More Than Raider Pride Was Wounded in Houston

The day-after update from Injury Central, a.k.a. Raider camp in El Segundo, in the wake of Sunday’s 38-35 loss to the Houston Oilers:

--Cornerback Terry McDaniel, expected to miss about six weeks with a broken leg, arrived on crutches Monday with a cast on his right foot. “The turf (in the Astrodome) caught it and when a guy landed on it, it just popped,” he said.

--Cornerback Lionel Washington aggravated a groin injury he suffered in training camp and is expected to be out at least two weeks. It’s a good bet he will go on injured reserve.

“There’s a strong possibility that will happen,” Coach Mike Shanahan said.

--Wide receiver Chris Woods had surgery for torn cartilage in his knee, suffered while returning a kickoff.

--Tackle Don Mosebar will miss next Sunday’s game against the Rams because of a sprained ankle. Raider hopes are that he will make it back in time for Denver Sept. 26.

--Guard Brian Holloway re-injured his shoulder. His status is uncertain.

So, the injured-reserve list could grow by four: Woods, McDaniel, Washington and possibly Holloway. Beyond that, linebacker Linden King still is bothered by a hamstring pull and will test it with a light practice today and hope to return to full speed by Friday, and rookie defensive lineman Scott Davis has a lower-back sprain. Davis will play against the Rams.

Clearly, the Raiders have some shuffling and auditioning to do. Look for Rory Graves and newly re-signed Steve Wright to get increased duty at the tackles.

“We’re running out of candidates,” Shanahan said of the offensive line’s predicament. “That’s why in camp, we cross-train people. In case someone goes down, it won’t be a completely foreign spot to (the replacement).”

Now would be a good time for that preparation to pay off.

Jay Schroeder continues to get his crash course in the Raider system but after not playing against the Oilers, he doesn’t figure to start against the Rams at the Coliseum.

“What I’m thinking now is that Steve Beuerlein will start,” Shanahan said. “I don’t want to put Jay in a situation he’s not comfortable with, of what he can do within our system.

“(But) I think Jay can come in this week and play, because the extra week of practice has given him some familiarity with the other players.”

Beuerlein completed 10 of 24 passes for 129 yards and 3 touchdowns against the Oilers.

Defeat or not, Shanahan had some good feelings from the Oiler game.

“I was pleased with the effort,” he said. “We played hard. We had to improvise with a few situations, but the players wanted to win the game.

“I am disappointed we did not come away with a win. We’ll find out now what kind of team we have.”