NFL PLAYOFFS : He Runs With Fast Crowd : But Raiders’ Jett Proves He’s Not Only a Track Star, He’s a Big-Game, Big-Play Receiver

Raider rookie wide receiver James Jett just wanted to relax after the Raiders’ playoff victory over the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

But he didn’t want to stay home. So he decided to stop by a local dance club, where he ran into some old friends.

“Man, you made some great catches out there today,” one of Jett’s friends said about his three catches for 111 yards and a touchdown. “You can really play football.”

The others agreed. What made the praise so special to Jett, though, was that it was coming from three of the fastest runners in the world--Leroy Burrell, Dennis Mitchell and Jon Drummond.

The three sprinters were Jett’s Olympic track and field teammates in Barcelona in the summer of ’92.

“It was funny to hear stuff like that come out of those guys’ mouths,” said Jett, who won an Olympic gold medal as a member of the U.S. 400-meter relay team. “To know that they watched the game and saw me play is a great feeling.

“I mean, just to have guys who are above me at that level in track congratulate me felt good. It’s special to know that I have respect from guys who I respect in track.”

He also has the respect of his football peers. But getting it wasn’t easy.

Sprinters who become NFL wide receivers have to face critics who question their pass catching and toughness. Jett was no exception. When he signed with the Raiders as a free agent, he heard all the comments.

He heard people say behind his back, “He may have run in the Olympics and may have 4.2 speed, but his hands are 4.8.”

Then, once he started catching passes after blowing past defenders while wearing shorts during the Raiders’ mini-camp last May, Jett heard doubters again.

“He might look good now, but wait until the pads are on and the hitting really starts,” was the conventional wisdom.

Jett said he didn’t let those comments bother him because he was confident of his ability. He knew most of the critics didn’t realize that he had been a football player all his life, a football player who happened to be a track star as well.

In high school, Jett was a three-year starter at quarterback and wide receiver. As a senior, he was an all-state selection who was considered so good that a news conference was held in his hometown of Shenandoah Junction, W.Va., when he announced his college choice.

At the University of West Virginia, Jett’s four-year statistics were not anything to write home about, but they did say something about his big-play ability and toughness.

He caught 67 passes for 1,384 yards and 11 touchdowns as a wide receiver and returned 72 punts for 522 yards.

When it came time for the 1993 NFL draft, Jett was seen as a track star. After all, he had recorded the fastest 200-meter time in the country in 1992, 19.91.

Raider owner Al Davis saw Jett as a football player, someone with young legs who could give his offense a deep threat.

There was a crowd at wide receiver, what with Tim Brown, Alexander Wright, Willie Gault, Sam Graddy, James Lofton, Daryl Hobbs and Charles Jordan there, and Rocket Ismail waiting in the wings, but Davis and the Raiders handled Jett with kid gloves.

Jett was impressive in training camp at Oxnard, but he heard critics again when he dropped two passes against Green Bay in the exhibition opener, the Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio.

“Oh, he was just a little nervous in that game,”’ Coach Art Shell said. “But I knew he’d be all right because James never had a lack of confidence.”

And Jett did settle down, slowly working his way up the depth chart. By the time the regular season started, Jett was in the rotation as the third wide receiver.

“The adjustment from college to pro was tough for me because everything happened so fast,” Jett said. “I had to learn how to run routes, while reading defenses on the move. I had to do a lot of studying.”

Jett had his moments in the Raiders’ first five games, but the game that made him a fixture in their deep passing game was the Monday night game at Denver in October.

Jett made the big play when he caught a 12-yard pass and turned it into a crowd-quieting 74-yard touchdown.

“I would say that was the first real big NFL catch for me this season,” Jett said. “That catch was big because it helped us win the game.”

After that game, Jett became the leader in the AFC in yards per catch, causing sleepless nights for opposing defensive backs.

His fairy-tale rookie season hit a snag in the middle of the season when he suffered through an up-and-down three-game stretch in November.

In a 31-20 loss to Kansas City on Nov. 14, Jett dropped several key passes. The next week at San Diego, however, he caught seven for 138 yards. Then, on Nov. 28 at Cincinnati, he dropped a pass and had a costly fumble.

“That stuff happens, but James has been a good receiver for us all season,” Shell said. “He believes in his ability and I expect him to get better and better.”

In helping the Raiders win five of their last six games, Jett has become their big-play man, with a 24.5-yard average.

Against Denver last Sunday, he made two big plays in the first half.

On the Raiders’ second possession, he caught a 44-yard pass, setting up their first touchdown.

Then in the second quarter, he made a spectacular over-the-head catch for a touchdown on a play that was good for 54 yards.

“I had to really adjust for that ball,” Jett said. “It’s amazing that I made my two biggest catches against the Broncos because Denver was my favorite team growing up. It feels good to be making plays now, because I know that I’ve worked hard to get here.”

But does he miss track?

“Right now, I don’t miss it,” he said. “After what has happened for me this season, track is on the back burner.”