Raiders pose formidable threat: Oakland boasts potent passing attack
NASHVILLE — Here is all there is to know about the Oakland Raiders’ offense: Wide receiver Tim Brown, a future Hall of Famer, caught 81 passes, a total that would have led more than half the teams in the NFL, and the ninth time in 10 years he has had at least 80 — and he saw himself as nothing more than a role player in this, his 15th professional season.
“I’ve been getting my balls when I can, when they call my number,” he said. “But it’s been a blast. We know going into the game, (the wide receivers) have to play well in order for us to win. For the players that we have, at the positions that we have it really makes the guys feel good about going into the games.”
Their 4,475 passing yards not only accounted for one of the 13 franchise offensive records set by Oakland this season, they were more than 1,000 better than the league average and nearly 400 better than the next most prolific passing team, Seattle. Among the other marks established were: passes attempted and completed, passing percentage and first downs by passing.
Sensing a theme?
In the case of the Seahawks, their penchant for the forward pass had plenty to do with the fact that they trailed in many games this season. As for the Raiders, it was a matter of sticking it to the opposition. Under first-year head coach Bill Callahan, Oakland scored 30 points or more six different times with a high-water mark of 52 against Tennessee, the team it will face today in the AFC Championship at Network Associates Coliseum.
“He believes in going after players and going for the jugular and just taking it to a team if he has the opportunity to do that,” Brown said of Callahan. “I think we just made up our mind early in the year you have to be good at something on offense, either throwing the ball or running the ball. We figured we were better throwing the ball than we were at running it.”
It made sense, given the collection of players on the offense.
With his reception total — 10th in the AFC — and 930 receiving yards, Brown was only the third most-productive pass-catcher on his team, which finished the regular season first in the league in passing and total offense. Jerry Rice, one of the two receivers in league history to have hauled in more balls than Brown, led the way with 92 catches for 1,211 yards and even running back Charlie Garner caught 91 balls for 941 yards.
None of those three led the team in touchdown receptions, though. That honor went to Jerry Porter, who had nine among his 51 receptions.
Distributing the ball was quarterback Rich Gannon, who connected on better than two-thirds of his attempts and threw just 10 interceptions versus 26 touchdowns.
“Anytime you can complement your quarterback with a supporting cast of two Hall of Famers and two emerging young players … I think it’s an excellent complement,” Callahan said. “(Gannon) is resourceful. His ability to prepare is immeasurable. … To have Rich have the guys around him is a tribute to Tim and to Jerry.”
It’s also a tremendous challenge for an opposing, especially when Garner’s ability to actually run the ball out of the backfield is factored into the equation. He is the only player in the NFL this season with more than 900 yards rushing (962) and receiving (941).
“If you’re going to stop one guy in that offense you’ve got to start there,” Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher said.
“Then if you start there, you got other problems. That’s what makes this offense such a challenge,” Fisher continued.
In recent weeks the Raiders have deemphasized the pass and favored the run more than ever. In the final two contests they handed off a total of 97 times and put it in the air just 41 — and still scored seven touchdowns. Before that they had 10 games with at least 38 pass attempts, nine with more than 300 passing yards and five with three or more touchdown passes.
The whole thing gives that unit the look of a dormant volcano.
“We are concerned because they can score,” Titans’ linebacker Keith Bulluck said. “They can move the ball very well and they can put up points at will, if you allow Rich Gannon to get into a rhythm. So we have to go through our defenses and come up with things that are going to confuse him. Maybe give him different looks that he has not seen before and just be good at what we do and execute.
“We have to be a good tackling team in this game. When they want to throw those little short crossing routes we have to tackle them. We have to hit them. … If we can instill in them knowing that they are going to be tackled and hit in the fourth quarter when it’s crunch time, maybe they will get short arms.”
It makes sense, but through 16 regular-season games and one playoff victory over the New York Jets — when they threw it and ran it exactly 30 times each — no one has managed to force the Raiders to change their ways.
“The one thing we try to do is not adjust to defenses,” Brown said. “We try to put defenses in positions that they have to adjust to us. Hopefully we won’t be doing too much adjusting and they can adjust to us. If we can do that we can get out there and get going.”