Raiders’ Win Over Dallas Is Ugly, Baby

Although the credo of Raider owner Al Davis is “Just Win, Baby,” Coach Art Shell wasn’t satisfied with a 16-14 victory over the Dallas Cowboys in an exhibition Saturday at the Coliseum.

“It was a win, but that’s not the way you win in the National Football League,” Shell said. “We did not play well at all, and I’m disappointed in the way that we played.”

After beating the two-time defending Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers last weekend, the Raiders struggled against the Cowboys, who have had the NFL’s worst record for the past two seasons.

For the second time in three exhibitions, the Raider offense failed to produce a touchdown, settling for Jeff Jaeger’s field goals of 31, 47 and 33 yards and a 59-yard interception return by defensive tackle Arthur Walker.

“I felt we were physical, but when we had opportunities on offense we just didn’t get the (ball) in the end zone,” Shell said. “You’ve got to make the plays and we didn’t do that.”

Quarterback Jay Schroeder completed only four of 12 passes for 53 yards in the first half.

After completing 46.9% last year, Schroeder has been unimpressive in the exhibition season, completing only 39% in three games. He has completed 16 of 41 passes for 185 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

“I don’t worry about percentages,” Schroeder said. “That’s for you guys to write about. You guys are going to make a big deal out of percentage, but I don’t make a big deal out of percentage. I make a big deal about making the plays when you’ve got to make the plays. And today we didn’t do that, and I’ll take the blame for that.”

The Raiders are continuing to try to sign last year’s season-ending starter, Steve Beuerlein.

Quarterback Vince Evans was inconsistent in relief of Schroeder, completing six of 18 passes for 66 yards. Evans was the Raiders’ most productive rusher, gaining 73 yards in eight carries, including a 25-yard scramble.

Dallas quarterback Steve Walsh stood out after Troy Aikman was knocked out of the game with a concussion suffered when he was hit by defensive tackle Bill Pickel on the fourth play. In his best performance as a pro, Walsh completed 16 of 25 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns.

The Raider offense put some in the crowd of 28,273 to sleep.

Taking over at the Dallas 28 after Lionel Washington’s 14-yard interception return, the Raiders had to settle for a 31-yard field goal by Jaeger.

After running back Terrence Flagler returned the following kickoff 69 yards to the Raider 22 before he was run out of bounds by Ron Brown, the Cowboys took a 7-3 lead when Walsh eluded the rush and hit tight end Jay Novacek with a one-yard touchdown pass.

The Raider emphasis on special teams play paid off when they scored their only touchdown on a botched field goal attempt by the Cowboys.

After a bad snap, Cowboy kicker Ken Willis threw a harried pass into the hands of Walker, who ran 59 yards for a touchdown to give the Raiders a 10-7 lead with 13:29 left in the half.

“At first I was going to tackle (Willis), but when I saw the ball in the air I reached out and grabbed it,” said Walker, who hadn’t scored a touchdown since he recovered a fumble in the end zone while playing at Booker T. Washington High in Houston. “All I saw was open field.”

Schroeder drove the Raiders to the Dallas 29 on their first series of the second quarter, but they settled for a field goal of 47 yards.

The Raiders’ 13-7 lead didn’t last long.

Walsh directed a 79-yard, 11-play touchdown drive, completing five of nine passes for 64 yards, including a five-yard touchdown to fullback Tommie Agee.

After replacing Schroeder in the second half, Evans directed the Raiders to what turned out to be Jaeger’s game-winning field goal of 33 yards in the fourth quarter.

Raider Notes

Dallas quarterback Troy Aikman said he probably could have played in the second half after being knocked out of the game with a concussion, but the Cowboys held him out as a precaution. “I just got knocked a little silly,” Aikman said. “But I’ll be back at practice Tuesday.” . . . Raider offensive tackle Doug Wilkerson left the game with a sprained left knee in the second quarter, and defensive end Emanuel King sustained a sprained right knee in the first quarter.