Walter far ahead in race for No. 2
Andrew Walter finally is winning a quarterback race, though not the one he wants to win.
The Raiders' onetime quarterback of the future has been rendered the backup of the present, hopelessly stuck behind No. 1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell but still ahead of career second-stringer Marques Tuiasosopo.
It beats last year, when Walter idled behind Russell, Josh McCown and Daunte Culpepper as the only No. 4 quarterback in the NFL. Somehow, the slight upgrade is of little cheer.
"Well, I understand JaMarcus is the starter,"
Walter said this week at training camp. The team took Sunday off after practicing 15 times in the first 10 days in Napa.
"That's not going to change regardless of anything, barring injury. Am I happy with that? No. I want to be a starter. I've always said I don't want to be a backup in the NFL."
Walter has eight starts in three NFL seasons. They came during the Art Shell-Tom Walsh season of 2006, which Walter described as a "fiasco"
under a "horrible system"
run by the most "clueless of a staff"
he has known.
He hoped for a second chance last year, but was bumped to the rear of the line despite topping the others in completion rate. This season's comeback hopes ended when Raiders coach Lane Kiffin named Russell his starter in January.
So, what's a guy to do when he's neither wanted nor let go? Throw the daylights out of the ball when possible, just in case Russell's sore elbow stays sore or a trade partner makes an irresistible offer.
"Andrew does everything you can out here,"
Kiffin said. "He continues to complete balls and continues to have a high completion percentage."
"I'd say right now he's ahead of Tui. He's making more plays and throwing the ball better downfield."
That doesn't make him a system fit for the Raiders, to no fault of his own. The Raiders drafted him in the third round of the 2005 draft, which was two coaches and playbooks ago.
Kiffin's offense calls for a mobile quarterback who can run play-action rollouts and bootlegs. Walter is more of a drop-back passer who functions best in the pocket.
The Raiders' offense won't change to match his skill set. Walter will have to wait until his contract expires after this season before he can find a better fit elsewhere.
"That's just the way it is,"
he said.
New faces: The Raiders host the 49ers for two joint practices today in Napa. Kiffin has gone out of his way to say this is not a scrimmage, which means tackling players to the ground is a no-no.
Kiffin said the practice has been scripted for some time, with both coaches agreeing on what they would do.
If the teams get too scrappy, Kiffin said they'll pull the plug. Strong safety Gibril Wilson doesn't think that will be necessary.
"We're practicing, getting another look, get a different jersey in here,"
Wilson said. "Stuff might happen, but you don't want to hurt their guys."
"We're just trying to get as much work as possible and learn from each other."
Asomugha shining: Cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha has four interceptions in camp after sitting out the entire offseason without a contract.
Kiffin joked that it's not fair because Asomugha knows the Raiders' offense and audibles by heart. That won't be the case against the 49ers, which is why Asomugha likes the joint practice.
"We have no idea what they're trying to do, so we have to go out there and try to be sound technically,"
Asomugha said. "It's always great to go against guys that you're clueless about what's going on."
