Russell was recently arrested for possession of a controlled substance just days after signing a deal with a UFL team.

The Raiders said they did everything they could to help Russell with any number of problems.

The team declined to go into further detail, citing NFL policy with regard to confidentiality.

Oakland feels as though the media has been unfair in their criticism of the organization for not helping Russell more.

He missed Oakland’s entire offseason program because he was not officially under contract until now.

The signing of Seymour means that all of the team’s veterans are now under contract, which is always good news.

The Raiders made a huge investment in Seymour by trading high draft picks to New England to acquire him.

After an impressive debut, Seymour has shown little in the way of being the star player we saw with the Patriots.

He caught just nine passes for 124 yards and a touchdown last year and dropped numerous balls.

However, the Raiders released a statement that said Heyward-Bey was set to join the tradition of great Oakland wideouts.

The wide receiver has a strong work ethic and has been busy all offseason preparing for his second NFL season.

The Raiders believe that with both the talent and work ethic, everything will eventually come together for Heyward-Bey.

Some type of dispute arose between the league and the players union causing the announcement.

The Raiders will not be allowed to practice until training camp begins in late July, but players will be paid for the missed days.

This is nothing new for the Raiders, who also lost practice time in 2007 because of head coach Lane Kiffin’s hard workouts.

They become the second team in the NFL to be forced to cancel OTA’s this year after Baltimore was cited a few days earlier.

The Raiders say that they paid Russell an advance of $9.55 million for the 2010-2012 seasons.

The team then cut Russell after some of their offseason activities, tired of his attitude and work ethic.

Russell’s representation claims that money was guaranteed and was part of the reason he held out of training camp his rookie season.

It seems that after a somewhat amicable split, the gloves are about to come off on both sides.

The team brought in a couple of quarterbacks in the offseason to compete for the starting job that was once Russell’s.

Owner Al Davis was more patient than just about everyone with the youngster, but eventually gave up on him, too.

Who can blame Davis considering Russell’s poor work habits and ballooning weight problems?

It will be interesting to see what team is willing to roll the dice and take a chance on resurrecting Russell’s career.

The Raiders want Russell to take a significant paycut in order to stay with the team, something he is unlikely to do.

The team has been very unhappy with Russell’s work ethic, although he did report to OTA’s in much better shape this year.

The team has an extremely crowded quarterback situation with Russell, Bruce Gradkowski, Jason Campbell and Kyle Boller.

Should Russell take a pay cut, the Raiders would likely release Boller, who just recently signed with the team.

It may have been a slight reach to take McClain so early at No. 8 overall, but he is a quality player.

The Raiders certainly need help at the linebacker position, and McClain will more than fill that hole.

He was a star player for the Alabama Crimson Tide and helped lead them to a national championship.

McClain did not seem thrilled about being selected by the Raiders, but I’m sure that disappointment will eventually wear off.

The Raiders may have given up a little too much to get Campbell, but at least the pick is a couple years away.

Campbell will instantly come in and become Oakland’s starting quarterback, replacing the current duo they have.

Many point to Campbell’s steady improvement through his NFL career as a sign that he could do well with the Raiders.

He is certainly excited to get a chance to start again after losing his job to Donovan McNabb.

The Raiders begin the year with a road game at Tennessee followed by a very winnable game at home against the St. Louis Rams. If Oakland can’t at least start 1-1, it’s going to be a very long season.

Home games against Seattle, Kansas City and Denver and road games against the Chiefs, Jaguars and 49ers are good chances for victories.

The Raiders do have to play San Diego twice, at Arizona and Indianapolis at home, but it could be a lot worse.

One interesting thing about Oakland’s schedule is that they will not play in a single primetime game. For a team as popular as the Raiders, that is surprising.