Friday, Sept. 26, 2003 | 9:49 a.m.
Sal DeFilippo's pro football picks column appears Friday. Reach him at [email protected] or (702) 259-4076.
There's a fine line between being considered a crafty, cagy, savvy group of veterans and being considered a team that's too old, too slow and past their prime.
In case you didn't notice last week, the Oakland Raiders apparently have crossed that line -- pretty far.
During last year's Super Bowl run, the Raiders were a well-oiled machine, particularly on offense. This year, with mostly the same parts, they can't get the engine started.
With the notable exception of delinquency poster child/kicker Sebastian Janikowski -- who is establishing all sorts of records with police departments nationwide, but none with his kicking -- the Raiders are actually starting to act their age.
Janikowski's latest antics included a Saturday night in jail after he was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor assault, misdemeanor vandalism and public drunkenness in Walnut Creek, Calif. Police say he got into a fight at a restaurant and later even broke the mirrors on some cars parked nearby.
Sure, it doesn't take Peyton Manning to assess this kicker's behavior. But on the field, Janikowski isn't the problem. He's not old enough to be.
The problem can be spelled out easily, just by using the team's home city of Oakland. It also starts with O, has L in the middle, and ends with D. Instead of the Raiders of old, these are just old Raiders.
Monday's demolition at the hands of Denver provided more than enough evidence. With blooming star Jerry Porter injured, the Raiders must rely on Tim Brown and Jerry Rice -- both Hall of Famers-in-waiting but ages 37 and 40, respectively -- to catch passes from 37-year-old Rich Gannon.
The Raiders are the only team in the league where a player is tackled and the referee immediately checks his MedicAlert bracelet. Without the deep threat of Porter, the short passing game suffers, and the running game, which feeds off of Gannon's passing, can't get untracked.
Gannon was so frustrated Monday that he was shown screaming on the sideline in the fourth quarter. I couldn't catch all of his tirade, but I know "Hey, kid, stay off the lawn!" was in there somewhere.
My wife asked why Gannon was going through this midlife, midgame crisis. Specifically, she wondered why he was screaming even though everyone was standing right next to him.
"Half of these guys have hearing aids, honey," I told her. "These guys are your father's Raiders."
Defensively, Bill Romanowski, Rod Woodson and Trace Armstrong aren't spring chickens, either. The Raiders are the first team in history with six players ages 37 and older.
That may come in handy for getting the early-bird discount at the pregame meal, but between the lines, their struggles have left them with an 0-2 record.
Officially, they're 1-2, but a three-point home win against the Bengals really shouldn't count. But I guess it has to. After all, I don't want to be accused of age discrimination.
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