PALM BEACH, Fla. — Barely six months after an acrimonious divorce from the Broncos, Javon Walker will face them in the 2008 season opener.
And it won’t be just any season opener. The game is scheduled for Monday night, Sept. 8, the Oakland Raiders’ first national TV appearance since 2006.
How did Walker find out about the date with his former teammates? He swapped text messages Monday with Raiders coach Lane Kiffin.
“I got a text from Javon last night, so I know he’s excited about that matchup,” Kiffin said at the NFL’s annual league meetings.
Any, ah, interesting choices of words in the text?
“I’m not going to tell you what he said, but let’s just say he’s ready.”
The Raiders signed Walker to a six-year, $55 million contract that included $16.6 million in guaranteed money. That despite a troublesome knee that ruined Walker’s 2007 season and, according to Mike Shanahan, will require future microfracture surgery.
“It’s a big concern of ours, but the doctors felt good about it,” Kiffin said. “He’s about 90 percent now. Everything we’ve researched has told us he’ll be 100 percent by the time we first work with him.”
Hair today, gone tomorrow?
The league tabled until May a motion by the Kansas City Chiefs that would require players to keep their hair from covering the names on the back of their jerseys.
It’s more than a little ironic that the Chiefs have adopted the stance, which has generated cries of a lack of sensitivity toward Samoan and African-American players. Why? Because Kansas City’s head coach, Herm Edwards, wore an Afro during his playing days with the Eagles.
“Believe me, my hair was like this,” said Edwards, his hands 9 inches to each side of his head. “We’re not saying they need to cut their hair. We’re not saying they can’t have dreadlocks. All we’re saying is we don’t want the hair to cover up the back of the guy’s name. Put it in a ponytail, put a rubber band around it.
“We’re big on seeing the shield, the logo, whatever you want to call it, and that’s part of it. The uniform is part of the dress code. Since the beginning of time, it always has been looked on as you wear your clothes a certain way. You don’t let your jersey hang out, you don’t let your socks go down, you don’t let your chin strap fly around. That’s just the way you do it.”
In the end, said Edwards, it comes down to money.
“We’re selling a product and there are big companies and big people who pay a lot of money to put their names on the stadium and in the stadium,” he said. “You would hate for those people to say, ‘Hey, you know what? We’re not buying this.’ Because we’re competing for the dollar just like everybody else.”
Short stuff.
As expected, the league OK’d the use of a helmet speaker for one designated defensive player. Until now, the quarterback was the only player on the field able to receive electronic signals from the sideline. The measure, which narrowly missed being approved at last year’s meetings, was enacted by a vote of 25-7. The seven no votes: Green Bay, Oakland, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Seattle, Tampa Bay and Washington. … Sports Illustrated recently referred to rumors that JaMarcus Russell, the No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft, had ballooned to nearly 300 pounds. Not so, says Kiffin. “He’s in a really good place right now, in his mind,” Kiffin said. “I don’t know about college, but since the day we’ve had him, he’s in the best shape he has ever been in.”
Jim Armstrong, The Denver Post
