Garner runs on water and leaves the Chiefs in his wake

[xRaider]

y Eric Gilmore
TIMES COLUMNIST
OAKLAND - The rain was falling faster than the ground could take it in. The
field looked like a lake surrounded by a quagmire. Bodies were slipping and
sliding at an alarming rate.

Then there was Raiders running back Charlie Garner.

Garner didn't walk on water Saturday during the Raiders' 24-0 victory over
the Kansas City Chiefs. He ran on water. And mud. And goo.

Garner ran for a season-high 135 yards on a season-high 29 carries. He
treated the slippery field as if it were bone-dry artificial turf, cutting
this way and that, making would-be Chiefs tacklers miss.

The Raiders watched the skies open up and decided to run over the Chiefs, 60
times for 280 yards to be exact. And it was Garner -- with a huge assist to
his huge blockers up front -- who set the tone.

Garner rushed for 46 yards in the first quarter. By halftime, he had 89
rushing yards and a touchdown, and the Raiders owned a 14-0 lead. With the
rain still falling, this game was as good as over.

"I pride myself on going out and being able to run the ball in any
conditions," Garner said.

Maybe it's his quick, choppy steps. Maybe it's his exceptional balance.
Maybe it's his magic shoes. Strike that one.

For whatever reasons, Garner didn't let the rain and mud slow him down. He
played at a faster speed than the Chiefs, making them look as if they were
running in slow motion.

"Who knows how he does any of the things he does?" Raiders offensive tackle
Barry Sims said.

The Raiders don't care how Garner does those things. They just want him to
keep doing them.

With El Nino apparently in full force, the Raiders could be looking at more
rainy, sloppy conditions for the playoffs. In Garner, it's clear they have a
weapon that's still dangerous when wet.

On the Raiders first drive, Garner turned a draw play into 14 yards. On the
next drive, he went over right tackle, bounced outside and raced for a
10-yard gain. What was that about a slippery field?

"It was awesome," Raiders center Barret Robbins said. "There's something
about him. On normal days he's quicker than the average man in the NFL.

"When you have a rain game and it levels out the field, he's going to be
faster than everyone all the time."

Is there any running back quicker than Garner?

"You've got to go back to Barry Sanders," Raiders guard Frank Middleton
said. "The guy's lightning."

Make that "patient" lightning, the kind that knows exactly when to strike
and head upfield, fellow running back Zack Crockett said.

"He'll sit for a second, then poof, it's like he's shot out of a cannon,"
Crockett said.

Facing first-and-goal from the 11 early in the second quarter, Garner took
the handoff, shot up the middle, put his head down then and ran over safety
Shaunard Harts for a 10-yard gain.

Then he rammed into the end zone -- standing, of course -- putting the
Raiders ahead 7-0. Instead of spiking the ball, dancing or signing an
autograph, Garner just kept running. He took a sharp right out of the end
zone, then another sharp right to the Raiders bench, where he handed the
ball to a ball boy for safe keeping.

"He has an endless supply of energy and emotion guys can feed off," Raiders
fullback Jon Ritchie said.

Garner didn't make the Pro Bowl team this year, and he has been overshadowed
by quarterback Rich Gannon's record-setting season. Yet you can make a case
that he's the team's MVP.

Garner rushed for a team-leading 962 yards and seven touchdowns. He caught
91 passes -- one fewer than Jerry Rice's team-leading total -- for 941 yards
and four touchdowns. That's a combined 1,903 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Garner has caught more passes than any other NFL running back this season.
But he reminded everyone that he can still run the ball, too. He rushed for
135 yards despite watching the final 11 minutes from the sideline with the
victory firmly in hand.

"Ever since I came over here I wanted this opportunity," Garner said. "The
opportunity didn't present itself until today. When it does, I'm going to
take advantage of it."

Even in the rain and the mud.