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Martin with his son passing on the Raiders spirit to the next generation in 2008. | |
I've been a Raiders fan since 1989. It all started with Tim Brown. A UK TV channel called Screensport showed Notre Dame games back in 1987. In 1988 I didn't have any possibility to follow him as he got drafted by the Raiders.
The year after, I got a chance to follow the NFL in a UK magazine called Touchdown and game highlights on CNN. Who did I see that year? Bo Jackson running over and away from defenders; the greatest back I had ever seen. I was hooked and the Raiders had a great 12-4 season.
Following that, there were some good seasons and the NFL came to Swedish television. Hostetler and Timmy made a great duo and Terry McDaniel was a great corner. After that, it was Jeff George. Those years I didn't see a lot of Raider football. Then Rich Gannon came in with Gruden and what a turn around it was.
The 2002 Super Bowl was a heartbreaker. I did like that the Raiders picked up Collins because, in my eyes, he was a winner from the Penn State Rose Bowl win to his seasons with the Giants.
In 2008, I went to the Bay Area and saw my beloved Raiders. I attended the loss to the Chargers and the win in overtime over the Jets. The best games to watch are when the Raiders beat up the Broncos like the game last season and the one in 2002 when Gannon made 21 straight completions.
Nowadays, I follow the Raiders through NFL gamepass and catch every game. I hope Coach Jackson can get everything to work for this team.