Happy Al Davis' Birthday everyone! Say what you want about the man, but no matter what angle you are coming from, it is hard to deny that it is pretty fitting that the man that puts the argh in pirate was born on the Fourth of July. Al Davis is chock full of the American Spirit. I plan on posting a little birthday post on Al Davis later. In the meantime, we have the booty.
There is not much booty again today, which I guess makes sense. I mean if I covered football, it was a holiday weekend, and the lockout looked like it was about to end, I'd probably take this time off too. Wait a second. I do cover the Raiders. What the hell are all these slackers doing? There is no break from football!
Anyway, jump over for the other posts by fellow non-slackers....
Raiders Grab Bag O' Booty
Adam Caplan is so confident that Michael Bush is restricted that I am now confident Michael Bush will be restricted.
Adam Caplan: "@evansilva @2bBigE : Accor…" " Deck.ly
According to NFLPA records, Bush has 3 years of service after 2010 season. So he'll be a RFA barring the NFL saying something diff after the lockout.
And if Michael Bush is restricted that means—unless the Raiders sign him long term, which is unlikely—Michael Bush will be playing for a contract. And not just any contract; his one big contract. Running backs have a very small window to sign a big deal, and Bush is in that window.
BA's Banter: Bush vs. McFadden | July
I’m not suggesting that it’s all about money for Bush, although I’m sure he’ll welcome the $3 million raise this year. Nevertheless, it's going to be a contract year for Bush, and the Raiders won’t be able to restrict him in 2012. There is going to be an open market on Bush and you can bet that he is going to do everything in his power this year to prove himself worthy of another raise next year. On top of that, you can bet that Al Davis is going to want to get his money’s worth out of Bush this year, especially if there is a chance that he won’t be around next season.
Raiders Roster Ramblings
Again, I don't think the Raiders are going to sign a receiver, but here is another big receiver that could help them move the chains on third down and may be available. It looks like the Cowboys will be cutting ties with Roy Williams.
NFL Rumors - NFL Trade Rumors, Free Agency Rumors and More - Rumor Central - ESPN
Pompei provides two reasons why this is happening: "The first is he's making more money than he's worth. The second is the team wants to clear the way for Dez Bryant to play more."
A lot of people have said they want Kirk Morrison back on the Raiders. If the Raiders are going to make that happen, they are likely going to have to outbid the Jaguars to land him.
NFL Rumors - NFL Trade Rumors, Free Agency Rumors and More - Rumor Central - ESPN
Middle linebacker Kirk Morrison drew mixed reviews following his first season with the Jacksonville Jaguars -- though he was dominant in one particular facet of the game -- but both Morrison and the team have been rumored to be interested in a continuation of the relationship in 2011 and beyond. Sunday, Dan Pompei of National Football Post reported that the Jags remain interested, though they "probably won't break the bank for him," and that adding an OLB and a safety (or two) remain as big priorities.
In the end, it may come down to whether the team wants to expend the type of money it will take to land a player such as Paul Posluszny or Barrett Ruud, who are expected to generate more interest on the market. But Morrison certainly represents a solid Plan B if they choose not to do so.
Around the Lockout
There aren't many Patriots that I would actively wish good things for, but the next guy is one of them:
Patriots rookie Marcus Cannon finishes chemo this week | ProFootballTalk
Cannon sees no reason he can’t be on the practice field in August. In fact, for a guy who’s fighting cancer, Cannon is doing remarkably well. He has had nausea only once, hasn’t lost his hair and only lost a little weight: Cannon, an enormous man, dropped to 338 pounds but now says he’s back up to 348. He’s been playing basketball, swimming and lifting weights, bench pressing 315 pounds for eight or nine reps.
I still wish the Raiders would have drafted Cannon. I am glad he is doing well.
This next bit of news actually lifts my hopes that a deal could get done this week. I have always thought there would be a delay from the time terms were agreed to to when the lockout was actually over. The paper work needs to be drawn up, and the fine print installed etc.. It looks like they are trying to get as much out of the way as possible.
NFL spokesman: Negotiators not taking the weekend off | ProFootballTalk
The negotiators from the NFL and NFLPA* have retreated to their respective camps for the weekend, but NFL spokesman Greg Aiello wants to remind fans (and media) that they are "most definitely not" taking the weekend off from work. "Lawyers are drafting language for potential agreement, sharing it with PA. All kinds of phone, email exchanges going on. Work continues," Aiello wrote on Twitter.