A day after the Raiders defeated the Titans 40-35, we look to see what the Oakland sportswriters are saying about the Raiders win.

''That seasonlong first-quarter snooze the Oakland Raiders have been working on is finally over. Sunday, they finally found the end zone in the first quarter, scoring touchdowns the first two times they had the ball.

Good thing. Otherwise, they might have awakened this morning to find themselves losers to the Tennessee Titans by something like a 35-24 score. But as it was, quarterback Kerry Collins went off like a bottle rocket, throwing five touchdowns passes at the Titans while the Raiders persevered on defense for a 40-35 victory.

When the smoke cleared Sunday, a grand total of 98 passes had been sent spiraling through the air. Tennessee came into the game with its safety depth sorely challenged. Meanwhile, the battered Raiders would up suffering at cornerback. Starting left cornerback Charles Woodson (bruised knee) and, ultimately, right corner Phillip Buchanon (bruised tailbone) were sidelined with injuries.

In the end, both teams had no choice but to duck.

It wasn't pretty, but it was seldom dull. Not that there were many around to see it (attendance was 44,299), but it was a slice of satisfaction after four straight home losses.

'I am just happy we won,' said Collins, who equaled his single-game best for touchdowns and came 15 yards shy of his most yardage for a game. 'We have been through so much this year. It's great to get a win here at home.'

'It's been rough here,' he said. 'I know the fans are disappointed with the way things have been going at home. I know everybody was frustrated, and it wasn't working out really well.'

'I hope to have their support. I want to play well here. I want to win here. I want to be here for a long time. I hope today is one step closer to them feeling a little bit better about me.'

'We knew he was the guy, but it was going to take a little time to adjust,' Raiders tackle Barry Sims said. 'I think a lot of people got down on him, but as a team, nobody ever gave up on him. We've seen the throws he is able to make.''
Bill Soliday
Oakland Tribune

''Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher knew there was no excuse, so he didn't try and make one.

'I will take the blame for this game,' Fisher said after a 40-35 loss to the Oakland Raiders on Sunday at Network Associates Coliseum.

To be fair, Anderson had already missed a 41-yard field goal, and the Titans have a reputation for special teams trickery. They ran a lateral off a punt return in which Michael Waddell raced 18 yards after receiving the ball on a bounce from Eddie Berlin.

Considering the success the Titans had against the Oakland defense, particularly with quarterback Billy Volek throwing to 6-foot-5 Drew Bennett, running a fake was a reach.

The Raiders were not fooled. Holder Craig Hentrich took the snap and threw to Shad Meier at the post. Meier was covered by Denard Walker, and safety Ray Buchanan came over from the left side to finish off the play.

'That play, it didn't surprise me,' Buchanan said. 'They do more show than Vegas. They're the most gidget-gadget team you'll ever play against, and we knew what they were trying to set up.'

'That's a big part of what they're doing, and they're having some success,' Turner said. 'They ran the motion on the field goal they kicked earlier, looked at it, and thought they could get the play. We've worked very hard defending against the fakes.'

Fisher, to his credit, made no attempt to deflect the blame.

'It's a great call if you execute, but it was not a good decision,' Fisher said. 'It's not fair to the players, because they are trying so hard and working so hard, so I'll take responsibility for this one.''
Jerry McDonald
Oakland Tribune

''The Raiders knew what kind of game this could be in the film room last week. They saw soft spots in the Tennessee secondary and potential for an offensive day like no other this season.

It wasn't perfect, Kerry Collins noted. The quarterback missed some throws and saw a few others dropped, but it was a game like no other this season for the Raiders.

'They've got a lot of guys hurt in the secondary and some young guys back there playing,' said Collins, who threw for a season-high 371 yards and matched a career mark with the five touchdowns. 'We felt, with all their different fronts and the way they like to get eight men in the box, we were going to have throw a little bit. I feel like guys made a lot of plays.'

'You cannot say enough about our effort offensively,' Titans Coach Jeff Fisher said.

When it was over, Collins had his first home victory as a Raiders starter. But he said it could have even been better.

'I didn't play a perfect game by any stretch of the imagination,' Collins said. 'I'm the kind of guy who will lie in bed tonight and think about all the wrong reads I made and passes I missed. That's not always good, but I think that's what being a player in this league is about.'

The Raiders will take what Collins gave them Sunday.''
Darren Sabedra
San Jose Mercury News

''Kerry Collins may one day look back at his eye-popping five-touchdown performance Sunday and remember it not for its artistry and productivity, but for all the scoring passes and deep bombs that got away.

'We knew that it would be this kind of game,' said Raiders coach Norv Turner, whose inconsistent 5-9 team reached the symbolic five-win plateau, surpassing the sorry 4-12 mark that ultimately cost his predecessor, Bill Callahan, his job.

'There were a lot of plays to be made,' Turner said, 'but it still comes down to making the plays at the end, and our guys found a way to make those plays.'

But the Raiders ultimately prevailed not because Collins connected with five different receivers on passes of 20 yards or more, or because free agent-to-be Porter dominated the deep middle of the field to catch eight passes for 148 yards.

For all the Raiders' laughable defensive lapses -- how did Orinda's Drew Bennett get so open for 13 catches for 160 yards and two touchdowns? -- the final result actually hinged on a key special teams play and a defensive stop in the last minute.

In a season that holds no playoff promise -- only the assurance of sweeping offseason personnel changes to address a second consecutive losing season -- the Raiders were playing for a lot more than the final score.

'People ask, `What do you have to play for?' We were playing to get better,' Collins said. 'And we got better today. That goes a long way, when you need it in the future.''
Nancy Gay
San Francisco Chronicle

''The Raiders' defense spent most of Sunday afternoon chasing Tennessee Titans receivers around the Coliseum. Then they were able to celebrate a victory.

That they had more points than the Titans when the game ended, three hours, 29 minutes and 466 Tennessee passing yards after it began, was all that mattered.

'We got the 'W'; wins take care of everything,' defensive lineman Bobby Hamilton said. 'Yes, we gave up this many yards. It doesn't matter. ... We are going to take a look and see how we gave up the yards. ... They made some big plays on us, every week they've been making big plays. We knew we had to come here and work hard and try to get a 'W'. And that's what we did today.'

Safety Ray Buchanan agreed. 'Whenever you win, man, you are going to have a positive feeling,' he said. 'Yeah, you don't want to give up that many yards, and they did what they did to us out on the field.'

'As a defense in the first half, we were out there getting torched. But one thing I can say about this defense that I love most: Guys went out there in the second half and played. They (Tennessee) made big plays, but we made more in the end and were able to prevail. If you've got guys who quit, who say, 'Take me out' because they are getting beat, then you have problems. But we don't have that here. I was proud of them.''
David Bush
San Francisco Chronicle