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The Oakland Raiders lost Zach Miller yesterday. They can't replace him -- he was by far the best available free agent tight end -- but they can salvage something out of their gaffe by moving quickly.
This column in The Oakland Tribune lays out the stark reality of life without Miller, noting that the Raiders have lost both of their Pro Bowl position players, Nnamdi Asomugha and Miller, in the last week. Ouch.
Oakland inexplicably gave more guaranteed money to cornerback Stanford Routt ($20 million) than Miller got from Seattle, suggesting they didn't offer him that much.
What were they thinking? To hear Miller talk, he was waiting around for a contract offer from Oakland that never came until finally he left for Seattle. The Raiders' current most experienced player at the position, Brandon Myers, has caught 16 passes in the last two years. They also have a practice squad player and a pair of late-round picks.
Giants tight end Kevin Boss, however, is still out there. He's a good blocker and capable receiver, at least when the Giants looked his way. He's not Zach Miller, but he's a decent consolation prize.
Assuming Oakland is paying attention to the reality of life without Miller, look for them to dramatically overpay Boss to steal him away from the Giants in the next day or two.
I'll even throw out a backup plan: acquire Jeremy Shockey from the Panthers. Carolina traded for Greg Olsen, so they don't need Shockey anymore. And doesn't Shockey just have Oakland Raiders written all over him?
--Andy Richardson
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Posted by IAN ALLAN | Aug. 03 at 04:07 AM
I would have to re-examine Shockey's tattoos. "Oakland Raiders" might be written on there somewhere.
Posted by Richard Weber | Aug. 03 at 04:35 AM
Funny stuff, Ian. The Raiders are notorious for overpaying for stiffs. They should have locked up Miller, because Shockey can't be counted on for anything other than false bravado.