Jerry Porter And Troy Williamson Should Bring Some Life To The Jacksonville Receiving Core

The Jacksonville Jaguars, who have been searching for a No. 1 wide receiver since Jimmy Smith retired, reached a contract agreement Friday with Jerry Porter, one of the top wide receivers in the unrestricted free agent market.

Porter, 29, was expected to sign a six-year, $30 million contract later on Friday. He played the first eight years of his career with the Oakland Raiders.

Jerry Porter needs the Jags just as bad as the Jags need Porter. Remember, Porter played on the Raiders his first 8 seasons. The Raiders that I can remember never had a very good quarterback to get the ball into Porter's hands during those 8 seasons. Hopefully, now that Porter has a very good quarterback in David Garrard, Porter can finally unleash his true potential.

In addition, the Jaguars on Friday completed a trade they agreed to earlier in the week, adding former Minnesota first-round wide receiver Troy Williamson in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick. Williamson, who was a disappointment in his three seasons with the Vikings, should add a deep threat to the Jacksonville offense.

Again, look where Troy Williamson came from. The Vikings haven't had a good quarterback since early 2000s when Daunte Culpepper was in his prime.

With the emergence of quarterback David Garrard in his first season as the full-time starter in 2007, the Jaguars are making a concerted effort to upgrade his arsenal of receivers in an attempt to close the gap with Indianapolis in the division.

Oakland Raiders Head Coach Refuses To Obey Owner's Call To Resign

Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis sent a letter to Lane Kiffin recently asking for the coach to resign, ESPN's Chris Mortensen reports.

Kiffin has refused to resign, he told Mortensen.

The Raiders finished 4-12 in Kiffin's first season as coach.

First off, don't you find it kind of strange and unprofessional the way the owner is letting the coach know he wants him gone? Through a letter? The owner can't even make a phone call or confront the coach. Who sends letters anymore?

Second, the Oakland Raiders head coach didn't do such a terrible job for his first year, considering he didn't have much to work with. He had no quarterback, receivers, and a defense barely worth mentioning. This is a team who is trying to rebuild, but how can a team rebuild if that team fires their head coach after his first year? At least he didn't do as bad as Cam Cameron on the Miami Dolphins.

Say So Long To Warren Sapp

Warren Sapp told the Oakland Raiders on Thursday that he was retiring, ending the career of one of the best defensive tackles to play in the NFL.

Sapp told the Contra Costa Times that he phoned Raiders owner Al Davis with the news Thursday. The Raiders had no official comment, but coach Lane Kiffin hinted at Sapp's decision earlier this week.

Sapp

Sapp, 35, was the quintessential "three technique" tackle during his 13-year career, lining up between the guard and tackle and splitting that gap. Few did it better than Sapp, who made seven Pro Bowls, won the AP Defensive Player of the Year award in 1999, and was a key cog in Tampa Bay's Super Bowl winning defense in the 2002 season.

"Every defensive tackle that's drafted in the top five is supposed to be the next [me]," Sapp said earlier this season. "All of them have that tag. ... I've played the game pretty well, so if I'm the standard by which [they'll] be judged, that's tough, because I'd like to relive that guy, too. He's a bad boy. He's dead now. I give you flashes of him every now and then but, nah, that guy was sick."

After having 10 sacks in 2006, Sapp wasn't as successful this season when he finished with only two. He was also part of a Raiders defense that struggled against the run, allowing a league-worst 4.8 yards per carry.

That's the reason Sapp gave for his retirement. He said his skills are declining and feels he can't perform as he used to anymore.

Sapp was no longer the every-down menace he was during his younger days in Tampa, but he could still pick his spots. In his final game against San Diego, Sapp shot through a gap and hit quarterback Philip Rivers' forearm before he could hand the ball off to LaDainian Tomlinson, causing a fumble. "You get a little older, you can see your weaknesses a little bit more and go about 45-50 plays now," Sapp said late in the season.

Sapp finished his career with 96½ sacks, the 28th most since the NFL began keeping track of the statistic in 1982. What made that even more remarkable is that Sapp played primarily on the inside at tackle, where sacks are traditionally much harder to come by. He was considered a coach on the field by the defensive staff on the Raiders and was viewed as a leader by the young players that surrounded him.

NFL Updated News and Injury Report For Week 11

The Oakland Raiders will finally start the highly anticipated JaMarcus Russell on December 2nd against the Broncos. Unless Daunte Culpepper performs incredibly well the next two weeks in starts against the Vikings and Chiefs, Russell likely will get all five starts in December.

The New England Patriots will face the Buffalo Bills on Sunday evening without starting right guard Stephen Neal who was unexpectedly downgraded to "out" on Saturday night because of a shoulder injury. In addition, New England also ruled out free safety Eugene Wilson and linebacker Eric Alexander. Meanwhile, the Bills rookie, Marshawn Lynch, missed his third straight practice on Friday and is doubtful for Buffalo's game Sunday night.

The Indianopolis Colts' list is just too big and depressing. Most likely to miss Week 11 are wide receiver Marvin Harrison (knee), wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez (thumb), cornerback Dante Hughes (shoulder), cornerback Matt Giordano (hamstring), tackle Daniel Federkeil (concussion), linebacker Tyjuan Hagler (neck) and cornerback Tim Jennings (upper leg). They are all listed as questionable. Tight end Dallas Clark practiced all week and has been cleared to play despite a concussion. Linebacker Freddie Keiaho, who is not on the injury list, should be back after missing games with a concussion.

Halfback Brian Westbrook missed practice for the second straight day with a knee injury and is questionable for the Eagles' game against Miami on Sunday. Andy Reid said "I think he'll be ready to go. It's not bad. There's a little swelling." This isn't a surprise. Westbrook is questionable every week.

Shaun Alexander will not play for the Seattle Seahawks until he's healthy enough to practice full time. Holmgren wouldn't officially say Alexander is "out" for Sunday's game against Chicago, but did say that backup Maurice Morris would get his second straight start. Morris had 28 carries for 87 yards in Seattle's 24-0 win over San Francisco last Monday. Personally, I even forgot Alexander was still playing. He's done nothing and has been so quiet the past couple of years. Deion Branch practiced without limitation this week, but Holmgren wouldn't go so far as to proclaim that Branch or linebacker LeRoy Hill would play against the bears.

Cleveland nose tackle Shaun Smith will not play in Sunday's game against the Baltimore Ravens because of a knee injury. Smith was injured during practice Thursday, the team said.

Steve Smith of the Carolina Panthers has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Green Bay Packers.

Wow I didn't realize this list was so long. Whats with all these star players not staying healthy?