Wilson’s Shoulder Injury Leaves Raiders Hurting

The Raiders went on another quarterback watch Monday. Marc Wilson’s left shoulder was diagnosed as a complete separation, but one that doctors say won’t bother him once the soreness leaves.

“He’s sore today, which we anticipated,” Coach Tom Flores said. “The doctors are kind of encouraged. We hope he’ll be able to practice by the latter part of the week, by Wednesday, hopefully by Thursday. Which puts us in almost the same situation we were in two weeks ago after the New England game. We just have to get Rusty (Hilger) ready.”

Four weeks ago, the Raiders lost Jim Plunkett. Three weeks ago, Wilson sprained an ankle against the Patriots. After a week of conjecture about the possibility of Hilger’s starting, Wilson came back to direct the victory over the Chiefs.

Then he was slammed to the earth Sunday by New Orleans’ Bruce Clark, who was penalized, although not as much as the Raiders would like to see.

Flores said: “I can’t speak for the commissioner’s office, but certain people have been fined for doing less than that.”

If necessary, the Raiders will consider adding a quarterback for Sunday’s game at Cleveland.

Rookie Russ Jensen, recently activated for one game, then released, is a possibility. To add a quarterback, though, someone would have to be dropped. The last time, the Raiders had an open spot on the roster, Plunkett’s.

The Raiders also have offensive guard Curt Marsh eligible to come off injured reserve, and the trading deadline is today. The Raiders were reportedly looking around for offensive tackles.

Flores said: “All I can say is there is a lot of phone activity. Which there always is, whether you make a trade or not.”

The Raiders had been expected to activate Marsh and put him into the lineup as soon as possible. If they have to sign a quarterback, however, they’d have to cut two players to activate him for Sunday. And if they made a deal, three spots might have to be found.

“We don’t have to activate Curt,” Flores said. “It’s not a requirement. At this point, it’s not a total necessity.”

Raider Notes Several of Marc Wilson’s teammate have suggested that Coliseum fans lighten up on him. Dokie Williams: “Yeah, I wish they would. I wish they’d get behind him the way we have and support him.” And Marcus Allen: “He was running around with just one arm out there and when you want to throw the ball, it’s good to have two. I don’t personally like (the booing). The guy’s trying to do the best he can. I think it hurts the effectiveness not only of Marc but the entire offensive unit.