A Proposition for the Oakland Raiders

After yesterday's rockin' upset of the reigning champion Pittsburgh Steelers (and really, before it) I've come to the conclusion that the roster's contracts need to be upgraded and revised.

Here's the Facts:

Fourth-round selection Louis Murphy, a former Florida Gator standout, gets a contract for four years worth $2.18 million.

1st round pick Darrius Heyward-Bey, a (snicker) Maryland Terrapin, gets a contract for five years and $38.25 million.

Yesterday, Louis Murphy posts a career game (along with his QB, Bruce Gradkowski) by netting 128 yards and 2 touchdowns with a long run of 75 yards for one of those scores. To date for the year, he has 411 yards on 23 carries (a miracle for this lame duck passing offense) which, if you look at the numbers, is a 17.9 yards-per-carry average.

So how did Darrius Heyward-Bey play yesterday? Well, actually, it appears he didn't, because he did not post a single catch. Is he injured? Well, if he is someone failed to report it. For the year, Heyward-Bey has posted 9 receptions for 124 yards, a much more pedestrian 13.8 yards-per-carry. This the deep threat? Really?

The Proposal:

Still with me? Greeeat.

Both players have been drafted in the same year, given the same opportunities (though at less compensation for some), and one player has truly outperformed the other in every manner. Therefore, I propose we just do a little swap of their contracts and pay the man that deserves to be paid. If I had the power to transfer a minority share of ownership to Louis Murphy, I'd probably pull the trigger there. That's how high I am on this guy. He deserves the big money, and he's not getting it.

Hell, while we're at it, let's divert some of that JaMarcus money too. And toss some Gradkowski's way too (though I acknowledge he's not "the answer").

I'm not giving up on DHB, not by any means. I think in time, he can be a speedy solution for a quality QB that can bullet that ball straight into the numbers (because he won't bring it in any other way). He just needs to make scale, and right now he's making Randy Moss money.

In case you were wondering, this is a solid case for a rookie salary cap.


On a side note, this place has been dormant through nearly an entire season, which is sort of strange seeing as how it's a football blog. I got a bit too busy with my career to support an NFL-wide blog, and thus have decided to re-tool into an Oakland Raiders blog. I'm thinking of calling it "The Long Ball". But then again I already own this domain, so screw it.