Quinn in Alameida...

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Quinn in Alameda

Posted by Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer on April 17th, 2007

While mock drafts and draft analysts have the Raiders fixated on on either LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell or Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson, the club had Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn in for a visit Tuesday, a team official confirmed.

Russell was in the days following last week's voluntary minicamp, and Johnson was in Alameda preceeding the camp.

So there.

The Raiders have covered all the bases.
Are the Raiders visiting with Quinn merely to keep people guessing, or would they be seriously interested in makng him a Raider?

Only Lane Kiffin and Al Davis know for sure, and they're not saying.
Conventional wisdom has it that Davis simply won't be able to pass on the sort of freakish arm and skill possessed by Russell.

Then again, since when did the word "conventional" ever apply to the Raiders?
An NFL source tells me the belief is the Raiders haven't made their mind up regarding the top pick. Kiffin, the source said, is in the Quinn camp.

The fact is, any outside source could be passing along bad information because he may have been given bad information on purpose.

It could be a smokescreen sent out by the Raiders.

Then again, based on a first glance of Kiffin's offense last week at the voluntary minicamp, Quinn could conceivably be a better fit than Russell.

At USC, the quarterbacks Kiffin was most involved with were not freakishly talented. Norm Chow did most of the work with Carson Palmer, a No. 1 draft pick by Cincinnati. Kiffin was more heavily involved with Matt Leinart and John David Booty, two studious decision-makers who relied more on smarts and feel than raw skill.

If Russell is a marvel because of his ability, Quinn's freakishness is in his devotion. He devoured everything Charlie Weis threw his way for two years at Notre Dame. At the combine, teams were floored at Quinn's physical examination. One NFL trainer told me Quinn was the best built quarterback he had ever seen. Every muscle perfectly defined. No sign of body fat.

Quinn lives and breathes to play quarterback in the NFL. He's handled the pressure cooker of Notre Dame like a veteran.

Let's assume Kiffin is partial to Quinn. Why would Davis go along with it it, considering he has already compared Russell with John Elway?

One, Davis may be enamored enough with Kiffin at the moment to give him his way.
More imortant, if the Raiders want Quinn, they could probably trade down a few spots and get him. That means not only additional draft picks or personnel, but much less guaranteed money than the No. 1 pick _ particularly a quarterback _ would receive.
Just something else to think about with the draft a week and a half away.
 
Trade down? Maybe they are preparing to trade the #1.
 
Due diligence or smokescreen? You decide
 
Johnson's been in, Russell's been in, now Quinn... they're doing their homework, that's all. I don't think there's much more to be read into this. If anything, Quinn's visit will help the Raiders determine if indeed they would get some value by trading down to #4 but I chalk this up to the "due diligence" theory, that's it.

I think Oakland takes this weekend to narrow it down to 2 prospects (most likely Johnson and Russell) and the negotiations begin. They've got a little leverage with Russell because if TB trades up to #1 it's not for JR, it's for Johnson. And Oakland can always play the "we traded down to land Quinn" card, so it's not like last year where Reggie Bush was basically able to name his price. But make no mistake, the money is slotted in the first round for the most part, I just don't think Russell is holding the cards like Bush was last year. He's not in a position to dictate much. No player in this year's draft is. But by this time next week, we'll have a clearer indication of what the plan is.

I still think the pick is going to be Russell. Kiffen was right over his shoulder at his pro day, has said he's got all the tools you look for in a QB, Al's compared him to Elway in an admission to Schefter, and even Pete Carroll has said he'd be a perfect fit in Kiffin's offense. That's not speculation, that's on the record stuff.
 
Raider Nation said:
even Pete Carroll has said he'd be a perfect fit in Kiffin's offense. That's not speculation, that's on the record stuff.
Click to expand...

Really?

Never heard this... interesting that all the talking heads are saying the exact opposite.

bastards
 
Byron2112 said:
Really?

Never heard this... interesting that all the talking heads are saying the exact opposite.

bastards
Click to expand...

Late January after Kiffin was hired Carroll said this to guys covering a USC event. It was pretty widely documented.
 
Raider Nation said:
Late January after Kiffin was hired Carroll said this to guys covering a USC event. It was pretty widely documented.
Click to expand...

It's not that I don't believe you, just that everyone seems to be saying that Quinn is the far better fit :confused:

I guess they really are talking out there ass eh?
 
Well "my sources" say Quinn is in fact Kid Kiffin's preference. Will he get his way? I doubt it. Johnson will be the guy BUt we'd be nuts not to trade down to 4 and fleece TB and still get Brady Quinn and six hundred picks. I mean...I'm just sayin'.
 
Quinn in a trade down would have me sportin wood all weekend.
 
Byron2112 said:
It's not that I don't believe you, just that everyone seems to be saying that Quinn is the far better fit :confused:

I guess they really are talking out there ass eh?
Click to expand...

It's not that I questioned your belief, just wanted to give you a time frame.

As for the ass-talk, yeah everybody does it this time of year. You know what's funny? Before the minicamp everyone (the talking heads) was saying how Russell was the perfect fit for Oakland. Then the minicamp comes along and it's revealed that Kiffen's offense is a West Coast hybrid (which anyone who's watched USC the last 5 years would've noticed... after all, that's a catch-and-run offense, right?) and then the panic sets in. "They must want Johnson" or "Quinn's a better fit" stories all start coming out.

And here's the kicker. One of the reasons Russell is widely praised is his ability to make ALL of the throws. Watch Mayock break film on Russell. He like his arm strength, sure, but what he really loves about JR is his ability to make all the throws. He's not a one-trick pony.

Further, you ask? Pop in a film of Jimbo Fisher's LSU offense. Did you know that no other team in the SEC threw more WR screens than LSU the last 2 years? LSU's offense was anything but chuck-and-run. With Bowe they ran an inordinant amount of intermediate crosses and WR screens. The only difference in what Kiffen wants to do is Kiff's offense is designed to have a TE roam the middle. As opposed to LSU, which liked to keep the TE in to block or chip then release to a soft zone 6-8 yds downfield.

So are the talking heads talking out of their ass? Absouletly, but that's how you sell TV ratings for 4/28.
 
Remember the Kiffen interview on NFLN a few weeks back where he somewhat let the cat out of the bag when asked about JRuss, something to the effect of "when we sign him"? And didn't Kiff recruit him to play at USC?
 
Actually I was watching Mayock break some film down on Russell the other day(I thought he was gonna deck that Baldinger doucher a couplea times, dude was gettin seriously red-in-the-face pissed), and, if I heard him right, he said that Russell's offense was actually more sophisticated than what Quinn was running... so there's another myth punctured.
 
You know the NFLN is a breath of fresh air after watching those nitwits on ESPN. I actually like all their analysts. Not the "in your face" crap that you get from the other networks. I think Mayock knows his shit BTW.
 
It's hard to say which fits Kiff's scheme because there was talk that Kiff pushed for a much more wide open offense (more three WR, no huddle) the past two years and the ever conservative Carroll shut it down... What SC did in the second half of the Michigan game may be more indicitive of what Kiff wants to do... If that what he's planning here, then the thought could be that Quinn may be better prepared to be a guy that could run an offense from the line of scrimmage since from what I saw, ND ran alot of read routes... Just from a game experience perspective, Quinn would seem to be more prepared to run a check with me type offense...


I don't know if it would be a deciding factor, but Quinn and Kiff may be a better match personality wise... Kiff's a gym rat... I don't know enough about Jamarcus off the field to say that he isn't, but I have heard that Quinn is of the first one in, last to leave mold...


Who knows at this point...
 
Madturk said:
You know the NFLN is a breath of fresh air after watching those nitwits on ESPN. I actually like all their analysts. Not the "in your face" crap that you get from the other networks. I think Mayock knows his shit BTW.
Click to expand...

Definatly... I only ever checked in at ESPN to get some NFL tidbits, and it was always painfull.... I have absolutly no use for them now... can't stand the frat party presentation.

I like Mayock too, seems to take his stuff real seriously.
 
The footage I watched had a ton of screens. I think the real wildcard is Moss. If Moss is gone and Calvin is right there at #1 it could get interesting. Calvin is a better fit into the Kiffin" Big Reciever" west coast style offense than Quinn or JR.
 
At this point, Im liking:

Russell-Jarrett(Or Ginn or Sid Rice)

more than:

CJ-Edwards(Or Kolb or Stanton)

Thats just me, though.
 
Id say CJ & DL/OL/TE

or



Adrian Peterson & WR/DL/OL/TE


would also work for me. Walter & Rattay/Culpepper Etc...
 
I'm warming up to the idea of taking Peterson again if we pass on a QB, although I don't think we will. He'd take a lot of heat off our QB's for sure.

AP, Walter, Plummer, Stanton/Edwards is something I can live with.
 
I'd love to see a Russell - Ginn combo.

Russell would obviously be our "Franchise QB" building block and Ginn Jr. would instantly upgrade our special teams while having a chance to develop into a #2 or possibly a #1 WR.

The Raiders would no doubt have to package some picks to nab Ginn Jr, but it's certainly possible.

That said, a Russell - Jarrett combo is possible without trading up so that wouldn't upset me either.

Don't go to sleep on the Defense. We still should draft 1-2 Day-1 players (DE & DT)
 
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