Franchise

by Jerry McDonald

Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha fully expects to be designated as the Raiders franchise player.

Shane Lechler, meanwhile has already been tagged _ and not in a good way.

“Everyone knows I’ll probably get the franchise tag again,” Asomugha told ESPN’s Bill Williamson at the Pro Bowl in Honolulu.

Raiders owner Al Davis said Wednesday he would be inclined to use the “exclusive” designation for Asomugha should he be tagged again. That would give the Raiders sole negotiating rights and potentially driving his cost upward from the approximately $11.7 million he would make under the normal franchise tag, once the 2009 numbers are figured into the mix.

Asomugha, ever the diplomat, downplayed the thought of dysfunction in the organization, and it’s worth noting that at the end of a season-ending 31-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he was standing right next to coach Tom Cable, arms raised in triumph.

Asomugha missed the game due to injury but appeared thrilled with the outcome, coming as it did after convincing win the previous week against the Houston Texans.

The again, given the report in the San Francisco Chronicle which told the story of how Lechler took a punch to the face from defensive tackle Terdell Sands (I’d post a link to the story on sfgate.com but I can’t get it to work correctly) on the flight home from Denver on Nov. 23, at least one prospective free agent may be wondering about dysfunction.

In early December, I was tipped off by someone outside the organization about a problem on the plane following the Denver game, and that alcohol was involved. A few days later, a former Raiders player told me a “ruckus” on the flight. Two players confirmed the incident in general terms (without naming who was doing the fighting) but didn’t want their names in the paper.

It was never strong enough to put in print without getting the names of the players or confirmation from someone in the organization _ one of the many stories you hear throughout the course of the year which never sees the light of day.

(Kudos to David White of the Chronicle for nailing it down).

If there was any discipline involved, suspension wasn’t a part of it. Both Sands and Lechler were playing the next week.

Davis has long believed men are prone to disagreements and given little regard to behavior issues. He shrugged off a question about JaMarcus Russell’s conditioning and referred to the good ol’ days of Ken Stabler, who would lead the Raiders to victories during the day and drink scotch during the night.

When Bill Romanowski sucker-punched tight end Marcus Williams during practice, sending his teammate to the hospital with serious injuries, he received a hefty fine but didn’t miss a game.

There was no such outward damage inflicted upon Lechler, and it’s not clear how the fight started.

But if a punch was thrown on a team charter, it means there was potentially not only a retaliatory strike, but that several teammates were attempting to break things up. That means a couple-thousand pounds of moving force some 30,000 feet above the ground. When flight attendants talk about “items shifting during flight,” that’s not what they have in mind.

So if Asomugha is franchised, how could the Raiders make it up to Lechler?

To steal a line from the Corleone family, by making him an offer he can’t refuse.

Lechler has been at times openly disgusted by the last six years, wistfully recalling the three division titles of which he was a contributing member. He grumbled when the Raiders began bringing punters into practice toward the end of the season without ever telling him why, considering it a sign of disrespect.

Eventually, Ricky Schmitt was signed on Dec. 15.

Still, when sitting by his locker one day with only a game remaining, Lechler said he wouldn’t rule out a possible return even if he wasn’t franchised.

Davis, who once made Ray Guy a first-round pick, is proud of having drafted Lechler. It means he drafted two of the greatest punters in history, and Lechler is a link to the days when the Raiders were a dominant team.

He could conceivably offer Lechler far more than anyone else. Does Lechler want out so badly he’d take considerably less than a sum which would set him up for the rest of his life?

It’s the same argument I used last year when there was so much speculation that players wouldn’t want to come to the Raiders because of the organizational dysfunction. Of course they’d come if they got paid. And that’s exactly what happened, even if the production didn’t come close to meeting the pay scale.

Sands, meanwhile, is due $1.3 million in salary and roster bonus of $1.9 million and could be in a precarious position based on his performance since signing a four-year contract before the 2007 season.

In other news, don’t expect much in the way of discipline for running back Justin Fargas for appearing a in an on-line video on WorldHipHop.com (it has since been removed) promoting a marijuana “Smoke-A-Thon.”

He didn’t smoke any pot himself in the video, and didn’t have much of a part at all. He’ll get a lecture to be sure about common sense. When in the vicinity of a camera and an oversized blunt, it’s time to vacate the building . . .

Davis sounded as if he’s fine with Raiders young receivers, Johnnie Lee Higgins in particular. But it’s worth at least exploring what it would cost to get Anquan Boldin from the Cardinals. Boldin told the Palm Beach Post his situation with Arizona can’t be repaired . . .

Young Lance continues to win friends and influence people in the Southeastern Conference, failing to get his facts straight and taking on Florida coach Urban Meyer after a so-so-recruiting year.