Brown, Raiders focus on task
By Steve Corkran
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
URL:http://www.bayarea.com/mld/bayarea/sports/football/nfl/oakland_raiders/4977653.htm
Tim Brown and Jerry Rice celebrate one of their many touchdowns.
OAKLAND - Raiders veteran wide receiver Tim Brown on Friday night characterized most of his 15-year career as not "too much fun."
That's what spending 14 years chasing a Super Bowl title without coming close apparently can do to one's outlook. Yet, there remains hope for Brown.
The Raiders play the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday for the right to play the NFC champion in the Super Bowl on Jan. 26.
The coach of each team and two or three players from each team spoke Friday about their upcoming AFC Championship Game in the last organized media session of the week.
Brown spoke right after Raiders coach Bill Callahan. He stood five feet or so away from the AFC Championship trophy that he so desires and missed out on winning twice before.
"I didn't see the trophy," Brown said, when asked what he thought of the football-shaped award that sat next to a Raiders helmet on a table.
How is that for focus? Well, Brown wasn't biting. He said he remembers all too well two previous AFC Championship Game losses during his career. Therefore, Sunday's game is the only thing that matters at this point.
"I told my wife on (last) Sunday night that if anybody calls my house, they don't even have to say Super Bowl together," Brown said. "If they say 'super' and 'bowl' while they are talking, you hang up the phone on them, because it's all about the Tennessee Titans this week and not about the Super Bowl."
So it went from both sides, as they heaped praise upon each other, kept the focus on the game and steered clear of controversy.
Friday's league-arranged, mandatory press conferences served as the only real distraction and break from routine for the Raiders this week, Callahan said.
"We have taken a different approach than we had in the past," Callahan said, "and I have benefited from the experience and had the opportunity to change some things. We have eliminated a lot of distraction, we have isolated our team and focused in and concentrated as good, if not better, than any point that I have been with the Raiders."
Callahan said his players sat at attention during meetings this week, didn't goof around and hung on his every word.
The only other distractions this week came in the form of ticket requests, screams from adoring fans and unsolicited phone calls, Brown said. That made hanging out at the team's training facility in Alameda sort of a getaway from the unwanted stuff.
There, the Raiders implemented their game plan, prepared for the red-hot Titans -- they've won 11 of their past 12 games -- and readied themselves for the game that could catapult them one step closer to the goal they set during at the beginning of the season: winning the Super Bowl.
Now that would be fun, Brown said. But the smiles and laughter can wait.
"I don't think we are surprised we are here," Brown said. "Everybody thought we would be here, but the job is still unfinished and it's going to take us getting it done Sunday to put us in a position to finish off the job."
Titans coach Jeff Fisher praised his team's preparation, as well, even though a snowstorm forced them to alter their routine.
"We are very excited about the opportunity to come back here and have another opportunity to play the Raiders," Fisher said. "This is going to be one of those (games) you are not going to want to miss." |
