Silver and Black Report

The Oakland Raiders and the Denver Broncos have met 99 times during the regular season since their first meeting dating back to 1960. Recently, Denver has owned the series, winning seven out of the last ten contests. In 2009, the Silver & Black won at Denver, as Michael Bush carried the team with 133-rushing yards and one touchdown. It marked the second straight season that the visitors won at Invesco Field.

Darren McFadden also tallied 74-yards on the ground, but it was a Chaz Schilens 10-yard touchdown catch from JaMarcus Russell with 35-seconds left that capped the 20-19 win. The victory marked the first time since 1993-94 that the Raiders tallied back-to-back wins in Denver.

The last time Oakland won both meeting in a season was 2002. That year, the Raiders won 34-10 at Denver and 28-16 in front of their home crowd. Rich Gannon passed for 553-yards in two games. “We killed them, we swept them and it ain’t over yet. It’s just begun,” said Bill Romanowski, whose game altering hit on Brian Griese turned the tide of a close contest.

“I went to the sidelines the series before, and I said, ‘Coming off the outside, it’s open. Call the blitz, and I swear I’m open,”’ Romanowski continued.

In 2004 at Denver, Oakland won 25-24 in the midst of a blizzard. Ronald Curry made a spectacular one handed grab and tallied a integral 63-yard reception. Jerry Porter victimized Champ Bailey all night, as Oakland surprisingly amassed 334-yardsin the air, in awful playing conditions.

Here are some archived images of our game coverage of this great rivalry:

Broncos TE Daniel Graham mocking the ‘Black Hole.’

LB Thomas Howard (53) stuffing the run in Oakland during their 2009 meeting.

Nnamdi Asomugha tackling Jay Cutler during the 2008 campaign.

Gibril Wilson (28) was at Strong Safety in 2008 when both teams met.

Jake Plummer getting chased down by Derrick Burgess in 2005.

Cooper Carlisle was a Bronco when Warren Sapp was going after Jake Plummer in 2006.

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Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

Danny Clark targeting LaDainian Tomlinson during the 2004 season

Danny Clark, LB

In March of 2004, the Oakland Raiders lost Eric Barton via free agency and a week earlier they had released Bill Romanowski, leaving them with major gaps at linebacker. They quickly filled one of those voids signing Danny Clark away from the Jacksonville Jaguars with a two-year $3 million contract. Known as ‘Hammerhead’ to teammates, Clark finally was able to play every down in Silver & Black and he started all 16-games in 2004, leading the club with 129-tackles. “I appreciate where I am. I bleed silver and black now,” said Clark in 2005.

Verdict: A solid player on bad defenses, Clark always played with a good motor and gave the Raiders good value with that signing. He was released prior to the 2006 season after Oakland decided to go with their younger crop of linebackers.

Ray Buchanan, DB/S

The Raiders added Buchanan in April of 2004 with a five-year $12 million contract. The ostentatious defensive back was 32-years old when the Falcons released him due to his declining coverage skills, but the Raiders used him all over the secondary during his one-year stint. “I give them a lot of flexibility because I can play safety, but if they need me, I can go out on the edge and play corner, too, Buchanan stated upon his arrival. “They can use me in the slot to cover. My hands are not tied.”

Verdict: His lone season in Silver & Black was disastrous. Buchanan did not have anything left in the tank and his career was over after the 2004 campaign.

Desmond Howard, WR/ST

The year subsequent to signing Larry Brown after his MVP performance in a Super Bowl, the Raiders inked Desmond Howard to a four year contract worth $6 million after the Green Bay Packer became the first special teams player ever to win MVP honors in the big game. Howard’s 10-returns for 244-yards and a score in Super Bowl XXXI led him to Oakland. “This is totally amazing,” Howard said when he arrived. “To sign a contract and become an Oakland Raider, it’s an emotional roller-coaster … because I’m leaving a team I helped to win a world championship and a lot of close friends.” Then Raider coach Joe Bugel stated, “We’ve added yet another explosive, impact player to our football team.” In his first year in Oakland, he led the league with 61 kickoff returns, ending with 1,318 yards, but no scores. In 1998, he scored twice on punts, but his impact was never significant enough to justify the money he received.

Verdict: Howard was useless on offense. He never lived up to the hype he established as a collegiate and the Raiders continued to collect players with trophies rather than productive talents that impact the ball club in a positive way.

Kerry Collins, QB

In May of 2004, Collins signed a three-year $12 million deal. “I’m looking forward to playing in front of the Raider Nation,” Collins stated in a statement. The Giants released the former first rounder after drafting Eli Manning and Oakland picked him up as insurance after Rich Gannon and Marques Tuiasosopo ended their season on injured reserve in 2003. “Kerry is a highly productive performer who will add to what is already a talented position,” said coach Norv Turner. Collins took over as a full-time starter after Gannon sustained a neck injury early in 2004. He tallied a 7-21 record as a Raider, passing for 7,254 yards with 41 touchdowns and 32 interceptions.

Verdict: Collins had some streaky stretches with the Raiders, piling up passing yards with receivers Jerry Porter and Ronald Curry and leading Oakland to one of their most memorable victories the last 7-seasons during a snow storm at Denver on a nationally televised game. A cap casualty, Collins was not viewed as a long-term solution for the struggling Raiders.

Stay tuned for upcoming installments, looking back at the Raiders history during the free-agency period. Part-five coming soon…