Post by TheShadow on Nov 27, 2003 14:16:12 GMT -5
www.rockymountainnews.com
QB's determined grit wins over teammates
By Lynn DeBruin, Rocky Mountain News
Granted, it wasn't the Super Bowl.
And Rick Mirer never will be confused with John Elway as a quarterback.
But to Oakland Raiders teammates who watched Mirer dive and spin like a
helicopter against the Minnesota Vikings two weeks ago, it said plenty about
his passion for the game.
"That shows you how much the guy wants to win. That's selling out for the
team," Raiders wide receiver Tim Brown said.
At 33, and playing for his sixth team in 11 seasons, Mirer knows he might
never get another chance.
He has made the most of this one, stepping in for the Raiders after
season-ending injuries to Rich Gannon and Marques Tuiasosopo.
"I don't know how many years I have left. I have no clue what's going to
happen. But right now it's fun. It's fun to play," Mirer said. "It would be
a lot more fun if we won every game. But to be involved like I was in my
early years . . . after feeling like I was out of the picture . . . I'm
really cherishing the moment."
Mirer is playing like the guy who won 1993 Rookie of the Year honors when he
was with the Seattle Seahawks.
His performance was almost flawless in a 27-24 overtime loss to the New York
Jets. He completed 18 of 25 passes for 186 yards and one touchdown, but
Oakland's defense squandered an eight-point lead with less than 4 minutes
left.
Then came the Minnesota game, in which Mirer was coolly efficient in the
28-18 victory.
Eight of his nine completions earned first downs, and he should have had a
second touchdown - Brown dropped an easy, short toss in the end zone.
Last week at Kansas City, the journeyman quarterback passed, ran and willed
the injury-plagued Raiders to a near-upset of the AFC West- leading Chiefs.
He completed 19 of 31 for 219 yards, including a game-turning 47-yard
touchdown pass to Jerry Rice on an all-out blitz.
Mirer also made five no-slide runs for 38 yards, including a 13-yard dash
that kept the Raiders in the game.
"He's Gannon with young feet," Broncos defensive coordinator Larry Coyer
said of Mirer. "He moves really well, he's active (in the pocket). He's the
same kind of quarterback."
The Broncos can only hope they have the same type of success they enjoyed
against Gannon in the teams' first meeting this season. In the 31-10 Denver
rout, the Broncos pummeled Gannon, sacking him five times and eventually
forcing him out of the game.
Whereas Gannon didn't want to run, Mirer is eager to do so.
"He's doing a great job for them," Broncos safety Kenoy Kennedy said. "He's
not making many mistakes, and he's making plays when they need him to."
That was Mirer's trademark in 1993, when he won top rookie honors. But he
couldn't get Seattle out of the cellar in four seasons.
He signed with Chicago as a free agent in 1997, before one-year stints with
Green Bay (1998) and the Jets (1999).
In 2000, he signed with the San Francisco 49ers, and in two seasons he
played one quarter.
That trend continued last year in Oakland, where Gannon was in the midst of
a streak of 71 consecutive starts.
A torn labrum, though, ended Gannon's season, and Tuiasosopo followed him to
the sideline the next week.
"It happened awful fast," Mirer said of his opportunity as a third-string
QB. "Rich has played a lot of games, then Tui gets a chance and didn't get
through the half."
Suddenly, a guy who hadn't played since 2000 and hadn't started in four
years found himself in the spotlight.
"I had to get right fast," Mirer said. "But some of the system was
simplified and we started running the ball a little more. That's helped us .
. . and made things a lot easier for the quarterback."
He feels the players rallying around him. The third-and-six play from the
Vikings' 7-yard line helped.
"It's probably not something I want to do again any time soon. It's not
something I've ever done before," he said of flinging himself toward the end
zone, only to be clipped by two defenders and landing on his back.
"But that seemed like a play that might have brought us a little closer
together."
QB's determined grit wins over teammates
By Lynn DeBruin, Rocky Mountain News
Granted, it wasn't the Super Bowl.
And Rick Mirer never will be confused with John Elway as a quarterback.
But to Oakland Raiders teammates who watched Mirer dive and spin like a
helicopter against the Minnesota Vikings two weeks ago, it said plenty about
his passion for the game.
"That shows you how much the guy wants to win. That's selling out for the
team," Raiders wide receiver Tim Brown said.
At 33, and playing for his sixth team in 11 seasons, Mirer knows he might
never get another chance.
He has made the most of this one, stepping in for the Raiders after
season-ending injuries to Rich Gannon and Marques Tuiasosopo.
"I don't know how many years I have left. I have no clue what's going to
happen. But right now it's fun. It's fun to play," Mirer said. "It would be
a lot more fun if we won every game. But to be involved like I was in my
early years . . . after feeling like I was out of the picture . . . I'm
really cherishing the moment."
Mirer is playing like the guy who won 1993 Rookie of the Year honors when he
was with the Seattle Seahawks.
His performance was almost flawless in a 27-24 overtime loss to the New York
Jets. He completed 18 of 25 passes for 186 yards and one touchdown, but
Oakland's defense squandered an eight-point lead with less than 4 minutes
left.
Then came the Minnesota game, in which Mirer was coolly efficient in the
28-18 victory.
Eight of his nine completions earned first downs, and he should have had a
second touchdown - Brown dropped an easy, short toss in the end zone.
Last week at Kansas City, the journeyman quarterback passed, ran and willed
the injury-plagued Raiders to a near-upset of the AFC West- leading Chiefs.
He completed 19 of 31 for 219 yards, including a game-turning 47-yard
touchdown pass to Jerry Rice on an all-out blitz.
Mirer also made five no-slide runs for 38 yards, including a 13-yard dash
that kept the Raiders in the game.
"He's Gannon with young feet," Broncos defensive coordinator Larry Coyer
said of Mirer. "He moves really well, he's active (in the pocket). He's the
same kind of quarterback."
The Broncos can only hope they have the same type of success they enjoyed
against Gannon in the teams' first meeting this season. In the 31-10 Denver
rout, the Broncos pummeled Gannon, sacking him five times and eventually
forcing him out of the game.
Whereas Gannon didn't want to run, Mirer is eager to do so.
"He's doing a great job for them," Broncos safety Kenoy Kennedy said. "He's
not making many mistakes, and he's making plays when they need him to."
That was Mirer's trademark in 1993, when he won top rookie honors. But he
couldn't get Seattle out of the cellar in four seasons.
He signed with Chicago as a free agent in 1997, before one-year stints with
Green Bay (1998) and the Jets (1999).
In 2000, he signed with the San Francisco 49ers, and in two seasons he
played one quarter.
That trend continued last year in Oakland, where Gannon was in the midst of
a streak of 71 consecutive starts.
A torn labrum, though, ended Gannon's season, and Tuiasosopo followed him to
the sideline the next week.
"It happened awful fast," Mirer said of his opportunity as a third-string
QB. "Rich has played a lot of games, then Tui gets a chance and didn't get
through the half."
Suddenly, a guy who hadn't played since 2000 and hadn't started in four
years found himself in the spotlight.
"I had to get right fast," Mirer said. "But some of the system was
simplified and we started running the ball a little more. That's helped us .
. . and made things a lot easier for the quarterback."
He feels the players rallying around him. The third-and-six play from the
Vikings' 7-yard line helped.
"It's probably not something I want to do again any time soon. It's not
something I've ever done before," he said of flinging himself toward the end
zone, only to be clipped by two defenders and landing on his back.
"But that seemed like a play that might have brought us a little closer
together."