Shell Says Raiders Stand Pat : Pro football: Coach says team will continue to stick with Schroeder at quarterback despite loss to Broncos on Sunday night.

Jay will stay.

That is what Raider Coach Art Shell said on the opening day of training camp, declaring that Jay Schroeder would remain his starting quarterback despite his poor 1991 season.

And that is what Shell was still saying Monday, despite Schroeder’s dismal opening-night performance Sunday in Denver.

Schroeder threw two interceptions Sunday night after throwing five during the exhibition season. He threw 16 last year.

He completed only seven of 24 passes Sunday night against the Broncos, including two of 10 during the second half, fumbled twice and failed to get a crucial first down late in the fourth quarter that would have kept the ball out of Bronco quarterback John Elway’s hands.

Some Raiders are saying that they would like to see backup quarterback Todd Marinovich get a chance to start.

But Shell’s response is always the same: Jay will stay.

The Raider coach will discuss his quarterback situation freely and openly--to a point.

“I try to respond to your questions as best I can,” he told reporters Monday. “But it depends how the question is asked. If you ask it in a way that I feel is not attacking our team, then I will answer it. . . . But if I feel you’re attacking us, then I’m not going to give you what you want to hear.

“I know where we are with this team. If you start listening to everybody outside . . . then they’ll start making decisions for you. I’m not going to be involved in that.”

Shell doesn’t deny that Schroeder had a bad night.

“He’d be the first one to tell you,” Shell said of Schroeder. “Going seven for 24 is not very good. We’ve got to improve on that.

“It’s tough on a quarterback when things don’t work out. They are the first ones to be looked at. . . . When the team loses, it’s a compilation of a lot of things happening. When you win, the quarterback shouldn’t get all the credit, because a lot of people play well and play hard. When you lose, it’s not always the quarterback’s fault.”

Many observers believe that Schroeder is still the quarterback because owner Al Davis went out on a limb by trading Jim Lachey to the Washington Redskins to get Schroeder. Lachey is considered perhaps the game’s best offensive linemen. Therefore, goes the theory, Davis refuses to cut his losses and admit he made a mistake.

But it probably isn’t as simple as that. The Raiders consider Marinovich their quarterback of the future, but might not be convinced the future is now.

Stepping in to play quarterback against a sophisticated defense like that of the Denver Broncos is not like stepping in against UCLA or Washington.

Marinovich showed he could master a collegiate offense at USC. But he also showed at the end of last season against the Kansas City Chiefs that, while he may be out of college, he still has plenty of studying to do when it comes to NFL defenses.

For now, there is no panic.

“It’s one game in 16,” Shell said. “It’s a long year. . . . The worst thing you can do is hang your head. After we watch the film, it’s in the can.

“So let’s move on to Cincinnati. You can reflect on things you did wrong and try to improve on them, but that game is gone. You can’t get it back.”

End of discussion.