That unwritten rule about not being able to go home again - forget it.
It took the Raiders all of one game to break that and live up to the only rule that matters to maverick owner Al Davis - just win. All in all, not bad for a team that thrives on a renegade image.Playing their first game back in Oakland in front of a crowd that embraced them as if they'd never left, the Raiders came away with a 17-7 win Sunday over the San Diego Chargers.
Not only did the Raiders get the satisfaction of knocking off the mistake-prone AFC champions but they did it before a sellout crowd and reversed their start of a year ago when they were blown out in the 1994 opener by Super Bowl champion San Francisco.
"This was a very important win for us, especially when you look at the things that happened to us last year," Raiders defensive tackle Jerry Ball said. "We got one up on San Diego in the division. It will be a tug of war all year but I'm happy to start with a win."
And happy to be playing again in Oakland, where the team spent its first 22 seasons before leaving for Los Angeles 14 years ago.
"The Boys Are Back in Town" blared over loudspeakers and fans wrapped in silver and black roared as the Raiders took the field for their first regular-season game at the Oakland Coliseum since 1981.
On Sunday, just about the only reminder of the club's Southern California sojourn was Magic Johnson, who cheered the Raiders from the sidelines.
"When you get back here and you see the stadium completely filled and then you see the Raiders of old coming in, you get a feeling for what it used to be like," said Jeff Hostetler, who received a congratulatory handshake from past Raiders great George Blanda.
Hostetler led a 14-play, 99-yard touchdown drive in the first half that epitomized the Raiders' revamped offense. He had 14 completions in 26 attempts for 136 yards while scrambling Chargers defenders by running four times for 46 yards, second on the team to Harvey Williams' 48 yards rushing.
The Raiders won nearly 80 percent of their games at the Oakland Coliseum in 1966-81 before consistent sellouts. They won just 63 percent of their games at the often half-empty Los Angeles Coliseum.
"It was like back in college days, people were really fired up," said Hostetler, who was 14-for-26 for 136 yards. "It was something special."
"This was a great football crowd. It is a great football town," added Mike White, a winner in his coaching debut. "That 99-yard drive was key. We just made the key plays. I'm really proud. It means a lot.
"When you put together a new coaching staff, as Al and I did, and then win. This game gives us hope," White said.
The Raiders took advantage of two second-half turnovers, one a fumble by Natrone Means and the other a muffed punt by Andre Coleman, to defeat the Chargers.
Hostetler threw a 5-yard scoring pass to Tim Brown to complete the long drive. Rookie Napoleon Kaufman scooted 16 yards for a touchdown and Cole Ford, a late fill-in for the injured Jeff Jaeger, added a 46-yard field goal.
Stan Humphries had a 39-yard TD toss to Shawn Jefferson for the Chargers, who were tormented by defensive end Pat Swilling. The five-time Pro Bowl player, who moved to Oakland from Detroit, forced a fumble and seemed to spend as much time as Humphries in the San Diego backfield.
"You can't give away points. You can't turn the ball over. We've been a team that hasn't done that, and we can't let that infiltrate our team," Chargers coach Bobby Ross said. "We'll go back and catch 100 punts - in the sun, rain, snow, clouds, there's no difference. We have to go out and field the damn ball."
Humphries went 23-for-47 for 305 yards, including six completions to Jefferson for 120 yards. Means had 60 yards on 15 carries, but gained just eight on eight carries in the second half.
Raiders offensive tackle Gerald Perry was knocked out of the game in the first quarter with a broken right forearm. The Raiders said they would decide in the next few days whether Perry would need surgery.
D. Pondoc symbolized the commitment of the fans - he was so ecstactic about the Raiders returning to town that he decided to spend his savings on season tickets rather than put a down payment on a home.
Pondoc, who doesn't mind paying rent for at least another year, spent $7,000 for a personal seat license and tickets on the 40-yard line.