PRO FOOTBALL DAILY REPORT : RAIDERS : Opponents Are Ready for Long Passes

The Raiders, once famous for their deep-strike passing game, are not passing long as much anymore. Owner Al Davis, speaking at a Coliseum renovation news conference, said other teams’ defenses are taking the long pass away from his team.

“What they’re doing is laying back in a deep zone,” Davis said. “And everyone is challenging us. Indianapolis came in here and they stayed 17 yards back. They just challenged us to go the hard way.”

Anticipating the media crunch for Sunday’s game against San Francisco at the Coliseum, former 49ers Ronnie Lott and Roger Craig held a news conference Monday and are not expected to do much talking the rest of the week.

Raider Coach Art Shell thought Craig and Lott were overwhelmed during the week before a July exhibition game against the 49ers, the players’ first game since signing with the Raiders as Plan B free agents in the off-season.

“I don’t want Roger Craig and Ronnie Lott ambushed by everyone in the country,” Shell said. “It wore them down in training camp. It really did.”