Raiders Put On Game Faces, Sack Chargers, 40-14

Who were those guys?

The wise guys were measuring Mike Shanahan for concrete boots and his team for a similar, if deferred, fate. Instead the Raiders, awakening as if from a long midsummer’s nightmare, turned around and obliterated the hapless San Diego Chargers, 40-14, Sunday before 40,237 in the Coliseum in the first must-win season opener in franchise history.

It was their most one-sided victory in four seasons and their stars were legion: Steve Beuerlein going 15-for-22 subbing for the injured Jay Schroeder; Schroeder leading a touchdown drive in his only possession; Marcus Allen reviving the running game; Willie Gault; the new offensive line, the new defense, etc. etc.

Are we talking timely?

The Raiders were 0-4 in the exhibition season, 1-4 at the end of last season. After the game, Shanahan went so far as to say, “Our backs were up against the wall.”

This would would be the earliest date ever for such a predicament and a lot to say. . . .

If it weren’t so true.

“Around here, that’s a lot to say?” said Beuerlein, bursting into laughter.

“C’mon man, you know better than that. I even know that much.”

This is how the day began:

On NBC’s network pregame show, Alameda County commissioner Don Peralta announced the Oakland Coliseum was increasing its bid for the franchise to $50 million.

On CBS, Will McDonough, an Al Davis confidante, reported that no less than three general managers had told him that Davis had been close to firing Shanahan before the season and replacing him with Art Shell.

And they hadn’t even had the coin toss yet.

The Raiders won that and before you could say “Just like preseason,” they were looking at third-and-nine.

The Chargers’ Leslie O’Neal had already body-slammed Schroeder on the first play. Schroeder was now operating with a separated left shoulder, although no one knew that yet.

So what happens?

Schroeder launches a bomb far down the middle of the field, 53 yards to Gault who has just toasted ex-Raider cornerback Sammy Seale. On the next play, Schroeder hits Vance Mueller across the middle and going in on a 26-yard scoring play.

Out came the Raider defense.

Before you could say “Just like in preseason,” the fledgling Charger offense blasted 85 yards down the field for a 7-7 tie, the last 50 yards on rookie fullback Marion Butts’ bolt into the end zone.

So what happens?

The Raiders hold them to a respectable 239 yards the rest of the game.

Beuerlein, making his 1989 debut a lot earlier than he was figuring on, (“I was shocked”), pulled himself together and marched the Raiders 78 yards for a touchdown in his second possession. He took them 49 for a touchdown in his third. Along the way, he converted five consecutive third downs. On the last drive, he picked up a two third-and-nines plus a second-and-14. He was, all in all, semi-brilliant.

It was 21-7 at the half. The first time Beuerlein touched the ball in the second half, he buzzed a 39-yard touchdown pass to Gault who was once again behind Seale. It was 28-7 and time for an extended mop-up period.

“We wanted to come with the deep balls to his (Seale’s) side because of the way he plays them,” Beuerlein said. “He doesn’t seem to respect them as much as Gill Byrd on the other side.

“Willie can run. We’ve known that for a long time but it’s great to see him playing with so much confidence. He doesn’t think anybody can stop him. As a quarterback, you’ve got a guy you know is gonna burn ‘em every time. You know you can put it out there and he’ll go get it.”

If the Raiders were rolling, the Chargers were unraveling for all they were worth.

Their 3-1 exhibition season rendered irrelevant, their bubble pierced, and they went to great lengths to show just how young they are.

Their punt-cover team sent 12 men onto the field in the third period--one too many. The Raiders had a first down.

The kids were only warming up.

With the Raiders ahead, 31-14, young returner Victor Floyd took Jeff Jaeger’s kickoff in the end zone, fumbled it out to the two, picked it up . . . and retreated back into the refuge of the end zone ?

Of course, you can’t do that. Stefon Adams, a special-teams demon all day, tackled him there for a safety and it was 33-14.

The Chargers were obliged to kick. New punter Lewis Colbert (the unhappy-with-his contract Ralf Mojsiejenko had been traded to Washington) got off a short kick, Adams returned it 27 yards and the Raiders were back in business at the Charger 37.

From there, it took Beuerlein eight plays to score. Mueller carried on six of those, flying the last yard on a plunge over the middle. The rout was complete.

Were the Raiders happy?

“I think it’s a situation where you have a team that’s still trying to find itself,” Vann McElroy said.

“I think wins like this make it so you can actually go in the huddle and start shaking hands and knowing each other. I mean, it’s like you’re still trying to get everybody’s first name down.”

Said Beuerlein: “We can be this good on a consistent basis. You look across the board, I think we’ve got people on both sides of the ball who can match up with anybody.

“We weren’t sure. We’ve got a lot of new faces, a lot of guys trying to get things going. I think now that it’s going a little bit, that confidence is going to help us jell.”

Aside from that, it was your routine Raider opening-day victory.

Raider Notes

Punky Quarterback’s First Charger Controversy: Chargers Coach Dan Henning lifted Jim McMahon under unusual circumstances, McMahon having just led a third-period touchdown drive. Henning said McMahon was not hurt “to my knowledge.” McMahon said he had suffered bruised ribs and had been told to come out. Substitute quarterback David Archer said McMahon asked to come out. Stay tuned. . . . The great Raider negative of the day: Tim Brown hurt his left knee on a punt return. X-rays were inconclusive and Brown was to undergo an MRI Sunday night. . . . Jay Schroeder says his separated left shoulder isn’t serious and he expects to play next week at Kansas City. In case you’re wondering, Mike Shanahan said he is still No. 1 if he s healthy.

Schroeder returned to the sideline after getting X-rays and tried to return to the game, too. “Mike said, ‘We’ve only got two guys standing here who can play that position, so you’d better wait,” Schroeder said. . . . Who was the emergency No. 3 quarterback? Shanahan asked Marcus Allen if he was ready. Allen said he was. . . . The Raiders didn’t even dress Scott Davis (hyperextended knee), and used the other starting defensive end Howie Long (ankle sprain) only on passing downs. Their best days could still be ahead of them. . . . The Raider victory was their biggest since they beat the Jets, 31-0, here in the ’85 opener.