Post by TheShadow on Dec 5, 2003 22:10:26 GMT -5
www.sfgate.com
Season lost, but players have their own motivation
By Daivd Bush
Championships, playoffs or even a winning season have long been out of the Raiders' reach this season, but something is still at stake Sunday when they play the Steelers in Pittsburgh:
Their futures.
Very few of the Raiders players have a guaranteed job in Oakland or anywhere else beyond this season. Those in contract limbo know that the team and the league will be watching to see what they've got. This game and the three that follow might be meaningless to some people, but not to them.
"These four games are critical for a lot of guys, especially if your team is having a rough year,'' said fullback Chris Hetherington, an expert on tryouts, having played for five teams in eight years. "They see how guys react to it, and whether you shut it down or you work hard. It's tough for guys to come to work, but you have to do it. Everybody is getting evaluated, especially in times like this.''
Safety Anthony Dorsett likened the finishing stretch to searching for employment in the business world. "You've got a lot of guys in the same situation I am, that signed one-year deals,'' Dorsett said. "And every time you go out there it's like a job interview.''
Running back Tyrone Wheatley agreed. "For whatever reason, this is your resume,'' he said. "Whether you keep your job next year or for future reference, you don't want to quit. People just want to still keep playing.''
If anybody has done his future employment prospects any good it is 33- year-old quarterback Rick Mirer, who took over after Rich Gannon and Marques Tuiasosopo were injured. But Mirer said he is not looking at this as an audition, but rather just a chance to play, which he says doesn't always happen.
"Everybody understands that you're being judged in everything you do. But you'll see across the league the last month, some teams are out, you'll see other guys playing, you'll see people shuffling the deck a little bit,'' he said.
"But I like to just keep going. We do the same thing every Wednesday and Thursday. ... I've been through this before, a lot of guys have been through this before. When you get to the end, you have to finish your job. You can't let up.''
Mirer, who came into last Sunday's game with a decent quarterback rating of 83.9 for his four games, was just 13-for-30 for 153 yards, no touchdowns and a rating of 59.4 against the Broncos. Coach Bill Callahan said Mirer's effort did not represent a step backward, and the 11-year veteran continues to help himself. Callahan said that Mirer's performance was so intertwined with the team's that it was difficult to evaluate.
"I thought Rick, at various points of the game last week, had opportunities to capitalize,'' Callahan said. "And we felt strong going into the game plan about getting some featured matchups. ... It didn't work out.
"There are so many variables that cause a miscue or cause an opportunity to be missed, whether it's a protection breakdown or the penalty ... or maybe the progression gets hung up in that the coverage did a good job. Unless you sat down and looked at each one of them you don't have a good understanding. It's a simple answer but a complex answer.''
At least Mirer knows every team is going to need a quarterback or two to get through the season. Hetherington doesn't have that luxury at his position, which makes these next games all the more crucial for him.
"The fullback position is a tough position, some teams don't even use them,'' he said. "Guys seem to shuffle around every year. But it's part of the job. I come out here and work every day, and play hard every game. I would certainly like to stay here next year and am going to play hard the next four games to do so.''
Sunday's game
Who: Raiders vs. Steelers
When: 10 a.m.
Where: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh
TV: Channel: 5 Channel: 13 Channel: 46
Radio: KTCT (1050 AM), KHTK (1140 AM), KSAN (107.7 FM); Spanish broadcast on KAZA (1290 AM)
Season lost, but players have their own motivation
By Daivd Bush
Championships, playoffs or even a winning season have long been out of the Raiders' reach this season, but something is still at stake Sunday when they play the Steelers in Pittsburgh:
Their futures.
Very few of the Raiders players have a guaranteed job in Oakland or anywhere else beyond this season. Those in contract limbo know that the team and the league will be watching to see what they've got. This game and the three that follow might be meaningless to some people, but not to them.
"These four games are critical for a lot of guys, especially if your team is having a rough year,'' said fullback Chris Hetherington, an expert on tryouts, having played for five teams in eight years. "They see how guys react to it, and whether you shut it down or you work hard. It's tough for guys to come to work, but you have to do it. Everybody is getting evaluated, especially in times like this.''
Safety Anthony Dorsett likened the finishing stretch to searching for employment in the business world. "You've got a lot of guys in the same situation I am, that signed one-year deals,'' Dorsett said. "And every time you go out there it's like a job interview.''
Running back Tyrone Wheatley agreed. "For whatever reason, this is your resume,'' he said. "Whether you keep your job next year or for future reference, you don't want to quit. People just want to still keep playing.''
If anybody has done his future employment prospects any good it is 33- year-old quarterback Rick Mirer, who took over after Rich Gannon and Marques Tuiasosopo were injured. But Mirer said he is not looking at this as an audition, but rather just a chance to play, which he says doesn't always happen.
"Everybody understands that you're being judged in everything you do. But you'll see across the league the last month, some teams are out, you'll see other guys playing, you'll see people shuffling the deck a little bit,'' he said.
"But I like to just keep going. We do the same thing every Wednesday and Thursday. ... I've been through this before, a lot of guys have been through this before. When you get to the end, you have to finish your job. You can't let up.''
Mirer, who came into last Sunday's game with a decent quarterback rating of 83.9 for his four games, was just 13-for-30 for 153 yards, no touchdowns and a rating of 59.4 against the Broncos. Coach Bill Callahan said Mirer's effort did not represent a step backward, and the 11-year veteran continues to help himself. Callahan said that Mirer's performance was so intertwined with the team's that it was difficult to evaluate.
"I thought Rick, at various points of the game last week, had opportunities to capitalize,'' Callahan said. "And we felt strong going into the game plan about getting some featured matchups. ... It didn't work out.
"There are so many variables that cause a miscue or cause an opportunity to be missed, whether it's a protection breakdown or the penalty ... or maybe the progression gets hung up in that the coverage did a good job. Unless you sat down and looked at each one of them you don't have a good understanding. It's a simple answer but a complex answer.''
At least Mirer knows every team is going to need a quarterback or two to get through the season. Hetherington doesn't have that luxury at his position, which makes these next games all the more crucial for him.
"The fullback position is a tough position, some teams don't even use them,'' he said. "Guys seem to shuffle around every year. But it's part of the job. I come out here and work every day, and play hard every game. I would certainly like to stay here next year and am going to play hard the next four games to do so.''
Sunday's game
Who: Raiders vs. Steelers
When: 10 a.m.
Where: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh
TV: Channel: 5 Channel: 13 Channel: 46
Radio: KTCT (1050 AM), KHTK (1140 AM), KSAN (107.7 FM); Spanish broadcast on KAZA (1290 AM)