Shocking!
Mistakes happen, its part of life. What the Oakland Raiders did last week was unforgivable. I scratched my head wondering what the hell the Oakland Raiders were thinking when trading arguably the best defensive player in football. Money? They could have found it. Raiders Head Coach Jon Gruden said, “He (Khalil Mack) didn’t want to be here.” Really? I never heard that from him, and his teammates loved him. Maybe it was bloated salary to leave the cushy booth and that of a regressing QB the reason you dealt him to Chicago. Mack should have been a HOFer in Silver and Black from start to finish of his career sort of like Howie Long.
The Return
What did you get for the Ferrari on defense that you sent to the Windy City? Two first-round picks. Seems fair, but it’s not since it’s a lottery when drafting – ask the Vikings in 2005 how that worked out for them when they traded Randy Moss and ended up with Erasmus James and Troy Williamson. That was a disaster, and this trade will be as well. I hear you Raider fans; he wanted too much money. The price to field the best defensive player needed to be accounted for. His play (Mack) on Sunday Night against the Packers, reminded me of Lawrence Taylor while watching Derek Carr versus the Rams, reminded me of his older brother. That’s not good.
You don’t trade the best player at his position unless you like to see fans, wins, and a pink slip comes to your door. Hey Coach Gruden, I still like AOL but the game is different today, and you just made a colossal mistake. Al Davis wouldn’t have moved Mr. Mack. The return is a wait and see, and Raider fans will hope they end up with someone 75% of the value of Khalil Mack.
Warning!
I write this as a signal to those in the LA Angels of Anaheim, California front office who might be reading this. Maybe the Angels should trade Mike Trout? Um, NO! NEVER! Money is money, Do whatever it takes to keep him in town and build the team to match his abilities. The team added Ohtani last year – maybe get some stud pitching this offseason. You will never win trading Mike Trout away. I think they know that even though bored baseball writers/tv shows continue to propose the idea. It’s lunacy! Khalil Mack will wreck opposing teams offensive lines while cool Coach Gruden counts his money and plays Raiders historic movies (wonder if he used a projector for that?). I like Gruden and hope Derek Carr finds himself, but trading Khalil Mack was stupid. Von Miller, who is a pretty good LB as well, called him “untradeable!”
I would have moved Carr to have kept Mack, and yes I realize you don’t win without a QB. Khalil Mack will be a Hall of Famer and Derek Carr will not. Hey, Angels front office – make sure you offer Mike Trout a lifetime contract because you will never get back equal value. It’s a losing proposition. Just ask the Bears how nice it is to see the sales of Mack jerseys skyrocket to the top. Build around the superstars not trade it away! Watch the Raiders this year – they traded away an Aston Martin Valkyrie for a Coach who hasn’t been in the league for 10 years and a QB resembling a beat-up Tesla that has lost confidence in throwing the football.
It’s the Oakland Raiders commitment to chaos!