Raiders Run Outof Answers

Bill Gramatica, a rookie kicker for the Arizona Cardinals out of South Florida, used the turf at Network Associates Coliseum on Sunday as his own tumbling mat, turning a perfect 10 somersault after kicking a perfectly dramatic game-winning overtime field goal right into the snarling faces of the Oakland Raiders’ most faithful fans.

The wind was swirling, the rain was spitting, the sky was dark. But the football game between the Raiders, with Super Bowl visions, and Cardinals, ecstatic to be getting close to a .500 record, was one where it’s hard to remember all the big moments and big goofs.

Gramatica’s 36-yard field goal with 7:31 left in overtime, his fourth field goal of the game, gave Arizona its third consecutive victory, 34-31. Oakland (8-3) had won 10 consecutive home games and 10 in a row against NFC opponents. The Cardinals (5-6), coming here with two consecutive wins and having upset the Philadelphia Eagles earlier this season, were not considered a threat. Not here, in the cold and rain and wind, and certainly not against a team expecting greatness.

So what happened?

Steady quarterback Rich Gannon, who had only thrown two interceptions all season, threw two. The Raiders, who had led the NFL in fewest turnovers with 10 in 10 games, had three in this one.

Eighteen points were scored in the last 1:47 of regulation. The Cardinals led, 20-7, at halftime, but the Raiders came back to lead, 24-23, when Sebastian Janikowski kicked a 24-yard field goal with 1:47 left. Chests were pounded. Heads were butted. All by celebratory Raiders.

Then the Cardinals scored. David Boston, a big, strong receiver out of Ohio State, used one hand to grab a pass from scrambling quarterback Jake Plummer that turned into a 50-yard touchdown play. Plummer then ran up the middle for the two-point conversion to give Arizona a 31-24 lead with 1:18 left.

The stunned Cardinals didn’t have time to celebrate. It took Gannon only a minute and change to complete 22-, 36-and two-yard passes to 39-year-old Jerry Rice. The two-yarder was the touchdown. It came on fourth down with 12 seconds in regulation and tied the score.

So what else happened?

The Raiders won the toss, took the ball, couldn’t score, punted.

The Cardinals had to punt too.

As it turned out, that was it. David Dunn, a seven-year veteran, made a rookie mistake. Dunn, in the unpredictable wind, made a desperate dive for a weak, wobbly Arizona punt, and fumbled it. Deep in his own territory. Cardinal linebacker LaVar Woods clawed his way on the ground to pick up the fumble at the Oakland 25.

That led to the Argentine-born Gramatica’s game-winning field goal, which made him only the second member of his family to win a game in overtime Sunday. Earlier his older brother, Martin, had done the same for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers against the Cincinnati Bengals.

“That’s pretty cool,” Bill said. It’s a wonder Gramatica could speak at all the way Arizona Coach Dave McGinnis mauled him after the winning kick.

What else happened?

The Raiders, historically, have thrived on controversy and tumult, and this day was overflowing with both.

On a pregame NFL show on CBS, it was reported that starting defensive tackle Darrell Russell, a former USC player who was the Raiders’ first pick in the 1997 NFL draft, was going to be suspended for a year for testing positive for the drug Ecstasy in his system. Russell, who made the Pro Bowl last season, had served a four-game drug-related suspension at the beginning of this season.

Russell said that he would let his agent speak for him, but that he was “ready to play” next week against Kansas City.

Also before the game came word that Notre Dame Coach Bob Davie had been fired. Because Raider Coach Jon Gruden has been rumored as Davie’s replacement even while Davie still had the job, it was no surprise that among the first five questions for Gruden was one about the Notre Dame job.

“I haven’t had any conversations with anybody or anyone,” Gruden said. “I like where I am a lot. We’re going to finish the job.”

That response, through clenched teeth, came before he said that the Raiders clearly had problems--but after he said that he wouldn’t say much about Russell. “This is a very private matter,” Gruden said. “The league is securing information. Obviously, I’m concerned for Darrell. I’m not going to say he’s guilty or not guilty.”

The Raiders still have a two-game lead in the AFC West. The playoffs likely are in their future.

“But we didn’t play at an 8-2 level today,” Gruden said. “We’ve got to be better than this. We are better than this.”

After the Raiders took a 7-0 lead, the Cardinals scored 20 consecutive points.

“That was a terrible effort by us,” Gannon said. “Too many mistakes and we can’t afford to make mistakes.”

Plummer, who was 22 of 38 for 249 yards, no interceptions and one touchdown, said that what happened to the Raiders was a collision with a slowly maturing team that is gaining confidence.

“Once you start to grow up as a team,” Plummer said, “the ups and downs of a game don’t bother you so much. We’re starting to be able to bounce back from the down moments. In the past, after we got behind in a game like this, we probably would have lost.”