Raiders

In the wake of their season-long defensive stupor, the Oakland Raiders last week denied a report that defensive coordinator Fred Whittingham was about to be fired.This week, it could be offensive coordinator Ray Perkins' turn on the hot seat.That's because, on losing teams, there's always a lot of blame to go around. And because, in so many words, Oakland quarterback Jeff George said the Raiders were out-coached in an abysmal, 13-10 loss to the near-destitute New Orleans Saints."We didn't have a clue how to attack their defense," George told reporters after the biggest upset of Week 11. "In the huddle, I was asking Timmy [Brown]

The Oakland Raiders were at a loss to answer two troubling questions in Week 10: Who was that hyper running back who kept shredding their defense? And how do you stop him?Fred Lane, the answer to the first question, never let the Raiders solve the second.With a record 147-yard, three-touchdown rushing performance, the Carolina Panthers' rookie emerged as one of the team's most unlikely heroes.Undrafted out of Lane College, a small, predominantly black Division II school in Jackson, Tenn., Lane ravaged a Raiders defensive line that included four starters who were first-round draft picks in the 1990s.

The Oakland Raiders fired coach Norv Turner yesterday after consecutive losing seasons in which the team managed only one victory in its division. Turner, 53, who had a year remaining on his contract worth about $1.75 million, had known his job was in jeopardy for the past two months after struggling to get the most out of star receiver Randy Moss and an offense that also included quarterback Kerry Collins, receiver Jerry Porter and running back LaMont...

It is difficult, perhaps even impossible, to select one top player on Loch Raven's girls lacrosse team.That in itself says a lot about the team that has won eight of the last 10 state regional titles and the first ever state Class 2A/1A tournament championship last spring. Nearly the same lineup is back under coach Wendy Galinn, and it still contains only four seniors.In four games this season, the unbeaten Raiders have scored 87 goals and allowed 10.OK, so they need to work on that defense a little, but it is hard to imagine a more explosive attack.

Despite indications that the Los Angeles Raiders are considering a move to Baltimore, Gov. William Donald Schaefer yesterday said he is not hopeful that a commitment from any team will come in time for the return of the NFL to the city.In some of his most pessimistic public statements on the topic, Schaefer did not say he was ending his decade-long quest to return the city to the NFL, but showed no interest in extending the Feb. 14 deadline he negotiated with lawmakers."I am not optimistic that in two weeks something will be finalized.

For the first time in five years, the defending Super Bowl champion won't be kicking off the season on Monday night this year.The Dallas Cowboys will be at the Pittsburgh Steelers at 4 p.m. in Fox's first doubleheader game today. For $1.58 billion, the NFL figures Fox should get a few perks.As a consolation prize, ABC-TV gets the NFC runner-up for the past two years, the San Francisco 49ers, playing host to the Los Angeles Raiders.That's a pretty good matchup, but former San Diego Chargers linebacker Gary Plummer, who signed with the 49ers as a free agent, obviously decided the matchup needed a little hype.

Gene Miller injected one happy note into a sad ending for Atholton's baseball season Saturday.Miller, a little-used senior back-up catcher, pinch-hit with two outs in the last inning and blasted a 400-foot-plus home run over the left-field fence. It was a Ruthian kind of blast that left fans slack-jawed.The solo homer was too little, too late. Atholton lost the Class 3A, Region III semifinal game to Thomas Johnson of Frederick, 7-3.But it was one of those unforgettable moments for the 6-foot-2, 190-pound Miller, who also played tackle on the football team and ran indoor track this school year.

The TV repairman After days of getting thumped by CNN on the Persian Gulf beat, NBC and CBS had a chance to slink away for a few hours yesterday and get back on familiar ground, covering pro football.Generally speaking, they comported themselves well. Which, considering their decades of experience, should come as no surprise.Despite working a game that was over quicker than a Mike Tyson fight (Bills 51, Raiders 3), Bill Walsh was the day's only four-star performer.The NBC analyst gained points right off the bat by quickly noting the Raiders weren't prepared to stop Buffalo coming in, and did virtually nothing to correct the situation.

The Oakland Raiders fired coach Lane Kiffin yesterday just four games into his second season, ending a public feud with owner Al Davis that had been simmering since the start of the year. "I reached a point where I felt that the whole staff were fractionalized, that the best thing to do to get this thing back was to make a change," Davis said during a lengthy news conference. "It hurts because I picked the guy. I picked the wrong guy." The Raiders promoted offensive line coach Tom Cable to interim head coach.

Rich Gannon has gone from out of football to the top of the sport. The Oakland Raiders journeyman quarterback has finally found a home after 12 years in the league, turning around a once-storied franchise as well as his career. In 1994, Gannon was out of the league and at his home in Minnesota, building a toy train layout in his basement and shoveling snow. Six seasons later, he has propelled the Raiders to an 11-4 record and their first playoff berth since 1993. Why has Gannon, after twice being traded and twice cast adrift, become a leading candidate for NFL Most Valuable Player?