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May 17, 2008 4:13 PM
Posted by ESPN.com's Bill Williamson
Interesting information out of Oakland's OTA camp regarding new big-money receiver Javon Walker. Apparently, the $55 million man isn't in great shape and he was overshadowed by journeyman Drew Carter..
With just under four months to go until the regular season, Walker has plenty of time to get into shape. I covered him in Denver the past two years and he always kept himself in great shape. He was one of the better conditioned players on the team.
Thus, Walker's conditioning shouldn't be a concern. But if he is being outplayed by a guy like Carter maybe all of Walker's knee issues are catching up to him. After he returned from missing seven games due to a knee injury last season, Walker finished the season with seven catches in the final six games. Denver coaches said he was healthy but he was a non-factor. That's why it was so puzzling that the Raiders gave him such a huge contract.
Raiders, Javon Walker
Just be glad they didn't ...
10:11 AM Sun, May 18, 2008 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
Albert Breer http://www.***BANNED-URL***/blogs/images/email-icon.jpg E-mail http://www.***BANNED-URL***/blogs/images/email-icon.jpg News tips
Earlier in the offseason, the Cowboys had an interest in Javon Walker and Walker one in the Cowboys.
Then, Al's Crazy Train towed the Raiders' Brinks truck up to Walker's doorstep and all that ended. And I think we all knew at that time that it was positively nuts. In fact, that was written more than once here.
But when a guy gets six years and $55 million, with $16 million guaranteed and $27 million over the first three seasons of that deal, even when the guy's got a bum wheel, you gotta wonder whether the team signing him knows something you don't.
ESPN.com's Bill Williamson, a veteran on the Broncos beat, cast plenty of doubt with his analysis of the situation, and the Oakland Tribune's Jerry McDonald has an eyewitness account that isn't much more optimistic.
If signed, would Walker have been the second most talented receiver on the roster? Yes. If healthy, would he have been the second best? No doubt. But the "sign" and "healthy" parts of the equation had to relate directly to one another, as in you "sign" him without committing too much money, because he may not stay "healthy." Will someone -- please -- get that concept over to the Raiders?
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Posted by ESPN.com's Bill Williamson
Interesting information out of Oakland's OTA camp regarding new big-money receiver Javon Walker. Apparently, the $55 million man isn't in great shape and he was overshadowed by journeyman Drew Carter..
With just under four months to go until the regular season, Walker has plenty of time to get into shape. I covered him in Denver the past two years and he always kept himself in great shape. He was one of the better conditioned players on the team.
Thus, Walker's conditioning shouldn't be a concern. But if he is being outplayed by a guy like Carter maybe all of Walker's knee issues are catching up to him. After he returned from missing seven games due to a knee injury last season, Walker finished the season with seven catches in the final six games. Denver coaches said he was healthy but he was a non-factor. That's why it was so puzzling that the Raiders gave him such a huge contract.
Raiders, Javon Walker
Just be glad they didn't ...
10:11 AM Sun, May 18, 2008 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
Albert Breer http://www.***BANNED-URL***/blogs/images/email-icon.jpg E-mail http://www.***BANNED-URL***/blogs/images/email-icon.jpg News tips
Earlier in the offseason, the Cowboys had an interest in Javon Walker and Walker one in the Cowboys.
Then, Al's Crazy Train towed the Raiders' Brinks truck up to Walker's doorstep and all that ended. And I think we all knew at that time that it was positively nuts. In fact, that was written more than once here.
But when a guy gets six years and $55 million, with $16 million guaranteed and $27 million over the first three seasons of that deal, even when the guy's got a bum wheel, you gotta wonder whether the team signing him knows something you don't.
ESPN.com's Bill Williamson, a veteran on the Broncos beat, cast plenty of doubt with his analysis of the situation, and the Oakland Tribune's Jerry McDonald has an eyewitness account that isn't much more optimistic.
If signed, would Walker have been the second most talented receiver on the roster? Yes. If healthy, would he have been the second best? No doubt. But the "sign" and "healthy" parts of the equation had to relate directly to one another, as in you "sign" him without committing too much money, because he may not stay "healthy." Will someone -- please -- get that concept over to the Raiders?
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