Beuerlein’s Chances to Play Seem to Be Chancy at Best

The Raiders’ week looks like moment-to-moment Steve Beuerlein updates but with this change from last week:

Coach Art Shell has dropped his hopeful posture for wait-and-see, suggesting that Beuerlein remains a longshot and Jay Schroeder figures to start at Houston.

“Yes it is (too soon to tell),” Shell said. “We won’t know until the next couple of days whether he’s ready to go or not.”

A week ago, Shell noted that Beuerlein would be returning to practice and had a chance to start.

Beuerlein, his knee still not healed, practiced minimally.

The Raiders subsequently lost at San Diego because of some special teams breakdowns, but mostly because they failed to score a touchdown in four incursions inside the Charger 20--two inside the 10--which left little margin for error.

For all of Jay Schroeder’s near misses--a 45-yard pass to Willie Gault, who caught it over the end line; a 52-yard bomb to Mervyn Fernandez called back for holding; a fade pattern just a shade too long for Fernandez in the end zone--he finished with three interceptions.

Beuerlein, meanwhile, left the lineup blazing hot two weeks ago, with teammates openly endorsing him.

Is Shell concerned that his players are looking to a possibly unavailable Beuerlein?

“I don’t think that’s the case,” Shell said. “I think it’s a case, whoever is healthy enough to line up, the team is willing to play for. I don’t think the team is looking to (Beuerlein). The team is looking to themselves. We have to find a way to win. Each individual has to do that. We can’t depend on one individual to do that.

“Jay looked all right. We played well enough to win that football game. We didn’t get in the end zone.”

Shell says the game at Houston isn’t a must.

“I never say that,” he said. “If it’s the last game of the season, yes. We’re still in the hunt. We’re still capable of doing something good.”

Make that game an extremely important one if the Raiders aren’t to run their string of non-playoff seasons to four.

Denver’s three-game lead is all but unassailable in the AFC West.

There are two 6-4 teams ahead of the 5-5 Raiders in the wild-card running.

One--Miami--has no remaining games against a team with a winning record.

How great is Bo Jackson?

No NFL back ever had more than one 90-yard touchdown run before him.

Bo has two in 22 games.

He looked as if he had a chance at a third Sunday night, when he took off from the Raider four, broke loose up the the middle, but was tripped by the ankle by safety Vencie Glenn just as he started heading for the sideline.

Schroeder said afterward that the Chargers kept their safeties way off the line, obviously just for that eventuality.

It’s not the way it was early when they were simply run over, but the Raiders have been getting burned by opposing runners on draws and cutbacks. In their last two games, in which they have seemed to control the line of scrimmage, they given up 145 yards to the Cincinnati Bengals and 136 to the Chargers.

The Chargers held the ball the last 4 minutes 21 seconds and converted twice on third and long to win the game.

What’s missing?

One thing, at least, is middle linebacker Jerry Robinson, the quick pursuit behind the line. His concussion has kept him out for two weeks.

“We definitely miss the guy,” Shell said. “His leadership, his capabilities as a player.”

And now for the macho-off you’ve been waiting for . . .

The Oilers like to think they have taken over the Raider aura of intimidation, down to Coach Jerry Glanville’s dressing in black on a team whose colors are blue, scarlet and white.

Shell, an actual Raider, has worn silver slacks and sweaters and occasionally a black jacket.

“I just try to blend in,” Shell said, laughing. “Jerry kinda sticks out a little bit. Very colorful guy.

“It’ll be a physical game, there’s no doubt about that. I guess you could say (Houston) is a clone. We can play as physical as anybody. We’ll rise to the occasion. We play hard and we play clean.

“This is good. If there are people that want to be like we are, that means we’ve done something good. We have an image, a tradition.”