Just when you thought it was safe to get your hopes up that the Raiders' offensive line might be one of the better units in the AFC for the next few seasons, a seemingly innocuous tweet has Oakland fans worried about a looming holdout with a promising new starting offensive tackle.
ProFootballTalk.com is reporting today that contract holdout maestro Drew Rosenhaus is now the agent representing third-year Raider tackle Mario Henderson.
Cue the "Jaws" shark attack music.
Rosenhaus announced that he had added Henderson as a client on his Twitter feed yesterday. You may not be a Twitter fan, but you gotta admit that anytime you can keep Drew Rosenhaus to under 140 characters or less then that's a good thing.
Mario Henderson has become one of the reasons to be optimistic about the Raiders' offensive line. He started for most of that 3-3 "hot streak" with which the Raiders closed last season. Or, as Just Blog Baby so lucidly puts it, "Henderson inherited the starting left tackle position in 2008 after Kwame Harris was unable to stay healthy, remember a snap count or actually block anybody." As a starter, Henderson gave up no sacks and was not once whistled for a false start or a hold.
All of this makes Mario Henderson more valuable to the Raiders. And Henderson has now hired Drew Rosenhaus. There exists a perception that athletes retain Drew Rosenhaus when they're ready to demand a new contract and stage a holdout.
You'd think Drew Rosenhaus would be so busy enough keeping closer tabs on his other clients who have been "dehydrating" at poolside rave parties, shooting themselves in nightclubs, or drunk-driving into pedestrians that he might not bother staging holdouts for players who are not-quite household names. But if you believe that, then check his Sports Illustrated cover and see what Rosenhaus is generally known for.
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Joe Kukura is a freelance writer who already told you he doesn't want to talk about his disciplinary suspension. NEXT QUESTION!!!
