AN ARMS RACE : Flores Puts Wilson Atop Raider List, but Uses Pencil, Not Ink

Some jobs--President of the United States, Mideast bomb disposal expert, starting Raider quarterback--are lonely by their nature.

Members of the last group, however, have now been afforded some company. Each other.

The long-awaited Raider preseason depth chart came out Wednesday, a day before their veterans’ minicamp opened. With it came their first acknowledgement of what has been speculated upon since last season’s end: The quarterback position will be up for grabs throughout the exhibition season.

And the first ranking?

1. Marc Wilson

2. Jim Plunkett

3. Rusty Hilger

In other words, the man they almost traded to the Philadelphia Eagles, the runner-up in that worst-QB-in-town poll, is back on top.

“You have to have a starting point,” Coach Tom Flores said. “This is our starting point. There’s no question it’s going to be competitive. They deserve an equal opportunity.”

Raider policy has been to stick with one man. It’s been Plunkett ever since he replaced Dan Pastorini in 1980. Raider exhibition seasons have never been occasions to audition quarterbacks. The Raiders don’t even like the thought of a quarterback controversy. They’ve been especially vigilant since moving to a city that, they’re only too aware, has known little else.

But Plunkett is 38, and Wilson was less than impressive as his replacement, and Hilger is young.

“This is a new experience for us,” said a Raider official recently. “That position has always been pretty solid for us.”

The latest blink on the unofficial tote board:

Marc Wilson (2-1)--What does No. 1 mean? The Raiders might have done it to minimize the furor. To do anything else would be a flat-out public demotion, which is not their style.

Wilson was the quarterback in last season’s 12-2 finish but he threw a lot of interceptions late in the season. He threw three more in the playoff loss to the New England Patriots and missed some open receivers. However, his receivers were both young, and he was playing with a separated left shoulder and a sore right knee, both of which were operated on after the season.

The coaches, however, didn’t like the way he looked in the playoff defeat by the Patriots. Last season’s incumbent customarily opens the next season as the starter, but the Raiders went until Wednesday without designating a No. 1.

They also discussed trading Wilson to the Eagles for a draft choice, even offering to pay $600,000 of the $1.9 million remaining on his contract, according to a Raider official.

The deal reportedly was still alive on draft day. The Eagles were offering their second-round pick, No. 48 overall, but the man the Raiders wanted, Hawaii receiver Walter Murray, went to the Washington Redskins on No. 45, and Al Davis said no.

“I wasn’t shocked or surprised at all,” Wilson said Wednesday after an informal workout. “I think I have a good understanding of how this game works.

“Of the quarterbacks we have here, the most tradeable was me. Jim is toward the end of his career. Rusty is just getting started. If they’re trying to help the team, they can probably get the best deal trading me. That’s good business.

“And the other thing, the Eagles hired Doug Scovill as offensive coordinator. Doug Scovill was my quarterback coach at BYU. So it all makes sense.

“It doesn’t make it hard to come back here, at all. I’m excited to be back here. It’s been great to be a Raider for six years. I’m looking forward to my seventh year. If I was traded, I’d just wish the Raiders well.

“The competition? Great. That’s what the game’s all about.”

Jim Plunkett (2-1)--There’s no reason to believe he’s far behind. Even at 38, he was the “chalk” pick last week among Raider officials not involved in the decision making, on the theory that the instinct is so ingrained--when in doubt, stick with Plunk--the coaching staff would stay that way.

Plunkett had good numbers (68.9% completions) in his three games, though the Raiders were torched in the last two. Sidelined with a shoulder dislocation, he did return to practice but was never allowed back on the active roster. Flores said he didn’t want Wilson looking over his shoulder.

Even before Plunkett was hurt, there was some feeling among the Raiders that the 1985 season was going to be his last. But he’s healthy again and competitive as ever. Who are the Raiders to turn him down?

Flores said: “Jim has come back from injuries before but he has missed 20 games in the last few years. Although last year, I don’t know if anyone could have survived that body slam (by the San Francisco 49ers’ Jeff Stover) he took.”

Rusty Hilger (3-1)--Davis is said to be high on him, but the Raiders have never thrown a young quarterback in there, so Hilger remains a darkhorse.

Flores: “It’s difficult but not improbable to let three quarterbacks compete. You just have to get a feeling for it, in the preseason games, in the training-camp atmosphere. We only have four preseason games, and it’s tough to get enough work for everyone.

“Rusty will get as good a shot as possible. He’ll get a chance to show how far he has come from last year.”

Raider Notes The rest of the depth chart remains the same as the lineup that started the playoffs, with the exception of strong safety, where Mike Davis, who had an arthroscoped knee, regains his starting job from Stacey Toran. Toran played well, and Coach Tom Flores said the spot will be competitive. . . . Flores listed one other hot spot, left outside linebacker, where Jerry Robinson is listed behind Brad Van Pelt. Robinson was slated to take over from rookie Reggie McKenzie at inside linebacker but wound up sitting a lot when McKenzie’s play took off.