Plackemeier waived

[skinsfan_nn]

RAIDERS REEL IN LECHLER
Posted by Mike Florio on February 18, 2009, 9:47 p.m.

At a time when it appeared that Raiders punter Shane Lechler would leave via free agency, the team worked out a new contract with the man owning one of the strongest legs in the game.

According to Adam Schefter of NFL Network, Lechler will receive $12 million over four years, with $9 million guaranteed.

Lechler is the first punter to receive an average of $3 million per year.

Some league observers thought that the Raiders were ready to move on, given that Lechler was allegedly thumped on a plane flight home from a road game by defensive tackle Terdell Sands — and that Sands faced no discipline.

Then again, it was just a punter.

The move also clears the way for the Raiders to use the franchise tag on Nnamdi Asomugha. According to RaiderBeat.com, a fairly new team-specific web site with a domain name that is crying out for a cease-and-desist letter from the organization, Asomugha and the team are closing in on a deal.