Week 1 Bust

Raiders rookie Darrius Heyward-Bey doesn't get all the fuss over his total lack of stats after one NFL start. Sure, he dropped the first two throws his way and caught nothing Monday night against the Chargers. Yes, his coach said afterward he looked like a "real nervous uptight young man, a lot of big eyes." As far as Heyward-Bey is concerned, he wasn't nervous one bit, and he didn't play half bad. "Did some good things, did some bad things," Heyward-Bey said. "Pretty good grade but could be better. For the first game, it was solid." Heyward-Bey is the "X" receiver, so he's got the "backside of things." His elite speed is supposed to pull a safety over in double coverage to make the field easier to see for quarterback JaMarcus Russell. Just by being out there, Heyward-Bey said, it makes a difference for others. That's what he said people outside the building aren't seeing. "I'm just sitting back doing my job," Heyward-Bey said. "That's my job in this offense. That's what I do." Teams don't pay $23.5 million in guaranteed money for a decoy. The Raiders need him to be a scoring threat who runs precise routes and catches every ball within reach. In short, do what fourth-round rookie Louis Murphy did in his first NFL start. He is just trying to avoid the fact that he did not produce because he is not under all this pressure. Honestly he already has the edge over Crabtree because he is not playing. As of week one both of them look overrated.

Starting to Look Form

For weeks, Heyward-Bey's track speed was hindered because he focused so hard on securing the ball or running the perfect route. He often waited a half-second after the catch before putting his speed to use. The sooner Heyward-Bey can catch-and-run in one fluid motion, the sooner he can be a legit downfield threat "He had a great day of catching the ball," coach Tom Cable said. "Right after he caught it, I said to him, 'Your mistake is you showed me you can do that and, so now, the expectation goes up. That's who you are. That's what you're capable of.' "That's why the Raiders drafted him with the No. 7 overall pick of April's draft, when most everyone thought they were nuts. Only now is Heyward-Bey starting to make common and difficult catches alike while limiting his daily drops to one, maybe two a day.

Rookie Update

We have not heard much from the guy pictured above because he is trying to comeback from his ankle surgery. As of right now on the depth chart, Michael Crabtree is listed as the 2nd string X receiver, behind Josh Morgan [who is turning unto a good young receiver]. Crabtree is ready to start to make an impact for the Niners but he has to wait until he is cleared [which looks to be by the time camp starts]. If Crabtree learns the playbook well enough, I feel they will have him and Josh Morgan on the field at the same time. Crabtree just better fall behind Heyward-Bey in Oakland because he is working hard everyday. As of right now Crabtree is just a backup with tons of potential. 

First Impression

Yesterday was Darrius Heyward-Bey's first day of mini camp. The most critized draft pick of this year's draft was in good spirit after this first day. His is still very raw with his receiver skills but his potential is unlimited. He did line up with the first team offense when they went 11-on-11 drills. When lined up against Nnamdi Asomugha, he was read easily and the pass was broken up. But I mean I do not fault him for that, Asomugha is a Pro Bowl corner. But against the 2nd team and 3rd team, he did do this thing. I do agree with Heyward-Bey, if he could redshirt it would be great. Since the Raiders need help and fast, he will be thrown into the lineup and be counted to do big things. We can't forget bout the Great Bay Area Wideout Debate [Crabtree]. He will have that on his shoulder for the rest of his careers. It has gone even far as comparing them two to Lebron James and Kobe Bryant. Whoa! I'm not so quite sure about that yet, but maybe in two or three years. The Raiders [if they get all the pieces together] could be something special.

NFL Draft Review Pt.1

VS.

The first topic and maybe the hottest of the draft is pick #7 in which the Raiders, 

[who have only won 24 games since 'o3], drafted Darruis Heyward-Bey from

Maryland over Michael [Mr. Biletnikoff Award] Crabtree. First off this is not bashing

Heyward-Bey by no means. He was one of my favorite wideouts in the ACC because he

was so fast. The problem with the pick is, why would you pick the 3rd best receiver over

the number 1 who has produced the past two seasons. I mean, I know Crabtree doesn't blaze

by anybody, but he has a nose for the end-zone and is a playmaker. Even though I am not a numbers guy this is jaw-dropping.

"Heyward-Bey caught just 13 touchdown passes in three seasons at Maryland, never reaching 800 yards receiving in a season. He had career lows last season with 42 catches for 609 yards to go with his five TD catches. While Crabtree caught 97 passes for 1,165 yards and 19 touchdowns last season at Texas Tech."

Things like that sells tickets and help u win more than 24 games in six years [less than the Lions (26)!?!]. Who knows though, this maybe the smartest pick in a few years if Crabtree is indeed a "system" receiver. The odds are not too high that it would happened. The point is the Raiders could have gotten him a little later and instead they gave the 49ers a possible Jerry Rice Hall of Famer. Good luck to both receivers though, especially to Mr. Crabtree who does not have a starting QB yet. And I hope Heyward-Bey has a great career in Oakland and is not a bust.