Birdwell

[Xplosive]

where yah at bro?

you've been very very quiet. I need your opinion,


GO Raiders

X

[Throne Raider]

beating the DHB drum so hard we had to invoke section 5150 of the California Welfare and Institutions code. He had to be restrained and put in a rubber room for his own safety and the safety of others just in case Al didn't take Monroe then trade back up for Bey!

[Xplosive]

rolling.. hey throne!!!

lol.. Thats classic. nobody better than you to come up with that one.. But seriously I havent heard anything from my good bro bird. and I really need his opinion, he is wise and hell i will go to war for the guy.. he is good people...

Raiders Draft hit a change of plans if these 2 trades go down, this morning or during the draft.

take care

X

[Birdwell]

X,

I'm here. I had a function -- very busy week at work, so missed the last half of the first and all of the second round. Bellringer kept me up-to-date with the action from round 2.

As I had posted on a few of your threads, I like Heyward-Bey, and think he is a good fit for the Raiders. Here's the key part of his conference call interview, for me:

At Maryland what we do is, we run the ball to set up the pass. I’m the type of receiver, I catch, block, hustle and just work hard.

He BLOCKS. That is a big deal. With our running game, him blocking downfield is a huge asset. He did it at Maryland. Here's my second favorite part, and it fits:

You only get frustrated when your team loses – when your team loses and feel like you didn’t have a chance to help the team win. That’s the only time it’s frustrating. But I understood my role on the team, and winning was the No. 1 thing. It wasn’t about what I wanted.

Team player. No "Give me the damn ball!" -- so of course Keyshawn can't stand him. McShay sounded angry, like the pick personally offended him. WTF?

Simply put, I like the pick because:
1) The Raiders needed a deep threat -- anyone who argued for Maclin already agrees.
1a) The deep threat also helps the running game by making the D defend the depth of the field.
2) His blocking will help increase the probability of runs over 20 yards.
3) With the receivers we have, Heyward-Bey would be the split end, stretch the D, pull the safety for the double-coverage. Schilens moves to the flanker, where his size and ferocious desire to catch anything thrown in his area -- along with his size -- makes him an asset between the numbers, but also has the speed to go deep, so you have to play him honest. Higgins is a nightmare for the 3rd corner or safety to cover in the slot. Not the same lateral quickness as Brandon Stokely, but much better speed -- miss him and he's gone, just ask the Bills. Dunno where Walker fits, but that's not something I'm worried about.

Could the Raiders have drafted him later? Probably. So what? If they didn't get a good enough offer to trade down, should they have taken less value than the pick was worth to do so? If so, in essence the same people who are pissed about the pick would have been pissed about that, too.

I would have preferred Raji, and am stunned that the Raiders didn't pull the trigger on Monroe. But unlike some people, I am well aware that my opinion carries no weight at Raider HQ, so I'm not angry that they didn't draft who I wanted.

I'll post some thoughts once the draft is complete, and maybe not until the UFAs are signed. I just don't feel the need to be part of the instant commentariat.

[007]

Great post Bird.

Nicely put, and like I said, the initial shock has worn off, and Im behind it 100%.

[Raidermania12]

I would have preferred Raji, and am stunned that the Raiders didn't pull the trigger on Monroe. But unlike some people, I am well aware that my opinion carries no weight at Raider HQ, so I'm not angry that they didn't draft who I wanted.

people dont take kindly to common sense around here. :p