Raiders : It Looks as If Hilger Must Settle for No. 3

You Rusty Hilger fans, your candidate in the Raider quarterback derby just officially dropped to a longshot.

Coach Tom Flores named Marc Wilson to start Sunday’s exhibition opener against the Raiders at San Francisco.

Flores also said:

“I’m anticipating either Jim (Plunkett) or Marc is going to be the No. 1 quarterback. Rusty is closing in, but still, I’m not sure how far. We want to get him enough work in the first two weeks to see.”

Flores had previously said only that the position would be “competitive.”

Plunkett, though, had said he’d been told it would be between himself and Wilson. Raider owner Al Davis is known to be high on Hilger, but the Raiders have traditionally preferred veterans at quarterback. Ken Stabler, for example, didn’t start until his fourth Raider season.

Hilger still has a shot. Flores says he plans to keep things competitive between all three quarterbacks for the first two exhibitions games, but after that, the 1-2 men will get most of the work.

But unless something dramatic happens in those two games, Hilger is stuck with being the quarterback of the future.

Raider Notes

Tom Flores says No. 1 pick Bob Buczkowski, in traction for his bad back at Cedars-Sinai, is better but won’t be released for another day or two. . . . And Flores, who’d previously been optimistic, on the Charley Hannah negotiations: “At this point, we’re obviously not in the ballpark.”