Drama Continues With Wilson Still in No. 1 Role

The curtain is going up again on “Marc’s Thumb,” the continuing drama of a Raider quarterback’s attempt to keep body, soul and enough of the digits on his right hand together long enough to hold onto his position.

It’s subtitled “Jim’s Hope,” one veteran’s attempt to come back against overwhelming odds.

What’s the latest?

On Monday, the day after the Raiders’ 24-17 great escape in Kansas City, Marc Wilson’s right thumb was once again throbbing. If he can’t practice by Thursday, he may be scratched Sunday against the Seahawks in favor of Jim Plunkett, who was impressive in relief against the Chiefs.

“Marc’s thumb was pretty sore last night,” Raider Coach Tom Flores said Monday. “It’s not the first time he’s hurt it this year.”

It’s not the first year it has been hurt, either. Wilson’s thumb problems go back to 1984. He has also had problems with both shoulders and a knee. He has been in four games this season and has been X-rayed three times.

On the strength of his work, however, he still enjoys the coaching staff’s support. The staff prefers using Plunkett, 38, as a backup, rather than dangling him in front of all those defensive ends for the full run.

“I don’t think I’d want Jim to carry the whole load for the whole game,” Flores said.

Did Plunkett seem to put an extra zip into the Raider offense?

As well as he played--he completed 8 of 10 passes--it was suggested that the turnaround had already begun under Wilson, who left with the 17-0 deficit pared to 17-14. Wilson was 9 for 16, with 4 of the incompletions being drops by Dokie Williams, Jessie Hester, Napoleon McCallum and Steve Strachan.

And by the second half, the Raiders had picked up the fact that the Chiefs, playing with a battered secondary, had abandoned their usual blitz and man-to-man coverage for more zone defense, meaning that the Raider wide receivers would be open on short patterns. Williams and Hester caught a total of nine passes, seven in the second half.

So who’s No. 1?

“If Marc is healthy, he’ll be back in,” Flores said.

And who starts Sunday?

Tune in Thursday.

Raider Notes

The Reader isn’t always right: Tom Flores says that after viewing the film--”I looked at it back and forth, slow-motion, stopped it,”--he is positive that Dokie Williams would have put two feet down in the end zone and was pushed out by Albert Lewis, making the correct call a touchdown. The replay official, Jack Reader, however, was trying to reverse the field official’s call. In a classic farce, he was misunderstood by the umpire talking to him on walkie-talkie. Chief Coach John Mackovic said the call made him feel “stinking, lousy.” Talking about bad calls, did Mackovic come out too conservative in the second half? The first Chief possession went run-run-sack-punt. The second went run-run-run-punt. By the third, the Raiders were ahead. Said Flores: “I don’t know if they were conservative or if we just played better defense. I thought we just played better defense.” The Chiefs gained 181 yards overall, 60 in the second half, and 34 of that 60 on their last, fruitless drive. . . . Add conscience of a conservative: What would have happened if Mackovic had kept on blitzing, as the Chiefs had done against their first four opponents, and dared the Raiders to beat him deep? . . . Flores on the Raider start, which included fumbles on the first two possessions, plus two more near fumbles of the first three kickoff receptions: “The first quarter was like a nightmare. Whatever we did . . . I was thinking, ‘Oh no, doggone, you can’t let these guys get fired up.’ The stadium was rocking.” . . . For the Record: The NFL record for most consecutive field goals is 23 by Mark Moseley of the Redskins. The Jets’ Pat Leahy has a streak of 19, and the Raiders’ Chris Bahr has 12, including 9 this season. . . . Marcus Allen’s limp has all but disappeared. He’s expected back Sunday. So are cornerback Mike Haynes and tackle Henry Lawrence, who suffered calf and foot injuries Sunday. . . . Flores on his playoff chances: “You can’t think of that when you’re 2-3. You just want to get to 3-3.”