Brown’s Injury Cools Raider Afterglow

A star dimmed in the Raider firmament Monday when Tim Brown underwent reconstructive surgery to repair injured ligaments in his left knee. He is expected to miss a minimum of 10 weeks and perhaps the entire season.

“It’s really unfortunate,” Coach Mike Shanahan said. “It’s going to be a big loss for us.

“I’m not sure the extent of it right now but obviously it doesn’t look very good. We’ve lost not only an exceptional athlete but a leader who a lot of players look up to.

“A person like Tim Brown, any time he touches the ball, he’s got a chance to go all the way. He’s probably one of the most gifted athletes I’ve ever been around.

“Once he has the ball in his hands, he’s definitely going to make the first person miss, and the second person doesn’t have much of a chance. From then on in, it depends on the angles.”

Brown suffered the injury while running back a kickoff in Sunday’s third period. As a rookie last season, Brown caught 43 passes for a 16.9-yard average, led the league in kickoff returns and made the Pro Bowl as a return man. The first time he touched the ball in the National Football League--in the ’88 home opener against the Chargers--he went 97 yards for a touchdown.

His place in the lineup will be taken by Mervyn Fernandez, with Mike Alexander coming in as the third wide receiver.

What to make of Sunday’s rout of the Chargers?

It showed, for starters:

--That the Raiders could pull themselves out of their funk and play. This was no small feat. They had been in a downer that stretched back to last November.

The key was Jay Schroeder’s 53-yard bomb to Willie Gault on third and nine. That cleared the gloom.

Almost as important: With the Raiders leading 14-7 and Marcus Allen resting, Steve Beuerlein converted twice on third and nine, once on second and 14, and drove the Raiders to a 21-7 lead.

--That whoever plays, the Raiders can expect infinitely better play at quarterback then they got a year ago, when they carried a low 40s completion percentage late in the season. That would have been the low for the decade for the league.

--That their new offensive line looks OK. The Chargers are impressive up front, but the Raiders rolled up 160 rushing yards--more than they got last season in either game against San Diego, including the one in which they had Allen and Bo Jackson. You don’t like to take three sacks and lose one of your quarterbacks while you’re beating the other team, 40-14, but this outing was as much as anyone could have asked.

--That Allen remains the franchise, by dint of talent and leadership. The moment he stepped onto the field, the running game breathed again. His final numbers weren’t memorable, but before suffering a foot injury, he went for 51 yards in nine carries in the first three Raider possessions, while they took a 14-7 lead and set the tone of the game.

--That Gault is back and capable of doing the things Al Davis got him for. He caught only 15 passes last season but Sunday he caught four for 131 yards. He has started seven games for the Raiders and has gone for more than 100 yards in three of them, including the last two.

And you think the price Davis paid for Gault--this year’s No. 1 pick--was too high?

Davis evened it out by trading up to the top of the second round and pulling a plum--guard Steve Wisniewski--out of the draft.

Now for their opportunity. . . .

Assuming they can sustain something, the Raiders’ early season schedule affords the chance of a breakout.

Of their first six opponents, only one, Seattle at 9-7, had a winning record last season, and the Raiders will play the Seahawks here.

Next Sunday, the Raiders will play at Kansas City, which has always been a difficult place for them, regardless of how downtrodden the Chiefs are. If the Raiders have something going, you’ll know about it soon.

Raider Notes

Mike Shanahan on Jay Schroeder’s separated left shoulder: “They called it a third-degree separation. . . . I think Marc Wilson had it in the past and still was able to play. Jay’s tough. He wanted to go back in the game. He’ll be ready to go.” . . . Marcus Allen has a foot injury and couldn’t re-enter the game in the fourth period. Allen said it wasn’t serious. . . . The Raiders are hoping that Howie Long can play full-time in Kansas City and that Scott Davis can play. They’re waiting to see on Jerry Robinson. . . . Bill Lewis asked to meet with Shanahan and said he would ask to be let go. Said Shanahan before the meeting: “I’ll confront that with Bill Lewis.”