INDIANAPOLIS – My body clock hasn’t adjusted to the time change, and I’ll pay for it tomorrow in California when I’m too tired to stay up and watch Monday Night Raw.
The Combine will continue through Tuesday, but the media portion is done, except for televised coverage.
But here are some final thoughts from the 2008 NFL Scouting Combine.
*The Lane Kiffin vs. Al Davis situation needs to be completely resolved. Multiple team executives remarked of how Kiffin has no role in free agency. Kiffin is involved interviewing and scouting players for the draft. Regardless, this is no way to run a team. More than one person I spoke with said they’d be shocked if Kiffin were Raiders coach in April or the NFL Draft.
*The Raiders were the butt of jokes by many around that wonder why the team appears so dysfunctional. Raider employees insist things are nearly as bad as reported by news outlets and that other teams have their share of drama. The difference is those teams don’t make their business public through anonymous sources. In fact, one person with knowledge of the situation said things have been pretty calm lately.
That's subject to change depending on how Davis feels.
The truth, as in most cases, is probably somewhere in the middle. Kiffin might be immature in the eyes of some, but if Davis is willing to play this game, he’s not much better.
*Darren McFadden may have his issues, but he’s no Lawrence Phillips. Don’t expect him to last long in the draft. If he falls to No. 4, the Raiders could pick up extra picks after having already traded a third and fifth round choice in this year’s draft in 2007. Seeing McFadden in Oakland is the dream of some, but between Justin Fargas and Michael Bush, the team likes its tailbacks.
*Adding more picks makes sense for the Raiders. If the team is wise it could land two to three starters on the first day of the draft. Someone like Glenn Dorsey or Sedrick Ellis would start instantly. Ellis is better suited to play nose guard more than Dorsey.
*At least one coach believes Warren Sapp can still play at a high level and feels he retired out of frustration with his situation with the Raiders.
*There are several safeties and cornerbacks that claim they love to tackle. The Raiders need to draft one of them, especially at safety.
*Folks are still puzzled by the Raiders making Nnamdi Asomugha their exclusive franchise player.
So if a team desperate to make a splash was willing to give the Raiders two first-round picks for Asomugha, the Raiders can’t even consider the deal.
--Jason Jones
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