Marsh Is Making His Move : Raiders May Yet Get Offensive Line of Their Dreams

The Raiders are getting ready to restack their seven blocks of granite, which is what another offensive line was called in another time, not to mention another mood.

The Raiders’ big problem is what their offensive line has been called this season.

But now, warming up for his belated season opener is Curt Marsh. Two weeks from his return, he spends afternoons crashing into teammate Jerry Robinson, who shares his problem: getting in “football shape.” They’re lucky they have each other. Otherwise, they might have to find a wall to run into.

Marsh is the very model of a modern Raider offensive lineman. A No. 1 draft choice from Washington, he has a prominent jaw, a blond Fu Manchu mustache and what looks like about 52 inches of chest. He is 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds, which is tackle-sized most places, but guard-sized here.

His only drawbacks have been bad luck and a little too much want-to, resulting in about two full seasons lost with two injuries.

A consensus pick to the all-rookie team in 1981, he suffered a back injury that cost him all of the ’83 season, possibly from resuming weightlifting too soon after a hernia operation.

He backed up Mickey Marvin and Charley Hannah for the ’84 Super Bowl. He didn’t win his starting job back until midseason last year.

And then, after a demon off-season’s work, he broke his left arm in a freak accident during a drill early in training camp.

“I’ll tell you what happened,” Marsh said. “We finally figured it out. We were doing a force drill, working on sweeps where the linemen work on getting out and kicking the force guy (the defensive back coming up to force the play in) out, or lock him in.

“It was the first play and it was Vann McElroy, who is very competitive also. He didn’t want me to block him. I wanted to crush him. We had a collision, and when I went down my arm was underneath him. He landed on my arm and I landed rolling.

“I got up and looked down and my arm was facing the other way. I went back to the huddle, and Randy Van Divier said, ‘Great block.’ And he gave me one of these (a tap) on my arm. I said, ‘Oh man, I think I broke my arm.’

“I went to the trainer and I said, ‘Rod, I think I either broke my arm or dislocated my elbow.’

“He said, ‘How do you know?’

“I said, ‘Rod! Give me a break.’ No pun intended.

“It was devastating. I had worked so hard all summer. I’d get up at 6 in the morning, lift from 6:30 to 9. I’d spend the day with my family. At 5 o’clock, I’d go out running and do drills--pass sets, pulling. I did that from February to the time camp opened. I was in great shape. I wanted to make a big comeback.”

That started some serious shuffling. The Raiders, who had been thought to have enough talent for two lines as recently as the ’84 Super Bowl, were wondering about one. They had been counting on phasing in their two young No. 1 picks, Marsh and Don Mosebar.

Mosebar, who goes 6-6 and 280, was to take over center from Dave Dalby, the longtime incumbent who is 25 pounds lighter and, the Raiders thought, was having trouble with the new giant-sized nose tackles.

Hannah and Marsh would probably have wound up at guard. Marvin, the gentleman from Etowah, N.C., would have become a backup once more. Marvin is unfailingly gracious off the field but a kamikaze on it. He is the man who finally took Gene Upshaw’s job, but at 30 he isn’t huge or quick, just dedicated.

Right tackle Henry Lawrence, an All-Pro the previous year, was thought to be OK. Left tackle Shelby Jordan, another 280-pounder, was considered one of the strong points, but his stock began tumbling in camp. He came back slowly from an awful blind-side block thrown by Redskin linebacker Neal Olkewicz after an interception. Olkewicz then jumped up and gave Jordan the famous one-arm salute, though he apologized later.

Jordan had gotten more than his feelings hurt, though. He had an abdominal pull, and his return seems to have taken longer than the Raiders like. They’ve stayed with Bruce Davis, the seven-year man from UCLA and another in the 280-pound series, in Jordan’s place.

Davis is considered the better run blocker, Jordan the better pass blocker. A Raider source said that Al Davis is thinking about making “one more trade” and is eyeing other teams’ tackles. Two are Atlanta’s Mike Kenn, a former all-pro, and Gary Zimmerman, formerly of the Express, who is currently suing the Giants, who own his NFL rights.

The line has recently moved up to mixed reviews. The rushing game has gained 243 yards in the last three halves, with Dalby back at center and Mosebar at right guard in place on the injured Marvin.

But in two weeks, when Marsh will come off injured reserve, Mosebar is expected to move back to center. The strategic decisions that are arrived at in those high-level off-season Raider meetings are not quickly abandoned.

Marsh is expected to go back to left guard. This is fine with guess whom.

“The real frustrating thing is when you know you’re capable of playing, and you still don’t get to play,” Marsh said. “They know you’re ready, but they’re not ready to make a change. Not being able to play the end of the Super Bowl year and the beginning of the next year, that was the most frustrating part of it.

“You have ups and downs. I’m trying to turn it into something positive. If I sit back and say, ‘I didn’t deserve this. I worked hard. Why is this happening?’ It’ll just hurt me.

“I went back to Seattle (his home) with my arm in a cast and saw the coach I’d worked out with in the off-season. His name is Keith Gilbertson. He’s worked with lots of athletes, Olympians. He’s a genius in conditioning.

“I guess I was acting like I felt like I didn’t deserve this. He told me, ‘If I catch anyone giving you any sympathy, I’m going to punch them in the nose.’

“I still feel like I have the potential to be a great player. I’ve had two injuries that were serious, but not recurring. If anyone says I’m injury-prone, there’s no truth to that. I’m still real young. I think I have a lot of good years to give to the Raiders. This is one of them.”