Schedule Kerry Collins

every game in the NFL should be treated as a playoff game. But, particularly for the , the first four games of the season should be treated like four isolated Super Bowls. The Raiders received a rather-generous season commencement on Thursday, as they will face off with the San Diego Chargers, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, and San Francisco 49ers to kick off the 2006 season, with a Week Three bye dividing the games.In week one, Oakland will meet with the San Diego Chargers-one of the three divisional rivals who swept Oakland last season. However, unlike in 2005, the Chargers will be without the 2004 NFL Comeback Player of the Year, Drew Brees. Instead, San Diego's 2004 first-round draft selection, Philip Rivers, will be under center. In his two-year career, the N.C. State alumni has attempted just 30 passes and thrown for 148 yards. To begin a new starting era, 24-year-old Rivers will have to travel into McAfee Coliseum on Monday, September 11th to meet with Oakland on their home turf in a nationally-televised game. Topping the Raiders under such a favorable condition may be as easy for Rivers as falling asleep on a bed of thumbtacks. Advantage Oakland.A September 11th win against San Diego would mark the Raiders' first week one victory since a 2002 team that finished the season 11-5. That Rich Gannon-led squad won their first four games of the season and finished the year as the Champions of the AFC. In 2006, Oakland will have an equally-promising opportunity to make an early four-game sweep.To say the least, Week Two should be very interesting. Oakland will head to Baltimore to meet with the Ravens, who are still without a clear-cut starting quarterback. This is where the "interesting" part comes into play. As of now, the Ravens are the only team to speak with ex-Raiders quarterback Kerry Collins about playing in 2005. If Collins becomes a Raven, the game will take on an entirely new meaning for the Raiders and their fans alike.Nevertheless, Week Two is another highly winnable game-even more so than Week One. Baltimore put up an average of just 16.6 points per game in a 2005 campaign where they won just six games. And although Oakland won two less games than the Ravens did last season, they averaged more points per game with 18.1. Plus, with Kerry Collins moved off the Raiders' roster and possibly on to the Ravens', you can tack on another six or so points for Oakland and take off the same number for Baltimore. In all seriousness though, with or without Kerry Collins, a 24-10 win over Baltimore sounds very pragmatic.So here they are: 2-0 heading into a Week Three bye. It seems almost to be a preconceived notion; however, the release of the 17-week schedule on Thursday is the main dynamic behind it all. Last season, the Raiders opened up the season playing New England, Kansas City, Philadelphia, and Dallas. Thus far, the Brees-less Chargers do not measure up with the AFC East Champion Patriots and the 2005 Ravens can't compete with the Chiefs by any stretch of the imagination.Who are the Philadelphia Eagles of 2006? The Browns. Like Baltimore, Cleveland also finished off last season with a 6-10 record. However, the Browns were even worse than the Ravens in the 2005 scoring column, posting a league low 14.5 points per game. Once again, following a Week Three bye, another highly-winnable game will fall into the lap of the Raiders.Just when you may have thought things couldn't get any easier for the Oakland, October 8th rolls around-a Bay Area fender-bender at San Francisco. One last time, the Raiders will play a team that averaged fewer points than their own club in 2005. The 49ers scored just 14.9 points per game last year-a number good for third-worst in the NFL.Of Oakland's first four opponents, three had records of 6-10 or less and have offenses that ranked lower than the 23rd-ranked scoring offense of Oakland in 2005. The other team, San Diego, has a rookie quarterback who would be facing a steep uphill battle away from home in Week One.The at 4-0? Based entirely on their last three seasons, it looks highly improbable. But based on their first four opponents, it's extremely possible.Four and ohhhouldn't that be sweet?!