Old Warhorse Rides Cowboys Into the Sunset : Plunkett Hits Williams for 2 Touchdowns

The new Raider order finally changeth, giving way to the old. You’d be tempted to call the results miraculous except that it’s happened about half-a-dozen times before.

Welcome to the most recent resurrection of Jim Plunkett, the oldest quarterback in the world, though not the oldest to ever take a snap for the silver and black.

In Texas Stadium, under the skylight that’s supposed to be the home team’s direct line to the Deity, Plunkett relieved Marc Wilson in the second half Sunday, threw two touchdown passes to Dokie Williams and brought the Raiders back for a 17-13 upset of the Dallas Cowboys.

Will this particular wonder ever cease?

“I remember when George Blanda was on the team,” Rod Martin said. “He didn’t actually play with me but I saw him on TV. Blanda would do the same thing. Plunk is our modern-day Blanda.”

Said Raider astrologer Lester Hayes:

“I have seen Jim Plunkett’s destiny. He’ll be here as long as George Blanda was, plus maybe 2-3 years. He’ll be the first passer to attempt to play at half a century.”

Raider management’s reaction?

Jubilation?

A flood of compliments for the beloved warhorse who has presided over all their greatest moments in the 1980s?

Not exactly. Al Davis was approached by a writer who observed that Davis had seen Plunkett do this so often.

“Not me,” Davis said. “I appreciate your thinking about me, but I’m not getting into it.”

Coach Tom Flores suggested he pulled Marc Wilson as much for a banged-up thumb as for 80 yards in offense in one half, 3 interceptions, 1 lost fumble and no touchdowns.

“You can get into that situation if you want,” Flores said. “I’m not going to get into it.

“No quarterback can throw unless he has protection. Our protection was not very good the first half. Our running game wasn’t very good in the first half. Consequently, it all goes back to the one guy.”

Next week?

“I’m not going to get into that now,” Flores said. “Let me enjoy the game. You guys--criminy, the game’s not two minutes old.”

Translation: The Raiders don’t like quarterback controversies. Ergo, they’re not having one.

So maybe Wilson’s thumb hurt. Wally Pipp left the New York Yankee lineup with a headache and the man who replaced him lasted 2,130 games. It might be that long before you see Wilson start a game for the Raiders again.

If Wilson was hurting at halftime, so were the Raiders. The man who threw 4 interceptions the week before threw 3 more, was sacked 3 times and had lost a fumble.

The Raider defense was being booted around the field in uncharacteristic fashion. Even allowing for the Cowboys’ high-powered attack, this was a pale imitation of the Raider defense.

The Raiders allowed a running back 100 yards rushing once in the last two regular seasons, but Sunday Tony Dorsett had 78 yards by halftime. The Raiders were outgained, 258-80, in the first half. That they left the field trailing, 10-3, was another wonder, borne of the fact that the young Cowboy quarterback, Steve Pelluer, had already thrown three Wilsons--er, interceptions, himself.

Was the Raider defense just dispirited, hung over from the Sunday before when they played the Denver Broncos to a fare-thee-well in a futile performance?

Consider this: Given a shot at winning the game after Plunkett’s arrival, the Raider defense awoke from its slumber. The Cowboys got 258 yards in the first half and a net 55 in the second.

This is how the latest wonder went down:

The Cowboys took the second-half kickoff. After one play, Pelluer got confused and burned a timeout. Pelluer is a great-looking prospect but he makes a lot of mistakes reminiscent of Wilson’s. Maybe that’s Wilson’s problem--he’s never gotten over being a young quarterback.

On the play after the timeout, Pelluer tried to beat a blitz with a quick pass over the line. Raider linebacker Jerry Robinson, in a very athletic play, jumped and intercepted.

In came Plunkett. Three plays later, on third and seven, he beat a blitz with an audible, floating a 20-yard scoring pass to Dokie Williams working against Everson Walls in single coverage. The pass was short, but Walls was having enough trouble staying with Williams, never mind looking back for the ball. Williams made the adjustment, caught the ball and the Raiders had a touchdown.

The Raider defense, silent on this issue--or silenced on this issue--voted with its feet. Half the unit, led by Matt Millen, ran onto the field. Chris Bahr’s extra point tied the score, 10-10.

The Cowboys marched right back down the field. They had a first and goal at the three but two plays later, they were only at the two.

On third down, Pelluer tried to hit Mike Renfro. Renfro seemed to catch the ball but Mike Haynes knocked him out at the one. The official signaled that Renfro was juggling the ball as he went out and the pass was ruled incomplete.

Rafael Septien came in to attempt a field goal. Whoops! The boys in the instant replay booth buzzed the field that they were on the case. The NBC replay suggested Renfro didn’t juggle the ball and that the catch should have been allowed, although Haynes clearly knocked him out at the one.

And then, with the Father of the Instant Replay, Cowboy president Tex Schramm, awaiting the verdict in the press box along with everyone else, the decision came: The play stood. On fourth down at the three, Septien kicked a 20-yard field goal and the Cowboys led, 13-10.

Time to really show them something.

Plunkett’s second and third possessions were three-plays-and-off, but his fourth won the game. It went 80 improbable yards, including three remarkable plays:

On third and five at the Raider 45, Plunkett scrambled gamely on those almost-39-year-old legs for six yards.

On third and 13 at the Raider 48, he threw a desperation pass for Jessie Hester over the middle. Cowboy safety Bill Bates tipped the ball high into the air but, with the area swarming with defenders, it came down to Todd Christensen, who wrapped his arms around it for a 17-yard gain. Whoever was looking through the hole in the roof, it didn’t seem he was rooting for the Cowboys this day.

On second and 15 at the Dallas 40, Plunkett went to Williams, a secondary receiver, running a deep post pattern against the Cowboy right cornerback, Ron Fellows. Williams went up for the ball in the end zone, along with Fellows, Bates and free safety Michael Downs. Williams came down with the ball all by himself. A lot used to be said about Plunkett’s arm, or the lack thereof, but this toss traveled 50 yards in the air.

The Raiders led, 17-13. The Cowboys got the ball three more times but didn’t get another first down.

So now, everyone is going to get to see Plunkett’s destiny. Unless a lot of people miss their guess, his destiny and the Raiders’ are going to be one and the same the rest of this season.

Raider Notes

What else kept the Raiders in the game? The Cowboys lost two first-half touchdowns--Steve Pelluer’s 19-yard run and Everson Walls’ return of an interception--on penalties. They lost a chance at a third touchdown when Herschel Walker fumbled at the Raider one after a vicious hit by Matt Millen and Lester Hayes recovered. . . . Pelluer threw five interceptions, tying a Cowboy record shared by Eddie LeBaron and Danny White. . . . Raider safety Vann McElroy, a native of nearby Uvalde, had two of the interceptions and later confirmed that Pelluer has another young-quarterback weakness, staring at his receiver. “Today he did that a little bit and I took a little advantage,” McElroy said. “Usually in our division teams look me off pretty well.” . . . Sam Seale, spelling Mike Haynes at the right corner, intercepted his fourth pass in four games.