Culpepper likely gets nod in Oakland

A quarterback controversy can overshadow all of the other position battles on a team.
Take the Raiders. Incumbent center Jake Grove is battling free agent Jeremy Newberry in a neck-and-neck competition for the starting job. In the secondary, veteran Donovan Darius is clawing his way up a depth chart that features talented youngsters Michael Huff and Stuart Schweigert. At running back, LaMont Jordan is the starter, but there's a pitched battle underway for the change-up role. Adimchinobe Echemandu may beat Justin Fargis and Dominic Rhodes for the right to spell Jordan. Echemandu played under the name Joey Echu at Cal, but he changed his name because a.) he's proud of his Nigerian heritage and b.) he hates copy editors.
These are all important competitions that will shape the Raiders season, but all you hear about is "quarterback, quarterback, quarterback." Hey, that's how we roll in the mainstream media. And let's face it, if the Raiders bumble through another season with the likes of Josh McCown under center, it won't matter who is snapping him the ball.
Luckily, McCown probably won't be the opening day starter for the Raiders. Daunte Culpepper played the entire first half on Friday night and looked much sharper than his 4-of-8 for 47 yards would indicate. Two of his passes bounced off Jerry Porter's hands, and Mike Williams dropped another Culpepper pass. Johnny Lee Higgins caught a Culpepper bomb with one foot out of bounds, but he drew a pass interference penalty that set up Ronald Curry's touchdown catch. Culpepper doesn't yet have crisp timing with his targets, but his deep passes had zip and his short passes were on the money. He even scrambled three times, though he's clearly a step slower than he was two years ago.
Lane Kiffin didn't name Culpepper the starter, but he was happy to see Culpepper working to master the Raiders' new system. "I know this about Daunte - he's buying into what we need, and I don't think that's what he's used to," Kiffin said on Saturday. The Raiders don't need a scramble-happy freewheeler. They need a strong-armed veteran who can keep the offense competitive while Kiffin assembles more pieces. Culpepper looks like the man.
Oh, and for the record: Grove looked pretty good at center on Friday, Echemandu definitely earned a roster spot, and Darius will probably be limited to nickel duty, where he could serve as a hybrid safety/linebacker.