Archives

Coaches

Day in Court

Depth Chart

Game Preview

Home

Links

Roster

Schedule

Tickets

Transactions

OAKLAND RAIDERS RAP

In the end, these Raiders should be remembered for providing their fans with hope, excitement and a mountain of ifa-coulda-shoulda-woulda-frustration. Here's a capsule analysis:

Top 5 Highlights

• The Raiders open the new millennium with an in-your-face 41-38 triumph over the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on Jan. 2, 2000. Oakland rallies from a 17-0 deficit for its first win at Kansas City since 1988. Joe Nedney (right), signed in mid-December, provides the winning points by kicking a 33-yard field goal 3:13 into overtime. He hits a 38-yarder with 45 seconds left in regulation to force the extra period. Oakland's Rich Gannon throws for 324 yards and 3 TDs against his former team. Gannon, who spent four years in Kansas City before signing a $16 million contract with Oakland, is cheered before and after the game by fans at Arrowhead Stadium. "Winning this game, against this team at this place, is really going to do a lot for this football team," Gannon said. "We can build on this." The bitter loss prevents the Chiefs from capturing the AFC West and advancing to the playoffs. It's only the third victory for Oakland over Kansas City in the past 21 games. Said Raiders coach Jon Gruden: "For us to move forward as an organization we had to beat the Chiefs."
  
• Quarterback Rich Gannon earns a Pro Bowl berth in his first season with Oakland. He throws for 3,840 yards, the second best performance in franchise history (behind Jeff George's 3,917 in 1997). Gannon starts all 16 games despite wrist and groin injuries, finishes second in AFC passing and provides leadership.
  
• The Oakland offensive line goes from from bad to respectable. The Raiders allow 49 sacks, their fewest since 1996 when they had 44. They led the NFL with 67 sacks in 1998 and surrendered 58 the previous year. The improved blocking helps Oakland rank third in the NFL in rushing (130.3 yards per game) and fifth in total yards (355.8). Free agent Barry Sims emerges as a capable starter at right guard, a position of weakness the previous two seasons. Sims also shows the versatility to play tackle. Because of an injury to Mo Collins, Sims starts at left tackle and doesn't allow a sack in Oakland's victory at Buffalo on Oct. 17. Collins, Sims and second-year reserve Gennaro DiNapoli complement veteran starters Steve Wisniewski, Barret Robbins and Lincoln Kennedy.
  
• One week after an embarrassing home loss to Denver, the Raiders rebound with a 20-14 victory over Buffalo at Ralph Wilson Stadium on Oct. 17. Safety Eric Turner thwarts Flutie Magic when he intercepts a Doug Flutie pass in the end zone on the final play. Tyrone Wheatley has touchdown runs of 3 and 11 yards as Oakland builds a 20-7 advantage early in the second half. Wheatley (25 rushes for 97 yards) and Napoleon Kaufman (12 for 72) help the Raiders control the football for a whopping 39:35.
  
• Tyrone Wheately and Napoleon Kaufman each rush for two touchdowns as the Raiders pound Tampa Bay 45-0 in Oakland on Dec. 19. The Oakland defense forces three turnovers, has four sacks and limits Tampa Bay to a mere 137 yards. The Bucs, who are 0-for-12 on third-down conversions, suffer their worst defeat in franchise history. It's the largest margin of victory for the Raiders since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. Oakland defense end Lance Johnstone returns a fumble 24 yards for a touchdown, and Kaufman completes the onslaught with a highlight-film 75-yard touchdown run. Said Johnstone: "I wish we had 10 more games like this."

• The Raiders miss the playoffs for the sixth straight year and don't have a winning record for the fifth consecutive season. Only the Cincinnati Bungals and the Browns/Ravens have a current longer playoff drought than the Raiders.
  
• The Kansas City Chiefs defeat the Raiders 37-34 on Pete Stoyanovich's 44-yard field goal as time expires in Oakland on Nov. 28. The Chiefs score the final 17 points after the Raiders build a 34-20 advantage entering the fourth quarter. Kansas City cornerback Cris Dishman returns a Derrick Walker fumble 40 yards for the tying touchdown with 6:24 remaining. After Oakland's Michael Husted is wide left on 44-yard field goal attempt, Elvis Grbac drives Kansas City 39 yards to set up Stoyanovich's winning kick. Before collapsing in the fourth quarter, the Raiders play arguably their best game since returning to Oakland from Los Angeles in 1995. Quarterback Rich Gannon (left) passes for two touchdowns and scores another on a 6-yard run while cornerback Charles Woodson returns a Grbac interception 15 yards for a touchdown. Said Woodson: "For us to lose that game is beyond me. The Chiefs didn't do anything that great to beat us." Kansas City improves to 18-2 vs. Oakland during the 1990s.
  
• Michael Husted continues the floundering recent tradition of Oakland place-kickers. Husted is replaced by Joe Nedney for the final three games after the former Tampa Bay kicker misses two 32-yard field goal attempts in Oakland's 21-14 loss at Tennessee on Dec. 9. Husted also is unsuccessful on makeable field goal tries in close losses to Green Bay, Denver and Kansas City. He misses 11 of 31 field goal attempts, including three from 32 yards and another from 37.
  
• The previously winless Denver Broncos beat the Raiders 16-13 in Oakland on Oct. 10. Cornerback Tory James (photo, top of the page) seals Denver's first victory of the season after four losses when he intercepts a Rich Gannon pass at the Broncos' 23 with 57 seconds remaining. James gets the turnover after the ball bounces off the hands of Oakland receiver Terry Mickens. Despite being ravaged by injury, Denver defeats Oakland for the eighth time in nine games. The Raiders allow six sacks and average a pitiful 2.3 yards on 24 running plays. After the game ends, Broncos defensive end Neil Smith taunts Raiders fans as he holds a sign with the inscription: "Look at the score."
  
• The Raiders suffer a 16-9 loss to Miami before an announced crowd of 61,556 fans at Network Associates Coliseum on Oct. 31. Oakland surrenders five sacks, gains only 187 yards and fails to score a touchdown for the first time in 26 regular-season games. Playing despite a broken bone in his left wrist, quarterback Rich Gannon completes only 7 of 28 passes for 130 yards. He has eight straight incompletions in a dreadful 1-for-12 first half. The Dolphins beat the Raiders for the third straight year in Oakland.

Did You Know?

• The Raiders lose eight games by a total of 34 points.
  
• The Raiders are second in the AFC and third in the NFL in rushing offense, averaging 130.3 yards. Tyrone Wheatley and Napoleon Kaufman combine for 1650 yards rushing. Jacksonville's highly regarded tandem of James Stewart and Fred Taylor have 1663 yards.
  
• Oakland's Charles Woodson is voted a starting cornerback to the 2000 AFC Pro Bowl team despite having only one interception and getting beaten on several pass plays.
  
• The Raiders are plus 4 in turnover margin (33 takeaways, 29 giveaways). They have a positive turnover margin for the first time since 1989. Oakland was minus 8 in 1998.
  
• The Raiders out-score their opponents 151-71 in the third quarter. The bad news is opponents hold a 107-67 edge against Oakland in the fourth quarter.

THE LAST WORDS:
"There's some good things that occurred this year that we're going to build on for our future. But you're 8-8. You're the worst of the best or the best of the worst, however you want to look at it. I think if you're a football fan, your perception of this team is that they're pretty good -- a pretty ornery bunch of players. They're going to fight you and they're going to play every Sunday."

Raiders coach Jon Grunden

Photos:
Denver's Tory James steals a pass from Terry Mickens (85)

Joe Nedney, left, is congratulated by Leo Araguz after
Nedney beats Kansas City with a field goal in overtime

Rich Gannon (12) tries to elude the late Derrick Thomas (58)

Tim Brown (81) makes a catch against the Jets

Jon Gruden mug