SAN FRANCISCO
– Sure, it was an exciting game. On Saturday night at 3Com Park,
the Raiders beat the 49ers, 33-30, in a back-and-forth exhibition
contest that featured back-to-back touchdown returns and a 40-yard,
game-winning field goal as time expired.
SAN FRANCISCO – Sure, it was an exciting game.
On Saturday night at 3Com Park, the Raiders beat the 49ers, 33-30, in a back-and-forth exhibition contest that featured back-to-back touchdown returns and a 40-yard, game-winning field goal as time expired.
There were plenty of empty seats, but the fans who showed up actually seemed to care, especially in the topsy-turvy second half.
There were plenty of injuries and holdouts, but the players who showed up actually seemed to care, especially in the topsy-turvy second half.
With all that said, though, it was still just a preseason game. For the most part, preseason games are simply about position battles.
And as far as position battles go, they simply don’t get any more intriguing than the quarterback drama in Raider Nation between Rich Gannon and Kerry Collins.
Now new head coach Norv Turner will tell you there’s no such drama. After the Niners game, he was asked if he could envision the possibility of Collins starting the team’s first regular season game.
“I don’t see that scenario,” he quickly replied.
Nevertheless, it seems hard to believe Collins won’t get a shot at some point. With questions lingering over the 38-year-old Gannon after an injury-marred 2003 season, Oakland signed the 32-year-old Collins to a low, Al Davis-friendly salary.
The quarterback who led the New York Giants to Super Bowl XXXV a few years back became expendable after the drafting of Eli Manning. But the accurate, strong arm is still there, which is another reason why Collins simply seems like the better fit in Oakland.
In the West Coast offenses of Jon Gruden and Bill Callahan, quarterbacks weren’t expected to throw deep.
It was all about the short, quick passes across the middle. Gannon, the league MVP in 2002, thrived in that type of system.
In Turner’s offense, though, it’s all about a power running game and a down-the-field passing game. Collins has the distinct advantage in the down-the-field department.
Raiders fans had to be salivating as they watched Collins loft a perfect, 34-yard touchdown strike to Doug Gabriel on his first drive with the silver and black. In two drives, he was 5-of-8 for 88 yards and a 139.6 passer rating.
Meanwhile, as the starter, Gannon seemed to execute the exact same West Coast-style passes he had always executed. He finished 9-of-15 with a 69 yards and a 71.2 passer rating.
Now Turner claimed this wasn’t by design – Gannon’s passes weren’t all supposed to be short.
In fact, the plan even called for a long heave similar to Collins’ touchdown before Niner coverage nixed the idea.
The old Redskins’ coach is a classic spin-master, but for now we’ll take his word for it. And for now, so will Collins.
“I’m just going to do the best I can with the situation,” Collins said. “I thought Rich played really well (Saturday).”
No matter what you hear from the Oakland brass, though, the jury is still out on that one.
Stay tuned, Raider fans.
