Just Win(ning) Baby!

Guys...you won't believe this, but my boys are doing pretty damn good. I know. We are only 2-2 on the season, but really we weren't that far from being 3-1, or even 4-0. This last win was Daunte Culpepper's first start with the Raiders and that in itself was an awesome storyline.

Last season he signed on with the Dolphins after losing the previous season to a knee injury while with the Vikings. They thought he had enough time to recover and become the franchise quarterback they have yet to find since Dan Marino retired. The then coach, Nick Saban, worked him too hard too fast and he needed more surgery and lost another season after just four games.

This past summer there was a lot of speculation that the Dolphins would bring on a new QB, but they weren't disclosing anything to anybody, including Daunte. When training camp came he forced their hand and went to practice with the team. As confirmation of their plans, the Dolphins actually had Culpepper escorted from the stadium with security.

I know in the press Daunte said all the right things about how this isn't about payback, but it definitely was. Right after scoring the touchdown pictured above, Culpepper ran to the crowd and pointed to his knee and flashed the "ok" hand gesture letting Miami and the rest of the league know that he was back. And was he ever...2 passing TDs and 3 rushing TDs later, the Raiders are on the road to redemption.

I can't tell you how exciting it is to have your team suddenly exceed expectations when for the last 3 years they had been the laughingstock of the league, the measure of woefulness in the NFL. But this is the whole reason why it's so great to stick with your team through thick and thin because when the going gets good after some time at the bottom of the heap, there's nothing as exciting as seeing them start there way back up.

We lost Lamont Jordan last week, but after the bye we get our other tailback, Dominic Rhodes, back from suspension. Then a week later Michael Bush will be eligible for reactivation from PUP status. If you don't remember, Rhodes had a big game for Indy in the Super Bowl last year, and Bush was a projected 1st round RB until he broke his leg. Things are looking good in Raiderdom. Thank goodness for Lane Kiffin, too. I'm loving life right now.

***UPDATE***

You gotta love sports irony though. Miami gets clobbered by a guy that they had written off. Last week the Padres collapsed and let the surging Rockies back into the playoff picture, who also beat the Pads in a one game playoff. A game, by the way, that was maybe one of the best games ever. At least if you're not a Padres fan. How about a grand slam, multiple home runs, extra innings, then a blown save by a future Hall of Fame reliever? Yup, all in one game. But I bring up the Padres because with the Brewers playing the role of spoilers after themselves collapsing down the stretch, in a game that made the difference between postseason and an extended vacation, Tony Gwynn Jr. hit a triple that ended up being the difference in a game last week that prevented the Padres from clinging to the Wild Card lead. Talk about irony…the face of the franchise for the Padres, Tony Gwynn, raises a boy who delivers a hit that prevents his team from making the playoffs. How can you not love sports? There is so much drama and so much story in every game that’s played. It’s nothing short of wonderful.