Has Al Davis gone mad?

[Nors]

Collins content to back up Gannon -- for now

By JOSH DUBOW, AP Sports Writer
May 25, 2004
ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) -- Kerry Collins believed he had a better long-term outlook backing up a 38-year-old quarterback coming off an injury than a hotshot rookie who was the top pick in the draft.

So Collins signed with the Oakland Raiders to play behind 2002 NFL MVP Rich Gannon rather than sticking with the New York Giants to help smooth the way for Eli Manning's entry into the NFL.

``Obviously I've played a lot in this league and started a lot of games,'' Collins said Tuesday. ``But when I came here they made it clear what the situation would be. I understood that Rich would be the starter and I will be the guy that's there if something happens to Rich. That will be my approach.''

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The addition of a big, strong-armed quarterback who led a team to the Super Bowl just more than three years ago gives the Raiders insurance should Gannon go down with another injury. He hurt his shoulder on Oct. 20 and had season-ending surgery to repair a torn labrum.

Backup Marques Tuiasosopo also got hurt, contributing to Oakland's slide from AFC champions to 4-12 -- the worst drop ever for a Super Bowl team.

Seeing what happened to the Raiders and Atlanta -- who lost star quarterback Michael Vick in preseason for most of the year -- motivated new coach Norv Turner to seek a more experienced backup.

``If something happens to Rich, we have a guy who is not just a proven player but a proven winner,'' Turner said.

Turner talked to Gannon last week when discussions with Collins heated up and said Gannon endorsed the move. Gannon is due to make $7 million this season and he has said he won't take a pay cut.

``He shared my concerns and my thoughts that if we had the opportunity to add a guy who's experienced, who's played and who's won and who's taken his team to the Super Bowl that would be in the best interest of the football team,'' Turner said.

``Competition makes you better. Rich is our starting quarterback. When you have someone there who has played and won it's a motivational deal and it helps you play better.''

Collins, a nine-year veteran, was released by the Giants on April 28, four days after they acquired Manning, the No. 1 pick in the draft. He said he was ``angry'' by the move but quickly moved on.

Collins has a stronger arm than Gannon and his ability to throw the deep ball should fit in well with Turner's new offense and owner Al Davis' model for a quarterback.

The 6-foot-5, 248-pound Collins was the first draft pick ever of the Carolina Panthers in 1995 and quarterbacked them to the NFC championship game in their second season.

But alcohol problems ended his career in Carolina two years later, and after a brief stop in New Orleans, he joined the Giants in 1999 and rehabilitated his life and career. The next season, Collins led them to the NFC championship before losing to Baltimore in the Super Bowl. His most productive year came in 2002 when he threw for 4,073 yards.

He is a durable quarterback who started 67 straight games before spraining his ankle last season, when the Giants' horrible offensive line was the main factor in their 4-12 finish. He threw for 3,110 yards with 13 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in 2003.

Collins said it was difficult to find another starting job being released so late in the offseason. The opportunity to play for the Raiders and the knowledge that Gannon is on the backside of his career made this the most appealing spot.

``Looking at other teams, a lot of them were backup roles as this one is,'' he said. ``This may have a little more long-term possibilities than the other situations I was looking at. ... There was a lot of upside to being here.''

[BrAinPaiNt]

It is from the daily turd so take it for what it is worth...however it does give some ideas behind the move....


GRUDEN KEEPING GANNON IN OAKLAND?



Though for now we have to keep this story in the "rank-but-informed speculation" folder, the uncanny decision of the Oakland Raiders to hang onto quarterback Rich Gannon seems to be a ploy by owner Al Davis to delay and/or derail an otherwise inevitable reunion of Gannon and former Raiders coach Jon Gruden.



The addition of Kerry Collins, with a three-year deal worth more than $16 million, prompted many to conclude that the Raiders would run Gannon and his $7 million salary out the door. But now the Raiders are saying that Gannon is still the starter, despite the arrival of Collins and lingering concerns regarding Gannon's shoulder.



Our discussions with various league sources over the past few months have confirmed that a deep degree of animosity exists between the Raiders and the Buccaneers. Thus, although the Raiders might have decided to cut the cord on Gannon, Davis surely wants to prevent Gannon from making a bee-line to Tampa, where Jon Gruden's magic touch with Gannon could make the Raiders look stupid for letting the 2002 NFL MVP go.



Instead, look for the Raiders to hold Gannon until it's too late, as a practical matter, for the Bucs to sign him.



In theory, the Raiders can cut Gannon on the eve of the regular-season opener and still avoid his salary for 2004. The only downside is that the Raiders will be required to carry his cap number until he's off of the roster.



But then the extra bulge of money can be used to extend the contracts of younger players, or to front-load a new deal for franchise player Charles Woodson, who likely will be without a new contract come September.



Meanwhile, the Bucs won't have the cap room to sign Gannon, or the time to get him integrated into the team.



Keep an eye on this one as the summer unfolds. Kerry Collins isn't some rookie who needs a season to learn the ropes from Gannon (and the irony of such a suggestion is obvious, given that the Giants wanted Collins to play the lame-duck role with Eli Manning). With a new head coach getting started this season, there's no time like right now to give Collins the ball. Keeping the title of starter under Gannon's name places a bit less pressure on Collins throughout the summer and, more importantly, it keeps Gannon out of Gruden's clutches.



Sure, the Bucs might sign Gannon after the Raiders cut him in September. But without three months to get comfortable in Tampa, the chances of Gannon and Gruden making the Raiders look bad in 2004 will be slim.

[Nors]

Or he can trade Gannon for a conditional day 2 pick - and insure Gannon is not a Buc?