With Raider Running Backs Ailing, Strachan Is Readied, Cooper Is Shifted

Raider halfback Marcus Allen, who has a sprained right ankle, didn’t practice Thursday. Neither did fullback Frank Hawkins, who has a sprained right knee.

Halfback Napoleon McCallum did practice, although he was favoring his strained right hamstring.

The Raiders are running out of backs. Allen didn’t suit up last week, and the Raiders aren’t figuring on him for Sunday’s game in Kansas City, but they’re hoping Hawkins can go.

“Marcus hasn’t improved a great deal,” Coach Tom Flores said. “At this point, he’s still very questionable. We’ll probably move him to doubtful. But Frank Hawkins is improving.”

If Hawkins can’t play, Steve Strachan will. He’s a second-year fullback who has carried the ball seven times as a pro. Behind him is Earl Cooper, who was cut as a tight end in camp, re-signed when Trey Junkin was lost for the season with a knee injury, and moved to fullback Thursday.

“If Hawkins is limited, our experience is down to zero,” Flores said. “But they’ve got to learn sometime.”

McCallum and Vance Mueller, both rookies, will be the halfbacks. Flores might have been leaning toward starting McCallum, who was impressive last week, but . . .

“When a player misses a lot of your meetings, you like him to watch what’s going on (early in games),” Flores said. “But that’s not etched in stone.”