As we gear up for the annual NFL draft, everyone's watching Oakland, where the Raiders have the first pick. Will Al and Lane address their horrific QB situation by taking JaMarcus Russel of LSU or Brady Quinn of Notre Dame? Or will they give up on Randy Moss and take Calvin Johnson with the top pick? Of course, they could always trade down and fill multiple holes instead.

In this situation, perhaps Lane Kiffin will ask himself WWDSD? What Would Dan Shanoff Do? We know what Dan Shanoff would do - he picked Georgia Tech's Johnson in the AA Sports Bloggers' Draft. After the jump, we'll find out what the Bay Area newspapers are saying about the Raiders and their upcoming day in the spotlight.



Carl Steward of the Oakland Tribune thinks the Raiders should draft Johnson or trade down because neither Quinn or Russell is worth a 29M gamble. Quote: When you're putting $29 million on the come line — and that's essentially what the Oakland Raiders will be doing if they wind up using the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft on Saturday — you want the best possible odds for success.

Dave Del Grande disagrees. He thinks the Raiders are playing head games, and really want JaMarcus Russell. Quote: Meet with Russell, reach a contractual agreement and announce to the world he's their man. Convince the LSU quarterback and Raiders fans there was never any doubt what they were going to do with the pick, and give Moss a reason to be excited about playing in Oakland again. He also tells the Lions what to do with the second pick. Look out Matt Millen, he’s making a lot of sense.

Rookie coach Lane Kiffin is looking for leadership This article is written in "wire story" fashion, but the intent is clear. The first clip mentions that Kiffin wants more natural leaders on the team, the second clip points out that Randy Moss has not showed up for mandatory minicamps. The implication (in my eyes) is that he could be part of a trade that would help the Raiders fill some holes, allowing them to take Calvin Johnson. by Steve Corkran of Medianews

*************************************************

Other Bay Area writers look into the Raiders' star-crossed recent history with QBs:

San Francisco Chronicle writer Nancy Gay suggests that Aaron Brooks not let the door hit him in the ass on the way out: Bottom line: Brooks never won a single game in a Raiders uniform.

Monte Poole wishes the Raiders had at least offered Marques Tuiasosopo some lube during his five-year screwing. (F)ive years? That's how long it took before Tui could escape imprisonment for an assortment of "crimes," including 1) being a "Gruden guy," 2) not being Kerry Collins, 3) not being outstanding in his two chances and, 4) not being a favorite of The Boss, Al Davis.

And, before we get too excited about the first pick of the Silver & Black, remember that Lane Kiffin has the deck stacked against him in every way possible, says Ray Ratto. Put another way, if he wins five games in 2007 with the burdens placed before him, he should be the NFL coach of the year. If he gets a winning record within three years, he should be the highest paid coach in the game. If he gets to a conference title before 2009, he can change his name to Wile E. Coyote, Super Genius.

Finally, the San Jose Mercury-News obviously felt caught in the middle, so they just polled the fans: JaMarcus wins in a landslide.

Thanks for reading! I'm your Press Buffet correspondent, Extra P.