Dante Culpepper goes to the....Raiders?

There's one I didn't see coming. Dante Culpepper signed to play with the Raiders. I thought for sure he'd hang out and wait for Ron Mexico to get hauled off to jail, and have a panic stricken Falcons team begging him to play. That situation was just playing into his hands and all he had to do was let it happen.

Maybe this is the smarter move. Maybe it's better to jump on a sure thing. Maybe when the dust settles and all the facts come out, Mexico isn't guilty of anything. The Duke lacrosse team made me believe it's possible, and made me realize the media jumps to conclusion far more than they should in an effort to gain market share. As much as it's possible though, I don't think it's probable...and the Falcons are going to head into the season with Joey Harrington behind center...and they're gonna suck. They're gonna suck, not because Harrington is all that bad. I think he's a servicable quarterback. He doesn't have the players around him, though, to make the Falcons good. Mexico could make up for that deficiency. Harrington can't. The Falcons put all their eggs in one doggie bag, and it's going to bite 'em.

The Raiders, on the other hand...made a great move. If it doesn't pan out, they didn't lose much of anything, but if it does, they win big. Culpepper could make a great mentor for Jamarcus Russell, and that's at a minimum. If they decide to let him play and he does well, they could win even bigger, letting Russell settle into the quarterback spot instead of thrusting him out there raw. We'll see.