Schlereth

From the first meeting Wednesday morning until the game is over Monday night, the Denver Broncos will have a different mindset when they play the Oakland Raiders. And it all starts with Mike Shanahan.

There are no warm, fuzzy feelings between Shanahan and the Raiders, his former employer. His relationship with Al Davis has been well-documented. Shanahan never got into specific details about his past with the Raiders. But we knew there was nobody he would rather beat than Davis, something he has done 11 out of 12 times since 1995. Shanahan let us know he took the game personally.

Like our coach, we came into the game thinking the Raiders were a team we desperately wanted to beat. Every game in the Broncos-Raiders rivalry takes on the complexion of a playoff game. Regardless of how the Broncos are playing, we would show up and play well because we were playing the Oakland Raiders.

The Raiders have definitely changed since 1995, the first year for both me and Shanahan in Denver. While Oakland has always had great athletes, we always felt we would outlast the Raiders if we could weather the storm in the first quarter. The Raiders would generally be an out-of-shape team that would make dumb penalties and mistakes to give us good field position, allowing us to come back and win.

A lot of it had to do with the old Raiders mystique. They were not an incredibly smart team; they would pooh-pooh penalties, for instance, as them being aggressive or intimidating. But we never let them intimidate us. And eventually, if the game was close in the fourth quarter, we knew we could find a way to win.

But then Jon Gruden took over as head coach and transformed the Raiders into a smart football team. Under Gruden, the Raiders don't make stupid mistakes or penalties. Gruden doesn't allow for a lack of effort or conditioning.

With Gruden in charge, the psychological advantages the Broncos have enjoyed since Shanahan's arrival have begun to dissipate. The games have been tougher, closer. During our Super Bowl runs, we were just a better football team. Now, the opposite may be the case.

Before the Broncos enter "The Black Hole" on Monday night, Shanahan won't have to say anything. There will be no need for bulletin-board material. The game speaks for itself. The players in the locker room know how important the game is to both Shanahan and to the Broncos in the AFC West. Everyone understands the urgency, and I expect the Broncos to play accordingly.

NFL 2Night analyst Mark Schlereth played offensive guard for six seasons in Denver, winning two Super Bowl rings.