Here Comes DeAngelo?

Sorry that I’ve been out of circulation. I’ve been locked in my garage with a bottle of Jack Daniels, mourning the departures of Jerry Porter and Barry Sims. Ha, ha, ha. Just kidding.

I’ve just been awakened by the news that cornerback DeAngelo Hall is headed to Oakland for a second round pick, pending contract negotiations in the neighborhood of $50+ million. This is according to the guy who wrote the story about Mr. Davis ghostwriting Lane Kiffin’s resignation letter, so take it with a grain or two of salt until the ink is dry on Hall's contract.

By the way, can we shave the contract by about $1 million and put that money toward more porta-potties in tailgate territory? DeAngelo can spare a little extra for our beleaguered bladders, can’t he?

Seriously, though, I’m excited to have Hall’s talent headed our way, if not his reputation. We’ve now assigned $100 million total to DeAngelo Hall (if this report is true) and Javon Walker, two guys with character baggage. I know, a lot of that is funny money, but it’s staggering nonetheless.

Will Hall’s arrival be a slap in the face to Nnamdi, who’s looking, and waiting, for his own pot of gold in Oakland? And is DB the best place to be spending tons of money on free agents right now? Is Hall worth a second-round pick in addition to all that money, given our other needs?

I’m not sure about the answers to those questions, but I can tell you that I’m starting to get excited by our personnel activities—not just incoming players but outgoing as well. At this point in time, different automatically equals better in my book, especially at positions like receiver and safety.

We are clearly upgrading our talent and potential. If we can upgrade our chemistry along the way (from the locker room on up), then we might see some rather minty fresh performances in 2008.