Raiders Blog and Q&A: Is it too early to talk contract?

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Raiders Blog and Q&A

News, observations and reader questions about the Oakland Raiders

April 27, 2008

Is it too early to talk contract?

ALAMEDA � Darren McFadden just finished up is introductory news conference.

But I was also able to chat with his agent, Ian Greengross, for a few minutes.

After the saga that was JaMarcus Russell�s contract negotiations, it�s necessary to at least have an introduction before the sides go into contract mode and stop talking to the media.

Greengross said he�s never had a player in late, unless Amobi Okoye missing a meeting while the paperwork was completed with the Houston Texans last year constitutes a holdout.

�That�s a time where you have two-a-days,� Greengross said of training camp. �And go through all the specific stuff that need to learn for your position. At the same time, we�ll try to work something out with the Raiders that�s fair. Fortunately for me and my history, all my guys have made it in on time. So I hope to keep that going. But it�s a two-way street and hopefully we�ll work it together so that he doesn�t.�

Missing part of camp would be as tough on McFadden because he's a running back.

But with so many backs on the roster and Lane Kiffin's sometime unpredictable running back rotation, the sooner he's in, the better.

--Jason Jones

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Paul was born in Barstow and attended Barstow Community College before transferring to UNLV, sadly, after Ickey Woods, Randall Cunningham, Keenan McCardell and Suge Knight had made the Rebels a football, um, powerhouse. Paul has worked for Sports Illustrated, the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the Los Angeles Times and The Bee. While stringing for the Barstow Desert Dispatch, Paul was about 10 yards away from Bo Jackson when he suffered his career-ending hip injury in a 1991 playoff game at the L.A. Coliseum against the Cincinnati Bengals.