NFL: Raiders' Pro Bowl players clean out lockers early
By Jason Jones
McClatchy Newspapers
| |||||||||
TAMPA, Fla. � Perhaps cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha and punter Shane Lechler were just getting a head start on packing for February's Pro Bowl in Hawaii.
Both had already cleaned out their lockers Friday at team headquarters in Alameda before the Raiders left for Sunday's game against Tampa Bay, which Oakland won, 31-24.
Asomugha and Lechler, the only Raiders selected to play in the Pro Bowl, will become free agents when the NFL season is complete.
Raiders interim head coach Tom Cable said the fact both had emptied their lockers wasn't a reason to be alarmed.
The Raiders have a mandatory team meeting at 10 a.m. PST on Monday. Cable expects Lechler to be at the meeting. Asomugha, who missed Sunday's game because of a sore neck, has already been excused.
"Nnam has got an earlier commitment," Cable said. "We've already talked about it, so there's no issue there."
Spoiling the fun
Had the Buccaneers beaten Oakland, they would have reached the playoffs because Dallas lost to Philadelphia.
The Raiders, who haven't advanced to the playoffs or had a winning record since the 2002 season, weren't exactly feeling bad for Tampa Bay.
"We've been knocked out the playoffs for a while, so it feels great to do it to somebody else," quarterback JaMarcus Russell said.
It was also the final game for Tampa Bay defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, who is leaving after 13 seasons to take the same job at the University of Tennessee, where his son, former Raiders coach Lane Kiffin, is the new head coach.
Against Kiffin's defense, the Raiders ran for 192 yards and tied their second-highest point total of the season.
Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden remained complimentary of the team he led from 1998 to 2001.
"I would just like to congratulate the Raiders," Gruden said. "They came in here and played a good football game."
Two-minute drill
The Raiders hadn't scored in the final two minutes of a half this season before Russell found Chaz Schilens for a three-yard touchdown pass with 30 seconds left in the second quarter.
Tampa Bay entered the game leading the NFL with 31 points in the final two minutes of a half. The Raiders were last with zero points.
Et cetera
Running back Justin Fargas (strained knee), running back Darren McFadden (sprained ankle), defensive tackle Tommy Kelly (turf toe) and linebackers Marquis Cooper (hamstring) and Thomas Howard (ankle) did not finish the game.
Defensive end Kalimba Edwards (wrist) and wide receiver Ronald Curry (turf toe) were inactive.
Safety Rashad Baker made his third interception of the season in the fourth quarter. That tied him with Chris Johnson and former Raiders cornerback DeAngelo Hall for the team lead.
The Raiders' five wins are their most since 2004, when Norv Turner won five games in his first season as head coach.
Johnnie Lee Higgins' 67 punt-return yards gave him 570 for the season, passing Desmond Howard (541 in 1998) for the fifth-most in team history.