We here at Zoneblitz.com were moderately amused by – and critical of – several of the moves made by the Oakland Raiders during the last off-season. And we weren’t the only ones, not by a long shot.

The team threw eight-figure signing bonuses at a half-dozen players who, at least from an educated fan’s perspective, didn’t make any sense.

We even had the audacity in March to suggest that perhaps the team, ergo Al Davis, was trying to sign a collection of stiffs and dogs so gross that it would put Lane Kiffin in an unwinnable situation and give Davis a reason to get rid of him.

Well, it’s mid-November. The Raiders have the league’s highest payroll this year for yet another 2-7 record.
Kiffin is gone. A couple of the lesser-name guys like defensive end Kalimba Edwards, who has five sacks, have turned out to be solid additions. But as far as the big-name guys who backed Brinks trucks up to the front office complex to drive their bonus bucks home, we’ve been pretty close to right on the mark.

Here a synopsis of how some of the Raiders’ high-profile signings have worked out so far this season:

William Joseph: Cut after training camp then re-signed in early November. Has yet to appear in a game.

Kwame Harris: Missed two games in September. Has started the seven games he has played in, though he was replaced by Mario Henderson during the 2nd quarter of last week’s Carolina game, according to Pro Football Weekly. The publication also calls him a cake eater and says his best role would be that of a backup swing tackle.

Gibril Wilson: The best of the big buck signings reportedly has been inconsistent at times. But he does have 76 tackles and a pick and has come the closest, by far, of all the big money signings to living up to his hefty paycheck.

Javon Walker: Out for the season with an ankle injury that is reportedly going to require surgery. He caught 15 passes for 196 yards and scored once.

Tommy Kelly: Kelly is a solid player. He’s started all nine games with 35 tackles and two sacks. But Davis made him the 10th-highest player in the league this year and his numbers don’t represent that. He’s also reportedly on a list of players that Davis feels he could cut at any time.

DeAngelo Hall: The Raiders paid 2nd and 5th round draft picks and $8 million to play eight games before he was cut. He’s now with Washington. Stats Inc. attributed 40 receptions for 556 yards to Hall during the season’s first nine weeks leading RealGM Football to speculate that he might be the worst cornerback in the NFL.

The LA Times summed it up best, I guess, in its November 5 blog article headline. The Raiders, once known for their win at all cost philosophy, have had to slightly alter that motto. Now they go by this credo: “Just wince, baby!”