GameDay: Matt Schaub Trade Is Good For The Raiders
KPIX 5 Sports Director Dennis O'Donnell hosts "Gameday" every Sunday night at 11:30pm on KPIX 5 and offers his unique sports analysis here.
(KPIX 5) -- The Raiders trade for Matt Schaub is either a stroke of genius or a class "C" ticket on the Titanic.
Let's face it, Raider Nation, the track record for quarterbacks in Oakland over the last 25 years is arguably the worst in NFL history.
Where do you start, where do you end? Marc Wilson, Todd Marinovich, Jeff George, Rick Mirer, Kerry Collins, JaMarcus Russell, Carson Palmer, and Matt Flynn. Rich Gannon was the last quarterback to lead the Raiders to Super Bowl, and that was more than a decade ago.
The joke on Matt Schaub is that his uniform number will be "6," in reference to all the pick-sixes he threw in 2013. But I like this trade, and here's why.
Number one: Oakland has spent weeks hitting the free agent market, signing veterans that have, all of a sudden, made the 2014 roster actually look like a real NFL team. They didn't invest all that cash thinking that Matt McGloin would lead them to the Promised Land. They had to get a veteran quarterback and Schaub was the best one on a very short list.
Number two: I don't like the $10 million price tag or the $14 million cap hit. But Reggie McKenzie couldn't gamble that Cleveland would beat him to the punch. The options after Schaub were McGloin, Terrelle Pryor, Michael Vick, or Ken Basitda. No season ticket sales in that lot.
Number three: When you grade Matt Schaub, grade the entire body of work, not just 2013. Two years ago, he threw for 4,000 yards and 22 touchdowns. He had a streak of five straight years with a QB rating of 90 or better before last year's 73. There's no doubt he shoulders the lion's share of the blame for Houston's 2-14 embarrassment, but he's got gas left in the tank, and God knows the Raiders need fuel.
If I'm wrong, I'll take the top bunk on the sinking ship, right above Reggie McKenzie.
I'm Dennis O'Donnell, and I'll see you on TV.
