Last year's worst get a chance to start '07 on winning note

"I would be shocked if he's not a great player in this league," Kiffin said.

While the Lions mostly tinkered, the Raiders underwent a complete overhaul. Coach Art Shell was fired and replaced by 32-year-old Lane Kiffin, who will be the youngest man to coach a game in the NFL since Harland Svare took over the Los Angeles Rams as a 31-year old in 1962.

Kiffin changed the entire offensive coaching staff and will start at least five players on offense who weren't even on the team last year, including the quarterback. Kiffin didn't announce whether Josh McCown or Daunte Culpepper would start Sunday, hoping to gain a competitive advantage, but signs pointed to McCown, who has gotten the majority of first-team snaps in practice.

McCown, a backup last season with the Lions, said it would be fun to face his former teammates Sunday, but that would only be one element.

"More important than anything, not just the fact that I played there, but this is our season opener, Lane's first game as a regular-season coach," McCown said. "All those things go into it. ... From that standpoint, I'm ready to go for these guys."

The Raiders hope the changes will make the struggles of last year, when they had one of the worst offenses ever, old news. Their 168 points were the fifth fewest in a 16-game season; they scored only 12 offensive touchdowns and allowed a league-worst 72 sacks.

That led to them being the butt of jokes on late-night talk shows and overmatched on the field.

"You get tired of hearing it," Curry said. "Last year is behind us. We have a new coach, new quarterbacks, new starting receivers, new linemen. It's a whole new thing. For us to still be judged on the past is crazy."