Just two years ago, Rich Gannon led the Oakland Raiders to the Super Bowl along with Jerry Rice and Tim Brown. The next two seasons were downhill for the Raiders including the departments of Rice and Brown as well as a possible career ending injury to Gannon. Suddenly, things are looking bright for the Raiders.
Oakland thought Gannon would be healthy last season, but he didn't last long. Luckily they had brought in Kerry Collins before the season started. Collins had his ups and downs during the season, but showed that he can be the guy to make the Raiders a winning team again. The problem was that the Raiders only had one threat on offense in Jerry Porter. The up and coming receiver just missed 1,000 yards last season with 998 and recorded nine touchdowns. In comes Randy Moss.
After years with the Minnesota Vikings, the team apparently had enough with his shenanigans. The Raiders got Moss for a steal by only giving up linebacker Napoleon Harris and a 7th round pick.
Kerry Collins strength is throwing the deep ball, which is one of the connections that Moss is well known for from Minnesota. Daunte Culpepper would sometimes stand near the 50-yard line and heave one for Moss in the end zone. Covering Moss and Porter will be very difficult for opposing defense.
Without a solid running game though, the passing game may not work. That's why the Raiders went out and got LaMont Jordan from the New York Jets. Jordan has been an excellent runner behind Curtis Martin for the past few years and will get his chance to shine as a Raider.
The Raiders should be able to put a lot more points on the board, and the wild Raider fans may not mind what acts Randy Moss has planned, as long as he leads them to the Super Bowl again.
For the Vikings, the loss of Moss isn't as bad as it may seem. In years past, Moss has been the focal point of Minnesota's offense. Now, the Vikings have the chance to adopt their gameplan differently with Nate Burleson and Marcus Robinson.
The Vikings have played it smart and have really upgraded their defense. Take a look at the players the Vikings have gained this off-season:
- Sam Cowart(LB)
- Darren Sharper(S)
- Fred Smoot(CB)
- Napoleon Harris(LB)
- Pat Williams(DT)
The Vikings and Raiders have done what they needed to do. The Raiders offense needed help and the Vikings defense needed help. These organizations should be given their props for what they have done so far. With the draft coming up in a month, the Raiders have a chance to make a few more key moves heading into next season.
-Chris Pokorny