Four years, less years for the Oakland Raiders

By Anthony Carroll  |   Wednesday, May 31, 2006  |  Comments( 16 )

Oakland Raiders
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141--a number representing the total years on earth of the 2002 Oakland Raiders' quarterback, running back, and starting two wideouts.

113--the number representing that of the 2006 Oakland Raiders' big four.

During the Raiders' run to the 2002 Super Bowl, Rich Gannon (36) was at the helm, Charlie Garner (30) was lined up behind him, and wide receivers Tim Brown (36) and Jerry Rice (39) were catching passes.

Just four short years later, the silver and black have shaved an entire 28-year life off of their roster, while still maintaining a talent-filled offensive four. Aaron Brooks--the early candidate to take regular season snaps--is 30 years old, LaMont Jordan is 27, and pass catchers, Randy Moss and Jerry Porter, are respectively 29 and 27.

Hold on, there is more.

The team's interception leader, Rod Woodson, was 37 at the time, 36-year-old Bill Romanowski headed the linebacking corps, and Trace Armstrong (36) was featured at the defensive end slot.

Now, the interception leader is 24 years of age, 24-year-old Kirk Morrison is climbing up the linebacking ranks, and Derrick Burgess (27) is the Raiders' new quarterback attacker from the end.

Zero--the number of players currently on Oakland's roster above the age of 35. That number is opposed to a 2002 squad which featured five players 35 years or older who started in the team's Super Bowl effort.

Case in point: the Oakland Raiders have, in just four years, transformed from one of the oldest rosters in the National Football League to one of the youngest.

Specifically on defense, the Raiders are infantile. For the most part, the majority of Oakland's graybeards sit on the line up front. Defensive tackle, Warren Sapp, is 33, while ends Lance Johnstone and Bobby Hamilton are also above the 30 mark. Whether Hamilton makes it past June, however, is still up in the air.

At linebacker, two rookies, Thomas Howard and Darnell Bing, are set to see substantial playing time, while 24-year-old sophomore, Kirk Morrison, is locked on the outside. In the middle sits Danny Clark--the veteran of the group--who is still just 29 and has proven over the past two seasons that he has enough gas in the tank to remain a consistent ball hawk.

In the secondary, the Raiders currently employ one of the youngest pass-defending crews in the NFL. Starting safeties, Stuart Schweigert and Michael Huff, combine for a total age of just 47, while corners Nnamdi Asomugha, Fabian Washington, and Stanford Routt all list under the age of 25. Among those with the lowest birthdates are offseason pickups Tyrone Poole and Duane Starks; however, they are anticipated to see limited time starting next season.

In January of 2003, Art Shell wrote a pre-Super Bowl article reflecting back upon his days in Oakland, writing, "Everyone's been talking about all these old players and such. But he's always done that...All he cares about is: Can you play well enough to help us win? If you can do that, you can become a part of the family. He's shown that there's more than one way to build an organization."

For the upcoming 2006 season, Al Davis has decided to build his organization on the grounds of youth.

The craftsman, however, is an old friend--Art Shell.

Anthony Carroll can be contacted at acarroll@realfootball365.com

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About Anthony Carroll

Anthony Carroll began writing for RealFootball365.com on Sept. 26, 2005, making him one of the longest tenured contributors to the “365” team. As a senior writer, Anthony has taken on the task of delivering original content to the silver and black faithful year round, despite having to deal...
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CommentsComments: 16  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
Alex		09:47 AM
05/31/2006
Dude you write some damn good articles man im tellin ya....i get chills when i read your stuff ITS GOOD!!!! Anyways its a good...
No.2
Tim		09:54 AM
05/31/2006
Good article.It's about time the boss starts to build a team for the future. Before last year,Al would target the older free...
No.3
Blastin Mastin		01:09 PM
05/31/2006
What I am most excited about is getting the Oline in shape. I think this will change the entire outlook for the Raiders attack...
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