Which of the holdouts — JaMarcus Russell, Michael Strahan or Larry Johnson — will last the longest?
Gut feeling: Russell. Oakland coach Lane Kiffin has parceled out the portion of the snaps due to go to Russell during training camp to Daunte Culpepper, and the Raiders don’t seem to be in a hurry to get the kid signed. I think he might not be signed until September. Meanwhile, I talked to Strahan on Saturday night and got no indication which way he was leaning. Human nature would say he can’t make $4 million in four months anywhere but on the football field this fall, but I’m not sure this is a very normal situation. My guess is he’ll play, but my personal preference would be to see him traded to a team that would pay him. Three years ago, this would have been a job for Dan Snyder, but working with Joe Gibbs has transformed Snyder into some sort of Fred MacMurray-type from My Three Sons. You know, Mr. Responsible. This doesn’t seem like a Redskins move now. Re: Johnson, club president Carl Peterson told me, “We are not close.” I think Johnson waits until the last week of August, sque
