Raiders : Allen Stops Long Enough to Speak His Mind on ‘86, Trade Rumors, Bo

Marcus Allen shoots briskly through tiny openings during practices, ambles slowly around the hotel grounds afterward and no one lays a finger on him. Controversy seems to be out there, looking for him, but catching him is something else.

What about his sore ankle, his 1986 season, the trade rumors, Bo Jackson? Catch you some other day, says Allen amiably.

Wednesday, he stopped and talked. He said his ankle is fine, he would like to have a better season in ’87 than he did in ‘86, he didn’t like the trade rumors and he doesn’t mind or fear having Bo Jackson around at whatever price.

But down the road, can he imagine the Raiders keeping two Heisman Trophy tailbacks?

“You never know what they’re thinking down the road,” Allen said, smiling. “It’s a series of covert operations.”

It’s a series of peaks and valleys. One day in 1985, Allen was the National Football League’s MVP. On the second weekend of ‘86, his string of 100-yard games reached a record 11. On the third weekend, the New York Giants twisted his right ankle into a pretzel, and from then on, he was a memory of his best self.

He took some games off but returned--prematurely, he says. In Game 12, he won the overtime affair at San Diego, dragging half the Charger secondary into the end zone at the end of a 28-yard run.

In Game 13, he fumbled in overtime at the Philadelphia 18, and the season turned around. Virtually fumble-proof in the two previous seasons, he fumbled twice more in a loss to Kansas City. There was published speculation about the Raiders trading him and Jessie Hester for the right to draft Vinny Testaverde.

Were the fumbles and the trade talk linked?

“I didn’t like what I heard,” Allen said. “But I was never there mentally after I hurt my ankle.

“I learned a valuable lesson last year. I realized I wasn’t Superman. I thought I could go out there and outplay guys with one leg. God forbid, if it ever happens again, I’ll make sure I’m 100% before I get back on the field.

“The first three-four weeks after I was injured, I spent half my time in the training room, watching soaps, because I wasn’t able to run. When I came back, I didn’t have full concentration on what I was doing.

“The only reason my ankle wouldn’t heal was I didn’t allow it to heal. I kept playing on it. So it kind of lingered. . . . I was playing badly and the more I tried to get myself out of the rut, the worse it got.

“That’s all behind me. I learned a valuable lesson in retrospect. While you’re going through it, you don’t think anything positive comes out of it. When you look back, it’s a valuable experience.”

More experiences await, including the midseason arrival of his part-time, $7.4-million backup.

From the other side of the world comes news that Eric Dickerson, Allen’s colleague in greatness, is so offended by Jackson’s contract that he might phone this season in. And Allen himself, whose pro career has been a campaign for more carries, how can he feel?

“I think (Jackson) is a good asset for this club,” he said. “The Raiders and Al Davis were intelligent enough to take a gamble, and it paid off.

“When I was younger, I would have complained more (about losing carries). Now I understand what the Raiders want. I realize longevity is important.

“I think every year that happens. I guess veteran ballplayers are going to complain. I guess they feel that somebody unproven comes in and he gets a lot of money while they’ve been playing for years. C’mon, that happens every year.

“Personally, I’m not bothered in the least (by Jackson’s contract). I don’t even think about it. I make a pretty good living.

“I’m not worried. I know how to play the game. I think I’m very good at it. I’m not concerned about anybody coming in and playing.”

Despite everything, last season when the Raiders were asking their young stars to take over the leadership roles, it was Allen who really stepped up. He played hurt. He did things such as running onto the field with the kickoff team before the second half in the Denver opener, trying to fire his teammates up.

At season’s end, all he had was a sore ankle and hurt feelings. His rushing total, 759 yards, was down an even 1,000 from ’85. Chosen to the Pro Bowl anyway, he stayed home to begin healing. If he has nothing to prove, he has a lot to reclaim.

Raider Notes

The Raiders practiced just once Wednesday. Coach Tom Flores said something about getting in some weight work, but he may have wanted to just give everyone a respite. In the first of the two sessions Tuesday, there were three fights in short succession, with the mild-mannered Flores breaking up the last one personally and snarling that the next player fighting will be fined $1,000. . . . Said Battling Bill Lewis, who averaged about a fight per session as a rookie: “If they’d fined us $1,000 a fight last year, I’d still be paying it off.” . . . Starting linemen Don Mosebar and Shelby Jordan are in the second week of their holdouts, with no comment coming from either negotiations, and the Raider coaching staff is growing restive. “I do know that every day they lose something and we lose something,” Flores said. . . . Rookie tackle John Clay may be heavier than the 298 pounds he says he reported at--try 315--but he’s making a big impression. Says Flores: “I think if he continues to improve the way he has, I think John can be one of the finest Raider rookie tackles in a long time.” . . . Clay is still listed as a challenger to left tackle Bruce Davis, but Davis has reported in his best physical condition in recent years. Should Davis be able to hold his spot, Clay may slide over to right tackle, which he played at Missouri.