Rich Gannon

Rich Gannon: True Oakland Raider Grit

"I'm a jerk...I've always been a jerk. That's just the way I was brought up. This position is one where you have to be very comfortable in front of a crowd and saying what you believe." Raiders QB Rich Gannon, 1999.

"His brilliance as a player, his team achievement, his personal achievement, and all the things he did for us are not the important thing right now in my mind. The important thing is he wore our colors with pride, he wore them with poise, and he wore them with class."

"His dedication, the will to win, the commitment still reaps the rewards of victory. They still mean whether you win or lose - the intensity of the players on the field, the organization, and everyone that are driving the car in one direction. We wish him all the luck in the world."

Al Davis

Jim Plunkett called him ``dynamic. . . . Players play harder for him.''

Ken Stabler, who watched Gannon scramble around in his old number, said, ``He finds a way to win. . . . And he's a much better athlete than I was.''

Rich Gannon has done things that I didn't ever believe that he was capable of. I was skeptical at first but over the past four seasons he has proven himself worthy of the uniform number that he wears. He led the Raiders to their first AFC West title in ten years in 2000. He also led the Raiders to the playoffs for the first time since 1993. Gannon just finds a way to make plays and his ability to lead the Raiders from behind has been one of the biggest things that he has brought back to Oakland. In 1999 he led the Raiders back many times but he alone could not do it every time and the team ended up 8-8.

However, in 2000 that all changed as Gannon led the Raiders from behind several times and he guided the Raiders to a 12-4 record. In Week 2 Gannon rallied the Raiders from a 21-0 deficit to upset the Colts 38-31. Gannon rushed for 3 touchdowns and led Oakland to 31 consecutive points in the second half. Against the 49ers in Week 6 Gannon rushed for one touchdown and led the Raiders to a dramatic overtime win with a game winning touchdown toss to WR Tim Brown. In Week 12 Gannon passed for 2 touchdowns and led all rushers in the Raiders' 31-22 victory in New Orleans, snapping the Saint's six game winning streak. Gannon was sacked 5 times, but he scrambled for 55 yards.

But the one thing that I love about Gannon is that he can beat Kansas City. I hate the Chiefs more than any other team in the NFL. Since Gannon's arrival the Raiders are 6-2 against their biggest rivals. The Raiders beat the Chiefs on the final day of the 1999 season in Kansas City 41-38 in overtime. The victory knocked Kansas City out of the playoffs and it was the first Raider win in K.C. since 1988. In two of the victories it was Gannon leading the Raiders from behind to achieve victory. In Week 10 the Raiders swamped Kansas City in a 49-31 win. That victory was sweet!! In 2001 the Raiders swept Kansas City for the second straight season proving once again that the Chiefs suck!! In 2002 Gannon lost to his old team again but later in the season the Raiders rebounded with a 24-0 victory for their first ever shutout of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Rich just finds a way to make plays with his legs or his right arm! In 2000 he become only the third Quarterback in Raiders history to throw for 3000+ yards in consecutive seasons. Gannon is the main guy in a Oakland offense that will hopefully win a Super Bowl in 2001. Gannon's career Raider stats are here. During the playoffs Gannon helped the Raiders whip the Miami Dolphins in the Divisional Round of the playoffs 27-0. The Raiders hadn't hosted a playoff game since 1993 and hadn't hosted a playoff game in Oakland since 1980. Gannon was brilliant in the win throwing one touchdown and no interceptions. But the AFC Championship game was a different story. Gannon was knocked out of the game in the second quarter and the Raiders struggled without him. Gannon's playoff stats are here.

Following the 2000 season Gannon was named All-Pro and the starting quarterback for the AFC Pro Bowl team. During the game he was flawless completing 12 or 14 passes with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Gannon was named the MVP of the Pro Bowl and was giving the honor as the designated starter on the NFL's All-Pro 2000 team. Rich Gannon Pro Bowl stats are here.

By the time the 2001 season ended Gannon had done it again. He led the Raiders to another double-digit winning season, another divisional title and threw for 27 touchdowns. But the Raiders season ended in New England in thanks to the "New England Snow Job". However, Gannon went to the Pro Bowl and was named MVP for the second straight year. Gannon became the first player in NFL history to be named Pro Bowl MVP for two consecutive years.

The Raiders have finally found a replacement for Jim Plunkett and Ken Stabler. Finally, after years of frustration, the Raiders have a solid, strong quarterback. During his first two seasons with Oakland Gannon threw for 7,270 yards, the most in a two-year span by any Raiders quarterback in history. He added to that in 2001 by having the most passing yards (11,098) over a three year span.

Against the Steelers during the 2002 season, Rich Gannon went 43 of 64 for 403 yards with 1 TD and 2 INT. The 64 attempts was the second most attempts in a game by any player ever. It also became another Raider record. His 43 completions also set a Raider record and was the second most by a player, in any game, in NFL history. The 2002 playoffs saw Rich Gannon being crowned as the NFL's MVP but there would be no World Title. After whipping the Jets and then the Titans in the AFC Title Game the Raiders went to Super Bowl 37 and fell to Tampa Bay 48-21. Gannon threw 5 interceptions and the Raiders offense was held to 19 yards rushing.

After winning another Pro Bowl MVP honor, his third straight, Gannon began and ended his 2003 season in a huge slump. He never shook off the rust that built up on Super Bowl Sunday. After the Raiders limped to a 2-5 start Gannon saw his season end with a torn shoulder muscle. In 2004 Gannon returned and led the Raiders to a "almost" comeback against the Pittsburgh Steelers with two marvelous TD passes to Alvis Whitted and Doug Gabriel. But it was all for naught. The following week Gannon led the Raiders to his final victory as a Raiders starting quarterback as the Raiders defeated Buffalo. One week later he injured himself while trying to gain that extra yard. Ever the warrior, Gannon's career ended as suddenly as it began in Oakland with a big shock. Is his career in Oakland over? We shall see. He did finish with the most completions by a quarterback in Raiders history. He is second in yardage passing and pass attempts in Raiders History.

21 straight completions: Most ever in a single game by a Quarterback

3195 yards: Most yards ever passing by a quarterback in the first 10 games of the season.

60+ straight starts which is a Raider team record

Most 300 yard passing games in a season at 10

Most consecutive 300 yard passing games

Most completions in a season ever

Most attempts in a season in Raider history

Most attempts in a game in Raider history

Most yards in a season in Raider history

Most completions in a season in Raider history

Gannon Career Raider Stats

Height	Weight	College	Born	Acquired
6'3	210	Delaware	12-20-65	2-15-99

Years	Starts	Att	Comp	%	Yards	TD	INT	LG	Rating
1999	16	515	304	59.0	3840	24	14	50	86.5
2000	16	473	284	60.0	3430	28	11	84t	92.4
2001	16	549	361	65.8	3828	27	9	49	95.0
2002	16	618	418	67.6	4689	26	10	75	97.3
2003	7	225	125	55.6	1274	6	5	46	73.5
2004	3	68	41	60.3	524	3	2	58	86.9
Totals	74	2448	1533	62.6	17,584	114	51	84t	93.2