Schroeder’s Knee Injury Not That Bad

Bad news for Jay Schroeder haters, some of whom cheered the Raider quarterback when he was injured in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s setback to the Kansas City Chiefs at the Coliseum: He’s OK.

Tests on Schroeder’s left knee revealed nothing more than a ligament sprain and, knee willing, he will resume control of the team next week at Denver.

Apparently, Schroeder’s hold on the starting quarterback position is tenuous only in his home bleachers, where he might have placed fourth Sunday in a people’s choice award, behind Vince Evans, Steve Beuerlein and George Blanda.

Down on the sidelines, where real decisions are made, Schroeder’s support is holding. Of course, that was as of Monday afternoon, so hold all bets.

Raider Coach Art Shell said Schroeder will remain the starter, provided his knee responds this week, which leaves Shell at least some room to maneuver.

“It doesn’t appear as bad as we thought it might be,” Shell said of Schroeder’s knee sprain. “There wasn’t any swelling today. It’s supposed to be a minor sprain. . . . If he’s healthy enough to work, he’ll be out there with the first unit, yes.”

Shell said he will decide on Friday whether Schroeder is ready for this Sunday’s game against the Broncos.

Schroeder’s chances of starting will diminish if he can’t work Wednesday and Thursday, the heaviest practices days of game week.

“You’d like for the quarterback to work on the days that you have good work days set for,” Shell said. “That’s important.”

If Schroeder can’t make it, the starter against Denver will be . . . Steve Beuerlein?

Not a chance.

Beuerlein’s biggest concern about Denver will be what color snow jacket to pick out for the sidelines. Anyone have a problem with orange? In discussing contingency plans, Shell didn’t even mention Beuerlein’s name Monday.

If Schroeder can’t go, the hopes and dreams of a Raider season rest on the shoulders of 35-year-old Vince Evans, pressed into duty Sunday when Schroeder was felled. It took Evans four plays to lead his team to a touchdown. Remember, he was rusty. Evans paced the sidelines hoping for a chance to win it, but his defense couldn’t get the ball back.

Evans threw just one pass, a 36-yard completion to Ethan Horton, and handed off three other times. For some Raider fans, that was enough to take the job from Schroeder, who dropped some remaining die-hards off his bandwagon with another shaky performance.

This time, it wasn’t so much his passing as his ballhandling. Schroeder fumbled twice in critical situations. The first drop led to a Kansas City touchdown, the second halted what could have been the go-ahead touchdown drive.

“You have to put the ball away,” Shell said. “He’s trying to move around the pocket, and sometimes you become a little careless with the ball. It’s just one of those things that happened. It’s unfortunate.”

Shell didn’t mind that Schroeder scrambled for 16 and 17 yards on two other runs, but admits there is a risk factor when the quarterback tries to do too much. Schroeder has been best this season playing it safe in a conservative scheme.

“If the opportunity is there, you’ve got to take off and run,” Shell said. “You don’t want your quarterback to run, but if it presents itself, you’ve got to get out of there.”

The Raiders’ recent slump has been team wide. Penalties are up, defensive turnovers are down. But it can also be directly linked to Schroeder’s statistics.

When the Raiders were 6-1, Schroeder was leading the AFC in passing with a rating of 98.6. He had thrown eight touchdown passes and three interceptions. The Raiders have lost three of four games since, and Schroeder’s rating has plummeted into the 70s. He hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass since the fourth quarter of a victory over San Diego Oct. 21. He has thrown five interceptions in that span.

The Raiders, who once seemed a cinch to clinch the AFC West title, have set their sights lower.

“The main thing is to qualify for the playoffs,” Shell said. “I feel if we can take care of our business, we’ll be there at the end. And we’ll have a chance to win our division. You want to win your division, but first and foremost you want to qualify for the playoffs.”

The Raiders remain very much in that hunt, as they monitor the swelling of a slumping quarterback’s knee and prepare a veteran who in recent years has been more accustomed to moth balls than footballs.