The made one of their few smart moves of 2010 pro bowl Vikings 4 Brett Favre jersey
the season this week, signing wide receiver Doug Gabriel after he was released by the New England Patriots. Gabriel, a former Raider who was inexplicably traded for a fifth-round pick prior to the season, legitimizes a receiving corps that has been subpar this year.When the 2-11 Raiders take on St. Louis this Sunday, they ought to give Gabriel plenty of playing time. The promising 26-year-old appeared in 12 of 13 games for New England, catching a decent 25 passes for 344 yards (a 13.8-yard average) and three touchdowns. The 6-foot-2, 215-pounder can play, and he certainly fills a void on Oakland's troubled offense.It's believed the Pats cut ties with Gabriel due to a disappointing fumble in November. In a 17-14 loss to the New York Jets, Gabriel lost the ball, sending him into head coach Bill Belichick's doghouse. If there's one coach in the NFL who knows how to hold a grudge, it's the Grinch-like Belichick, a man with the personality of a tree branch. Belichick aside, in Oakland the underutilized Ronald Curry - who stepped into last week's lineup after an injury to Randy Moss - shredded the Bengals' defense for eight catches, 99 yards and a TD in a 27-10 losing effort. Adding Gabriel to the Raiders' group of wideouts suddenly gives the team plenty of help, considering the disappointment of Moss and the oft-injured Jerry Porter this year. Of course, head coach Art Shell's insistence on playing Alvis Whitted over Johnnie Morant hasn't helped matters, either.As Oakland goes forward, the trio of Curry, Gabriel and Morant could actually be viable for the future, but the Raiders would probably need to get a coaching staff more adept at utilizing common sense. Shell and Co. haven't exactly made smart decisions this year, deciding to focus on older, past-their-prime players like Moss and Whitted on offense."Doug is insurance for us right now," Shell said. "So, that's where we are with that. I don't know if we'd have made that move if those guys all 6 Sanchez White Jersey
were healthy and ready to go."Basically, when reading that quote, it's easy to see Gabriel probably won't play a huge role in this Sunday's game against the Rams. Shell, currently in over his head in today's NFL, simply doesn't understand who deserves to play each weekend. Because of Shell's apparent distaste for Gabriel's style of play, expect the same old offensive impotence from the Raiders yet again, sending them further into their two-victory tailspin deep into December.Senior Raiders columnist Anthony Carroll returns Monday. (37)
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