on lies and misinformation. What follows is the truth:

The trees in question were planted by the university, most of them either concurrently with the stadium or well after the stadium was built. There is hard photographic evidence that there are no more than four trees in that grove that predate the stadium itself, which is only about 80 years old. There is not a single credible source who says otherwise. Of those four trees, two are in the lower grove and won't be disturbed, one is a redwood that will be relocated (the oaks cannot be relocated, but redwoods have a good chance of survival), and the last (which is one of the oldest) is going to be removed regardless of whether the stadium plan goes forward because it is showing signs of distress and is dying. Thus, the plan calls for the destruction of absolutely zero trees that are over 100 years old.

Bottom line -- there is absolutely nothing extraordinary about the trees in that grove, other than the fact that they exist in Berkeley, where people get their panties in a bunch when it is suggested that trees be removed in the interests of the university and/or the athletic program. If they were removing the trees and building a museum, this would not be a problem.

Of course, there has been all sorts of misinformation spread about this -- in part simply by virtue of biased people making stuff up to strengthen their arguments or make their cause seem more legitimate, but also no doubt in part by the people who own homes in the area and who are throwing every silly lawsuit they can at the university. (They have gone as far as forming an organization designed to protect the Tightwad Hill view, since the proposed stadium renovation would partially obscure the view of the field from Tightwad Hill...they have actually sued the university claiming that they don't have a right to construct the facilities in a way that would compromise Tightwad Hill...unbelievable). This is hardly the little guy standing up against the big bad university. There are a lot of wealthy people and local government interests at play here, and they are spreading misinformation.

The plan calls for the removal of 91 trees, and the 142 new trees to be planted, many of which will be located around the new athletic center. How this is somehow detrimental to the environment and ecological resources on campus is completely baffling to me.

Arrogant as the university may be (and of course they are), drawing the line at this particular place is not only arbitrary, but it is extremely detrimental to Cal, and to Cal's athletic program, which is just now coming into its own as being worthy of respect. This, of course, is something that the tree sitters care absolutely nothing about...but the fact remains that the football program under Jeff Tedford is becoming a significant source of income for Cal and the athletic program generally. The athletic facilities are absurdly outdated and of notoriously poor quality, and the Cal football program is consistently losing top recruits as a result. Given that it is currently college football recruiting season, the timing of the hissy fit going on in the oak trees could not be worse or more damaging to Cal.

Though football revenue does channel into the athletic program, the school does benefit insofar as money from the general fund is not needed to fund athletics. Very few university athletic programs are able to fully support themselves. Most dip into the general fund. The rebirth of Cal football has Cal well on its way to a fully self supported athletic program, which is good for all students -- even those who don't care at all about athletics.

Aside from the important financial interests at stake, it should be noted that while people who protest things like this don't tend to be big football fans, there are tens of thousands of students and alumni who do care about Cal football. I can't help but feel that the tree sitters get at least a little bit of satisfaction out of thumbing their noses at these people. From what I can tell, this protest is as much about hostility toward athletics (particularly big time athletics like football) as it is about defense of the trees. While I think that a lot of these people are genuinely misinformed, I can't help but feel that most of them simply don't care. This is the issue du jour, an opportunity to hang out with your fellow "progressive" friends and feel like you are fighting the good fight. Normally, I'm honestly all for that sort of thing...but this time, the kids seem to be doing more harm than good.

Marshawn in Silver and Black??

Recent quote from Marshawn Lynch in an online chat on espn.com --

"I bleed black and silver. I'm with them 100 percent."

Music to my ears. And maybe Al Davis' too.

As a Raider fan, I would love to see Marshawn in silver and black. He was born for it. The kid is all Oak-Town.

However, the team doesn't seem to be going in a great direction right now, and I don't know that boy wonder Kiffin is going to be much different...but as long as Marshawn performs well, being a Raider wouldn't hurt his career.

Rumor has it that the Raiders are looking to trade down. There may be a deal in the works to send Mike Vick and the Falcons first rounder (#10 I believe) to the Raiders in exchange for the #1 pick and Moss or Porter or both. If that goes down, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Raiders snatch up Lynch at #10. Maybe a tiny bit of a reach there, but I think he'd make them look smart for doing it.

Even if that doesn't happen, I have to think the Raiders will make something happen to get out of the first pick. The top guys are QB's and Davis doesn't like rookie QB's. They have to be looking either WR or RB in the first round, as they are likely losing many of their starters in the skill positions this offseason (LaMont Jordan is due a big check and is likely to be cut, Moss and Porter are both malcontents who the Raiders will be looking to ship off, and nobody else on the roster is really starter quality).

RB is a good position to get an immediate impact player on the offensive side of the ball in the draft. The Raiders have to find a way to land either AP or Lynch. I'd prefer Lynch, but I'm a little biased...

Stanford Football -- They Suck

Furd's whining about their academics as inhibiting their ability to compete falls on deaf ears with me. I think that the idea that 'Furd sucks because of their academic standards is not only wrong -- it's arrogant.

It's like they are saying that they are worse than you because they are actually better than you.

If 'Furd can't compete because of academics, how come they had a long run as a dominant basketball program under Montgomery? How come they had a solid football program and went to a Rose Bowl under Willingham? How come they have (according to their own athletic website) more national championships since 1980 than any other school?

http://gostanford.cstv.com/trads/stan-trads-champs.html

Academic prowess is a double edged sword. Sure, 'Furd has to turn down good athletes because of grades...but at the same time, they, like Cal, will often get athletes who are looking for a top school and are willing to turn down a more prestigious athletic department to get the better degree. Their QB of the future, Kiilsgard, is a great example...and there are many more.

Also, 'Furd has resources to throw at the kids who they do bring in to ensure they don't flunk out. Resources that I'm sure the Arizona States of the world would drool over as they watch their kids become academically ineligible.

Face it, 'Furd. Your football team and basketball team have gone down the toilet because of bad coaching hires and the natural ebb and flow of collegiate sports...not because you are disadvantaged by your advantages.