TOM CABLE DRAFTS HIS OWN WAY
04.27.09The real Whiskey Tango Foxtrot pick of the NFL Draft was the Raiders’ RRRRRRRREACH! for Maryland wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey with the seventh pick overall . Heyward-Bey seems to fit the Raiders’ mold athletic wideouts, but his overall game is somewhat questionable, just as the Raiders’ decision to leave Michael Crabtree on the board was questionable.
“I kind of live by that statement from Coach Walsh. When you find the one you want, go get it,” he said. “Don’t let anyone detract you and don’t worry about what they say.”
The Raiders selected more players on the draft’s second day who had the speed to fit that bill. Oakland used its first pick in the fourth round on Florida receiver Louis Murphy, who ran a 4.43 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL combine and was a former track star in high school.
The Raiders also picked Wisconsin defensive end Matt Shaughnessy in the third round, Oregon State linebacker Slade Norris in the fourth, Missouri linebacker Stryker Sulak in the sixth and Iowa tight end Brandon Myers in the sixth.
So surprising that the Raiders would deviate from the general consensus like that. They obviously know something we don’t. Or their owner is a 142-year-old baron from the old country who’s totally off his rocker. One of those. The consolation is that at this rate, they’ll pick in at least that good a spot next year…if there is a draft.


When you have as much Nazi gold as Al Davis, who gives a fuck about conventional wisdom.
I would give one of my extra testicles to see what other kind of crazy names turned up on the Raiders’ draft board – The Flash, Speedy Gonzales, Dashiell Robert “Dash” Parr, Daphne Millbrook, that zebra who outran Shawn Crawford on Man vs. Beast…
Worked out great for all of us 49er fans. We got Jerry Rice, version 2.0 in the 10th spot. Thanks Al, I’ll send a thank you card when Crabtree wins Offensive Rookie of the Year.
I don’t get what all this Crabtree jock riding is all about. Apparently some people saw his awesome combine workout and said, “Wow, now there’s a receiver who didn’t come into the league with a foot injury”
Come on, Punch, you know exactly what it’s about – the Raiders should have traded down. And I say this as a fan. Doesn’t matter how fast he is, Heyward-Bey wasn’t going anywhere until AT LEAST the 20th spot.