Aaron Brooks Out 2-4 Weeks...

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Raiders QB Brooks out 2-4 weeks with pectoral strain



The Oakland Raiders have struggled to get anything going on offense in the first two games of this season. And it doesn't look like a reprieve is coming anytime soon.

Raiders coach Art Shell said quarterback Aaron Brooks will be sidelined two to four weeks with a strained pectoral muscle suffered in Sunday's 28-6 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, reports ESPN.com's John Clayton.

Brook was removed in the first quarter, with what was first thought to be a shoulder injury, after twice losing fumbled snaps to end Oakland's first two possessions. Both turnovers led to Ravens field goals. When Oakland got the ball a third time, Andrew Walter was inserted at quarterback. Brooks probably was hurt while he was trying to pounce on the ball near the line of scrimmage.

Brooks was signed as a free agent to take over for Kerry Collins, but he has had difficulty moving the offense. He was pulled last week in the Raiders' season-opening 27-0 loss to San Diego on Monday night.
 
So at least one more game with Walter. If we can get the line working, it might be a good thing. Anyone second that motion for the bye week. Get the OL working?
 
If Aaron Brooks see the field again I have serious concerns about the Shell era. It's time to st56op this charade. Find out if Walter can play. He's not going to do any worse than Brooks behind that fucking OL -- we can't keep wondering about our QB situation.

Did you see his press conference? Art looked clueless.
 
Brooks sidelined, Walter in for Raiders quarterback

JOSH DUBOW

ALAMEDA, Calif. - Aaron Brooks will be sidelined two to four weeks with a strained pectoral muscle, giving the Raiders' starting quarterback job to second-year player Andrew Walter.

Brooks hurt himself Sunday after fumbling his second straight snap from center in the first quarter of a 28-6 loss to Baltimore. Originally, the Raiders thought it was a rotator cuff injury, but an MRI on Monday showed it was just a muscle strain.

The Raiders have a much-needed bye this week after getting outscored 55-6 in their two losses to open the season. Walter will start Oct. 1 against Cleveland. After that, it will depend on Brooks' health, coach Art Shell said.

"Right now the job is Aaron's," Shell said. "Andrew will come in and fill in and do the best that he can to help us win. That's where we are. I don't want to start, 'If he does this, will we do that?' I don't want to do that right now. If there's a decision to be made down the road then we'll do that. But right now Aaron Brooks is our starting quarterback."

Brooks has had a rough start in his first season in Oakland and hasn't made it through an entire game yet. He was sacked seven times in a 27-0 season-opening loss to San Diego before being pulled in the fourth quarter. He lasted only two drives against the Ravens, not throwing a single pass.

That gave Walter his most extensive action in the NFL since the Raiders took him in the third round in 2005 out of Arizona State. Shell said Walter had an up-and-down performance against the Ravens, but acknowledged it was difficult to get a true read on him because of the constant pressure he was under.

Walter has sacked six times and under pressure from the Ravens numerous others throughout the game. The Raiders have allowed 15 sacks threw two weeks.

"It's difficult to get a feel for them," Shell said of his quarterbacks. "I think we have a feel for what they're capable of doing, if given the time. So we have to have the time for them consistently. It can't be every now and then. It has to be a consistent situation where we're giving them the kind of time that's necessary to get the ball down the field."

Walter put together a few effective drives against the Ravens, leading the Raiders to a pair of field goals for their only points of the season. But he also lost one of his three fumbles and threw three interceptions.

He finished 10-for-27 for 162 yards and has an anemic quarterback rating of 19.0 through two weeks. Walter said his mistakes were "unacceptable," including missing an open Randy Moss in the end zone and committing four turnovers.

"Those are all things that kill you," he said. "They killed us. It's fine moving the ball, but if we don't score any points at the end of the day, it's who scores the most points."

The biggest problem for the Raiders has been on the offensive line. They've struggled to pick up constant blitzes from the Chargers and Ravens. Shell said the coaching staff would use the week off to evaluate the scheme and work on fundamentals with the linemen.

Oakland already is without starting left tackle Robert Gallery, who missed the Ravens game with an injured calf and is questionable against Cleveland. Now their most experienced lineman, left guard Barry Sims, has an injured hip. He was to undergo an MRI and Shell did not know what his status would be.

Oakland has also been without Jerry Porter, last year's leading receiver, for the first two games. Shell has benched Porter, who clashed with his new coach in the offseason and demanded a trade.

Safety Jarrod Cooper was one of a few players who questioned the move in the wake of the two poor offensive performances and said it was time for Shell and Porter to get over their bad blood so the receiver could get back on the field.

Shell wouldn't say when, or if, Porter would play, but downplayed the impact of his absence on the offensive struggles.

"It's not the receivers. That's not the problem," Shell said. "The problem is, giving our quarterback the time to throw the ball, and the problem is, also, once you get the time, making the connection. So, the receivers are not the problem. We got guys that can catch the ball, but we got to make sure that we have an opportunity to get the ball to them."

Shell said the Raiders would consider bringing in a third quarterback to be ready in an emergency while Brooks is sidelined. He said it could be Jeff George, who has not thrown a pass in the NFL since 2001, but spent a week in Raiders camp during the preseason.

For now, Marques Tuiasosopo is the backup and receiver Ronald Curry, who played quarterback in college at North Carolina, would be the emergency third-stringer.
 
Brooks is out, and maybe Sims, too

OK, can we panic now?

The Raiders haven't been close to competent on offense in two games this season. And now comes the news - you've probably heard already - that quarterback Aaron Brooks is out two to four weeks with a strained pectoral muscle, and left guard Barry Sims has a "hip situation" that was worrisome enough to justify an MRI exam.

I know, I know. One possible reaction is "What does it matter when things can't possibly get worse?"

OK, you have a point. But I'm still not ready to pin the Raiders' woes on Brooks. True, he hasn't done anything to lift the team. I just don't think you can judge a quarterback who is constantly under assault from pass rushers. One popular refrain these days is: "And to think the Raiders could have drafted Matt Leinart." I have no idea how good Leinart is, or will be. But can you imagine a rookie quarterback trying to thrive with Shawne Merriman or Terrell Suggs in his belt loops every play? It would be gruesome.

As for Sims, I wouldn't go so far as to say he's played well this season. But I do believe he's the least of evils on the Oakland offensive line - or in other words, the guy who has been beaten the fewest times lately. It would hurt big time to lose him right now.

Personnel isn't the only issue facing this team, though. If the Raiders don't adjust their game plan to turn down the pressure, it won't matter who is behind center, or next to center.

They did tweak the plan a little Sunday, going to more three-step drops (though still not a ton), often employing two tight ends and/or getting the running backs to chip pass rushers.

The question I keep asking is, where are the screen passes? Where are the flares, or the quick slants to Ronald Curry? After two games, no Raiders running back has a single catch. The defensive ends and linebackers are motoring full-throttle into the Oakland backfield, and offensive coordinator Tom Walsh has done little, scheme-wise, to slow them down.

You'll be happy to hear that coach Art Shell did address the lack of outlet passes over the last two weeks at his Monday press conference. "As we move along, I've been writing down notes," Shell said. "That's one of the things I wrote down. We need to get the ball to our backs out of the backfield. - We need to put more pressure on the defense by doing that."

Let's hope Shell has a thick notebook and a lot of ink, because screen passes alone won't rescue his offense.
 
I guess now is as good as time as any for Walter to start. I beleive he was a 3 year starter at Arizona St. and the Pac-10 typically runs the a "pro style" offense, he sat on the bench last year and hell, Brooks has been inefective and is now injured.

Full Disclosure - I've been saying that Aaron Brooks should start all offseason and after the first game. I've now reversed my opinion, so have it. My line in the sand was always 3-6 and out of the playoff hunt, but let's face it, we're 0-2 and look much worse than that. Might as well go with this dude to see what we have (or don't have) for future. If he stinks, we'll have to make a play for a solid FA QB or draft one.

I know, I know, Al Davis doesn't draft QB's in the 1st round. Fine by me IF Andrew Walter is the guy OR we land a decent veteran QB. I'd rather draft DL & OL anyway.
 
Also, This is a blessing in disguise for Art Shell. He can now start Andrew Walter because Brooks is injured. Being left with a fait accompli is much preferable to yanking a starting QB after 2 games and dealing with the subsequent media scrutiny. Not to mention division amongst the ranks.

Good for the team as well. Walter figures to get at least 2 starts and if (and the team) plays better, then it makes the permanent switch to Walter that much more palatable for everyone involved. If Walter plays like shit, then he can always go back to Brooks since the latter was injured and unable to play anyway.
 
Walter's in; call it a silver lining

Gary Peterson

ALAMEDA - As we speak, Aaron Brooks' strained pectoral muscle will keep him out of action from two to four weeks. As we speak, Andrew Walter will be the Raiders' starting quarterback in their next game 12 days from now.

As we speak, that's about all the Raiders have going for them.

A vote against Brooks' well-being? Hardly. Only the truly bent (or fantasy football jamokes) root for injuries to others. No, this is simply a brutally frank assessment of a Raiders' season that shows no signs of getting off the launch pad.

They are 0-2 (as if you need reminding) headed into their bye week. How would you like to chop it up? Defense? Taken at face value, the Raiders could make a case that their defense borders on average. Still, it has allowed 53 points to two teams that were content to play mumblety-peg after taking early leads. What will happen against a team that breaks out the full dinner show?

Offense? Here the Raiders have been profoundly inept, scoring just six points, allowing 15 sacks, failing to complete a single pass to a running back, having trouble with the most basic elements of the game (running a play before the play clock strikes zero, executing the center snap), and seemingly unable to react to what the opposing defense is doing.

"We see what defenses are doing, but if you don't stop something it's going to continue," coach Art Shell said Monday. "So when teams are coming at you with the blitzes and the dogs, and if you don't stop it on a consistent basis, then they will continue to bring it until you do stop it."

Nice man, Shell. Incredibly decent. But to watch the Raiders get drilled, then to listen to his postmortem, it's enough to make you question his return to coaching. Not to mention his decision to recall Tom Walsh from his thriving bed and breakfast franchise to be Oakland's offensive coordinator.

Special teams? Top o' the heap, for all that matters.

So the presence of one A. Scott Walter in the starting lineup solves exactly which of the Raiders' current problems?

That would be: none.

But look, as cock-eyed as it sounds, it's precariously close to being time to forget about this season for this Raiders team. A loss to Cleveland a week from Sunday (a real possibility -- the Browns, 4-9 at the time, won in Oakland just 39 short weeks ago) and the Raiders will be 0-3. Since the playoffs expanded to include 12 teams in 1990, 79 teams have begun the season 0-3. Just three of those have rallied to reach the postseason.

So much is wrong with the Raiders right now that it would take a HazMat unit and five teams of CSIs to sort it out. What Shell can do is learn what the Raiders have in Walter, and allow the young man to work through as many growing pains as possible. What is it going to hurt at this point? Nothing that anybody in this conversation would feel.

Switching quarterbacks just because, however, would be a tough organizational sell. The Raiders just began peddling their own tickets for the first time since returning to Oakland in 1995. As marketing slogans go, "Aw, the hell with it" is a lousy manner in which to attempt to grow the fan base.

Beyond that, would you want to look 33-year-old Warren Sapp in the eye and inform him that this year is pretty much a wash more than a month before Halloween? Don't worry, it was just a for-instance.

Historically, Raiders teams have shown a keen understanding of precisely when to quit on a season. To give them reason to let up even earlier than that would border on morbid curiosity.

So going to Walter isn't something Shell would want to do at this point. Now, however, he has to.

Who says the Raiders can't catch a break?

If the only good thing that happens to the Raiders this season is that they can quantify what they have in Walter, then it will not have been a lost cause. If, on the other hand, Brooks comes back, the team never jells, and next spring finds the Raiders trying to compare and contrast an unknown quantity and a 32-year-old journeyman with a $5 million bonus coming due, well, that would qualify as just north of a waste of time.

For his part, Shell recited the hoary athletic maxim about a starter never losing his job to injury. Later, though, he sounded as if he wouldn't mind leaving the door slightly ajar.

"Andrew will come in and fill in and do the best that he can to help us win," Shell said. "That's where we are. I don't want to start, 'If he does this, we will do that.' If there's a decision to be made down the road, then we'll do that."

So they've got that going for them.
 
Brooks will be sidelined 2-4 weeks
But when healthy, the quarterback will be reinserted into the starting lineup, Shell says


ALAMEDA -- The news concerning the injury to starting quarterback Aaron Brooks turned out to be better than expected, Raiders coach Art Shell said Monday.

Still, the strained pectoral muscle he sustained in Sunday's 28-6 loss to the Baltimore Ravens is expected to sideline him anywhere from two to four weeks, Shell said. Therefore, he will miss at least one game and as many as three if it takes the full four weeks for his injury to heal. The Raiders' next game is Oct. 1 against the Cleveland Browns.

The Raiders initially feared that Brooks had sustained a strained rotator cuff in his right (throwing) shoulder. An MRI administered Monday revealed otherwise. A rotator cuff injury likely would have necessitated Brooks' missing more time, Shell said.

"Rotator cuff is a tough thing to deal with," Shell said.

Brooks got hurt late in the first quarter when he dived for a loose ball that the Ravens recovered. It was the second of two fumbled snaps that Brooks had in the game. The Ravens recovered both.

That means Andrew Walter is the starting quarterback against Cleveland. He has not started a game in his two-year NFL career.

Shell said he won't rule out the possibility of re-signing veteran Jeff George or some other proven quarterback between now and the Browns game. George signed late in training camp but was released four days later. Marques Tuiasosopo is the only other healthy quarterback on Oakland's 53-man roster.

Walter received his most extensive action as a professional against the Ravens. He attempted 27 passes and completed just 10. He also got sacked six times, fumbled three times and had three of his passes intercepted.

Walter got his first NFL game experience in relief of Brooks in Oakland's 27-0 loss to the San Diego Chargers in the regular-season opener Sept. 11. He replaced Brooks early in the fourth quarter after the Chargers sacked Brooks seven times, and Shell said he feared for Brooks' safety.

Shell made it clear that Brooks isn't in jeopardy of losing his job. Brooks will return to the starting lineup whenever he is cleared to play again, Shell said.

"You don't lose a job unless something really goes out of whack, but, no, I don't expect that to happen," Shell said. "We just got to go with what we have and see what happens down the road."

Shell gave his players the day off Monday. Therefore, Walter and Brooks were unavailable for comment.

Shell said Brooks' injury comes at a time when Brooks was on the verge of getting in sync with his new teammates and offense. Brooks signed with the Raiders as a free agent in the offseason.

"It takes away from it, it does," Shell said. "He's getting to the point where he's feeling comfortable with what we're doing and what we expect out of each situation, each pass, each run, the audible checks he has to go to if they give us certain looks, whether it's a run, whether it's a pass.

"He was feeling comfortable with that. This will slow that down somewhat, but, knowing him, he'll stay involved in what we're doing."

Extra points

Outside linebacker Grant Irons (back) and middle linebacker Kirk Morrison (ribs) appear to be OK despite getting injured Sunday, Shell said. Of greater concern, Shell said, are starting left guard Barry Sims (hip) and starting left cornerback Fabian Washington (hamstring). Sims underwent an MRI on Monday. The results won't be revealed until today. Shell said he was told by the team trainer that Sims was "in some pain" and that's a "big concern." All four are questionable for the Browns game as of now. Corey Hulsey would replace Sims if necessary. ... Shell said Kevin Boothe performed well in relief of fellow rookie Paul McQuistan at right guard Sunday. A change could be in the offing, he added, though nothing is imminent. ... Most teams prefer their bye coming later in the season. Shell said his team's bye this week comes at a "very good time. The situation is good for us injury-wise, and it's good for us to take a hard look at what we're doing and how we're doing things." The players will practice today, Wednesday and Thursday before receiving three days off.
 
Walter in as Raiders quarterback
Former Sun Devil to get first start vs. Cleveland

Josh Dubow

Sept. 18, 2006 10:10 PM


ALAMEDA, Calif. - Aaron Brooks will be sidelined two to four weeks with a strained pectoral muscle, giving the Raiders' starting quarterback job to second-year player Andrew Walter.

Brooks hurt himself Sunday after fumbling his second straight snap from center in the first quarter of a 28-6 loss to Baltimore. Originally, the Raiders thought it was a rotator cuff injury, but an MRI on Monday showed it was just a muscle strain.

The Raiders have a much-needed bye this week after getting outscored 55-6 in their two losses to open the season. Walter will start Oct. 1 against Cleveland. After that, it will depend on Brooks' health, coach Art Shell said. advertisement




"Right now the job is Aaron's," Shell said. "Andrew will come in and fill in and do the best that he can to help us win. That's where we are. I don't want to start, 'If he does this, will we do that?' I don't want to do that right now. If there's a decision to be made down the road then we'll do that. But right now Aaron Brooks is our starting quarterback."

Brooks has had a rough start in his first season in Oakland and hasn't made it through an entire game yet. He was sacked seven times in a 27-0 season-opening loss to San Diego before being pulled in the fourth quarter. He lasted only two drives against the Ravens, not throwing a single pass.

That gave Walter his most extensive action in the NFL since the Raiders took him in the third round in 2005 out of Arizona State. Shell said Walter had an up-and-down performance against the Ravens, but acknowledged it was difficult to get a true read on him because of the constant pressure he was under.

Walter has sacked six times and under pressure from the Ravens numerous others throughout the game. The Raiders have allowed 15 sacks threw two weeks.

"It's difficult to get a feel for them," Shell said of his quarterbacks. "I think we have a feel for what they're capable of doing, if given the time. So we have to have the time for them consistently. It can't be every now and then. It has to be a consistent situation where we're giving them the kind of time that's necessary to get the ball down the field."

Walter put together a few effective drives against the Ravens, leading the Raiders to a pair of field goals for their only points of the season. But he also lost one of his three fumbles and threw three interceptions.

He finished 10-for-27 for 162 yards and has an anemic quarterback rating of 19.0 through two weeks. Walter said his mistakes were "unacceptable," including missing an open Randy Moss in the end zone and committing four turnovers.

"Those are all things that kill you," he said. "They killed us. It's fine moving the ball, but if we don't score any points at the end of the day, it's who scores the most points."

The biggest problem for the Raiders has been on the offensive line. They've struggled to pick up constant blitzes from the Chargers and Ravens. Shell said the coaching staff would use the week off to evaluate the scheme and work on fundamentals with the linemen.

Oakland already is without starting left tackle Robert Gallery, who missed the Ravens game with an injured calf and is questionable against Cleveland. Now their most experienced lineman, left guard Barry Sims, has an injured hip. He was to undergo an MRI and Shell did not know what his status would be.

Oakland has also been without Jerry Porter, last year's leading receiver, for the first two games. Shell has benched Porter, who clashed with his new coach in the offseason and demanded a trade.

Safety Jarrod Cooper was one of a few players who questioned the move in the wake of the two poor offensive performances and said it was time for Shell and Porter to get over their bad blood so the receiver could get back on the field.

Shell wouldn't say when, or if, Porter would play, but downplayed the impact of his absence on the offensive struggles.

"It's not the receivers. That's not the problem," Shell said. "The problem is, giving our quarterback the time to throw the ball, and the problem is, also, once you get the time, making the connection. So, the receivers are not the problem. We got guys that can catch the ball, but we got to make sure that we have an opportunity to get the ball to them."

Shell said the Raiders would consider bringing in a third quarterback to be ready in an emergency while Brooks is sidelined. He said it could be Jeff George, who has not thrown a pass in the NFL since 2001, but spent a week in Raiders camp during the preseason.

For now, Marques Tuiasosopo is the backup and receiver Ronald Curry, who played quarterback in college at North Carolina, would be the emergency third-stringer.
 
Walter to get 1st start

David White

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Backup quarterback Andrew Walter was already the team sacks leader. Now, he's the starter.

Raiders quarterback Aaron Brooks is out two to four weeks with a strained pectoral muscle, which means Walter is scheduled to make his first NFL start Oct. 1 against the visiting Cleveland Browns.

Just don't pester Raiders coach Art Shell with musings of a burgeoning quarterback controversy. Not yet, anyway.

"I don't want to start, 'If he does this, will we do that?' " Shell said Monday, the day after the Raiders lost to the Ravens 28-6. "If there's a decision to be made down the road, then we'll do that. But right now, Aaron Brooks is our starting quarterback."

Perhaps the more time-sensitive issue involves a potential spare tire. With Marques Tuiasosopo now the backup and wide receiver Ronald Curry the emergency No. 3 quarterback, the Raiders are looking into signing an insurance arm -- just in case Walter stops getting up after sacks.

Jeff George, anyone?

"It could be Jeff George or it could be somebody else who can come in here and learn our system quickly and adjust to it," Shell said. "First, we have to find out who's out there."

The Raiders signed George, 38 and out of the NFL for five years, during the final week of the exhibition season. Walter was sidelined with shoulder pain at the time and the team gave George's live arm a look.

George was cut by week's end, which might have been best for his health. The Raiders' riddled offensive line has given up 15 sacks in two games. On pace for 120 sacks, they would obliterate the record of 76 allowed by the Texans in 2002.

Brooks was hurt scrambling for a fumbled snap in the first quarter of Sunday's loss at Baltimore. The team initially thought he hurt his rotator cuff, which could have been more serious than the pectoral muscle.

Walter came in and completed 10 of 27 passes for 162 yards and had three interceptions, one lost fumble and six sacks. On Sept. 11, he also replaced Brooks in the fourth quarter of the season opener after Brooks bruised his knee.

Walter has been sacked eight times to Brooks' six.

"He's a tough kid," Shell said. "Andrew will come in and fill in, and do the best he can to help us win. That's where we are."

Players were given the day off and weren't available for interviews.

Line shuffle: Starting left guard Barry Sims hurt his hip against the Ravens and is questionable for the next game.

Sims had an MRI exam scheduled Monday. Results won't be made available until today. He joins left tackle Robert Gallery (calf) on the sideline.

"He's in some pain, which is a concern," Shell said.

Injury pileup: If you thought quarterback was a painful position to be a Raider, check out the cornerbacks and linebackers.

At cornerback, Fabian Washington is questionable with a hamstring injury, joining Nnamdi Asomugha (foot) on the injured list for now.

Middle linebacker Kirk Morrison has bruised ribs, and outside linebacker Grant Irons has a lower back strain. Irons started in place of Sam Williams, who is out with a sprained ankle.

None of the injuries are considered serious, but all are listed as questionable for the Cleveland game.

New guys: One rookie replaced another at right guard Sunday, and Shell isn't ready to declare a winner.

Kevin Boothe, a sixth-round pick from Cornell, replaced starter Paul McQuistan, a third-round pick from Weber State, in the second half. Shell won't name a starter for the Browns game.

"Kevin did good," Shell said. "The coaches felt that we needed to take a look at Kevin. Paul was having a few problems, so ... I said, 'OK.' Not anything against Paul, but we're trying to get better."
 
Stick with Walter all season

Carl Steward

ALAMEDA — The future of the Oakland Raiders depends on them being honest about the present: They are one of the worst teams in football, they're not going anywhere this year, and they need every young player they believe to be part of their long-range plan to take their lumps now in order to grow and mature.

With most of their promising young players already on the field, that basically means leaving Andrew Walter at quarterback for the remainder of the year and seeing what the kid's got.

Yes, it's finally time. Walter has to experience the brunt of the fire alongside Kirk Morrison, Michael Huff, Robert Gallery, Fabian Washington and others, not only for his own development but for the Raiders to determine whether he's the real deal.

For the short term, the decision has been made easy for the Raiders in the wake of their latest annihilation in Baltimore on Sunday. Aaron Brooks came out of the game with a strained pectoral muscle that will cause him to miss 2-4 weeks. So Walter will be the starter for at least one game and possibly more, perhaps a blessing in disguise for Art Shell and the entire organization.

But what happens after that, particularly if Walter takes some positive baby steps while the position is temporarily his?

"I don't want to go there yet," Shell said Monday. "If a decision had to be made right now, Aaron Brooks is still our starting quarterback."

A decision doesn't have to bemade right now, though, and while Shell's using the bye week to evaluate everything the Raiders have done and not done the first two weeks, he needs to broaden his horizons and consider the quarterback position in the larger scheme.

The next two games, against Cleveland and the 49ers, might be winnable. The next seven after that, based on the carnage against San Diego and Baltimore, probably not. The Raiders play all three AFC West opponents on the road. Add in a trip to Seattle and home games against Pittsburgh, Denver and Arizona. Can you say 3-8 after 11 games? That may be a best-case scenario.

That's why Walter has to play, regardless of Brooks' health situation. Maybe Brooks didn't get a fair shot as the starter, but he barely had a hold on the job to begin with, and in the final analysis, this is bigger than him. He is not the future, but he was worth a shot as a 2006 quick fix considering the low risk. He's signed for just two years at an affordable salary.

But the situation has changed. We know the Raiders are in for a long year, or at best, a transitional year. Across the Bay, the 49ers are starting to see the benefit of playing Alex Smith as a rookie late in the 2005 season even though he really wasn't ready.

Don't buy Smith? Look where Eli Manning is with two years of on-field development.

Walter needs to be allowed that same learning curve. If he returns to the bench after Brooks is healthy and the Raiders go 6-10, what is gained? They'll still have a young quarterback with very little experience, and the team won't know if he's up to the job.

The Raiders might be better off finishing 4-12 with Walter going through an on-the-job school of hard knocks. Yes, he's going to struggle and make mistakes as he did Sunday in a tough environment in Baltimore. But if he really is the heady talent the Raiders say he is, that should start to show more and more as the season progresses.

The Raiders passed on Matt Leinart and Jay Cutler in this year's draft, believing Walter was as good or better than either one without really knowing. In 2007, when they quite likely will be in possession of a very high pick — if not the first choice — will they be prepared to do the same if Notre Dame's Brady Quinn or Louisville's Brian Brohm is available (both are projected top-10 picks) and Walter still hasn't played enough to be evaluated accurately?

Of course, Raiders fans have been clamoring for Walter almost from the time he arrived and performed well in the 2005 preseason. But the timing wasn't right, and then he was injured, which made it academic.

But the timing is right now, if the Raiders simply own up to the reality of their situation, which has never been their strong suit. The fact is, just considering their offensive line problems, it's delusional to think they have any chance at the playoffs this year. Add a mess of an offensive system under Tom Walsh and the Jerry Porter fiasco, it's a lock.

Quarterback, too, is still a huge question. But Oakland needs answers on Walter, not Brooks, this year.
 
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