Wonder years

Long-in-the-tooth Raiders fighting back Father Time

Jerry Rice, who turns 41 in Oct., is the oldest of the "Down the Plank" gang. Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

By B. Duane Cross, SI.com

The reigning AFC champions may have a new slogan for 2003, but "Respect Your Elders" won't fly in the AFC West.

Forget about Oakland's AFC-best 11-5 record (tied with Tennessee for top honors). Never mind the Raiders' 6-2 mark in The Black Hole. The 450 points, second-best in the NFL? All for naught. It's a new season, and in case you haven't noticed, that means all the Raiders are a year older.

And the Raiders being who they are, bet the farm that if Denver, Kansas City or San Diego gets the chance, they're going to do whatever is necessary to knock the Silver and Black from their perch atop the AFC West.

Even the columnists who cover the Raiders are getting in on the act. Skip Bayless of the San Jose Mercury News said: "Meanwhile, the Raiders are only getting older. [Al] Davis decided to hoard his roster's experience instead of freshening its talent. Giving Jerry Rice a $1.2 million bonus and another year's salary of $1.05 million was money well spent, even for a receiver who will be 41. But approaching 37, [Tim] Brown has become the Emmitt Smith of receivers. He can still pile up stats, but he rarely makes game-changing catches. On the open market, he wouldn't draw much more than minimum-salary offers."

Ouch. Such is life of the hunted, even if you are the defending AFC champ-turned-Super Bowl chump.

Oakland lost five Super Bowl starters to free agency, and while none of the other frontliners are getting any younger, consider that all of the Raiders running backs last season were at least 30 years old. Entering the draft, Oakland had 27 players with four of less years experience, 18 with five to nine years experience and 11 with 10-plus seasons of wear and tear.

However, the Raiders' recent drafts have stockpiled talent; 22 of the 35 (63 percent) players picked since 1998 are still with the team. So even if it is a new year -- and the Raiders' core is a year older -- the future may not be as bleak as some fans believe. Certainly much to the chagrin of the Broncos, Chiefs and Chargers.