http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2007/03/02/SPGFPODT5H1.DTL
No disrespect to my fellow Raider Hispanics brothers here, but it looks like the red-headed mexican is looking to come aboard..
In other news, Tyrone poole was waived.. and whats this about Sims restructuring from 7.5 million to 6.5 million?? WTF? Am I reading this wrong.. that MF'er aint worth 6,5!
The Raiders' No. 1 priority in free agency is securing a veteran quarterback, preferably a guy who can run to elude trouble -- a necessity, considering the team surrendered 72 sacks last season behind a struggling offensive line.
They'll find out soon whether their pursuit of Jeff Garcia, the scrambling three-time Pro Bowl quarterback, is successful.
Expect the Raiders to get into a bidding war with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who also are eager to land this year's top free-agent quarterback. The Vikings also have expressed interest in Garcia, who was made expendable in Philadelphia when the Eagles signed backup quarterback A.J. Feeley to a three-year contract extension.
Garcia, 37, resurrected his career in Philadelphia taking over for the injured Donovan McNabb. Under Garcia's direction, the Eagles went from 5-5 to capturing the NFC East title. They also made it to the divisional round of the playoffs, with Garcia completing 61.7 percent of his passes for 1,309 yards, 10 touchdowns and two interceptions.
He's tough. He's competitive. But at his age, Garcia remains a bit of a risk. The former Canadian Football League star has taken a physical beating in the eight years he's played in the NFL. He was outstanding as a starter for the 49ers, but didn't fare so well as a free-agent starter in Cleveland and Detroit, playing behind poor offensive lines.
Hours before the free agency signing period opened Thursday night, Garcia -- a former San Jose State standout who grew up in Gilroy -- expressed an interest in signing with the Raiders and returning to the Bay Area.
"I think it's exciting to me in the sense that it allows me to return home. It allows me to get back to a place where I'm very comfortable,'' Garcia told ESPN News. "It would allow me to work with a quarterback coach and an offensive coordinator, Greg Knapp, who I worked with for five years in San Francisco. So there would definitely be some familiarity there. And if that ends up being the situation, then I think it would be something that I would be excited about.''
Whether Garcia would be a good fit for a team that is expected to draft LSU's JaMarcus Russell with the No. 1 overall pick in April is unclear.
Garcia has let it be known he expects to be a starter in 2007. The Raiders, who still are developing third-year quarterback Andrew Walter, need a veteran quarterback presence on their roster now that Aaron Brooks is gone. Garcia would be expected to serve as a mentor to Walter and perhaps Russell or Notre Dame's Brady Quinn, and his competitive nature may make that difficult for him. If Garcia signs with the Raiders, he could end up being a short-term fix as a starter.
If he opts to go to the Buccaneers, who have more cap space available and could offer more money and the promise of a starting position, the Raiders may have to turn their sights to free-agent quarterback Brad Johnson, who was cut loose by the Vikings.
The Raiders have other free-agent needs; they're expected to shop for a fullback and possibly another tight end.
They made several roster and payroll moves Thursday to position themselves better in free agency, adjustments that will put the team about $9 million under the $109 million salary-cap limit.
The team waived defensive back Tyrone Poole, who was due to earn $1.5 million in salary this season. And veteran offensive lineman Barry Sims agreed to restructure his contract, reducing his 2007 cap charge of $7.58 million by $1 million with a promise from coach Lane Kiffin that the team's former starting left tackle could return to that position this season.
Sims moved to left guard in 2006 to accommodate Robert Gallery's shift to left tackle, the position he played at Iowa. But Gallery, who has played both guard and tackle since being drafted No. 2 overall in the 2004 NFL draft, struggled mightily at left tackle, lending credence to talk that he's become a bust. The Raiders plan to move Gallery back to right tackle
No disrespect to my fellow Raider Hispanics brothers here, but it looks like the red-headed mexican is looking to come aboard..
In other news, Tyrone poole was waived.. and whats this about Sims restructuring from 7.5 million to 6.5 million?? WTF? Am I reading this wrong.. that MF'er aint worth 6,5!
The Raiders' No. 1 priority in free agency is securing a veteran quarterback, preferably a guy who can run to elude trouble -- a necessity, considering the team surrendered 72 sacks last season behind a struggling offensive line.
They'll find out soon whether their pursuit of Jeff Garcia, the scrambling three-time Pro Bowl quarterback, is successful.
Expect the Raiders to get into a bidding war with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who also are eager to land this year's top free-agent quarterback. The Vikings also have expressed interest in Garcia, who was made expendable in Philadelphia when the Eagles signed backup quarterback A.J. Feeley to a three-year contract extension.
Garcia, 37, resurrected his career in Philadelphia taking over for the injured Donovan McNabb. Under Garcia's direction, the Eagles went from 5-5 to capturing the NFC East title. They also made it to the divisional round of the playoffs, with Garcia completing 61.7 percent of his passes for 1,309 yards, 10 touchdowns and two interceptions.
He's tough. He's competitive. But at his age, Garcia remains a bit of a risk. The former Canadian Football League star has taken a physical beating in the eight years he's played in the NFL. He was outstanding as a starter for the 49ers, but didn't fare so well as a free-agent starter in Cleveland and Detroit, playing behind poor offensive lines.
Hours before the free agency signing period opened Thursday night, Garcia -- a former San Jose State standout who grew up in Gilroy -- expressed an interest in signing with the Raiders and returning to the Bay Area.
"I think it's exciting to me in the sense that it allows me to return home. It allows me to get back to a place where I'm very comfortable,'' Garcia told ESPN News. "It would allow me to work with a quarterback coach and an offensive coordinator, Greg Knapp, who I worked with for five years in San Francisco. So there would definitely be some familiarity there. And if that ends up being the situation, then I think it would be something that I would be excited about.''
Whether Garcia would be a good fit for a team that is expected to draft LSU's JaMarcus Russell with the No. 1 overall pick in April is unclear.
Garcia has let it be known he expects to be a starter in 2007. The Raiders, who still are developing third-year quarterback Andrew Walter, need a veteran quarterback presence on their roster now that Aaron Brooks is gone. Garcia would be expected to serve as a mentor to Walter and perhaps Russell or Notre Dame's Brady Quinn, and his competitive nature may make that difficult for him. If Garcia signs with the Raiders, he could end up being a short-term fix as a starter.
If he opts to go to the Buccaneers, who have more cap space available and could offer more money and the promise of a starting position, the Raiders may have to turn their sights to free-agent quarterback Brad Johnson, who was cut loose by the Vikings.
The Raiders have other free-agent needs; they're expected to shop for a fullback and possibly another tight end.
They made several roster and payroll moves Thursday to position themselves better in free agency, adjustments that will put the team about $9 million under the $109 million salary-cap limit.
The team waived defensive back Tyrone Poole, who was due to earn $1.5 million in salary this season. And veteran offensive lineman Barry Sims agreed to restructure his contract, reducing his 2007 cap charge of $7.58 million by $1 million with a promise from coach Lane Kiffin that the team's former starting left tackle could return to that position this season.
Sims moved to left guard in 2006 to accommodate Robert Gallery's shift to left tackle, the position he played at Iowa. But Gallery, who has played both guard and tackle since being drafted No. 2 overall in the 2004 NFL draft, struggled mightily at left tackle, lending credence to talk that he's become a bust. The Raiders plan to move Gallery back to right tackle
