Oakland Raiders fans suffered through some pretty dismal seasons the last decade. Since appearing in the Super Bowl after the 2002 season, the Raiders have won just 25 games in the seven years following. The one constant in those seven years has been poor quarterback play.
Unheralded veteran Rich Gannon breathed new life into his once fledgling career as the quarterback of the Raiders in the first few years of the new millennium. Before landing in Oakland in 1999, Gannon was a journeyman with stops in Minnesota, Washington and Kansas City – all with decidedly mediocre results.
Under Jon Gruden’s West Coast attack, however, Gannon thrived and so did the Silver and Black. The Raiders went 41-23 from 1999 to 2002 with Gannon earning Pro Bowl honors in his first four seasons in Oakland. Gannon gained a reputation as a tough, fiery leader while starting all 64 games in those four seasons, but his body finally broke down as he managed to start just 10 games over the final two years of his career.
It has been a revolving-door of quarterbacks since Gannon’s retirement, and the results have been putrid. The Raiders haven’t thrown for 3000 yards or 20 touchdowns as a team since 2005.
With the likes of Aaron Brooks, Andrew Walter, Bruce Gradkowski, Charlie Frye and the “syrup sippin” JaMarcus Russell all making starts since 2005, such ineptness should not be all that shocking. Still some of the numbers are downright horrifying: a team TD-to-INT ratio of 7:24 in 2006 and four NFL starters combining to complete less than 53% of their passes in 2008 and 2009!
So forgive Oakland fans if they are feeling a just a bit too giddy about the arrival of one Jason Campbell. The talented but inconsistent Campbell certainly didn’t make Redskins fans forget about Joe Theismann or even Mark Rypien in his time in the nation’s capital. But he did have his moments, however, which is a lot more than any Raider QB in the last four seasons can say.
Expecting Campbell to lead this franchise back to its once proud past this season or even next would be foolish, but he does represent the “fighting chance” any NFL team needs – at the most important position on the field.
To be honest, Campbell may not even be the biggest reason for the Raiders ultimate success this season. The Raiders made some very nice additions to their defense in the off-season, and indeed, those moves along with improvement in the running game will probably have more to do with their on the field success than Campbell.
However, in this modern era of football, a strong defense and solid running game, but poor QB play won’t cut it. A quarterback doesn’t have to be a playmaker per se, but he must make plays – which Raider quarterbacks have failed to do in four seasons now.
Jason Campbell may appear to be just a middle of the pack NFL quarterback with a modest history of success to some – but a quarterback able to handle just the basic responsibilities of his job is a welcome sight in Oakland. So having Campbell, who is capable of performing above and beyond his job description, is cause for excitement in the Black Hole.
–Antwan Leonard
Antwan writes a Fantasy Sports Blog – H2H Fantasy Sports – with Head-to-Head Fantasy Sports new, tips and recommendations.
