New Raiders impress Plunkett
Just four years ago, the Oakland Raiders were back in the Super Bowl for the first time in two decades and among the NFL's elite.
But just when it was starting to feel like old times at 7000 Coliseum Way, old age set in, forcing the Silver and Black into an overnight rebuilding phase and ushering in the darkest period in franchise history.
The Oakland Raiders have been in free-fall since a 48-21 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII on Jan.26, 2003. Oakland is 15-49 since 2002 and hasn't beaten an AFC West opponent since a 25-24 victory over the Broncos in Denver on Nov.28, 2004, a streak of futility spanning 18 games.
A 2-14 showing last season established a new low point, which prompted owner Al Davis to make wholesale changes, chief among them the hiring of new coach Lane Kiffin and the selection of LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell with the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft.
Former Oakland Raiders quarterback and Super Bowl XV MVP Jim Plunkett says it's too early to make predictions, but he likes what he's seen and heard from Oakland's newest additions.
Plunkett, who will be the keynote speaker at the 11th annual YMCA of Stanislaus County's 2007 Sports Banquet on Thursday, recently had the opportunity to meet JaMarcus Russell during a minicamp and came away impressed with the 6-foot-6-inch, 263-pound rookie.
"I watched one of his practices, and I liked what I saw," Plunkett said. "I saw him throw, and he's a remarkable passer. Tremendous strength of arm.
"He's got good things going for him. He has common sense, and he's a very nice man. Usually, younger guys come into the league with a chip on their shoulder. The first time we met, he came up to me smiling and put his head on my shoulder, just like a little kid, and it was very heartwarming."
Would Plunkett be surprised to see JaMarcus Russell in the starting lineup for the season opener against Detroit on Sept. 9 in Oakland?
"Just like anything else, anything can happen, but you have a sense about the kid," Plunkett said. "He wants to play. I started from the very first down in New England and played every down my rookie year, and I wouldn't have had it any other way. And I think he's the same."
The Oakland Raiders were in position to draft JaMarcus Russell after last season's debacle, during which shoddy line play sabotaged an offense that ranked among the worst in NFL history and had quarterbacks Andrew Walter and Aaron Brooks running for their lives.
Oakland scored 12 offensive touchdowns the entire season. By comparison, league MVP LaDainian Tomlinson ran for 28 scores, had three TD catches and threw two scoring passes.
"With Andrew Walter and Aaron Brooks, you couldn't give a fair assessment because the line was such a mess," Plunkett said. "You got me, I don't know why it didn't work out. You've got (Robert) Gallery, you've got Barry Sims, Jake Grove, and Langston Walker's as big as a house. You thought they would have done better."
Despite the dark cloud that hung over the Oakland Raiders last season, Plunkett found a silver lining.
"Even as bad as they played, what was encouraging was that they were still in every game in the fourth quarter," he said. "Almost without exception. A couple games got away from them in the fourth quarter, but for the most part they were right there."
Davis fired coach Art Shell during the offseason and assigned the task of leading his franchise back to prominence to Kiffin, a former offensive coordinator at USC.
At 32, Kiffin is the NFL's youngest head coach. But, as Plunkett noted, Davis has had great success cultivating young coaching talent, from John Madden to Jon Gruden, both of whom were in their early 30s when given the keys.
"He reminds me of Gruden in a lot of ways," Plunkett said. "He's young, energetic. He's not as strong a personality and not as acerbic, but he's got a plan, a great background (his father, Monte, is defensive coordinator of the Buccaneers), and he's familiar with talent. Hopefully, it will be a good fit.
"I think there's a lot of promise there, I really do."
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