Rich Gannon has a legitimate chance to set single-season NFL records for yardage, completions and completion percentage, yet gunslinger is the least appropriate word to describe this graying 36-year-old. He's cold and calculating, a quality-control nerd in helmet and pads, and he runs the Raiders offense as if every trip down the field were a walk through an assembly line.

	Don't ask how, but Gannon can light you up.

The Raiders like to think of their offense as 11 bodies and one set of eyes, and that set belongs to Gannon. He is experienced and precise, and his attention to detail is beyond compare -- maybe even beyond reason. Many quarterbacks read coverages, but Gannon reads defenses -- linemen, linebackers, everybody. "I know a lot of quarterbacks who don't concern themselves with the front seven," says Raiders offensive tackle Lincoln Kennedy. "Rich knows everything, front to back. He's experienced, he's efficient and let's face it -- some people are brighter than others. This guy's really bright. He not only understands it, but he knows how to break it down."

In the quick-hit, ball-control passing schemes favored in the NFL, physical tools are necessary but not primary. Gannon is the prototype. He's experienced, prepared and decisive. Typical was Gannon's work in a 10-play touchdown drive against the Patriots in Week 11: 5-for-6 passing for 61 yards, one 10-yard scramble for a first down on third-and-seven. Among the passes were three to players out of the backfield, one quick out to Tim Brown and a 30-yard surprise strike to tight end Doug Jolley. There was a little something for everyone, and all of five rushing yards from the running backs.

"Richie's overloaded with information," says center Barret Robbins. "He comes into every game knowing exactly what to expect. He knows when to throw and when to tuck it under and get the big yards. The guy is never at a loss. He's perfect for what we try to do."

Gannon's efficiency has rendered the concept of offensive balance nearly mute. The Raiders have to answer repeated questions about the long-term wisdom of their 42-pass-per-game philosophy -- they pass to set up the pass, essentially -- but maybe it's time to escape traditional thinking. In today's paradigm, the five-yard flare pass is the new sweep, nothing more than an extended handoff, and it comes with fewer moving parts. In other words, is a running game necessary when a short passing game with Jerry Rice, Brown and Jerry Porter can eat up both yardage and time?

Gannon, while acknowledging the need for a running game in the playoffs, says, "I think the short passing game can serve a dual purpose: It can move the ball up the field deliberately and keep the defense off balance."

In fact, many of the Raiders attribute their four-game midseason losing streak at least in part to their determination to balance the offense. Says Kennedy: "I don't put any thought or concern into how many times we run the ball and how many times we pass. If passing works, then pass. Because when we do, we're in pretty good hands."

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This article appears in the December 9 issue of ESPN The Magazine.