As Raider Nation prepares for a “new era” (Reggie McKenzie’s words, not mine), I thought I’d take some time and countdown my favorite Raider memories from the past 15 years. …I was going to do so from the past 10 years, but let’s face it folks, I don’t think I could have logged even five memories there.

So without further ado, my ‘Top 10 in 15’ (Part One):

10. No More Jamarcus

November 22, 2009

Raiders 20, Bengals 17

In 2007 our great storied franchise was set back several years when Purple Drank was drafted #1 overall. Sure there was optimism and hope when Lane Kiffin drafted him, but when he started his first full season in 2008, it was abundantly clear that Jamarcus was this millennium’s Ryan Leaf. Even still, he was given all the opportunities in the world by both Kiffin and then later Cable, but again, nothing came to fruition. The man had more turnovers than a Betty Crocker cookbook!

So why do I mention Aunt Jamarcus with my #10 choice? Well, this was the first game in the post-Jamarcus era for the Oakland Raiders. It was cool that we won – I’ll take that all day, every day, but it was even better to see that Al Davis was finally listening to reason when he pulled Russell. It took nearly two full seasons for the team to bench him, but I guess it could have been far worse.

So this game was special because the future for the Raiders finally started looking bright. And, it was even better because Oakland won. Bruce Gradkowski, whom you’ll find out from this countdown that I loved, stepped in as the signal caller and orchestrated an upset of the previously 7-2 Cincinnati Bengals.

Specifically about this game, it ended with high drama. Gradkowski threw a game tying touchdown with 33 seconds left to one Louis Murphy, and then on the ensuing kickoff, the Raiders forced a fumble and got the ball back. Seabass was able to put it away in the closing seconds with a field goal. The dramatic win was just the cherry on top to the brighter future the Raiders suddenly had inherited.

9. Dolphin Slaughter

January 7, 2001

AFC Divisional Playoff Game

Raiders 27, Dolphins 0

January 7, 2001 was the Raiders first playoff appearance in seven years, and it was the first for me as a Raiders fan (I converted in 1994). Raider Nation was on pins and needles for this one – Oakland had just finished 12-4, had won the West, and had earned a bye during the Wildcard weekend. The Dolphins won in the wildcard round and earned the right to come into the Black Hole and face the lethal combo of Jon Gruden and Rich Gannon. Still to this day, there has never been a better pairing of quarterback and coach.

This game was just fun to watch. A shut out during the playoffs? Can anything be sweeter? I remember this game looked a little ugly at first. Our journeyman quarterback was having a hard time moving the ball, and their journeyman quarterback (Jay Fiedler) was starting to get the ball rolling. Mid way through the first quarter the Dolphins had made it into the red zone when none other than Tory James picked the ball off and took it back for 6. Do you remember that defensive back tandem we had? Tory James and Charles Woodson. No offense to the current regime, but it sure beats the heck out of Ronald Bartell and Shawntae Spencer.

The Raiders had this game all locked up by halftime, as Gannon was as efficient as ever (10 of 13 for 117 yards) and Wheatley ran the ball with great ease, of course. I tell ya…just remembering this game is making me nostalgic on what we had.

Not to rain on the parade, but the good times would only last that day, as the following week Tony Siragusa and all 400 pounds of him came to town and pretty much broke Gannon’s collar bone. Unfortunately Wade Wilson couldn’t save us against that defense.

8. Carson’s Got Game

November 10, 2011

Raiders 24, Chargers 17

This one’s the latest on this countdown – from just last season. It was Carson’s third game with the Raiders, and was played a mere 20 days after he signed with the team. The man was barely learning the playbook when he was asked to step at QB and play the San Diego Chargers on Thursday Night Football. At stake: the winner would be in sole possession of first in the West.

Carson had had a lot of pressure on him since his whirlwind trade from the Bengals three weeks prior. Many people questioned the sanity of Hue Jackson for how much he gave up, and many people questioned if Carson had anything left in the tank. Well, on national TV, Carson for at least that night, brought question to the doubters. His numbers might not have been great, but the man played with conviction, energy, and leadership.

Other than Carson stepping into his own, this game had a lot of memorable moments. Denarius Moore had his coming out party as his speed and ability were on the ultimate of displays – five catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns. Additionally, the defense really stepped up in this one, as Philip Rivers was intercepted in the endzone with just three minutes left. And, oh yeah, it’s never a bad thing to beat the Chargers. This one made it three straight in favor of the Silver and Black!

7. The Raiders Clinch the West

December 24, 2000

Raiders 52, Panthers 9

Raider Nation was given quite the gift on the first Christmas of the millennium when our boys in Silver and Black clinched the Western Division crown and a trip to the playoffs for the first time in seven years. I remember this game fondly. The Raiders had to win, otherwise Denver was going to win the west, and as it would turn out, the Raiders would have then had to travel to Baltimore during the wildcard weekend. That would have meant no playoff wins for another year.

Luckily, Oakland raised to the challenge. At first I was a little nervous, because even though Oakland was literally scoring on every possession, so too were the Panthers – although maybe not in such big chunks. In the first half, it seemed like for every touchdown Oakland scored, Carolina scored a field goal. While that is a good thing, so much was at stake that it made me uneasy. That uneasiness was laid to rest however as Gannon literally lit up the score boards. The man threw for five touchdowns, and Eric Allen (another great Raider corner) ran one back for a touchdown. The Raiders finished the game with a 52 to 9 trouncing of the Panthers.

I still have newspaper clippings from this game – with Darrien Gordon (I loved him) being propped up by teammates after he had returned a fumble for a 74 yard touchdown. Since we’re on memory lane here, let me just shout out a few other names that contributed in a big way this season that we may forgotten about over the years. Rickey Dudley. More like Rickey Studley – what a great tight end he was for us. We’ve already mentioned Tyrone Wheatley earlier, but here’s one that I think very few remember – one Andre ‘Bad Moon’ Rison. I believe this was his last season with the Raiders, as once we got Jerry Rice in the next season, Rison was cut, but man was he fun to watch. He brought a swagger to that wideout lineup. Man, what a team.

To cap off this wonderful Raider memory, the team circled around the stadium and made it a point to high five and give thanks to the fans. Something tells me the Black Hole will be getting the same treatment sometime this year too.

6. A Gradkowski Glimpse Into What Could Have Been

December 6, 2009

Raiders 27, Steelers 24

I was just sifting through some old articles related to this game, and here is what one headline said:

“The Oakland Raiders? Suddenly they’re winning like they did in the old days, with remarkable comebacks and surprise finishes.”

This game was the second week in the post Jamarcus era, as well as the second week in the very short lived Bruce Gradkowski era. If you ask me, I think Gradkowski should have been given much more of a chance than he was. I don’t think the Raiders ever should have brought in Jason Campbell, and I think if Tom Cable had been able to have his way, this would have happened. Gradkowski was like a more talented, quicker Rich Gannon. The man could run, throw, and motivate. And this game exemplified that.

The 6-5 Steelers hosted the dismal Raiders in a midseason clash that meant everything to the playoff hopeful hometown team. Things boded well for Pittsburgh as they led 10 to 6 in the beginning of the 4^th. But then the bald man from Toledo (my man Bruce) took over. It was a thrilling fourth quarter as the two teams exchanged touchdown after touchdown – 35 points were scored in the fourth quarter alone.

With 1:56 left in the 4^th quarter, Big Ben threw what was at the time, a potential game winning touchdown to Hines Ward as Pittsburgh went up 24 to 20 on Oaktown. Now, if JMarc was still the QB in this game, 1:56 would have been enough time for him to throw three incompletions and for him to eat a 12 inch hoagie sandwich. That was not the case however with Gradkowski. For the first time since what seemed like the Gannon era, Gradkowski orchestrated the two minute drill flawlessly and capped it off with an 11 yard touchdown pass to Louis Murphy with nine seconds left. What a game, what a finish. It’s unfortunate that even with showings like this, Gradkowski was never given the proper backing he deserved.

The ‘Top 10 in 15’ list will conclude in my next posting, but until then, I invite you all to sound off on your favorite Raider memories over the past 15 years. Feel free to discuss the ones I’ve talked about already too!

Flash forward to the start of the Reggie McKenzie era and not only is there no mention of a Gannon ban there’s the possibility of the last great Raider QB working with perhaps the next great Raider QB.

According to Vittorio Tafur, Terrelle Pryor has already reached out to Gannon for advice and the two are working on getting together in the near future. Tafur also penned a nice piece on Pryor’s progression thus far.

Even though he was on the roster for most of last season this is pretty much Pryor’s rookie year.  He might be a second-year player but getting one penalized snap as a rookie hardly qualifies as NFL experience.

Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

To Pryor’s credit he’s working to improve everyday. The fact that he is willing to reach out to Gannon says a lot. It doesn’t guarantee success but it’s a move that certainly isn’t taken from the JaMarcus book on preparation for your profession. Actually nothing about Pryor reminds you of Russell. TP is eager to learn, works hard, isn’t content with his role and has been humbled after his first taste of pro ball.

Come to find out the only thing Pryor had in common with Russell was his jersey number. To Hue Jackson’s credit he didn’t allow Pryor to sport #2 in silver and black. That number has been forever tainted.

Just goes to show you how lazy and stereotypical it’s become to compare young QBs to JaMarcus. There were some saying the same about Cam Newton too. Yeah…how’d that work out?

While Pryor has already proven he’s no #2 his real mission is to prove he’s no #2 on the depth chart either. My man has some Tebow in him and isn’t happy being a backup. That’s the kind of competitive sprit that will keep him in the good graces of McKenzie and company. Problem is that alone can’t salvage his future as a Raider.

These aren’t the Al Davis Raiders and Pryor wasn’t a McKenzie pick. As it stands Pryor will have to beat out veteran Matt Leinart to get a more expansive role in 2012. At least as a QB he will. No telling what Greg Knapp could be cooking up to get the most out of Pryor’s talents.

No matter the case Pryor is at least making the effort to become an NFL thrower. That says a lot about his drive. It also says he’s someone with perspective. Having already seen other Davis projects shown the exit Pryor isn’t waiting around to be the next. Even if he called Gannon out of panic it’s a good move to make. Dialing Gannon is an option that wasn’t even available one year ago. Neither was the luxury of having a QB coach to work with the young signal caller. Pryor might not become the next Gannon but at least this Raider regime is giving him the tools to try. Can’t ask for more than that.

Cary Edmondson-US PRESSWIRE

In case you’ve been in hibernation since the NFL season ended the Oakland Raiders are changing. And we’re not talking about change in that ex-girlfriend kind of way where a new hairdo and shoes somehow equates to making them no longer psycho. No, we’re talking change in that you lost 400-pounds and I recognize you but hardly know who you are kind of way.

Mark Davis and Reggie McKenzie aren’t anti-Al Davis. They’re just anti-bad business practices. No matter how competent any owner is of a sports franchise there is always room for improvement. Safe to say that long after McKenzie is gone and the next Davis in line inherits the throne this whole process will happen all over again.

That’s just business.

Now if the abrupt dismissal of bad contracts, inexperienced coaches, longtime staffers and suddenly sensible spending combined with new draft approach weren’t enough evidence of all the sweeping change. Then Tim Kawakami’s interview with new head coach Dennis Allen offers all the proof you’ll need.

Kawakami sat with Allen yesterday and picked his brain on all the latest happenings in the East Bay football universe. Of all the quotes Allen offered none was more telling of the new approach being taken than his answer when asked what kind of players the new Raiders are looking for.

“If there’s one guy that I was around that I think exemplifies what we’re looking for in an Oakland Raider, it would be Drew Brees. When you look at his height, weight, speed, it might not be the most impressive. But what the guy is, he’s a tough, smart, competitive, instinctive football player …I think if you look at guys that embody what we want, you can look at guys like Drew Brees.”

It goes without saying every NFL team except for a select few are looking for a Drew Brees-type. But with regards to the Raiders, Brees is a guy that likely would have never been sporting silver and black on the Al Davis watch.

Not that Mr. Davis didn’t value talent. As we all know few men in all of sports have ever had the eye for talent that Al Davis did. It’s just that Brees doesn’t fit the prototypical Davis outline. Never forget Davis wasn’t exactly thrilled about Jon Gruden’s choice of Rich Gannon at QB. Mr. Davis valued size, arm strength and production over percentages when it came to his signal callers.

So for Allen to call Brees the new era Raider it is almost a complete reversal of policy.

Aside from Brees’ skillset it’s also his character that Allen sees as a perfect fit for the Raiders. The recently concluded draft featured the Raiders selecting players that all have a certain faith-based background. That too is a bit of a different approach. But Allen points out that’s not all that matters but it is a factor.

“We’re not looking for a team full of choir boys. But we are looking for guys that are going to be dependable on the field and that we can also depend on off the field …I think that kind of goes hand in hand. Usually guys of good character, there’s a faith-based background to the way they were brought up.”

Do we really need to get into the Al Davis theory on character? The stereotypes became jokes and the jokes became tired. If you had some sort of character flaw but could run a 4.3-40 then Davis would come calling…right? Not exactly.

Even Davis admitted it was time for a new approach in the final year of his tenure with the Raiders. He said the franchise could no longer afford to pay players to work through their personal problems. Losing $30-million on a lazy QB will do that though.

So in some respects Mark Davis is just helping to carry out his father’s final wishes. McKenzie is in charge of finding the players that fit the new Raider bill and Allen is the one that will coach them up. Now don’t get it twisted. Allen might be a Brees guy being that he saw him play during his time coaching with the Saints. But that doesn’t mean he would have gone after a Russell Wilson. Quite the opposite in fact. He likes the last gift Al Davis left the franchise in Terrelle Pryor and talked up his young thrower.

“He has all kinds of talent He’s not there from a mental standpoint, from a fundamental standpoint, which is true of 99 percent of the young quarterbacks that come into this league. The other thing he’s shown me is, this guy’s a worker. … He’s wants to prove to everybody that he can be a quarterback for us in the National Football League.”