FanHouse William Joseph

The whole will he play/won't he play situation with Richard Seymour's trade to -- and current absence from -- the Raiders took an odd turn on Thursday night.

Comcast SportsNet Bay Area posted an article on its Web site reporting that Greg Papa, the Raiders' play-by-play man, had said on his radio show that Oakland had issued Seymour a five-day letter to report. What that means, essentially, is that if Seymour -- whom the Raiders acquired from New England for a 2011 first-round pick -- didn't show within five days of receiving the letter, Oakland would be able to place him on a reserve list for the duration of the season.

One problem: Papa never said that.

Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.

The 2008 season might go down as one of the most bizarre campaigns in the history of the Oakland Raiders. Lane Kiffin and Al Davis clearly didn't get along, while Kiffin pulled off the impossible task of making Davis look like a sane, rational person.

A team spokesperson nearly decked a beat writer; the punter was, reportedly, punched out by a defensive lineman; and the team on the field finished with a losing season, failing to win more than five games for the sixth consecutive year. Just a disastrous season in every way imaginable.

Would it be a New York Giants football game without a few devastating injuries? If you answered no, you're right on, and I'm not here to disappoint you.

Defensive end Osi Umenyiora and running back Brandon Jacobs have both been lost for the night, possibly longer, after suffering a pair of knee injuries. While both players were able to walk off under their own power, the Giants have already scheduled them for MRI's tomorrow.

Due to Umenyiora's injury, Michael Strahan, who had been serving as a reserve, was forced back into his starting role. Normally, William Joseph would have taken that spot, but he also suffered
a back injury prior to the game, and is unavailable.

In replace of Jacobs, the Giants have turned to a running back by committee.

Update: Cornerback Kevin Dockery was carted off with an ankle injury.

Giants Training Camp Notebook is a cliff notes style post aimed at giving Giants fans up-to-date news about the most recent training camp practices.

- What was all the commotion at Giants practice today? It was number 92; it was Michael Strahan! Hey, wait a second ... that wasn't Strahan; it was William Joseph playing a nasty, horrible prank on Giants fans.

- Eli Manning had another fantastic day of practice today. I realize it's starting to sound like a broken record, but it's a pleasant sound for a change. Honestly, would you prefer hearing about inconsistent Eli?

- Perhaps the best news of the day involved wide receiver Amani Toomer. No, it had nothing to do with his performance on the practice field, just that he will actually be on the field this Sunday. It will be the first time Toomer has played in a game since being carried off the gridiron last year.