Marinovich Can’t Rescue the Raiders : Pro football: He nearly pulls out a victory over the Redskins after a poor first half by Schroeder. Dickerson leads a resurgent L.A. rushing attack.

Jay Schroeder or Todd Marinovich?

If it were an election, it wouldn’t be close.

Marinovich, bidding to become the Raiders’ starting quarterback, won the popular vote Saturday at the Coliseum as the Raiders lost to the Washington Redskins, 27-23, in the Raiders’ home exhibition opener.

The crowd of 40,805 booed Schroeder and cheered Marinovich’s every move. Schroeder threw three first-half interceptions, two going for Washington touchdowns, and Marinovich led a second-half rally that nearly pulled out a victory.

But the Raiders (0-3) don’t operate as a democracy. Only two votes, those of owner Al Davis and Coach Art Shell, count, and neither is ready to show his ballot.

“I’m not going to talk to you about who the starter is,” Shell told reporters. “We’re just trying to get our football team ready to open up in Denver (on Sept. 6).”

Marinovich completed 11 of 19 passes, including his first six attempts, for 140 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions.

While the results were mixed at quarterback Saturday, all three candidates for tailback showed they belong:

--Eric Dickerson finished with 93 yards in 20 carries, all during the first half.

On his first play from scrimmage, Dickerson gained seven yards. That was seven times better than a week earlier against the Rams, when he gained one net yard in five carries.

But this time, with the offensive line opening holes that weren’t there a week ago, Dickerson seemed to regain the form that once made him one of the most feared runners in the NFL.

But Dickerson downplayed his performance.

“It was only the preseason,” he said. “It doesn’t mean that much. The stats aren’t that important. We blocked better. We ran better.

“I felt I had the time to move in the backfield and make the cuts I had to make. That’s what makes me a successful runner.”

--Nick Bell, a second-year player, had only one carry during the first half, his opportunity coming when Dickerson was temporarily stunned and had to leave the game. Bell made the most of it, going off right tackle from the Redskin seven-yard line and into the end zone, breaking four tackles along the way.

Bell’s second-quarter touchdown put the Raiders back into the game after Washington took a 14-0 first-quarter lead on Schroeder’s two interceptions.

Bell finished with 27 yards in seven carries.

--Marcus Allen, the Raiders’ all-time leading rusher who was making his first appearance of the exhibition season, had 10 yards in four carries, scoring from one yard out during the third quarter.

After holding out for several weeks, Allen reported to camp but had been limited by a sore foot.

Allen didn’t have a chance to do anything on his second drive because of it consisted of one play, a 25-yard touchdown pass from Marinovich to a wide-open Sam Graddy.

Overall, the Raiders rushed for 135 yards but were never able to overcome the first-quarter interceptions by the Redskins (1-3).

Schroeder, who finished with nine completions in 18 attempts for 103 yards, overthrew Ethan Horton on his first interception, Danny Copeland coming up with the ball.

Washington couldn’t capitalize on that one.

The next two were a different story.

From the Raider 28, Schroeder tried to hook up with Mervyn Fernandez on a sideline pass.

Schroeder put the ball where Fernandez was supposed to be. Fernandez wasn’t there; cornerback Martin Mayhew was.

“It was a set route, five yards,” Fernandez said. “But I just kept going. What’s done is done. You can’t bring it back now.”

Mayhew brought it back 33 yards untouched to the end zone.

During the next Raider series, boos ringing in his ears, Schroeder went to Fernandez on the left side.

This time, it was underthrown.

Again, Mayhew was there. Again, the easy run into the end zone, this time for 25 yards.

After Bell brought the Raiders closer in the second quarter, Brian Mitchell’s 97-yard kickoff return extended the Washington lead to 21-7.

Chip Lohmiller’s 22-yard field goal during the third quarter made the score 24-7 before Marinovich struck for two touchdowns to close the gap to 24-21.

During the fourth quarter, Lohmiller’s 48-yard field made the score 27-21.

The Raiders had one last shot, driving to the Washington one-yard line late in the fourth quarter.

Three plays from there all came up short. Two carries by Bell netted nothing. On fourth down, Marinovich had Napoleon McCallum open on the goal line, but his pass was short of his fingertips.

In the closing minute, punter Kelly Goodburn, backed up in his end zone, stepped out for a safety to kill any Raider hopes of good field position at the end.

When it was over, Schroeder was asked about the boos.

“What boos?” he said. “I’ve got 22 guys on the field to worry about. If I worry about 40,000 people in the stands, I’m in trouble.”