One story in
a series, looking at position breakdowns for the Oakland Raiders, who arrive for
training camp in Napa, CA, on July 24. Today – a look at center:
The Oakland
Raiders did not draft a center. That’s a sign that Barret Robbins will remain in
an Oakland uniform despite his bizarre and, at the time mysterious,
disappearance on Super Bowl weekend. Right?
It’s too early to draw any conclusions on the future of Robbins, who was
suspended from that game. He has since addressed the media, apologized to his
teammates and diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Adam Treu started in place of
Robbins in the Super Bowl and through most of the 2001 season when the latter
missed all but two games with a season-ending knee injury. Treu remains the
starter while Robbins is faced with the task of having to not only earn his
starting job back, but also his roster spot.
Treu has proven to be a capable
replacement as well as being an invaluable long-snapper. The Raiders can feel
confident they have a capable replacement if they decide not to keep Robbins,
who is also recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery. In addition, Matt
Stinchcomb, a guard and/or tackle by trade, has taken reps at the center
position during the team’s offseason program.
Other than his incident on Super
Bowl weekend, Robbins enjoyed a rewarding 2002 season in qualifying for his
first Pro Bowl.
The feeling here is that the
Raiders are doing the right thing by making Robbins earn his stripes. Simply
handing him the job back may send the wrong message even though there is room
for empathy regarding his personal issues.
Robbins is one of the most
talented centers in the NFL and should regain his starting position as long as
he does not have any additional setbacks.
Vince D’Adamo can be reached via e-mail at vdad7@yahoo.com