It was a quite weekend for football news. And all things considered that's alright. There is no football going on, and while the two sides should negotiate more, they are negotiating more than they were.
Beyond that It was father's day (happy belated father's day to all the dads out there) and there was major championship golf to distract us. I don't know how many golf fans we have out there, but I watched a lot of the action, and after listening to people gush about Rory McIlroy I am convinced that he is like Mother Teresa, Tiger Woods and Albert Einstein only more saint like, better at golf and with better hair.
Anyway, that is my roundabout way to say pickings are slim. The treasure haul was not fruitful, or maybe I am just mailing it in today. See for yourselves....
I have not entertained the thought for one second that Zach Miller wouldn't be back in the silver and black next year. I am not the only one:
Zach Miller Very Likely To Return To Raiders | Football News Now
Both Miller and the Raiders want to reach a deal. The two sides held contract talks before the NFL Lockout began, but weren’t able to come to terms. The team was confident enough a deal would be reached that they opted not to place the franchise tag on the tight end.
I already commented and linked to this article on the front page, but it's worthy of another link.
Oakland Raiders' Taiwan Jones takes unconventional journey to NFL - San Jose Mercury News
"I'll never get a player like him again," said Hansen, the running backs coach at Eastern Washington. "We usually don't get to touch players like Taiwan. They're going to USC and Washington."
This next story isn't really a story. It's just a rumor, and it's not even really a rumor. It is the same thing as sitting in a bar and saying, "Hey! You know what my team should do? They should sign Peyton Manning, Michael Jordan, Babe Ruth and Rory McIlroy. That's what my team should do. Morons!" But in these time of sparse football news this kind of thing is passing for headlines. It's like the media making headlines for itself.
Falcons Secondary Would Fly High With Asomugha, But Will They Target Him? | Football News Now
Former NFL quarterback and current Sirius XM radio host Rich Gannon believes the team will address those voids during the free agency period. "I think that in free agency, what happens is, is that this team looks to get better defensively, especially up front with the pass rush and in the secondary," Gannon said, per D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Could I even suggest, the name Nnamdi Asomugha."
I think Mike Tolbert is easily bottom five in starting running backs. The guy is garbage. He should be nothing but a short yardage back. The fact that he started last year goes to show you how underwhelming Ryan Matthews was. Anyway, I wouldn't be shocked at all if Matthews were a better boxer than ball carrier.
Mike Tolbert is rolling with the punches during lockout - AFC West Blog - ESPN
Tolbert has taken his aggression to an interesting place during the lockout: The boxing ring. Tolbert has started working out in a San Diego area gym after working out with his teammates. Tolbert said he is in supreme shape.
I really don't understand how the contracts of first-round picks have gotten so disproportionately large. It kills the value of having a top pick. You can sign the prized free agent for the same money you can sign a No. 5 pick, and the No. 1 picks get more guaranteed money than anyone not named Brady or Manning. I expect a rookie wage scale to get done, and I think they should call it the JaMarcus cap.
The rookie wage scale issue continues to loom | ProFootballTalk
Jarrett Bell of USA Today takes a look at the question of whether the new deal will contain a rookie wage scale. It’s widely believed that some sort of changes will be made; the only questions are the extent to which the windfall will be reduced and the manner in which the money will be distributed.