Despite an ESPN report stating that they had internal discussions about signing the free agent receiver, Raiders head coach Tom Cable is denying that the team is interested in Terrell Owens.

“We really haven’t had any discussion about that,” Cable said. “We’ve got a good, young receiving corps, it’s never been a point of conversation.”

“I think we did what was best for our football team, that’s the only thing that really matters here,” he said. “Why, why not, this or that, it doesn’t matter any more. What matters is we move forward as a football team and we did what we think gives us the best chance to succeed.”

Al Davis has always acquired talent with reckless abandon, but Cable’s second quote indicates that the Raiders are going to be smarter when it comes to bringing in new players.

For the first time in a long time, the Raiders have had direction this offseason. They dumped JaMarcus Russell, acquired Jason Campbell, had a productive draft (where the player selection actually made sense) and now appear to be staying away from players that don’t fit. Are we seeing a change in philosophy in Oakland?

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Al Davis has finally decided to cut the cord on JaMarcus Russell, who is currently competing with Ryan Leaf for biggest draft bust in NFL history. The 24-year-old quarterback was officially released on Thursday, just three seasons after he was selected as the top pick in the 2007 draft.

Somewhere, Lane Kiffin is laughing. He was the one that urged Davis not to draft Russell in ’07, but against his head coach’s wishes, Al selected the LSU product anyway. Russell finishes his career in Oakland with a 7-18 record, a 52.1 completion percentage, an 18:33 touchdown-to-interception ratio and a 65.2 passer rating. Comparing the numbers, I think Craig Krenzel may have produced better numbers.

At this point, there won’t be many teams (if any) lining up to sign the former first overall pick. Even a quarterback-hungry team like the Bills will likely stick with what they currently have on their roster, despite the fact that Russell can throw the ball the length of 87 football fields while sitting down. Everyone outside of Al Davis realizes that if a quarterback isn’t accurate, doesn’t want to work hard and takes half a season to get into shape, then it doesn’t matter how far he can throw.

It seems as if Russell just wants to take his big payday from the NFL and walk off into the distance with it. And maybe that’s exactly what he should do.

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Apparently Al Davis isn’t very good with goodbyes.

Nancy Gay of NFL.Fanhouse.com reports that the Raiders are still undecided about whether or not to allow JaMarcus Russell to participate in their three-day minicamp, which beings this Friday.

Why wouldn’t Davis concede he made a terrible mistake by drafting Russell and paying him so much for so little?

Consider Davis’ now-infamous “You’re Fired” letter to former coach Lane Kiffin, made public via overhead projector in September 2008. It spelled out the owner’s belief in Russell’s potential quite succinctly.

Here is paragraph six of the letter, dated Sept. 12, 2008, entitled, “Dear Lane”:

“I do realize that you did not want us to draft JaMarcus Russell. He is a great player. Get over it and coach this team on the field, that is what you were hired to do. We can win with this team!”

Everyone likes to point out how Davis doesn’t care about what everyone things about him. If that’s the case, then he shouldn’t care if people point out that Kiffin was right about Russell. Plus, for the first time in a long while, Davis put together a nice draft for the Raiders and should continue to move forward instead of backwards. Russell represents a horrible past mistake and therefore, shouldn’t be viewed as part of the team’s present or future.

Just move on, Al. It’ll be like pulling off a band aid.

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It appears that the end is near for JaMarcus Russell in Oakland, as the Raiders are preparing to release the NFL’s all-time biggest bust.

From ESPN.com:

John Clayton just said on ESPN’s “NFL Live” that the Raiders are preparing the process of cutting quarterback JaMarcus Russell.

Clayton said it is not a matter of if, but when Russell will be cut. He also said the team could release Russell before Oakland’s minicamp, which runs Friday through Sunday, and that there is no trade market for him. The Raiders will save more than $6 million if they cut Russell this year.

I wrote about this topic in more detail yesterday, which you can read here. But the long and the short of it is that Jason Campbell is the starter and the best move for the Raiders is to cut their losses and move on with Russell. He would be nothing shy of a distraction, including for owner Al Davis.

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There is no quarterback controversy in Oakland. There is no, “let’s see how things go” or “let the best man win” philosophies being taken by the Raiders.

Make no mistake about it: Jason Campbell is the Raiders’ starting quarterback. But just because he’s the new front man in Oakland doesn’t mean that Al Davis’ love affection for JaMarcus Russell’s raw skills aren’t still there. Even though reports have surfaced that Russell is tipping the scales at 300 pounds, as long as he and his big arm remain on the roster then Davis will always be intrigued.

That’s why Davis should release Russell immediately. Why should he tempt himself by keeping the No. 1 overall bust on the roster? As soon as Campbell loses a couple games, Davis could get the JaMarcus Russell itch and demand that head coach Tom Cable put him back in their lineup.

That said, Cable is the X factor in this situation. He proved last year that he was willing to bury Russell under Bruce Gradkowski, Charlie Frye and an old Nintendo controller on the Raiders’ depth chart. Therefore, chances are if Campbell doesn’t pan out it will be Gradkowski that gets the nod over JaMarcubust.

But that’s just one more reason to flat out release him and move on. Davis put together a nice draft for the Raiders and managed to acquire a starting quarterback with experience for practically nothing. He should continue moving his team forward by releasing one massive mistake and putting it behind him.

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As expected, Al Davis screwed up several draft boards with his selection in the first round.

With the eighth overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, the Raiders selected Alabama middle linebacker Rolando McClain, despite the general consensus that the team would take an offensive tackle. While it was a small reach, McClain is by far the best middle linebacker prospect in the draft. He was extremely productive at ‘Bama for Nick Saban and proved to be a solid run defender. He also has a high football IQ, which makes him a misfit for Oakland.

The Raiders have been reportedly shopping Kirk Morrison, which would leave a gaping hole in the middle of Oakland’s defense. Even though nobody had McClain mocked to the Raiders, the pick makes sense if the team parts with Morrison at some point this offseason.

Crazy Al surprised us again, but it wasn’t a bad pick.

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ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that “all the ingredients” for a trade are in place between the Eagles and Raiders involving quarterback Donovan McNabb.

Of all the teams the Eagles have spoken with, the Raiders have been the most willing to meet the Eagles’ asking price. Last week, The Associated Press reported that the Eagles want a pick in the top 42 of the 2010 draft for McNabb. Oakland has a second-round pick that is the 39th overall selection.

Also, the sources say McNabb’s contract, which has one year and $11.2 million left on it, has scared off other teams. But, the sources say, Oakland is not concerned that McNabb is due a $6.2 million roster bonus on May 5 nor that the quarterback is scheduled to become a free agent after the 2010 season.

There also are connections between the Raiders and McNabb. Raiders owner Al Davis and McNabb each went to Syracuse, and Oakland’s new offensive coordinator, Hue Jackson, is a distant cousin of McNabb’s.

I’m a huge supporter of McNabb and I think on the right team, he’s a Super Bowl-winning quarterback. For whatever reason the Eagles have failed to live up to expectations with him under center, but I’m not one of those that believes McNabb deserves most of the blame for their postseason struggles. He’s a good quarterback and while he’s not a miracle worker, he can lift a team with his play.

That said, this would be another unnecessary move in a history of unnecessary moves by owner Al Davis. The Raiders are several quality pieces away from becoming a playoff contender, so it doesn’t make sense for them to give up a second round pick and $11.2 million to have McNabb on their roster for one year. I could be wrong, but I highly doubt he would sign an extension to stay in Oakland given that his career is winding down. Chances are, he’d jet as soon as his contract expires at the end of the 2010 season.

I applaud teams that take initiative when it comes to acquiring talent in order to build a competitive roster. But this move makes little sense for the Raiders outside of the fact that they need a quarterback. I’m not suggesting that they would be better off with JaMarcus Russell or Bruce Gradkowski. But I am saying that this would eventually be a fruitless trade for them (outside of maybe selling more tickets) given McNabb’s contract situation and desire to sign with a contender after 2010. Long-term it doesn’t make any sense and the bottom line is that the Raiders just aren’t one Donovan McNabb away from competing.

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