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| | | | | | | | Tuesday, November 14, 2000
What 8-1 record? Raiders insist there's still work to be done
Associated Press
OAKLAND, Calif. -- They're 8-1, with a six-game winning
streak and a three-game advantage in the AFC West.
Yet they're not celebrating. They're not boasting. The Oakland
Raiders are all business, and their business right now is winning.
|  | | Andre Rison is one of several veterans stepping up for the Raiders. |
"You have to be like, `Look, we've done well, but let's not get
too over excited or go too far with it, because we could be doing
so many things better than we do now,"' safety Anthony Dorsett
said. "I think that's what keeps us hungry after every game."
Wait, these can't be the "Just win, baby" Oakland Raiders.
Where's the swagger? Where's the talk of the "Greatness of the
Raiders?"
"There's not a lack of excitement or enthusiasm, it's just the
way we approach it," left tackle Matt Stinchcomb said. "You don't
want to get too high or too low. We just want to stay on an even
keel and stay focused on what we need to do."
The only team to beat the Raiders this season has been the AFC
West rival Denver Broncos. The Raiders face them for a second time
Monday night in Denver.
"They're in the way," receiver Andre Rison flatly said.
The Raiders are methodically led by Rich Gannon, who some have
dared to suggest put on an MVP-worthy performance in the first half
of the season.
Gannon, a 34-year-old journeyman who came to the Raiders from
the Kansas City Chiefs, is ranked sixth in the league with a
passing rating of 91.8.
He was selected the NFL's AFC offensive player of the week for
his performance Sunday against his former team. He completed 20 of
31 passes for 242 yards and four touchdowns, tying a career high.
He also ran 33 yards on five carries, two for first downs.
"I don't really get too excited or too enamored with that type
of attention," he said. "I'm just really trying to focus on what
I can do to help this team."
Rison, who caught two touchdown passes in Sunday's 49-31 win,
said Gannon reminds him of Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre in his
heyday.
"When I played with Brett, all he had on his mind was winning
and dominating. And that's how Rich is," he said.
After the Chiefs game, Kansas City tight end Tony Gonzalez said
Gannon made the difference for the Raiders this season. The
6-foot-3 quarterback shrugged off the praise.
"I think I'm part of an organization and a team that's worked
very hard to clean up some things that have hurt this team and this
organization in the past," he said. "We're more disciplined.
We're more structured. We're more professional in our approach."
The disciple was evident in the individual performances against
Kansas City, including Gannon's.
Tyrone Wheatley, who has seven touchdown runs for the Raiders,
ran for 112 yards despite two bad ankles. The Raiders currently top
the AFC in rushing offense with 144.4 yards per carry.
And Shane Lechler, the Raiders' punter, filled in admirably for
ailing kicker Sebastian Janikowski, handling kickoffs and making
every extra point. His only failing was a missed 33-yard field
goal.
But the Raiders did give up a scary 504 passing yards to Elvis
Grbac.
"We got the win, that's cool and everything," cornerback
Charles Woodson said. "But there's no way in the world they should
have had 500 yards passing and 31 points. It showed us we still
have work to do."
The main problem in the foreseeable future is that the Raiders
are hurting from the usual halfway-point bumps and bruises. In
addition to Wheatley, fullback Jon Ritchie is nursing both a calf
strain and an aggravated groin injury.
Stinchcomb didn't play against Kansas City because of knee
injury, and defensive end Lance Johnstone was out with a groin
strain. Stinchcomb, who practiced Wednesday, said he would be ready
to go against the Broncos.
Janikowski remained hospitalized Wednesday with cellulitis, a
bacterial infection, in his kicking foot. The Raiders put their top
draft pick in the hospital for aggressive antibiotic treatment.
Although the Raiders tried out kicker Brett Conway, who was most
recently with Washington, the feeling was that Janikowski would be
able to ready to play Monday.
In the meantime, the rest of the Raiders went back to business.
"We're happy to be 8-1," coach Jon Gruden said, "but we all
realize we've got a lot of work to do to finish the job."
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