Hilger, Raiders Have Something to Prove Tonight

You’ve got your new Raiders coming, your old Raiders going, Canadian Raiders, reluctant Naval Raiders and baseball-playing Raiders. Tonight at the Coliseum, they’ll see what kind of a squad they can make and try it out in the exhibition opener against the San Francisco 49ers.

Most significant, there’s a new Raider quarterback, 25-year-old Rusty Hilger, in the first dress rehearsal of his tenure. The Raiders are hoping it’ll be less painful than his 1986 exhibition appearance against the 49ers: one half, eight sacks, two interceptions.

Of course, Hilger didn’t have the No. 1 line in front of him then.

Of course, he won’t have the No. 1 line tonight.

Because of the late arrivals of Don Mosebar and Shelby Jordan, the line is expected to be (from left) Bruce Davis, Charley Hannah, Bill Lewis, Dwight Wheeler and Steve Wright. There is a chance that not one of those five will open the season as a starter at his position. At most two--Davis and Hannah--will.

Nevertheless, the Raiders have a lean and hungry look, extremely rare for them in the exhibition season. They have had seven straight exhibition seasons without a winning one and never gave it a moment’s thought. But now, coming off an 8-8 regular season, they seem in a mood to remember things like that 32-0 exhibition wipeout at Candlestick Park a year ago.

Said Lester Hayes: “This is ’87. Things aren’t the way they were from ’77 to ’86. This is different to me. My past 10 experiences in camp, it’s a nice slow process. Everything this year has been intensified and magnified.

“It was our custom to get in shape for the first seasonal game. Now we’re getting in shape for the first preseason game.”

As interesting are the rest of the quarterbacks. Joe Montana, who injured a knee last week, may be held out by the 49ers. If he does appear, Coach Bill Walsh says it will be to throw 10 or 12 passes and then give way to Steve Young, the former L.A. Express player making his return to the Coliseum, although under unfamiliar circumstances.

“We were used to about 8,000 (fans in attendance),” Young said last week.

The second Raider quarterback will not be the No. 2 man on the depth chart, Marc Wilson, but the No. 3, Ed Luther. The world is waiting to see if Wilson will ever make his own return to the Coliseum, but Coach Tom Flores said this particular move isn’t significant.

“We want to see Luther,” Flores said. “That’s it.

“The depth chart is sometimes the starting point. Last year, we had Jim Plunkett on it, and in the first exhibition, we played Wilson and Hilger.

“I think it’s important for all of us to get off to a good start. (Hilger) needs to get some rhythm going. It’s not always in the first game, though. The timing isn’t in sync, you’re playing a lot of different people, you’re running in different receivers.

“Because of Rusty’s inexperience, he needs all the game experience we can give him. In years past, when we had a veteran, Plunkett didn’t even play in the first game sometimes. (Ken) Stabler, we’d play him maybe a quarter.”

Several of the receivers Flores will be running in will be making their first appearances in Raider uniforms. They are James Lofton, who has been a show-stopper in drills; Mervyn Fernandez, the Canadian Leaguer who has started to come on, and Chris Woods, the new return man also down from Canada, who has been a surprise as a wide receiver.

The incumbents--Jessie Hester and Dokie Williams--will open tonight, but of course, sometimes the depth chart is just a starting point.