Napa, Calif. – Dabblers in pop psychology and devotees of symbolism had an abundance of material to work with Thursday as the Oakland Raiders reported for training camp.
At about 2 p.m., a black limo pulled up outside the team’s hotel. Unfolding from the back seat was none other than Randy Moss, the wide receiver expected to hearken memories of the Raiders’ once-feared vertical passing game.
About an hour later, a black pickup truck pulled into the parking lot. The occupant in this case was Oakland’s “other” wide receiver, Jerry Porter, who brought his common-man motif together with his outfit – a black FedEx jumpsuit accessorized with a bright orange back brace from the same company.
“I’m just trying to step up my wardrobe and make enough money to pay for the truck,” he joked.
Champagne tastes apparently aren’t a problem for the Raiders, who not only acquired Moss from the Minnesota Vikings but added another player expected to provide premium production: running back LaMont Jordan. The duo is merely expected to rejuvenate quarterback Kerry Collins and breathe some life into a team that last season was often as stale and flat as three-day-old beer.
“Right now, we’re just trying to bond together and get on the same page,” Porter said when asked about the heightened expectations surrounding the Raiders. “Considering we were 5-11 last year, that’s enough to get the juices flowing.
“Knowing we have to get better than that is enough in itself.”
Moss declined comment Thursday. When asked a question by one of the many hovering reporters, he responded with a curt, “Forget it, we’ll do this tomorrow.” He then amended that to sometime next week.
Porter said during a number of encounters with Moss, he has found his new teammate to be “a pretty cool guy, not the person that the media makes him out to be.”
In any case, it’s certain the Raiders are interested in the sort of production Moss provided in the first seven seasons of his career. Apart from last season, when he missed three games with injuries, Moss never gained fewer than 1,200 yards receiving.
He has scored at least 10 touchdowns in six of his seven seasons.
While undoubtedly the focal point of the Raiders’ hoped-for revival, Moss isn’t the only offensive jewel on hand.
Porter was just 2 receiving yards shy of 1,000 a year ago and scored nine touchdowns. Jordan, the former backup to Curtis Martin on the New York Jets, is expected to thrive after averaging more than 5 yards a carry on 93 attempts a year ago.
However, the four-year veteran, who arrived in camp on one of two team buses, says he’s one of the few people in these parts who isn’t getting carried away by the obvious potential of the Silver and Black’s attack.
“Everything looks good on paper,” Jordan said. “There’s plenty of teams out there who look good on paper, but they don’t go out and take care of business out on the field. I definitely don’t want to be part of one of those teams.
“Now is the time for us to show we can look good out on the field.”
Anthony Cotton can be reached at 303-820-1292 or acotton@denverpost.com.
