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Optimism returns for the Oakland Raiders
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By Jorge L. Ortiz
November 18, 2010
Alameda, CA — Even after seven consecutive seasons of at least 11 losses, the Oakland Raiders' multitude of slogans — "Commitment to excellence," "Team of the Decades," "the Silver and Black" — remains a presence at the Oakland Coliseum and the club's practice facility in Alameda.
Players sometimes sprinkle their comments with such references, which used to draw snickers. Not anymore.
A three-game winning streak has thrust the Raiders into a first-place tie with the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West at 5-4, a victory total that already has matched Oakland's best output for any season from 2003 to 2009.
With the NFL's second-leading rushing attack anchored by Darren McFadden, a hot quarterback in resurrected Jason Campbell and an improved defense, Oakland is finally making news for its performance on the field instead of for the bizarre developments off it.
If not quite enough to evoke memories of the Raiders' glorious past — they've won three Super Bowls under iconic owner Al Davis, the last one in 1984 — the recent turnaround at least has made the club relevant again.
"I feel like we're not doing anything but living up to our legacy," second-year safety Mike Mitchell says. "Team of the Decades. We're just trying to get back to that legacy."
Whether they get there will be determined by a challenging second-half schedule that begins Sunday vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers, one of Oakland's four remaining road games. The last one matches the Raiders vs. old rival Kansas City in what looms as potentially a battle for the division title.
Such a prospect would have seemed laughable after a 2-4 start lowlighted by a 17-9 loss to the then-winless San Francisco 49ers on Oct. 17.
Campbell, an offseason acquisition who was benched midway through the second game, started in relief of injured Bruce Gradkowski and went 8-for-21 for 83 yards and two interceptions. The offense, coming off a season when it ranked second-to-last in the league in points a game (12.3) under the erratic hand of JaMarcus Russell, looked adrift with Campbell at the controls.
But then the former Washington Redskin stopped pressing and started finding the range, and running back McFadden, who opened the season on a roll before missing two games with a hamstring injury, returned to the lineup with a bang.
Campbell threw for 204 yards and two touchdowns while McFadden ran for 165 yards and three scores in a 59-14 rout of the Denver Broncos. Both followed up with strong performances in a 33-3 trouncing of the Seattle Seahawks and a high-profile 23-20 overtime win against the Chiefs.
"The real key game was coming home (against) Seattle and getting it done the way we did, making it a real punishing, physical play in the second half," coach Tom Cable says.
With its 115-point outburst in the last three games, Oakland has climbed to seventh in the league in scoring with an average of 26.1 points, validating some of the changes implemented by new offensive coordinator Hue Jackson.
One of the key adjustments has been a switch from zone blocking to the gap- and power-blocking scheme that better suits McFadden, because it allows him to hit the hole quicker. After two disappointing, injury-marred seasons, the fourth overall pick in the 2008 draft is leading the NFL with 108.1 rushing yards a game, and his average of 5.4 a carry ranks second.
"He is extremely fast," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin says of McFadden, who also has caught 24 passes for 242 yards.
Defense applies pressure
It's no mere coincidence Campbell rediscovered his game when McFadden rejoined the lineup for the Denver game.
The sixth-year quarterback had two touchdown passes and five turnovers in his first four games, compared with five TD throws and one turnover in the last three.
"When you have him and (Michael) Bush in the backfield together, it makes things a lot easier because Darren is the quick, fast guy, catching the ball out of the backfield," Campbell says. "Bush is a power guy."
The offensive awakening has helped a defense that is allowing the sixth-fewest yards a game in the league. With linemen Richard Seymour and Tommy Kelly enjoying standout seasons, the Raiders are tied for third in the NFL with 27 sacks; four players have at least 4? each.
Last season, the 26th-ranked Oakland defense finished with 37 sacks, tied for 11th in the league.
"It makes it a lot better when you can put points up on the scoreboard and get after the passer," Seymour says. "In a lot of games last year we were down early so we were not playing the game the way we need to."
Says Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger, who'll face Oakland on Sunday: "They are playing (like), 'We're better than you. We're just going to prove that we're bigger, badder and tougher.' "
ESPN analyst Jon Ritchie, a Raiders fullback from 1998 to 2002, says that mentality has been instilled by Cable, a former offensive line coach.
"You look at their identity, and you can just tell they're being coached by an offensive lineman," Ritchie says. "He's a tough and gruff, guy, and that's how they're playing football."
Cable's leadership praised
Still, Cable's authority often gets questioned in the news media, and last week he reversed course on his starting quarterback. After saying Gradkowski would regain the job as soon as his sprained right shoulder heals — and he is healthy now — Cable opted to stick with Campbell.
Two days after the win against Kansas City, the Oakland Tribune reported Davis had made it clear to Cable he wanted Campbell to remain the starter. Cable denied the report, saying, "The decisions that go on with the players, they're going to be made by me."
Players praise Cable's leadership, consistent message and ability to motivate. They also appreciate the stability of having the same coach for consecutive seasons, but they know Davis remains an overriding presence — he has changed coaches 10 times since Tom Flores left in 1987.
"Al Davis could be shot to the moon, and they'd still probably say he's running things from mission control," veteran offensive tackle Langston Walker says.
"He runs the team. But we're winning, so who cares? It's a bigger issue when we're losing and you wonder about the weird things that go on."
All-pro cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha didn't come close to the playoffs in his first seven seasons with the Raiders.
"It's a different level of excitement that we've had here in a long time," Asomugha says. "So there is no fluke to this. Guys believe."
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