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EVENTS
CNNSI.com GROUP
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Late bloomer Gannon making the most of his fifth chance
ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) -- It's not that Rich Gannon is a rude person. He just can't stand the thought of wasted opportunities. That's probably because Gannon had to wait so long for the opportunity he has grasped with the Oakland Raiders. "I'm very demanding of my teammates, and they recognize that in me," Gannon said. "I can be short with guys, but they understand why I might be short with them. I've been in this league too long to care about anything but winning a Super Bowl. "You can't waste any chance to have success, because it might be the last chance you ever get." He speaks from experience. For most of his first dozen NFL seasons with five teams, the 35-year-old Gannon was a sometime starter, a backup who was occasionally promoted but invariably slid back to the bench. He had talent, but not the transcendent ability that could make coaches believe blindly in him. But in Oakland, Gannon found a coach with faith and a system to suit his strengths. Now, he has become a star with a good shot at leading the Raiders to their first Super Bowl in almost two decades. "I have the keys to an expensive car, and I want to make sure that car stays on the right track," Gannon said. "I don't want it to crash in a ditch." After years of waiting to be a regular, Gannon has played nearly every down of the Raiders' last two seasons. He earned his first Pro Bowl start by passing for 3,430 yards and 28 touchdowns and rushing for 529 yards this year -- and the Raiders say his stoic leadership is even more valuable than his statistics. But Gannon seems completely disinterested in the fame and adulation his impressive season might generate. He finished fourth in MVP voting and said he agreed with the results, even when some of Gannon's teammates saw the vote as further confirmation of the Raiders' perpetual status as outlaws. "When he came in, nobody believed in him," defensive tackle Darrell Russell said of Gannon. "We're the Raiders, so the only way we get an MVP is if all the other candidates dropped dead all at once." But it's not in Gannon's personality to complain or to worry about things he can't change, Raiders head coach Jon Gruden said. He compares Gannon to the Philadelphia cab drivers who good-naturedly harassed Gruden when he was the Eagles' offensive coordinator. "He's a no-nonsense kind of guy, and some people see that as being abrupt or rude," Gruden said. "But he just knows what he wants. He works hard, he expects everybody else to do the same, and he never stops working." His teammates agree that Gannon is the reason the Raiders spent this week relaxing and preparing for Jan. 6, when owner Al Davis' franchise will take part in its first playoff game since 1993. Oakland (12-4) won the AFC West for the first time since 1990 and finished second overall in the conference. Davis is known to favor quarterbacks and offenses that love the deep ball. But Gruden doesn't play that way, and Gannon doesn't have a cannon for an arm; he excels with the short slants and curl patterns favored in Gruden's West Coast offense. He's also one of the league's most mobile quarterbacks, but he doesn't run frivolously. Gannon picks several opportunities in each game to scurry for a first down, and his patience makes him even more dangerous. "I don't know how you'd defend against him," said Raiders receiver Andre Rison, another veteran who has flourished in Gannon's offense. "If you sit back and wait, he picks you apart. If you get a good pass rush, he's going to run for the first down every time." Gannon knows when to run and when to throw because he prepares. His work habits approach those of Gruden, who's well-known for his long hours. Gruden tells the story of the night he heard someone throwing pebbles at his office window. It was Gannon, who wanted to watch film. "He knows his job inside-out," Gruden said. "It's obvious how important this game is to him." New England didn't expect much from Gannon when it drafted him out of Delaware in the fourth round in 1987. The Patriots thought he might become a decent defensive back, but they traded him to Minnesota when Gannon made it clear he wanted no part of that role. Gannon clawed his way up the Vikings' depth chart until he was mysteriously benched by Dennis Green, then traded to Washington in 1993. Gannon's most frustrating stop was in Kansas City, where many thought he outplayed Elvis Grbac in 1998. But Grbac had a huge contract, so Gannon was sent packing after the season. He landed as a free agent in Oakland and immediately clicked with Gruden. Gannon threw for 3,840 yards and 24 touchdowns in 1999, then adjusted his game this year to take advantage of the NFL's best rushing offense. Asked whether his breakthrough season could have come a decade earlier, Gannon hesitates. Though confident of his abilities, Gannon realizes Gruden and the Raiders are essential components of his success. "If I could have started my career in this situation, then of course I would have been successful," Gannon said. "But that's not the way things work. You have to grab opportunities and not let go."
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