By KIT STIER
The (Westchester, N.Y.) Journal News

The Black Hole. Any questions? (AP photo) | ZOOM |

OAKLAND, Calif. - One year to the day and one step further along the playoff road than they had taken one season earlier, the New York Jets were overwhelmed by the Oakland Raiders in the second half Sunday and eliminated from their quest to reach the Super Bowl.

A team that hadn't committed a turnover in four games and a quarterback who hadn't thrown a pass interception since Dec. 2, made five glaring mistakes Sunday against a Raiders team that scored 17 points off of turnovers and advanced to the AFC championship game with a convincing 30-10 victory over the Jets in the Black Hole that's officially known as the Network Associates Coliseum.

The Jets flew home to clean out their lockers. The Raiders, who beat the Jets in the Wild Card round here a year ago on Jan 12 and have defeated New York four times on this lot in a span of 20 games, celebrated a playoff victory that will enable them to host the Tennessee Titans in the AFC title game next Sunday.

"I thought for the most part we dug ourselves a very big hole early in the year," said second-year Jets coach Herman Edwards, who willed his team out of a near disastrous 2-5 start. "We had high expectations. For the most part guys hung in there and got us to where we are at. We accomplished some things, but obviously we didn't accomplish everything we'd like. But I think it's another big step for this football team.

"I think we found out a lot about the football team," said Edwards, whose team had beaten Indianapolis 41-0 in a wild card game a week earlier. "We have to start all over again. There is nothing guaranteed. I think we know that."

Jets quarterback Chad Pennington had his first really off day since replacing the veteran Vinny Testaverde 14 games ago. He said he never felt in sync, not even after engineering a 16-play drive that covered 81 yards and consumed 7:46 off the clock and enabled the Jets to leave the field at the break with a 10-10 tie.

The Raiders and Jets aren't friendly and a fight nearly broke out before the pre-game coin flip. The Jets chose not to be introduced. Several strayed too close to where the Raiders had gathered in a large circle for a pre-game pep rally. Words were exchanged.

But it was in the second half that the Raiders, who were bitterly disappointed when they were eliminated from the playoffs in New England on what they believed was a bad call by an official last year, did their battling in the second half.

Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon, the NFL's MVP this season, didn't have a good first half. But he turned to throwing off play fakes in the second half and began to have instant success. His first pass after the second quarter was a 50-yard strike to Jerry Porter, who led all receivers with six catches and who later in the third period put the Jets behind for good.

It was on Oakland's third possession of the second half that the momentum swung for good. Pennington, who hadn't thrown an interception in 169 passes since Raiders safety Rod Woodson picked off the last throw of a 26-20 Oakland victory here on Dec. 20, threw a pass up the left sideline intended for Laveranues Coles that was picked off by Tory James.

Gannon then threw a 16-yard completion to Tim Brown before finding Porter on a 29-yard catch-and-run that gave the Raiders the lead for good. Porter got by Aaron Beasley on the play and safety Damien Robinson, who had a long afternoon, had no chance to catch Porter as the receiver raced into the end zone.

"In the first half he was just reading his receivers, but in the second half he started to come back and started to pump fake," Robinson said. "A lot of routes they got off were off the scramble. We didn't' get off the field. You can't do that against a person like Gannon."

The Jet game plan was to try to apply pressure on Gannon. They had some success in the first half and sacked the quarterback twice in the game. He had just 94 yards on six completions in the first half and finished with 283 yards on 20 completions.

The Jets took a chance on their next drive after the Raiders took the lead. LaMont Jordan was held for no gain on a third and three at Oakland's 35. The Jets went for the first down on fourth down, Pennington hesitated when he saw Wayne Chrebet scramble on a route and the pass was incomplete. The Raiders took over and four plays later Jerry Rice beat Robinson to the back of the end zone and caught a nine-yard scoring pass.

"I was struggling all day long," Pennington said. "I don't know why. It's one of those things you have to learn from and have a short-term memory.

"There is an old saying that as the quarterback goes so does the offense and so goes the team," Pennington said. "The quarterback didn't go today. I didn't play to at least give yourselves a chance. The Raiders were playing great football."

Pennington fumbled on the Jets' next drive and one drive after that threw an interception the Raiders converted into a field goal.

Pennington's first turnover took place in the first quarter. He was scrambling with the ball when linebacker Travian Smith hit the ball as Pennington ran with it near his side and recovered the ensuing fumble.

Raiders fullback Zack Crockett bulled in for a score six plays later and three plays into the second quarter.

Pennington gave the Jets hope before the end of the first half by leading an 81-yard, 16-play drive that ended with Gerald Sowell plunging in from the one.

"It was one of those days," Pennington concluded. "I can't explain it. That's why it's so frustrating. I didn't feel like I was myself out there.

"I thought we'd weathered the storm," Pennington said of the long drive. "I thought, 'OK, I've got the anxiety out of the way and I've had enough bad plays for a whole game.' That's why it's a 60-minute game."

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