Raiders Lead the Division and Also the Rumor Mill

After three weeks, the Raiders are an undefeated team and the subject of everyone’s favorite trade rumor. Did you hear the one about quarterback Steve Beuerlein going to Dallas and Dallas sending Steve Walsh to New Orleans and the Saints sending holdout Bobby Hebert to the Raiders?

This one was floating around just about the time Raider Coach Art Shell was calling quarterback Jay Schroeder’s performance in Sunday’s victory against Pittsburgh “outstanding.”

So good that Schroeder won’t last the week? And what about Marcus Allen? Where’s he going these days?

Why is an undefeated team with an “outstanding” quarterback in such a mess that it needs a quarterback who criticized his own teammates last season and has been left to wilt in the hot New Orleans sun?

This isn’t the weekly shopper floating these rumors. Try three major networks, one cable sports channel and various publications.

Shell said Monday it was all news to him, even if New Orleans General Manager Jim Finks has publicly stated that the Raiders offered the Saints a No. 1 draft choice for Hebert a few weeks ago.

Does the left hand, Shell, know what the right, owner Al Davis, is doing? What about this Hebert trade?

“That hasn’t happened,” Shell said. “I’m happy with the quarterbacks I have here.”

Wouldn’t a new quarterback, say Hebert, rock the boat and undermine the progress of Schroeder, who has been effective in the conservative offensive package he has been handed?

“I’m happy with the people we have here,” Shell said.

Maybe the trade makes sense because the Raiders’ offense has scored only four touchdowns in three victories. Try again. Shell, in fact, said he prefers the safer, low-risk offensive style. Schroeder has averaged 17 passes per game, which isn’t even a good half for Boomer Esiason. More important, though, Schroeder has thrown only one interception.

“I think if you’re throwing 30 passes a game, then you’ve got problems,” Shell said. “That’s just me. I just think if you’re running the football, a lot of good things can happen. If you run the ball 30, 35 times a game, you’re doing good.”

Spoken like a former offensive lineman?

“Probably,” Shell said.

While others are talking trade, Shell speaks of Schroeder’s improvement since winning the starting job while Beuerlein was a summer holdout.

“He’s throwing the ball better,” Shell said of Schroeder. “He’s finding open receivers. He seems a lot more confident and comfortable in the pocket right now. He’s seeing things better.”

On offense, the Raiders have been playing it close to the vest.

“It’s been playing winning football, that’s what it’s been doing,” Shell said. “ . . . You don’t ever want to put your defense in a position where it has to defend you in the other team’s scoring zone all the time. That’s the one thing we’ve been fortunate to do, to stay away from those kinds of situations.”

Shell said a team makes a trade to improve itself. His biggest concerns are patching holes left by injuries. Cornerback Garry Lewis is out six weeks with a broken collarbone, joining defensive end Howie Long, who suffered a broken foot last week against Seattle.

“You don’t make trades to be making trades,” Shell said. “You make trades to better your football team. Unfortunately, right now we’re hurting. We’ve lost a starting right tackle (Bruce Wilkerson), a starting corner (Lewis), a starting tight end (Mike Dyal), and a starting defensive lineman (Long). Those things hurt. They hurt your football team.

“But we’re not just going to make a trade to make one. If we feel a trade is necessary to enhance our football team, we’ll do it. We just want to get the people we’ve lost and get them back on our football team.”