Rebirth by the Bay?

By: Matt

In the history of the NFL, few teams have been as successful as the Oakland Raiders and the San Francisco 49ers. The Raiders, one of the original AFL franchises, has played in a Super Bowl in 4 of the 5 centuries the game has existed, winning 3 and playing in countless historic matchups along the way. During the early part of the current decade it appeared that the Raiders were ready to return to greatness after a lackluster 90’s; young Head Coach Jon Gruden took the team to the playoffs in 2001 and they made it to the Super Bowl the following year. Unfortunately for Oakland, age and poor management caught up the team quickly, plummeting the Raiders into the bottom of the NFL. Recently, the Silver and Black have been known for drafting speedy busts and double-digits in the loss column. Although the Raiders begun this season with a loss, their Monday Night performance against the division rival San Diego Chargers, a Super Bowl favorite in 2009, has many people thinking that one of sports most notorious franchises may be back. New Head Coach Tom Cable is a former offensive lineman determined to craft a team that can run the ball, play solid defense, and play fundamentally sound football. Last night, a Raiders team loaded with talent finally showed flashes of excellence: young running backs Darren McFadden and Michael Bush each ran for over 50 yards, most of which were gained by running directly into the heart of the San Diego defense. The Raiders offensive line created holes all day and Oakland was able to use time and methodically drive the ball. The Raiders defense, often a bright spot for the team, was relatively successful, holding the offensively potent Chargers to 24 total points and only 10 in the first 3 quarters. Oakland is still a young football team, but if last night was any indication, football fans might be seeing a lot more of the Oakland Raiders in the future.

The team that lives just across the bay from the Raiders has also fallen on hard times. In the 80’s and 90’s the San Francisco 49ers were the best team in football. They won 5 Super Bowl’s from 1981 to 1994, were a perennial playoff team, set numerous league records, both team and individual and both regular and post-season. The 49ers appeared to be a team that would never falter, they would simply remain dominant forever. Unfortunately, ownership change and sudden injuries to both Steve Young and Jerry Rice quickly took apart a rock solid franchise. Although Steve Mariucci and Jeff Garcia were able to preserve playoff berths and the West Coast offense, those trademarks of Bill Walsh and the 49ers of the past decades are now gone. In recent years the 49ers have been a team without a quarterback, 1^st overall pick Alex Smith was a tremendous bust and only journeymen such as J.T. O’Sullivan have started in his absences. Last year the team fired their Head Coach and replaced him with a football legend: Mike Singletary. Singletary, a Hall of Fame middle linebacker and former Ravens assistant is one of the best young coaches in the league, he was a linebackers coach to both Ray Lewis and Patrick Willis, and his defense has become one of the NFL’s most talented and well coached. Under Singletary the Niners are 6-4, including a loss in his premiere as an interim coach. The new-look-Niners are a team with a dominant defense lead by Willis and cornerback Nate Clements, a pro-bowl caliber runner in Frank Gore, and a passing game that should be able to pick up the necessary yards. Although the Niners lack the big-name talent of many other teams, they have continued to win games and against strong opponents. In their first game this year the 49ers held Larry Fitzgerald and the high-flying Cardinals to just 16 points, intercepting quarterback Kurt Warner twice and sacking him three times. San Francisco, much like Oakland, plays in a notably weak division, and is a young team that looks ready to make a playoff run. While it is hard to predict the NFL, particularly after only one week, it would appear that these two once proud teams are ready to become prominent once again.