Ranking Top 10 FA's of Oakland's 2002 Super Bowl Team

A lot of non-Raider fans and media want to see the Raiders' pride and winning ways restored. A lot of others seem to pity any fan who has hope that this will happen any time soon. The thing Raider fans must keep at heart is that, simply put, what goes up, must come down, and vice-versa. If you recall history, Oakland is a picture perfect example of this cycle at work. When I first watched Oakland (L.A.), they had truly just come out of a very bad few post early 80's Super Bowl years. Tim Brown, and some other FA/drafted youngsters (see: Bo Jackson) helped turn them into a playoff team again. Unfortunately, another slight decline was to come, before the BruceAllen/JonGruden-inspired return to glory. Under Gruden, history repeated itself as another solid group of FA's over a few off-seasons would lead a resurrection, and the subsequent series of deep playoff runs that very few saw coming. While Oakland would stumble back to earth following their Super Bowl letdown-to-come, it's this group of early 2000's era FA's that I'd love to revisit and rank. They set the standard to which I compare all Oakland free agents. Here goes: THE TOP 10

#10 - Bill Romanowski - LB

Prior to his free agent signing with Oakland, what Raider fan didn't despise Bill Romanowski as much as they did John Elway back then? When he crossed over to the Black Hole in Free Agency, he brought with him the pedigree of a Super Bowl champion, the toughness of an all-around insane hitting linebacker, and a boulder-sized chip on his sholder against his former team - our divisional rivals, the Denver Broncos. He played intensely on every down, but especially when it came time to meet his former team. I can still feel the energy he added to an already pretty good Oakland defense. It was the surge that only a "BadAss" can bring, and it was what was necessary to intimidate opposing offensive players en route to building a championship defense.

#9 - Frank Middleton - G

Any non-Raider fan that cites Frank Middleton would impress the hell out of me. Heck, even a Raider fan that remembers his name goes to a new level in my mind. Frank was big, both literally, and in terms of how he played on the field. He was cog on a line that opened holes for Tyrone Wheatley, Napoleon Kaufman, and another back featured later on this list. He was also great in the pass blocking game, and truthfully dominated opposing defenders with a nasty demeanor like few Raiders of late have. We should all be hoping that the Raiders find another FA gem like Frank soon.

#8 - John Parella/Sam Addams - DT

These two are ranked together, because they worked so well as a pair. Up until the point at which these Monsters were signed, one of Oakland's glaring defensive issues was stopping the run, especially right down the middle. During a period in which the offense was on fire, this had to be put to a stop. Luckily for the front office of these Raiders, everyone wanted to come to Oakland at the time. This led to the very shrewd signings of Parella and Adams. Instantly, as if the two worked overnight to build a brick wall, opposing backs found themselves, as the great Al Pacino so eloquently put it, "Going Nowhere!!!". This led to the Raiders quickly climbing up the defensive ranks, and eventually the Super Bowl. It's not every day that even a Super Bowl favorite team can pair two stalwart DT's like this. Let's hope history repeats for Oakland at some point.

#7 - Tory James - CB

I can recall Tory James making a few plays against Oakland when he was a member of the rival Broncos, but also remember not being too impressed with his signing as an FA. I and many others underestimated what he would bring to the table. He had the unfortunate timing of arriving after Eric Allen, a much more polished corner back at the time. Tory however, lining up opposite against a young Charles Woodson would find himself tested often, and so many times, he answered the call. I'll always give he and Charles W. credit for playing on broken (surgically semi-repaired) legs in the Super Bowl to try to give Oakland a chance, but my greatest memory from Tory however is his 90 yard INT scamper on Miami's first drive during the first Raider playoff game I ever attended. Thanks Tory for setting the tone that day, and creating a lifetime memory for the entire Raider Nation.

#6 - Zack Crockett - HB

There's so much that Zack Crockett meant to this Oakland team. It's easy to forget that he was pretty successful for the Indianapolis Colts before making his way to the Bay Area. His greatest impact can be summed up with the two words that Greg Papa always had loaded and ready to roll when Zack got the ball at the Goal Line: TOUCHDOWN RAIDERS!!! The game he had against Kansas City in a rain-soaked affair still holds as one of my favorite ground game performances by a Raider. He also scored the memorable touchdown to seal the AFC Championship game against Tennessee to send the Raiders to Super Bowl XXXVII

#5 - Rod Woodson - FS

Rod Woodson, like Sam Adams, had actually beaten the Raiders in the recent Championship run by their former team, the Baltimore Ravens. Like the Adams signing, Rod was an older star defensive player, cut for salary reasons, with something yet to prove. The Raider Nation essentially got an all-time FA steal here. Like so many of the other moves on this list, Rod's pedigree raised the winning mentality of the team to another level. He instantly took over the "quarterbacking" duties on the defense, and his nose for the ball that had been so evident throughout his career was evident again this season. No play personified this more than his 98 yard reception on Monday Night Football that turned the Raiders season around. Other great performances included a multi-interception game against Steve McNair and the Tenesee Titans. If you never saw Rod Woodson play, think Ed Reed, but bigger, and IMHO badder.

#4 - Charlie Garner - HB

The first of the top 4 Raiders on this list that took part in the first NFL game I ever attended - The 2000 "Battle of The Bay" game between the 49ers and Raiders - Charlie Garner's arrival would bring a new dimension to the Raiders ground game. His shiftiness, pure speed, and unexpected toughness for a player of his size made him a matchup nightmare. He was deadly on draw plays, quick catches out of the backfield, or going deep down the seam. To this day, I feel that he was a precursor to the Darren sproles type role. Can you imagine Charlie working in an offense with Peyton Manning at the helm today? Luckily for Charlie, he also played with a QB to be revealed later in this list, that had an all-time great NFL season. Some memorable moments are Charlie's one man domination vs the heavily favored Steelers on the road, a pure-speed driven game-changing touchdown reception right through the heart of the Buffalo Bills on the road, and of course the divisional playoff game-clinching end-around 80 yard touchdown vs our then rival New York J-E-T-S Jets.

#3 - Jerry Rice - WR

Where I grew up as a kid (Sanger, and San Jose) you were either a Raider fan, 49er fan, or a random Cowboys/Bills fan. To say that I loved Tim Brown and despised Jerry Rice (for no reason other than his jersey color) was an understatement. Surely, many in the Nation shared this view, but just as with so many recycled greats of the past, the nation welcomed an aging Jerry with hopes that he could bring respectability to our #2 WR spot. #2 WR was a position that had been revived by Andre Rison for the Raiders, but mostly dominated (wait, there's gotta be a better word here) by James Jett. Very few however predicted the amazing impact and youthful display that Jerry would put on during this season. He and the Raiders QB were on the same page at all times, and time after time, he made defenses look like they were defending a 22 year old Pro Bowler instead of a player heading into his 40's. There's little point in trying to recall his memorable touchdowns, as so many of them were game-clinchers or key late-game scores. The nation will be forever indebted to Jerry for his contribution to the team's success, and for the sheer entertainment value of seeing he and Tim Brown dominate during this golden season.

#2 - Lincoln Kennedy - T

Lincoln Kennedy? Higher than Jerry Rice you say? Wait. He was acquired by trade! This is true, but Lincoln was one of the external players to come in and play a dominant part in this run. Anyone who knows football knows that things start in trenches, and no offensive/defensive line player of this Raiders era made more of an impact than Lincoln. He set the tone as a tough mauling run-blocker and simply dominated pass rushers. How he luckily fell into the Raiders lap, I'll never know. What's clear is that so many of the Raiders' great moments during this era may not have happened if Lincoln wasn't there to stop some of the best NFL defenders of all time dead in their tracks. Despite not having a Super Bowl victory on his resume, I hope that Lincoln makes it into the hall of fame along, with many of the others on this list. If you were fantasy drafting from all time left tackles, he'd have to rank highly on your list.

#1 - Rich Gannon - QB

Following the season before Rich's arrival, as teenager playing high school football, I remember thinking that the Raiders were about to turn the corner thanks to this young guy named Gruden and some good free agents (some of whom would later just miss the 2002 season). When news broke that we were picking up Rich Gannon from the rival Kansas City Chiefs, I said two things to myself. One: I guess this Gruden guy and the front office don't know what they're doing after all, and two: We already have Jeff George! (SMH in disgust right now :)) Today, I fondly recall Rich as my 2nd favorite Raider of all time(to #1 Tim Brown), and little did I know that a few seasons later in 2002, Rich would epitomize everything that's great about what can happen in Football. Rich brought journeyman toughness to the team, and coming from Kansas City, he was able to point out what had made the Raider underachievers. He led the team by example, working hard to help others, putting in the effort to up his own game, and preparing for every opponent as if it were the super bowl. This started to rub off in the right way on his teammates, and slowly but steady, confidence eschewed from the team and fan base. Over time the Raiders played better and beter as a team, leading up to the pinnacle super bowl year, where the offense would become a well-oiled machine. Like Lincoln Kennedy, and Tim Brown, much of Rich's Hall of Fame homes may hinge on not winning a Super Bowl -- instead emphatically losing one, but there's so much more to the story. One game that sticks out as the moment I realized that Rich was "my guy" was the comeback win vs the then heavily favored Indianapolis Colts on the road (led by a young Peyton Manning). Seeing Rich's determination to make positive plays in any way, shape ,or form, while avoiding mistakes en route to a win, was just something I had never personally witnessed by a Raiders QB. He was the type of player I had wanted us to find so badly. Essentially Tim Brown as a QB (as I saw it in those days). Little did I know at the time how much better Rich would actually get. For those of you who can't recall, he was the Drew Brees before there was a Drew Brees. In the Super Bowl season, if the threw a pass, as long as the receiver's hands were functioning, it was going to be a completion. Rich paired very well with Tim Brown and Jerry Rice running their precise routes. He and Charlie Garner (and other backs) revived/revolutionized using quick passes and shuffle passes to the HB as an alternative to direct hand-offs. He took things to a high level in many respects, like beating out quality quarterbacks like John Elway head-to-head in style, and there was no one else at this time you wanted to QB your team if the game was on the line. To have this said about you as a player, in any NFL season, is of historic significance. The Super Bowl was complicated as we all know. Sadly, there was probably a Gannon-style bounce-back period to come in the following season(s), but an injury that pained the entire Raider organization and fan base put an end to this hope. The next time a QB ranks this high on a Raiders Free Agent list is basically the moment that everyone in the Raider Nation is waiting for. Hopefully, just like Rich, an unheralded FA walks through the door to make Silver and Black magic happen once again. P.S. As a personal note, Rich will always have a special place in my heart for throwing this pass to Timmy B to win that Battle of the Bay game, and giving me the best feeling I had as a fan to that point: the thrill of a last minute overtime bomb on the road at your local rival's stadium in the first game you ever attended live. My friends and I went insane with joy, and I hope my son can live through this same type of Raider moment one day.

HONORABLE MENTIONS Not all of these players were on the Super Bowl teams, but they each helped turn the franchise around, and on to the playoffs. Each one also made a playoff impact play or two Jon Gruden - Not an actual player, but it goes without saying what hiring/signing him did for the franchise Tyrone Wheatley Roland Williams Trace Armstrong Eric Allen Andre Rison Randy Jordan William Thomas Regan Upshaw Darrien Gordon Terry Kirby