My beloved Raider Nation has been calling for the head of Raider receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey.
What the heck?
Seriously, well-respected members of the Raider community have mentioned cutting ties with DHB as a possibility.
That just makes no sense to me, Nation.
This time last year, those same members were discussing releasing "bust" Darren McFadden. Darren then proceeded to rush for 1,000-plus yards in a Raider uniform in 2010.
In his previous two years in the NFL, DMac was virtually ineffective. However, his speed and strength greatly developed as he got a feel for playing in the NFL.
Sound familiar?
Oakland has a raw player in Heyward-Bey. He has blazing speed and great size at the wideout position. A typical Raider.
However, his hands have come into question numerous times during his two-year career with the Raiders.
Drafted seventh overall in 2009, Heyward-Bey was under heavy scrutiny by fans and media alike. He had a disappointing rookie season, and in 2010 improved, but was still mediocre.
At 6'2", 225 pounds with a 4.3, 40-yard dash time, Darrius obviously has all the physical tools to be a dominant receiver for the Raiders.
As aforementioned, though, his hands are questionable at best. I, however, tend to follow the mantra of Al Davis:
You can teach someone to catch, but you can't teach speed. All DHB needs to learn is to catch with his hands, not with his body.
Back to that McFadden guy. Last offseason, a respected writer for the Raiders here on Bleacher Report wrote that Darren would never be a full-time, Pro Bowl running back simply because he had, and I'm quoting here Nation, "chicken legs."
Clearly that individual has been proven wrong.
Now, we're hearing that Heyward-Bey can't cat...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
