Jay Schroeder Is Back, but It’s With Redskins

News flash: Jay Schroeder is coming to Los Angeles after all.

OK, so it’s only for tonight’s exhibition game at the Coliseum between the Raiders and Schroeder’s Washington Redskins. But that hasn’t stopped the rumors from running rampant. They began to intensify when it became obvious the Raiders were giving the quarterback job to Steve Beuerlein, who has yet to take his first snap in a regular-season game. One report, denied all around, had Schroeder, now backing up Super Bowl hero Doug Williams, coming to Los Angeles for defensive end Howie Long.

With the release of veteran Jim Plunkett this week, the latest unconfirmed rumor, published by the Washington Post, involves a three-way deal that would bring Schroeder here, send Heisman Trophy-winning rookie receiver Tim Brown to the Atlanta Falcons, and veteran offensive lineman Bill Fralic from Atlanta to Washington.

“Any time you have more than one veteran at a position and all have played well, you have many people saying there’s going to be a trade made,” Redskin Coach Joe Gibbs said. “Very few trades, though, are actually made. Anybody who wants Jay Schroeder had better have a lot in the bag.”

At this point, the question is, who’d be left holding the bag? Schroeder’s stock has gone up after last week’s exhibition performance. Coming in for the second half with his team locked in a close game with the Miami Dolphins, the former UCLA quarterback threw touchdown passes of 23 and 60 yards to rookie Mike Oliphant in a 27-10 Redskin victory.

Schroeder’s statistics (7 of 14 for 117 yards) were almost identical to those of Williams (5 of 10 for 118 yards, including a 53-yard touchdown pass to Art Monk).

“I haven’t worried about it,” Gibbs said of the trade talk. “It’s not my job, anyway. I just coach them. They said Jay was going to be in Green Bay, that he was going to be in Los Angeles, that he was going to be in San Diego.”

A year ago, the scenario was similar: Raiders, faced with inexperienced starting quarterback, look at Redskin backup. Only then, the names were Rusty Hilger and Doug Williams.

“From what I understand, it was real close on the Monday before the first game,” Williams said of a trade with the Raiders, “but Coach Gibbs decided not to do it. Those deals are between the Bobby Beathards (Washington general manager), the Ron Wolfs (Raider personnel director) and the Al Davises (Raiders’ managing general partner). I just work here.”

In retrospect, considering his MVP performance in last season’s Super Bowl, Williams added, “I guess I should pat Coach Gibbs on the back.”

Williams seems capable of shrugging off most of the strange turns his life has taken, including his current role as the first of the superstar black quarterbacks after his four-touchdown performance against the Denver Broncos last Super Sunday.

“I don’t think I’ve changed my life style at all,” he said. “I’m the same old Doug Williams. There are just more demands on me now.”

Gibbs’ plan tonight will be the same as it was a week ago, with Williams playing most of the first half and Schroeder taking over after intermission. The other backup, Mark Rypien, is expected to see some action in both halves.

For the Raiders, still winless after two exhibition games, it will be Beuerlein in the first half, Vince Evans in the second. No surprise there. With Plunkett gone and nothing on the horizon, there doesn’t appear to be a lot of surprises left.

Unless . . .

Coach Mike Shanahan said he’ll give tonight’s Raider punting chores to Jeff Gossett, obtained earlier this week from Houston. That would appear to give Gossett the inside track over incumbent Stan Talley.

It looks like the opposite story for the kickers. Shanahan said he will give the majority, if not all, of tonight’s work to incumbent Chris Bahr, which doesn’t bode well for challenger John Lee, considering it’s two weeks from opening day.

Raider Notes

The team broke camp Friday, moving from its Oxnard training site back to its regular-season headquarters in El Segundo. Whether the Raiders will ever return to Oxnard remains uncertain. The odds are no better than 50-50 because of the continuing problem of cold weather. If not, other sites appear to be Cal State Northridge and Pomona. . . . Defensive lineman Howie Long, suffering from a pulled hamstring, will not play. Linebacker Linden King is questionable because of the same medical problem. . . . The offensive line gets its anchor back, however, with the first appearance of center Don Mosebar, recovering from off-season back surgery. . . . Out for Washington are offensive lineman Russ Grimm, wide receiver Eric Yarber and center Mike Scully, all sidelined with knee problems. . . . Also out is the leader of the defensive line, Dexter Manley, suspended for the exhibition season for violating the league’s substance-abuse guidelines. . . . Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. There will a fireworks show at halftime.