LAST SEASON: 10-6, lost to Patriots in divisional round of playoffs
PROJECTION: 2nd in AFC West

	In a core of Hall of Famers, Porter has found a niche.

STRONG SIDE

WR: Would you believe the key to the receiving unit is Jerry Porter? Yeah, any team with sure-fire Hall of Famers Jerry Rice and Tim Brown will catch a lot of passes and score points. But Porter, who chafed under Jon Gruden but lit up Bill Callahan's first training camp, has the jets and size (6'2", 225) to be a major weapon in a vertical air attack -- the kind Al Davis still dreams about. If Porter breaks through, the underneath opens up for the wily vets. Rice, 39, topped 1,000 yards last year for the 13th time. The 36-year-old Brown is still quick enough to get separation on intermediate routes; he has nine straight 1,000-yard seasons.

WEAK SIDE

DL: Trouble on the D-line. Starting tackles Darrell Russell (drug suspension) and Grady Jackson (Saints) are gone, and sack leader Regan Upshaw blew out a knee in preseason. Free agent T John Parella is tough against the run but scares few QBs. At age 36, DE Trace Armstrong's trying to come back from a ruptured Achilles. Run-stuffer Sam Adams, a camp signee, offers hope, but the DBs may have to bail out the line all year.

AFC West

1. Broncos

2. Raiders

3. Chiefs

4. Chargers

Scouting Report Index

OTHER UNITS

QB: Few Raiders benefited from Jon Gruden more than Rich Gannon, who had a career-high 95.5 QB rating last year. He makes good decisions, spreads the ball around and hasn't missed a game in three years. That's good because Marques Tuiasosopo isn't ready, and Rick Mirer never will be.

RB: The NFL rushing leaders in 2000, the Raiders fell to 24th last year. They're just a bunch of grinders. A healthy Tyrone Wheatley will spell undersized (5'10'', 190) Charlie Garner. Zack Crockett (6 TDs) handles short yardage. Garner (career-high 72 catches) is Gannon's go-to guy out of the backfield.

OL: A patchwork group protected Gannon last year. But C Barret Robbins and LG Mo Collins are back -- they played 8 games between them in 2001 -- with Barry Sims and Lincoln Kennedy on the outside. This is new coach Bill Callahan's area of expertise, and if there are problems, he'll fix them.

LB: Despite some new faces, 'backer should be a Raider strength. Ex-Bronco Bill Romanowski (7 sacks) brings experience and fire. First-round pick Napoleon Harris has raw talent. Veteran MLB Greg Biekert is the leader, but he could bolt in a salary dispute, taking the team's morale with him.

DB: Free agent Rod Woodson brings consistency, experience and 61 career picks. The best battle is at right corner, where brash rook Phillip Buchanon, who can run with any wideout, may send Tory James, who lacks man-to-man speed, to the bench. Then there's Charles Woodson, who just brings it all.

ST: Sebastian Janikowski cut his FG misses in half last season (from 10 to 5). Buchanon and veteran Reggie Barlow, who missed 2001 with a foot injury, should revive coverage units that faltered in 2001.

This article appears in the September 16 issue of ESPN The Magazine.