OAKLAND - If Daunte Culpepper is to be the Raiders quarterback this
season, he's going to have to immerse himself in Raider lore.
His first touchdown pass wearing silver and black, a second-quarter,
blitz-beating bullet to Ronald Curry, ended with the sixth-year wide
receiver leaping into the Black Hole in celebration.
Culpepper, a Raider for less than a month after spending seven years in
Minnesota and one injury-plagued season in Miami, apparently doesn't
understand the bond between players and the costumed denizens of the
Coliseum's most notorious piece of real estate.
He skipped the meet and greet after the touchdown, opting for a more
subtle fist pump as he ran off the field to a Raiders sideline that
included a smiling first-year coach, Lane Kiffin.
Not to worry.
Culpepper ought to have future opportunities to bond with the folks in
the Black Hole, given his outing in the Raiders' third preseason game.
Signed on July 31 as an insurance policy for No. 1 draft pick JaMarcus
Russell, who still isn't under contract, Culpepper looked as though he's
already bonded with the rest of the offense.
Culpepper took seven-, five- and three-step drops, consistently throwing
with accuracy. He scrambled when under pressure and took off running.
When he stumbled coming out from under center and couldn't make a
handoff to Johnnie Higgins on an end-around, he simply tossed the ball
in the air, and the receiver grabbed it and ran for 19 yards.
Culpepper's numbers - a 107.8 passer rating on 4 of 8 passing for 47
yards and a touchdown in three offensive series - speak for themselves.
In eight seasons, he's piled up plenty of statistics, including a career
passing mark of 64.2 percent, 21,097 passing yards and 5.4 yards per
carry rushing average.
What makes Culpepper the best option to start at quarterback as the
Raiders wait to sign - and groom - Russell, is the way he seizes the
position.
He was cool. He was in rhythm. He moved the Raiders with a kind of
precision not seen in years.
Culpepper demonstrated a commanding presence in the Raiders huddle and
marched the team every time it had the ball.
He has the rifle arm to get the ball down field - to appease Al Davis -
and the smarts to have picked up Kiffin's West Coast offense with its
short passes and screens.
Raiders fans, looking for someone to help them forget the Kerry
Collins/Aaron Brooks/Andrew Walter era that has passed since the
retirement of Rich Gannon in 2004, cheered when Culpepper jogged onto
the field to open the game.
Their approval rating spiked when he took a seven-step drop and whipped
a beautiful spiral over the middle for Zack Miller that went for 28
yards on a pass interference play.
Culpepper had fans completely in his hands when the vastly improved
offensive line gave way on the opening drive, the Rams charged at him
and he deftly avoided their rush and took off for 10 yards and a first down.
The drive ended with a 50-yard field goal.
Culpepper's second possession saw him march the Raiders to the 1 before
Lamont Jordan fumbled into the end zone.
Hey, he can't fix all of Oakland's offensive problems. He can, though,
do plenty.
Culpepper left the game after the touchdown drive, giving way to an
underwhelming Josh McCown and more confident Walter.
This was Culpepper's turn in the rotation to start. Kiffin has one more
preseason game in which to audition his quarterbacks, but McCown and
Walter would seem to be vying for the back-up role to Culpepper.
