Morant waits for his turn
Raiders receiver hopes exhibition success nets playing time in season
By Bill Soliday
NAPA — Johnnie Morant Jr. has a lot going for him.
-Like the 15 catches for 315 yards he had last exhibition season, ranking among the top four receivers in the NFL.
-Like catching a 67-yard pass for Oakland's only touchdown Monday night against Minnesota. Altogether he had five catches for 108 of Oakland's 200 passing yards.
-That, as did his boss, Al Davis, he went to Syracuse University.
-Like he is 6-feet-4, weighs 218 pounds and has a body that resembles that other Raiders receiver, Randy WhatsHisName.
-Like that other guy, he majored in spectacular one-handed catches for the Orangemen before being drafted in Round 5 by Oakland in 2004.
So why hasn't the son of Mr. Morant Sr. (once bodybuilding's Mr. Olympia) been afforded the opportunity to become an NFL star? Why did he virtually disappear last year after that remarkable four-game run?
"Like Casper?" the good-natured Morant said Wednesday, referring to everybody's favorite friendly and invisible ghost.
"I really can't tell because I never got a reason why," Morant said. "Throughout the season it was tough because that first regular-season game I came in expecting I was going to dress and be ready to help the team win. Then it didn't happen."
For roughly 16 weeks it didn't happen. He played in one game and registered zero catches. "It was stressful," he said.
"But I believe things happen for a reason, I am just still trying to figure out why that happened."
Morant harbors no grudges over playing time. Ask him if he thinks coaches failed to be convinced or were down on him for some reason, he'll say no — and he'll say it quickly to stress the point.
"I just felt like if it was my time to play, it was my time," he shrugged.
Of course, Morant hasn't done enough at the pro level to warrant puffing up and getting all haughty over imagined disrespect.
Still, knowing full well that if you can post the kind of August numbers he did last year and still can't get a sniff come September, maybe something new was in order.
So he got skinny. He played at 228 pounds last year. This year, he checked in 10 pounds lighter.
"I feel faster losing all this weight," Morant said. "I got a little quicker, and that is what Coach (Art) Shell wanted us to do. I feel a lot different, like I could run forever.
"I was like a different receiver (in 2005). A stronger receiver but not as quick on my feet as I am now."
Right now, Morant doesn't really know where he stands on the depth chart. He knows the starters are Randy Moss and Doug Gabriel and that Jerry Porter might be there in Gabriel's place if he wasn't hobbling. Then there's Ronald Curry, who is being coaxed along slowly after his third Achilles' tendon tear and hasn't even practiced yet.
"Johnnie is doing pretty good in training camp," Shell said. "He just needs to improve running his routes. These young guys, maybe their alignment might not be right, or maybe they'll run the wrong route based on the (passing) tree.
"But he is doing well, he really is. I was very happy to see him get a catch on Monday night."
In Wednesday's practice, he also made a nice comeback adjustment, driving the coverage deep then coming back on a medium throw over the middle from Aaron Brooks to make a nifty catch in front of defenders.
Consequently, if circumstance makes him fifth in the pecking order, so be it — frustrating though that may be, given what happened last year.
"It was awkward," Morant said. "I played more my rookie year, but my second year was my best year. We needed more people at certain positions. We only dressed four receivers. I guess we needed help in ways other than wideout."
In which case, maybe he chose the wrong direction for his weight program. Perhaps he should have added 10 pounds and transformed himself into a tight end.
"No, no," Morant said with mock indignation. "Down there? I stay away from that. I try not to be touched."
EXTRA POINTS: Shell acknowledged that the timing of quarterbacks and receivers is not what it might normally be since Brooks and the receivers weren't together for all of the off-season program due to scheduling conflicts and Brooks' late signing. "Working with the quarterback is very important during the off-season. They didn't do it much," he said. ... Asked once again about Moss' complaints about being removed from Monday's game, Shell said Fred Biletnikoff and Cliff Branch would get frustrated too because they wanted to play. "They all wanted the ball, and I understand that," Shell said. "That doesn't bother me. That's good. That means he's competitive and wants to do well."
