By Steve Corkran/Contra Costa Times


Raiders Team Report
April 20, 2003 Print it



The Raiders are expected to decide soon on the future of DE Tony Bryant.

A helmet-to-helmet collision bruised his spinal cord, and he missed the final half of last season. Bryant is eager to return to action, but the team isn't convinced he's ready to resume full contact without risking severe injury.

A decision on Bryant will affect whether the team goes for a defensive end early in the draft or in the free-agent market. ...

The special teams look much stronger, with a new kick returner (Ronney Jenkins), a healthy punt returner (Phillip Buchanon) and several new players well-versed in kick coverage.

Jenkins is an upgrade over Terry Kirby, and Buchanon is a huge step up compared to Tim Brown and Charles Woodson.

OFFENSIVE ADJUSTMENTS

Every starter from last season's league-leading offense is back except FB Jon Ritchie, so no major philosophical shift is coming.

The biggest changes likely will be finding different ways to achieve the same success with new formations and plays. The team may try to run more to become more balanced and take pressure off the offensive line and QB Rich Gannon.

One possible change would be installing Jerry Porter as the starting receiver opposite WR Jerry Rice and turning Brown into more of a situational player, especially on third-down plays