Battle of the Bay Area Goes to the Raiders, 33-30

No matter how often they’re asked, Rich Gannon and Kerry Collins insist there’s no quarterback competition on the Oakland Raiders.

And new Coach Norv Turner again made it clear Gannon is his No. 1 guy.

Gannon came out throwing in his first game back from shoulder surgery and looked like his old self Saturday. But Collins, his strong-armed backup, was the one who got the Raiders into the end zone in their 33-30 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in the exhibition opener Saturday night at Oakland.

“It’s a competition from the standpoint we’re trying to beat the other team and that’s it,� Collins said. “My approach is to do the best I can do regardless of the situation. I thought Rich played really well tonight. I don’t worry about it. I really want to take advantage of the preseason and a chance to play and run the offense. This is my time to work on things.�

Gannon was nine of 15 for 69 yards, with his longest completion a 16-yarder to Amos Zereoue.

Gannon completed seven of 12 passes in the Raiders’ opening drive that led to Sebastian Janikowski’s 26-yard field goal -- the first of his four field goals, including a 21-yarder to break a 27-27 tie with 6:28 remaining, and the winning kick from 40 yards as time expired.

Kirk Yliniemi kicked a 38-yard field goal with 1:53 left to tie it at 30.

Gannon, the 2002 NFL most valuable player, was knocked out of the Raiders’ 17-10 loss to Kansas City last Oct. 20 and had shoulder surgery in November.

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In other exhibition games: Joe Hamilton threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Bryan Fletcher with 11 seconds remaining at San Diego to lift Indianapolis to a 21-17 victory over the Chargers.

The Chargers’ Drew Brees played the first half and was 11 of 14 for 156 yards, including a six-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Gates in the first quarter. The Colts’ Peyton Manning played only the first two series, each consisting of three downs and a punt.

At Houston, David Carr was seven of eight for 89 yards and a touchdown in Houston’s 18-0 victory over Dallas.

Vinny Testaverde, the nominal starter after the Cowboys cut incumbent Quincy Carter on Aug. 4, was four of seven for 34 yards, including one 13-yard completion to Keyshawn Johnson. Eddie George ran for 12 yards in five carries.

“I’m very disappointed,� Cowboy Coach Bill Parcells said. “We played everyone and I got to look at a lot of players, and I’ve decided to spend more time with the guys that will be playing.�

At Landover, Md., John Kasay kicked a 52-yard field goal with 7:31 left in overtime after Carolina’s fourth interception to lift the Panthers past Washington, 23-20.

At Minneapolis, Daunte Culpepper threw a 48-yard touchdown pass to Randy Moss as Minnesota defeated Arizona, 23-6, in Dennis Green’s first game as Cardinal coach.

At Nashville, Chris Brown ran for 46 yards in six carries and Steve McNair threw for a touchdown to Derrick Mason as Tennessee rolled past Cleveland, 24-3.

At Detroit, Joey Harrington completed five of seven passes for 68 yards and a touchdown to Casey FitzSimmons as Detroit defeated Pittsburgh, 27-21. Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was eight of 13 for 84 yards, including a seven-yard touchdown to Antwaan Randle El.

At Miami, Jay Fiedler and A.J. Feeley battled to a draw in their quarterback competition as Miami defeated Jacksonville, 16-5. In the absence of Ricky Williams, the Dolphins totaled 30 yards in 22 carries until undrafted rookie Fred Russell burst up the middle for an 88-yard gain in the final minute.

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The exhibition opener between Cincinnati and Tampa Bay was rescheduled for Monday night after its postponement because of Hurricane Charley.

The game initially had been set for Saturday night but was called off Friday. It will now be played at Raymond James Stadium, in Tampa, Fla., the NFL said.

Other Florida teams are pitching in to help those affected by the hurricane. Jacksonville and Miami organized a program to collect donations at their exhibition game Saturday night. The Buccaneers planned a similar collection at their game Monday.

Donations will also be accepted at the Jaguars’ home game against Tampa Bay on Friday. In addition, the family of Miami owner Wayne Huizenga and the team donated $1 million to relief efforts.

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San Diego’s LaDainian Tomlinson made it official, signing the richest contract for a running back in NFL history, a deal worth nearly $60 million. His deal surpasses that of Washington’s Clinton Portis, who got $50.5 million for eight years.