Head games

Another poor preseason showing has Raiders worried

NAPA, Calif. (AP) -- One bad exhibition game could be written off as a fluke. After two dismal preseason efforts, the veteran Oakland Raiders are wondering why they're playing like untrained kids.

The Raiders fell behind 21-0 in the first nine minutes of their 24-14 loss at Tennessee on Thursday night. Their special teams play was awful, their offense turned the ball over almost as quickly as their kick returners, and the defense couldn't stop the Titans' first-string offense.

For a veteran-laden two-time division champion with designs on a league title, it was an unacceptable effort -- particularly coming on the heels of an equally questionable performance in the exhibition opener against Dallas.

"We didn't get it done, and anybody who says they're happy is lying," safety Rod Woodson said. "We've got to be better than this, and I think we will be."

The Raiders' terrible showing even worried the faithful fans of the Raider Nation, who flooded the sports-talk-radio airwaves of Northern California with concerns.

There was plenty of criticism for new coach Bill Callahan, whose first two games have confirmed every fear about Jon Gruden's departure for Tampa Bay in the offseason. Some thought Oakland was held together by a few aging veterans and Gruden's magic touch. Could it be true?

"It comes down to discipline, and we could use some work on that issue," Callahan said.

The Raiders have never been the NFL's most disciplined team, but they didn't appear to have any passing familiarity with the rulebook in either of their exhibitions.

Oakland committed nine penalties for 63 yards against the Titans after drawing 17 flags for 107 yards against the Cowboys. The Raiders also fumbled four times, losing two of them, and threw two interceptions.

During training camp, the Raiders repeatedly have said their veteran leadership would ease the transition to a new coaching staff -- and what's more, the transition wasn't even expected to be significant, because almost all of Gruden's staff stayed on when Gruden left.

"I know that nobody's happy with the way things are going so far," said quarterback Rich Gannon, who went 6-for-10 for 50 yards and an interception. "I don't think it's indicative of the team we have or the team we're capable of being. Sure, it's embarrassing. ... It was garbage, to be honest with you."

There was trouble from the kickoff. The Titans scored on their opening drive, and rookie Larry Ned fumbled the ensuing kickoff, leading to another score. Oakland's first-string offense finally got on the field, but it ran just three plays before Gannon's pass slipped through Jerry Rice's hands and was intercepted.

Tennessee scored again on a nine-play drive, and the Raiders were in for another week of frustration.

"We've got to look at the films and be hard on ourselves," Rice said. "If anyone in here thinks they played well, then we got a problem."

Oakland's training camp in Napa, which resumes this weekend, has been a light-contact affair. Hoping to keep his players as fresh as possible, Callahan has scheduled only a handful of days featuring padded workouts.

The Raiders have more than a week to work on their problems. Their next exhibition game is at the Coliseum against the San Francisco 49ers next Saturday -- and after their embarrassing loss to the Titans, the game will be even more important than the average cross-Bay rivalry game.

"I didn't feel a lot of motivation out there from anyone -- offense, defense or special teams," Pro Bowl cornerback Charles Woodson said. "We just didn't go out there with any purpose.

"Maybe there's some people in here who think we were good last year, so we'll just go out there and be good this year. But it doesn't work that way."

 

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