BIG AL SCORES BIG
The Raiders' Al Davis might not be well liked by fellow owners, but he is respected. His latest coup is getting the best of Houston GM Charley Casserly.
Everyone knew cornerback Phillip Buchanon was disgruntled and pushing for a trade, and his 2004 performance reflected just that. Casserly still gave up far more compensation -- second- and third-round picks -- than other teams were offering. Plus, Buchanon is grumbling about the two years remaining on his contract at $700,000 and $800,000. You can bet Buchanon will not report to training camp until he has a new contract, putting tremendous pressure on Casserly to get the new deal done. Casserly did his due diligence and surely knew Buchanon's contract parameters before agreeing to the trade.
The ripple effect of this trade will be veteran Aaron Glenn being cut soon after June 1. Glenn is just too expensive to be a third cornerback. Rival NFL executives are giving Davis credit for dumping Buchanon. The trade also forced AFC West rival Kansas City to pony up more for Miami's Patrick Surtain to close that deal Friday. Any damage done to a division rival is a win for Davis.
The Raiders' Al Davis might not be well liked by fellow owners, but he is respected. His latest coup is getting the best of Houston GM Charley Casserly.
Everyone knew cornerback Phillip Buchanon was disgruntled and pushing for a trade, and his 2004 performance reflected just that. Casserly still gave up far more compensation -- second- and third-round picks -- than other teams were offering. Plus, Buchanon is grumbling about the two years remaining on his contract at $700,000 and $800,000. You can bet Buchanon will not report to training camp until he has a new contract, putting tremendous pressure on Casserly to get the new deal done. Casserly did his due diligence and surely knew Buchanon's contract parameters before agreeing to the trade.
The ripple effect of this trade will be veteran Aaron Glenn being cut soon after June 1. Glenn is just too expensive to be a third cornerback. Rival NFL executives are giving Davis credit for dumping Buchanon. The trade also forced AFC West rival Kansas City to pony up more for Miami's Patrick Surtain to close that deal Friday. Any damage done to a division rival is a win for Davis.
