Here's a response from one of the blogs I go to http://raidertake.blogspot.com/:
Welcome, Aaron Brooks, to the Raider Nation!
Yes, I feel much better now. The rain clouds have parted. Optimism blooms anew. A silver and black rainbow arcs overhead.
The consensus in New Orleans was that Aaron Brooks, despite having all the measurables (speed, mobility, size, arm strength), is an inconsistent underachiever with poor decision-making skills. Such an assessment, I must admit, puts the fear of Jeff George and Kerry Collins in me.
However, it is also quite possible that Aaron Brooks underachieved because…he was with the New Orleans Saints, the NFL’s definition of underachievement.
Regardless, I can live with the following depth chart:
Walter/Brooks
Walter/Brooks
Tui/Someone Else
If Walter is starter material, he will beat Brooks for the job. If Brooks is better than we’ve been told, then he can fend off Walter. Either way, the Raiders fan wins.
As I watched the Raiders hang out while QB after QB was snatched up by other teams over the past several weeks, I had to wonder if the plan was to pick a QB in the first round of the draft. And if Brooks had flown out of Oakland without signing on the dotted line, I would have been convinced of it.
I see no need now to pick a QB in the draft (except maybe in late rounds, if we smell a steal). We need to build depth on both sides of the ball. We have two good-to-excellent QBs in Walter and Brooks. Let’s save our picks to bolster the lines and add a punishing linebacker as well.
Brooks brings mobility and juice to a position that had the life sucked out of it last year. Walter adds an unknown “X” factor with a ton of upside.
The Kerry Collins era is OFFICIALLY OVER. Rejoice, reload and repeat!
Riding the coattails of this story, it is true that I cannot blame Brooks for last season due to Katrina. I'm curious to see how he performs. Jim Punkett was a supposed washout when he came to the Raiders. It's been known to happen. Worst case scenario is that Walter starts, and that's not bad. I don't predict playoffs next season, I said it before, and I'll say it again, all I wanna see is a little pain given back to our AFC West rivals. If that happens, I'm happy.
<----Smoke
