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So how is receiver Javon Walker repaying the Oakland Raiders for taking a leap of faith on him, giving him a big pile of guaranteed money despite concerns regarding lingering knee trouble?
By showing up for offseason workouts out of shape.
Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports that there are concerns about Walker’s conditioning. In March, Walker signed a six-year, $55 million contract, with $18 million in guaranteed money.
If it’s true that Walker has decided to let himself go, perhaps he was influenced in part by the team’s misguided effort to spread misinformation about the true value of Walker’s deal, after the Raiders faced some immediate criticism for paying Walker so much money. Typically, NFL teams will stand silent even when a player or his agent are overstating the terms of a contract, in order to ensure that the player remains happy and content. It’s unprecedented (with the exception of Walker’s case) for a team to quibble inaccurately with the terms of a contract that a player has signed.
May 20th, 2008 at 3:37 am
Just spewing more Raider Hate…Yeah , just like J.Russell was 300 lbs. a month ago….I will wait for training camp and pre-season to make a judgement…unlike the media…
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Rating: 3.4 / 5 with 5 rating(s)
May 20th, 2008 at 4:33 am
Hopefully, for the Oakland Raiders’ sake, the team got it right with Javon Walker and the $ offered. If not, then there’ll be consequences for a while in the win-loss column.
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Rating: 3 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
May 20th, 2008 at 5:12 am
What would Walker gain by letting himself go just to stick it to the Raiders? If he is that stupid Oakland is in for a long season.
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Rating: 4.75 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
May 20th, 2008 at 5:41 am
Al Davis overpaid for Walker just to burn Denver, and his personal vendetta is gonna cost him. The Raiders haven’t made a move I liked for years now, including the drafting of Darren McFadden when they should’ve done all they could to trade down and land one of the big OTs before they all got snatched up up in the teens.
DMac is a speed-guy with character issues who lucked out by Adrian Peterson’s NFL success. All those baseless comparisons by the media and a great 40 time blinded Al Davis from the truth: that McFadden is a situational back at the next level. These pipe-dreams of completed deep balls from Russel to J. Walker between long, electrifying McFadden runs are unrealistic at best.
I expect the Raiders to win four or less games next year, and the starting QB of those late season victories to be Andrew Walter in Playoff-meaningless-games. You Raiders fans be sure and bring TVs down to that AFC West basement, you’re gonna be there for a long, long time…
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Rating: 3.3 / 5 with 7 rating(s)
May 20th, 2008 at 5:51 am
It’s sad when a player is already disgruntled with an organization before he even takes a snack on the field ….woops my bad… I meant snap.
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Rating: Not yet rated
May 20th, 2008 at 6:56 am
Wow - blaming the Raiders for Walker being out of shape?!? The Raider hate on this site knows no end… stick with evaluating the hill people….
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Rating: 3.6 / 5 with 5 rating(s)
May 20th, 2008 at 7:07 am
This sounds like typical Schefter bullshit.
Everybody knows he and coach Kevlar are bum buddies.
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Rating: 2.6 / 5 with 5 rating(s)
May 20th, 2008 at 7:35 am
Oh yes, could not happen to a better team ! ! !
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Rating: 2.35 / 5 with 6 rating(s)
May 20th, 2008 at 7:52 am
It seems to me the Packers knew why they traded Walker after his lone breakout year.The rest of the league is just finding out.
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Rating: 4 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
May 20th, 2008 at 8:26 am
did the season start or something?
McFadden isn’t Adrian Peterson, he’s Eric Dickerson.
The Raiders didn’t need to draft an OT or OL for that matter, since the team was 6th in rushing with freaking Fargas and Rhodes. They will be even better with McFadden.
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Rating: 3 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
May 20th, 2008 at 8:37 am
Hahahaha, this site is loaded with Raider Haters. Just another reason for someone to jump on a bandwagon.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
May 20th, 2008 at 8:56 am
Look…Schefter once again “some in the orginzation” are concerned. Are these the “some in the organization” who reported that Kiffin was on the outs, that Russell weighs in at 300 lbs, that Kiffin wanted Ryan fired, that Kiffin didn’t want to draft Russell, that Kiffin has no say so in the war room?
The list goes on and on…and of course Florio will provide any fodder for the sake the readership.
“Some in the organization” should say this is bullshit…I would love for Walker to show up and walk into to camp like Porter did showing a six pack and wearing a rhinestone money belt.
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Rating: 2 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
May 20th, 2008 at 9:06 am
It was obvious from the start they overpaid for the guy. $55 million is way too much money for a guy coming off major knee surgeries and on the downside of his career
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Rating: 3.65 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
May 20th, 2008 at 9:48 am
This concerns me not one bit…What concerns is the small minded individuals on this site.And its $55 million over a period of years he might not even make it a year so he wont get the whole $55 million.
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Rating: 3 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
May 20th, 2008 at 10:13 am
Ironraider,with all due respect,John Gruden was right Jerry Porter is an Idiot! The Raiders should of let him rot on the bench.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
May 20th, 2008 at 10:28 am
Another story wrongfully attributed to coach Kevlar’s bedmate Schefter. Here’s a direct quote from Kiffin, “Javon has done some good things. He’s a little bit heavy right now, which is normal for him in the offseason, so we’ve got to work him down to his playing weight and get him ready to go.” as posted in the Press Democrat Friday, May 16. Sounds like normal offseason weight gain to me and if the coach is that worried about it why should you. Oh that’s right, nothing better to do than hate on the Raiders. Good job trying to blow something out of proportion.
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Rating: 1.5 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
May 20th, 2008 at 10:34 am
Javon Walker is a good player, and there’s not much wrong with Davis taking him away from a divisional opponent. Theres not much reason to panic about a guy showing up to his first workouts out of shape. He was real good in 06 and he gets a pass for 07 because of his role in the Darrent Williams tradgedy. A fresh start on a team that is going to get a lot better this year sounds like reason for optimism.
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Rating: 2 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
May 20th, 2008 at 10:42 am
Shocker! An out of shape Raider? Who woulda thunk it!?!
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May 20th, 2008 at 11:31 am
Wingnut—-
I wasn’t making a comparison for Walker to be like Porter…only to show the conditioning with the six pack abs.
No worries my friend!
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May 20th, 2008 at 11:32 am
“RedbullnRedskins says:
May 20th, 2008 at 10:42 am
Shocker! An out of shape Raider? Who woulda thunk it!?! ”
Yeah…and so many players are in shape right now…idiot…
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Rating: 1 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
May 20th, 2008 at 11:39 am
While I do not like the deal he signed, everything about Javon Walker means nothing until he is on the field. As for McFadden, if he could run through the SEC for MULTIPULE years, he will be just fine in the NFL. Suspect character? Never suspended, and the only legal issues he had was defending a family member. Al Davis is pusing all of his chips to the middle of the table to make a run. Thank goodness we have an owner who cares about winning instead of just making money. Oh yeah, and Star, tell Jerry to be careful Al does not stop short or he will be right up his butt.
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Rating: 1 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
May 20th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Out of shape, no kidding? I mean really how can a guy be so out of shape after coming off knee surgery? Surely he has been running like crazy, I doubt he even needed any rest time after being cut on. I mean really to think a guy coming off of knee surgery might be a little bit out of shape is totally unrealistic. (sarcasm off)
Come on give the guy a few weeks to get in shape, to expect him to be in perfect condition , in the off season, after having knee surgery is a bit much, don’t you think?
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May 20th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
As someone who is relatively unbiased (i.e. I don’t have a rooting interest either in the AFC or on the west coast) it seems as though Al Davis is aging rather ungracefully. I’m sure he see’s his statements as defending his club’s honor, but more & more these past several years he’s sounding petty and spiteful. It’s too bad because for those like myself not in the area, he comes across as a relic that’s too foolish and stubborn to change. Then again, maybe that’s not far off, I’m not sure.
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May 20th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
The raiders offense and their season for that matter rely on Javon Walker performing somewhere close to pro bowl level. He is the only veteran big play receiver that young Jamarcus Russel should be able to depend on. I hope for the sake of my beloved Raiders that this report is as overblown as the Jamarcus weight issue was.
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May 20th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
walker is a cancer. he was eating away the team in green bay. then denver (if u aint healthy and playin well dont expect to play). now oakland. he gets chubby and the team gets…
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