| | | | | | | |  Monday, November 11, 2002
Raiders look to get back on track
By Melissa Stark
Special to ABC Sports Online
Oakland-Denver is such a huge rivalry. When they play each other, they leave it all out on the field. They play their hearts out.
There's a lot of bad blood between the two teams, from the feud between Mike Shanahan and Al Davis to all the games that have come down to the wire. Monday night should be no different (ABC, 9 p.m. ET). Shanahan has already talked to his players about controlling their tempers.
It will also mark the return of Bill Romanowski to Denver. Everyone on the Broncos talks about how much he is missed. He brings so much intensity to the game. He fires everyone up. It will be interesting to see how the fans react to him after helping Denver win two Super Bowls. It should be a welcome reception. When Steve Atwater returned, the fans cheered for him. The players have a lot of respect for him. They know what he brought to the defense and how passionate he is about the game.
On the field, both teams have a lot to prove. The Raiders haven't won in Denver since 1994, and in talking to the players, they are trying to prove that their last four games were an aberration. They don't want to see their season fall apart.
The Raiders want to run the ball even though it wasn't effective last week against San Francisco. It's going to be tough. The Broncos' forte is stopping the run. The Broncos defense is No. 1 against the run and No. 3 overall. Plus, Charlie Garner sprained his foot this week in practice.
Their biggest problem is finger pointing. A lot of players are not happy. Internal quarrels are a definite distraction. They are still No. 1 in the NFL in total offense, but they are scoring just 16 points per game the last four weeks after averaging 40.5 the first four games.
Tim Brown's not happy that they are not throwing the ball to him as much. He only caught one ball against the 49ers. Now he's no longer talking to the media. Before that, Garner wasn't happy that he didn't get the ball enough.
Rich Gannon's message has been to play smart. The offense has made mistakes and costly penalties. But the key is for them to get on the field. In the loss against San Francisco, the offense was on the field just twice in the second half. The defense has been terrible on third downs, allowing teams to convert 46.1 percent of opportunities.
And the defense is hampered by another injury to Charles Woodson. He returned from a broken right shoulder last week after missing five games, and then pulled his hamstring this week in practice. They are already struggling, and to be without him could mean a long night again for the defense.
Meanwhile, the Broncos come into Monday night wanting to show that they are not the same team we saw on MNF against the Ravens when it was 31-7 at the half.
Brian Griese threw three interceptions in that loss, but he usually comes up big on MNF. My first year on Monday Night Football, I remember when Griese left the game with a separated shoulder, got a painkilling shot and then came back to lead the Broncos to victory over Oakland. It was a gutsy effort.
Add in running back Clinton Portis, who was October's Offensive Rookie of the Month, and the Broncos are starting to jell
Oakland expects to see a lot of Portis on Monday night. And unless they can stop him, the Raiders could be looking at a scenario few expected just a month ago.
Melissa Stark is Monday Night Football's sideline reporter and a regular contributor to ABC Sports Online.
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