NAPA, Calif. -- Conventional shouting couldn't shake the Raiders' offense from a rare morning funk, so Bill Callahan offered a wakeup call. He ordered a few live plays of scrimmaging.

	In his 14th season in the NFL, Rich Gannon threw for 4,689 yards last year.

Jerry Rice wasn't happy with himself. Rich Gannon was off with his passing. The offensive machine that passed for almost 300 yards a game had a glitch. "We weren't sharp mentally," Callahan groused after practice. "I thought we would be sharper throwing the football. Today we weren't on."

The anecdote said a lot about the Raiders following their Super Bowl loss to the Buccaneers. It's hard to reach the pinnacle of offensive efficiency achieved last season by Gannon and Co. Second, the Raiders are on a mission. Third, Callahan is a really, really good coach who's done an amazing job of growing into the role as the leader of a Super Bowl contender.

"It's a new year and there are no guarantees," Gannon said. "We were all disappointed with the way it went down last season, but at the same time, you can't dwell on it. We have to have the same guys as last year set the tone for this season. Those guys have to play at the same level as a year ago for us to have a chance."

Rice, Gannon, Tim Brown and other thirty-something Raiders know they are defying biological clocks to take one more whack at the Super Bowl. With the Raiders $50 million over the salary cap, the veterans pitched in over the offseason to rework contracts to keep this group together. The only losses were fullback Jon Ritchie, halfback Terry Kirby, defensive linemen Regan Upshaw and Sam Adams, cornerback Tory James and inactive wide receiver James Jett.

What this group of warriors did last season was incredible. They played the league's toughest schedule and survived 13 games against teams 8-8 or better. Because of a Week 3 bye, the Raiders had to go 14 straight weeks without a break with an old roster. To come out of that grind with an 11-5 record and the AFC's top seed was a big accomplishment.

Camp Callahan is interesting. Last year, he caught opposing coaches off-guard with his innovations. He tightened a defense that was weak against the run. Offensively, he juggled Gannon's progressions with imaginative schemes that allowed wide receiver Jerry Porter to emerge as a budding star and for Doug Jolley to catch everyone's eyes with his crossing routes from the tight end position.

Anyone thinking that the 2003 Raiders will fall into a predictable pattern is wrong. Callahan revamped the playbook significantly this offseason.

"We've made a lot of changes to improve on what we did a year ago," Gannon said. "We've got to be more efficient and think as we add to this offense and as this offense evolves. Everybody will spend the offseason looking at what we did a year ago. There are new concepts. We've added new terminology. We are thinking some things up. We just have to be more efficient but still be aggressive and try to push the ball."

Robbins update

The Barret Robbins comeback doesn't look too good. He's trying. He's taking medication and he is practicing. But, over the weekend, Raiders coach Bill Callahan moved tackle-guard Matt Stinchcomb to the first-team center position. Adam Treu is established as the backup and the deep snapper. Where does that leave Robbins, who is trying to win back the confidence of his teammates after bolting on them on the eve of the Super Bowl? Medication for his bipolar disorder bloated his waistline. His weight soared as high as 360 pounds. Robbins trimmed his weight within seven pounds of what the Raiders want him at, but he's struggling because of offseason knee surgery. He has had swelling and his practice time has been limited. "Actually, Barrett looks better than he did a year ago," coach Bill Callahan said. "But he still needs to establish a consistency of practice. He'll go at it in the morning, and the knee will swell up on him. He can't get the rhythm in his practices." Robbins won't play in the Raiders' first exhibition game, and he knows that he needs to play to win back the confidence of his teammates. He's willing, but the body isn't cooperating yet. I don't get any positive vibes about this situation right now. — John Clayton

While the changes on the offense might be subtle, there should be a noticeable difference on defense. A year ago, the Raiders revamped 10 starting jobs. This year, everyone except Adams is back, so the unit is light years ahead of where it was a year ago.

"We had a lot of stuff in last year scheme-wise but with a lot of new guys, it took us to the middle of the season to really get a feel for how we do things," defensive end Trace Armstrong said. "We haven't had that learning time this year. We've hit the ground running."

Defensive linemen are stunting instinctively on practice plays. That's an advance. The linebacking trio of Bill Romanowski, Napoleon Harris and Eric Barton worked together in sync. Callahan boasts about the versatility of the five No. 1 choices in his secondary.

"We have another year together and we are jelling," Romanowski said. "It's that mindset and communication on the field where you can look at a guy because you know what he's thinking and he knows what you're thinking. We are getting to that point. It's pretty special."

The Raiders should improve on some pretty good stats from last year. They gave up 311 yards a game, 220 through the air. Being young and inexperienced at four of the top-five defensive end spots, the Raiders need DeLawrence Grant, Kenyon Coleman or Tyler Brayton to grow into their jobs quickly or for Armstrong to keep finding the fountain of youth. The Raiders had only 11½ sacks from defensive ends. Armstrong led with four, but they lose 4½ sacks with the departures of Upshaw and Tony Bryant, who was cut because of a neck problem.

"It's a good group," Armstrong said. "The thing I like about them is that they like to play the game and they want to be good. I'll line up with guys like that any day because you know what you will get."

Since the Jon Gruden trade, the Raiders have used the draft like a transfusion for tired blood. For the coaching staff, these young players have generated energy. Phillip Buchanon, when healthy, gives the Raiders a coverage cornerback. Langston Walker is the tackle of the future. Jolley and Teyo Johnson open endless possibilities for downfield plays by tight ends.

"We've got a unique blend of age," Callahan said. "It's somewhat of a unique team. We have 11 veterans over 30 years of age. We've got a lot of upside of mid-range veterans from years five to nine. We've got a very solid core of special teamers. We've had the emergence of Jerry Porter."

The Raiders also plan to incorporate speedy rookie halfback Justin Fargas into the offense for big plays. Callahan knows that defenses have studied them closely, so he's got to experiment to stay ahead of them.

	“	I think it's something you never get over. You get to the big dance and you don't seal the deal. It stays with you the rest of your life. I'm as hungry as ever. I would love to redeem myself. ”
		— Jerry Rice, Raiders wide receiver on losing the Super Bowl

"Whatever a defense gives us is what we are going to do," Tim Brown said. "Last year, defenses played us mostly Cover 2 (zone). They figure they can play Cover 2 then they can play five men underneath, have a four-man rush and have two guys deep. But we designed our offense for Cover 2. If a team plays man or Cover 3, it should be a field day for us."

Most of the veterans say they aren't thinking about the disappointment of the Super Bowl loss, but it's clear that they are. Many are using it for motivation. Many are using it for focus.

"I think it's something you never get over," Rice said. "You get to the big dance and you don't seal the deal. It stays with you the rest of your life. I'm as hungry as ever. I would love to redeem myself."

Rice, Brown and others are just thankful that Raiders management kept this team together for one more shot. Depending on how the season goes, many will decide after the season if they will continue football beyond this year.

"Who knows?" Rice said. "We'll see how this goes and then I'll make a decision if I want to come back and play next year. Right now, we're just going to be working hard."

Even though he broke across the middle of the field for two gains on crossing patterns, Rice wasn't happy with himself. "Today was not a good day for me," Rice said. He watched tape to improve following a bad practice. Callahan scolded the offense for not being efficient.

With the Raiders, each day counts because they have so many players putting everything into this season to get a Super Bowl ring. Commitment to excellence isn't enough. It's Super Bowl or bust.

John Clayton is a senior writer for ESPN.com.