Foes Must Take Pause Against Mousy Lions : Raiders: L.A. denigrates the run-and-shoot offense, but the question is whether it can be stopped.

The Raiders, who share the patent on power football, will bare their souls tonight to a national audience when they tackle Detroit’s mysterious run-and-shoot, a hybrid, high-scoring offense that has no place in a Raider glossary.

A loss to the strategic contraption of Mouse Davis’ invention might set the Raider mystique back for years. Truth is, you can curse what the run-and-shoot has done to football, dismiss it as a passing fad, poke holes in its premise. But can you stop it?

The Raiders would sooner dress Steve Beuerlein for a game than acknowledge an offense with no tight ends and four, pint-sized receivers running like gnats to a night lamp. On the dinner plate of life, the Raiders are meat and potatoes; the Lions carrots and parsley.

But can the Raiders beat it? Thanksgiving Day, the Lions rolled up 421 net yards in a 40-27 victory over Denver, defending AFC champions. Last week, the Raiders needed a blocked field goal with seconds remaining to beat the same Broncos.

In the weeks before the Lions came up next on the schedule, Raider Coach Art Shell said an offense like Detroit’s could not win consistently. Shell’s point might be reflected in the Lions’ 4-8 record. But what about tonight?

For one game, the run-and-shoot can send shivers down your coverages. The Raiders were concerned enough to burn the midnight oil this week, thanking the schedule makers for allowing an extra day to prepare for the unknown.

“It remains to be seen whether you can win a Super Bowl with it,” Shell said of the run-and-shoot. “But the guy (Mouse Davis) believes what he’s doing, and you have to respect him for that.”

It was the nicest way Shell could say he wishes Davis would have left his run-and-shoot starter kit back at Portland State.

As quarterbacks and receivers coach, Davis pulls the strings on the run-and-shoot. From a marketing standpoint, Lion Coach Wayne Fontes maintains the franchise had nothing to lose by taking a gamble with the offense. Detroit has averaged 22.5 points this season and is on a pace for the second-highest point total in team history.

“In the past, the offense of the Lions has been very, very poor,” Fontes said. “It was very unexciting, it wasn’t generating points, it wasn’t moving the ball. We took a look at what we had and thought this was the quickest way to open up the game, make it exciting, and have a chance to win. We’ve scored more points right now than any Lion team in a long time.”

What is surprising to some is how close the Lions have come to a winning record this season. Two of their losses have come in overtime. Last week, the Lions would have defeated the Chicago Bears if kicker Eddie Murray hadn’t missed a 35-yard field goal in overtime. Two other Detroit losses were by three points.

The jury still is out on the future of the run-and-shoot in the NFL. The three teams that utilize it most--Detroit, the Atlanta Falcons and Houston Oilers--have a cumulative record of 13-25. The strategy has been criticized on various fronts: You can’t run the ball inside the 20 because you don’t have a tight end; you can’t control the ball and take time off the clock; with no fullback or tight end, your quarterback is vulnerable to direct hits from the oncoming rush.

The Lions have proved that you don’t have to waste a talented running back. Barry Sanders has nine 100-yard games in his 27-game career.

But what about the future? When will NFL defenses catch on?

“I think it has a good chance to survive in the NFL,” Detroit quarterback Rodney Peete said. “I think if it’s run correctly, and you have the right people in the offense, it can definitely work. It’s definitely going to score some points. I think we’re in the top five in scoring right now in the NFL. I think the majority of criticism of the run-and-shoot is, when it comes time for you to control the ball and eat some time off clock, it’s tough to do. I think you can do that if you continue to use your short passes as a way of running the football, or eating up time off the clock. That major criticism can be worked out.”

Fontes also dismisses the notion that a run-and-shoot quarterback is more prone to injury. True, Peete has been hampered by knee and hamstring injuries in his two seasons running the offense, but Fontes said those were unusual injuries.

“I’ve been asked that question many times,” Fontes said. “I don’t think our quarterback takes any more hits than a basic quarterback in a conventional-type offense. (The Raiders’) Jay Schroeder went down already, there are quarterbacks around the league that have gone down. (Houston’s) Warren Moon has played the whole season, and he plays our offense.”

Raider Notes

The Raiders are 28-6-1 in Monday night games. Detroit is 7-7-1. Former Ram LeRoy Irvin has started all 12 games at right cornerback for the Lions. Irvin, who spent his first 10 seasons with the Rams, was left unprotected last spring but was not signed by any NFL team. The Lions invited him to camp and he won the job. Irvin doesn’t have an interception but has defended eight passes and forced a fumble. . . . Tonight’s game will feature five former Heisman Trophy winners: Marcus Allen, Bo Jackson and Tim Brown of the Raiders and Barry Sanders and Andre Ware of the Lions. . . . More from Raider Coach Art Shell on the run-and-shoot offense: “It’s a high-power offense as far as scoring, but whether it will work, whether it will be accepted in the league by a lot of coaches, I’m not sure.”