I won’t claim the guy on the left has much to say, but give him this much : he’s more lucid than John Riggins.

Who amongst us hasn’t been drunk in the parking lot of a Dick’s Sporting Goods? Surely we can’t expect the Reid kin to shop for their dad’s sweatpants while sober?

Oakland might be closer to signing their no.1 overall pick, and as the negotiations continue to drag throughout the preseason, the San Jose Mercury News’ Tim Kawakami surmised (albeit 3 days ago), “If I’m JaMarcus Russell, I’m already planning my Raiders exit strategy and I’m hoping Al Davis is planning one for me, too.”

Let’s just go through a list of major Davis decisions since the end of 2003: Norv Turner as coach; Kerry Collins as quarterback; Gallery, a tackle, over receiver Larry Fitzgerald, quarterback Philip Rivers and defensive tackle Tommie Harris in the 2004 draft; Moss acquired; Art Shell as coach; Tom Walsh as offensive coordinator; safety Michael Huff over quarterbacks Matt Leinart and Jay Cutler in the 2006 draft; Aaron Brooks at QB.

If I’m Al Davis, I’m not happy with that list. It’s frightful. So maybe I want to play it safe with Russell. If he stinks, I want to be able to get rid of him without fiscal consequence.

But I also should know that, unless there’s an unforeseen panic attack, Russell isn’t agreeing to anything short of a full guarantee. Reality alert: Lousy teams need No. 1 picks more than No. 1 picks need the lousy teams.

So if I’m Al Davis, I should be searching for a trade partner right now. If I dare Russell to sit out all of 2007 and re-enter the draft in 2008, nobody wins. And the Raiders need wins, period.