Shmuck of the Week

By Jonathan Shikes Wed., Mar. 5 2008 at 12:41 PM

Stroll into some sporting goods stores, and you’ll find racks of Javon Walker’s Broncos jersey for sale – but not because there is high demand for the once-popular player’s No. 84 duds. No, it’s because after last year’s Walker soap opera, no one wants them. And when the team finally released the Broncos-dissing, injury-plagued wide receiver, those jerseys joined the likes of Jake Plummer’s and Brian Griese’s – in the clearance aisle.

But on Tuesday, Walker did something that will turn those jersey’s into good material for punching bags: He signed with the Oakland Raiders. The deal is $55 million for six years, according to news reports. Rivalries may not mean as much as they used to in the NFL, but for any old-school, hardcore fan who bleeds predominantly orange and cringes at the mention of the late Lyle Alzado’s name, joining the Silver and Black means Walker is now persona non grata. Other teams may have done more damage to the Broncos recently, but the Raiders will always be the team Denver loves to hate. And now we have one more reason.

Thanks for the memories? Hardly. Enjoy sucking in shmuckville, Javon, and don’t let the door hit you on the ass on your way out.

To see last week's Shmuck, click here.