Post by TheShadow on Dec 14, 2003 9:36:51 GMT -5
www.bayarea.com
By Steve Corkran
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
Raiders managing general partner Al Davis perhaps will look at the Baltimore Ravens at some point today, think of his team and wonder might have been. Or perhaps he will wonder, what will be?
Or maybe Davis still clings to his decades-long belief that rebuilding is something others team do. The Raiders don't rebuild, they reload, Davis reportedly has said numerous times before.
Therefore, Davis might not care one bit how the Ravens have gone from Super Bowl champion in the 2000 season to 10-6 in 2001, 7-9 last season and leading the NFC North at 8-5 this season with an almost made-over roster.
Yet, it appears the Raiders no longer can defy the odds after going five years without a down period. At 3-10, the Raiders' run of playoff contention is over.
"There's no question in the league today that things go in cycles," Ravens coach Brian Billick said Wednesday in a conference call with Bay Area media. "And what management, ownership, coaches have to understand is, there is no denying that cycle at some point. The time frame might differ from team to team, but eventually you have to regroup."
The Ravens did so soon after winning the Super Bowl in the 2000 season. Billick kept together the core of his team for the 2001 season but then employed a "scorched-earth mentality" in dumping high-salaried players and bringing in youth by the dumpster load.
Only seven of the players who start for the Ravens against the Raiders today started against the Raiders in the AFC Championship game three seasons ago.
By comparison, 10 Raiders who started in that AFC Championship game also started games for them this season. Also, six players who played reserve roles in 2000 also started games for Oakland this season.
The Ravens had 19 rookies last season and the youngest team in league history, according to Billick. They addressed an out-of-whack salary-cap figure by letting cornerback Duane Starks and defensive tackle Sam Adams leave as high-priced free agents.
That time is now, even sooner than the Ravens anticipated, Billick said. The Ravens are a legitimate Super Bowl contender once again.
"There is a sense of excitement because we're probably a little ahead of the curve," Billick said. That excitement is stoked by the Ravens having more salary-cap room than any other team after this season.
The Raiders have been hesitant to break down their roster in the six years since former coach Jon Gruden inherited a 4-12 team. Those first five seasons under Gruden and current coach Bill Callahan yielded no worse than an 8-8 record and three straight AFC West titles, as well as a Super Bowl berth last season.
Oakland's dismal record, a slew of injuries to aging players and a bloated salary cap might bring about major change during the offseason. If so, the Raiders could do far worse than to model their plan after the Ravens.
Callahan said he is a big believer in the approach taken by the Ravens, even if the Raiders choose to do things differently.
"They've taken their time," Callahan said, "and it seems they've got the players they want in their system, whether that's the character-type players, the production-type players, the role players, the featured players. They've done an excellent job of that through the draft and through acquiring college free agents and also free agents.
"But it's a patient process in a very impatient business. That is a luxury in a lot of ways, but they have confidence in their plan and they stuck to it and they're reaping the benefits of it."
By Steve Corkran
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
Raiders managing general partner Al Davis perhaps will look at the Baltimore Ravens at some point today, think of his team and wonder might have been. Or perhaps he will wonder, what will be?
Or maybe Davis still clings to his decades-long belief that rebuilding is something others team do. The Raiders don't rebuild, they reload, Davis reportedly has said numerous times before.
Therefore, Davis might not care one bit how the Ravens have gone from Super Bowl champion in the 2000 season to 10-6 in 2001, 7-9 last season and leading the NFC North at 8-5 this season with an almost made-over roster.
Yet, it appears the Raiders no longer can defy the odds after going five years without a down period. At 3-10, the Raiders' run of playoff contention is over.
"There's no question in the league today that things go in cycles," Ravens coach Brian Billick said Wednesday in a conference call with Bay Area media. "And what management, ownership, coaches have to understand is, there is no denying that cycle at some point. The time frame might differ from team to team, but eventually you have to regroup."
The Ravens did so soon after winning the Super Bowl in the 2000 season. Billick kept together the core of his team for the 2001 season but then employed a "scorched-earth mentality" in dumping high-salaried players and bringing in youth by the dumpster load.
Only seven of the players who start for the Ravens against the Raiders today started against the Raiders in the AFC Championship game three seasons ago.
By comparison, 10 Raiders who started in that AFC Championship game also started games for them this season. Also, six players who played reserve roles in 2000 also started games for Oakland this season.
The Ravens had 19 rookies last season and the youngest team in league history, according to Billick. They addressed an out-of-whack salary-cap figure by letting cornerback Duane Starks and defensive tackle Sam Adams leave as high-priced free agents.
That time is now, even sooner than the Ravens anticipated, Billick said. The Ravens are a legitimate Super Bowl contender once again.
"There is a sense of excitement because we're probably a little ahead of the curve," Billick said. That excitement is stoked by the Ravens having more salary-cap room than any other team after this season.
The Raiders have been hesitant to break down their roster in the six years since former coach Jon Gruden inherited a 4-12 team. Those first five seasons under Gruden and current coach Bill Callahan yielded no worse than an 8-8 record and three straight AFC West titles, as well as a Super Bowl berth last season.
Oakland's dismal record, a slew of injuries to aging players and a bloated salary cap might bring about major change during the offseason. If so, the Raiders could do far worse than to model their plan after the Ravens.
Callahan said he is a big believer in the approach taken by the Ravens, even if the Raiders choose to do things differently.
"They've taken their time," Callahan said, "and it seems they've got the players they want in their system, whether that's the character-type players, the production-type players, the role players, the featured players. They've done an excellent job of that through the draft and through acquiring college free agents and also free agents.
"But it's a patient process in a very impatient business. That is a luxury in a lot of ways, but they have confidence in their plan and they stuck to it and they're reaping the benefits of it."