Mr.Bottomtooth
10-14-2006, 11:43 AM
Deal or no deal: Porter deserves better
Nancy Gay
Friday, October 13, 2006
The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday, so this is the time the rumors fly, disenchanted players hold out hope for change and frustrated teams sift through the sale bin to see if anyone is really worth the price.
Once again, you will probably see the deadline pass without anyone really getting what they want.
If you are the Raiders' Jerry Porter, you attempt to get a jump on the rest of the field by announcing your trade desire in the spring. You reiterate that wish in training camp, hoping it will spur something.
You run the risk of ruining your standing on the team by speaking out. But what the heck -- you're done anyway, right?
Unless you're Randy Moss. He can talk vaguely about moving on from Oakland in the offseason, or perhaps through an October trade.
Has Moss experienced any repercussions for his big mouth? Not one bit.
Actually, a public trade demand usually nets nothing for an unhappy player, except his name gets run through the rumor mill. Coaches and owners have all heard this stuff before.
Unless you are Porter. His candor has cost him a starting job and a whole lot more.
My days of hassling the guy are now over.
Porter has done everything right since he regretfully spouted off in July about coach Art Shell and the Raiders' organization. He's saying the right things about wanting to play again. He's helping out by running with the scout team on both offense and defense during practice. He's put that ridiculous "middle finger" T-shirt and the Million Dollar Man money belt in storage somewhere.
Meanwhile, Porter has been inactive for all four Raiders' losses.
Will he be traded by next Tuesday? Highly doubtful.
An Arizona radio station suggested this week that the Cardinals might look to swap high-priced left tackle Leonard Davis for Porter, now that wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald could miss four weeks with a hamstring injury.
What a load of hooey: Davis' base salary is $9.2 million this season and he's in the final year of his contract. Any team that trades for him at this stage would have to reduce that base salary with a long-term extension. And Davis' agent, Ryan Tollner, told the Arizona Republic he hasn't even been contacted about a restructured contract.
The bottom line on Porter remains the same. In the mind of Raiders owner Al Davis, Porter -- who signed a contract extension in 2005 that included $10 million in guarantees -- is worth too much. He carries too much equity on the books and unless Porter agrees to pay back a substantial portion of that investment, he is going nowhere.
Looking at the stats sheet, Porter's 2006 season is headed in the same direction.
Knowing that the Tuesday trade deadline will likely be a dull day, let's nonetheless toss around some of the trade rumors that are out there and see if any of them stick:
-- Moss to ... anyone? Like Porter, Moss will not be traded, despite persistent rumors of the Jaguars calling and calling, hoping to swing a deal. The Raiders, sources say, have not received a single phone call about Moss.
The latest rap on Randy is that he complained to coaches in the fourth quarter last week when his favorite quarterback, Andrew Walter, was pulled in favor of Marques Tuiasosopo. That is why he appeared even more disinterested in the proceedings at San Francisco as the 49ers rolled to a 34-20 victory.
Despite all of this, the Raiders really do like Moss. He stays.
-- Will Tuiasosopo be traded? Are you kidding? He's a free agent after this season, so why would anyone trade for him? He has thrown two interceptions in each of his last two regular-season appearances dating to last season's Dec. 11 disaster against the New York Jets at the Meadowlands. In a word: no.
-- Calling all cornerbacks: The 49ers are reportedly interested in adding a veteran cornerback to their struggling secondary, possibly in exchange for a future draft pick. The one guy who might be available is Al Harris from the Packers. Problem is, there is baggage: Harris missed offseason workouts because he wanted a new contract. Last week, he dropped an interception that landed in his hands and was schooled by Rams wide receiver Torry Holt.
-- Jets wide receivers Laveranues Coles and Justin McCareins: Both players are unhappy with their reduced roles in coach Eric Mangini's new offense. Coles has been vocal, spouting off occasionally about Mangini's rules and demeanor. But nobody in New York is really looking to run him out of town.
Like Porter, Coles is likely stuck with the Jets because they just paid him a $3 million roster bonus.
McCareins, however, might receive some interest over the weekend because he really isn't being used enough.
-- Titans running back Chris Brown: His advisors haven't exactly enhanced this player's status in Tennessee by holding him out of training camp and whining constantly about his contract. He's been inactive two games this season and is running third on the depth chart behind Travis Henry and rookie LenDale White, but forget those rumors of Brown going to the Jets. Titans coach Jeff Fisher said this week he considers having three healthy running backs on the roster to be a luxury.
What's with the huge bye week? Fantasy leaguers are probably wondering why there are six teams with byes in Week 6 of the season. And there will be six more teams with byes in Week 7.
The super-sized bye weeks are a product of the NFL's new "flexible scheduling" that will allow NBC -- which paid $3.6 billion for the rights to Sunday night games -- to select the best matchups during Weeks 10-15 and Week 17 of the 2006 season.
That means we won't be subjected to late-season duds, such as last year's 34-10 Chargers' blowout of the Raiders in San Diego, a Dec. 11 primetime affair that probably turned more viewers away from ESPN than "Playmakers" ever did.
To accommodate the late switches in the "flex" weeks -- games which show up as "TBD" (to be determined) on the schedule -- the NFL reduced the number of bye weeks this season to seven (Weeks 3 through 9).
So this week, fantasy league owners have six idle teams -- the Colts, Patriots, Packers, Vikings, Jaguars and Browns -- to scratch when considering who to start or sit.
On cue, Owens begins whining: It was inevitable. We all saw it coming -- you, me, Bill Parcells. Probably even publicist-extraordinaire Kim "25 Million Reasons" Etheredge. Everyone except Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
Or maybe Jones didn't want to admit that Terrell Owens would evolve into a whining prima donna who isn't happy about his playing time in Dallas.
Oy vey.
"I do question why I am here," Owens complained to Dallas reporters after he became little more than an expensive accessory in last week's 38-24 loss at Philadelphia.
But this isn't about his statistics -- 17 catches for 232 yards and one touchdown, his worst start since his 1999 season with the 49ers, when he had 12 catches for 217 yards and one touchdown in his first four games.
No, Owens claims he would be all smiles if he was a role player and Dallas was winning. But the Cowboys are 2-2 and T.O. believes he should be allowed to change that.
"I do have a problem when I don't feel like I'm involved enough," Owens said. "I know I can make a difference. That's not me being arrogant. I just know what I bring to the table. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here. ... I want to win. I came here to help this team win."
Nancy Gay
Friday, October 13, 2006
The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday, so this is the time the rumors fly, disenchanted players hold out hope for change and frustrated teams sift through the sale bin to see if anyone is really worth the price.
Once again, you will probably see the deadline pass without anyone really getting what they want.
If you are the Raiders' Jerry Porter, you attempt to get a jump on the rest of the field by announcing your trade desire in the spring. You reiterate that wish in training camp, hoping it will spur something.
You run the risk of ruining your standing on the team by speaking out. But what the heck -- you're done anyway, right?
Unless you're Randy Moss. He can talk vaguely about moving on from Oakland in the offseason, or perhaps through an October trade.
Has Moss experienced any repercussions for his big mouth? Not one bit.
Actually, a public trade demand usually nets nothing for an unhappy player, except his name gets run through the rumor mill. Coaches and owners have all heard this stuff before.
Unless you are Porter. His candor has cost him a starting job and a whole lot more.
My days of hassling the guy are now over.
Porter has done everything right since he regretfully spouted off in July about coach Art Shell and the Raiders' organization. He's saying the right things about wanting to play again. He's helping out by running with the scout team on both offense and defense during practice. He's put that ridiculous "middle finger" T-shirt and the Million Dollar Man money belt in storage somewhere.
Meanwhile, Porter has been inactive for all four Raiders' losses.
Will he be traded by next Tuesday? Highly doubtful.
An Arizona radio station suggested this week that the Cardinals might look to swap high-priced left tackle Leonard Davis for Porter, now that wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald could miss four weeks with a hamstring injury.
What a load of hooey: Davis' base salary is $9.2 million this season and he's in the final year of his contract. Any team that trades for him at this stage would have to reduce that base salary with a long-term extension. And Davis' agent, Ryan Tollner, told the Arizona Republic he hasn't even been contacted about a restructured contract.
The bottom line on Porter remains the same. In the mind of Raiders owner Al Davis, Porter -- who signed a contract extension in 2005 that included $10 million in guarantees -- is worth too much. He carries too much equity on the books and unless Porter agrees to pay back a substantial portion of that investment, he is going nowhere.
Looking at the stats sheet, Porter's 2006 season is headed in the same direction.
Knowing that the Tuesday trade deadline will likely be a dull day, let's nonetheless toss around some of the trade rumors that are out there and see if any of them stick:
-- Moss to ... anyone? Like Porter, Moss will not be traded, despite persistent rumors of the Jaguars calling and calling, hoping to swing a deal. The Raiders, sources say, have not received a single phone call about Moss.
The latest rap on Randy is that he complained to coaches in the fourth quarter last week when his favorite quarterback, Andrew Walter, was pulled in favor of Marques Tuiasosopo. That is why he appeared even more disinterested in the proceedings at San Francisco as the 49ers rolled to a 34-20 victory.
Despite all of this, the Raiders really do like Moss. He stays.
-- Will Tuiasosopo be traded? Are you kidding? He's a free agent after this season, so why would anyone trade for him? He has thrown two interceptions in each of his last two regular-season appearances dating to last season's Dec. 11 disaster against the New York Jets at the Meadowlands. In a word: no.
-- Calling all cornerbacks: The 49ers are reportedly interested in adding a veteran cornerback to their struggling secondary, possibly in exchange for a future draft pick. The one guy who might be available is Al Harris from the Packers. Problem is, there is baggage: Harris missed offseason workouts because he wanted a new contract. Last week, he dropped an interception that landed in his hands and was schooled by Rams wide receiver Torry Holt.
-- Jets wide receivers Laveranues Coles and Justin McCareins: Both players are unhappy with their reduced roles in coach Eric Mangini's new offense. Coles has been vocal, spouting off occasionally about Mangini's rules and demeanor. But nobody in New York is really looking to run him out of town.
Like Porter, Coles is likely stuck with the Jets because they just paid him a $3 million roster bonus.
McCareins, however, might receive some interest over the weekend because he really isn't being used enough.
-- Titans running back Chris Brown: His advisors haven't exactly enhanced this player's status in Tennessee by holding him out of training camp and whining constantly about his contract. He's been inactive two games this season and is running third on the depth chart behind Travis Henry and rookie LenDale White, but forget those rumors of Brown going to the Jets. Titans coach Jeff Fisher said this week he considers having three healthy running backs on the roster to be a luxury.
What's with the huge bye week? Fantasy leaguers are probably wondering why there are six teams with byes in Week 6 of the season. And there will be six more teams with byes in Week 7.
The super-sized bye weeks are a product of the NFL's new "flexible scheduling" that will allow NBC -- which paid $3.6 billion for the rights to Sunday night games -- to select the best matchups during Weeks 10-15 and Week 17 of the 2006 season.
That means we won't be subjected to late-season duds, such as last year's 34-10 Chargers' blowout of the Raiders in San Diego, a Dec. 11 primetime affair that probably turned more viewers away from ESPN than "Playmakers" ever did.
To accommodate the late switches in the "flex" weeks -- games which show up as "TBD" (to be determined) on the schedule -- the NFL reduced the number of bye weeks this season to seven (Weeks 3 through 9).
So this week, fantasy league owners have six idle teams -- the Colts, Patriots, Packers, Vikings, Jaguars and Browns -- to scratch when considering who to start or sit.
On cue, Owens begins whining: It was inevitable. We all saw it coming -- you, me, Bill Parcells. Probably even publicist-extraordinaire Kim "25 Million Reasons" Etheredge. Everyone except Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
Or maybe Jones didn't want to admit that Terrell Owens would evolve into a whining prima donna who isn't happy about his playing time in Dallas.
Oy vey.
"I do question why I am here," Owens complained to Dallas reporters after he became little more than an expensive accessory in last week's 38-24 loss at Philadelphia.
But this isn't about his statistics -- 17 catches for 232 yards and one touchdown, his worst start since his 1999 season with the 49ers, when he had 12 catches for 217 yards and one touchdown in his first four games.
No, Owens claims he would be all smiles if he was a role player and Dallas was winning. But the Cowboys are 2-2 and T.O. believes he should be allowed to change that.
"I do have a problem when I don't feel like I'm involved enough," Owens said. "I know I can make a difference. That's not me being arrogant. I just know what I bring to the table. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here. ... I want to win. I came here to help this team win."