One story in a series, looking at position breakdowns for the Oakland
Raiders, who arrive for training camp in Napa, CA, on July 24. Today – a look at
quarterbacks:
Rich Gannon was the NFL MVP last
season and also threatened Dan Marino’s single-season record for passing yardage
for much of the season. Gannon, however, is as likely – if not more so – to
mention his nightmarish Super Bowl performance, when he threw five
interceptions, first.
Look for Gannon to rebound from
that performance because. Perhaps no other quarterback in the NFL is more
tailor-made for a Raiders’ offense that has the playbook volume that can rival
the New York City phonebook.
Gannon may not have the strongest
arm but he is intelligent and gets the ball to his receivers in the right place.
He is also very adept at calling audibles at the line of scrimmage to get the
Raiders into the right play. Gannon still has the mobility to buy time despite
being at an age when most quarterbacks are physically declining.
Gannon has not missed a start due
to injury since becoming a Raider in 1999. Oakland hopes that trend will
continue this season.
Third-year man Marques Tuiasosopo
figures to get an ample amount of reps in training camp and exhibition games. It
is unclear, however, to truly gauge Tuiasosopo’s skills because he has never
played in a regular season game with the contest in the balance.
The Raiders resigned Rick Mirer,
last season’s No. 3 quarterback. Mirer’s career has not been what most people
envisioned when Seattle selected him No. 2 overall in the 1993 NFL draft. Mirer,
however, is a good safety net in case Gannon gets injured and Tuiasosopo
struggles.
Tee Martin and Bret Engemann are
also in camp but don’t count on them being around come September.
Vince D’Adamo can be reached
via e-mail at vdad7@yahoo.com