Schroeder Knew It Wasn’t Social Call : Raiders: He realized that he had lost job to Marinovich when he learned Shell was on line.

Jay Schroeder began Tuesday by taking his 7-year-old son, Brian, to school near his San Diego area home.

It was a day off for the Raiders, a chance for Schroeder to head south for a brief escape from the controversy that has surrounded him as he struggled to keep his job as the Raiders’ starting quarterback.

But when Schroeder walked back into his house, heard the phone ring and learned his coach, Art Shell, was on the other end of the line, Schroeder knew that struggle was over.

The words were unnecessary.

“There’s not too many times when the head coach calls you at home on your off-day,” he said.

Shell told Schroeder what the rest of the football world would soon learn, that the starting job had been passed to 23-year-old Todd Marinovich.

Shell also has decided that Tim Brown, who started last Sunday’s game at wide receiver in place of Mervyn Fernandez, will remain a starter.

“Yeah, I’m disappointed,” Schroeder said Wednesday. “I’d be lying to you if I said I didn’t feel shocked.

“But it’s part of the game. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be here if they need me. I’m still a member of this football team.”

The quarterback switch brings Marinovich back to the Coliseum as a starter for Sunday’s home opener against the Cleveland Browns.

He already realized one boyhood dream three years ago when he trotted onto that field as the starter for the USC Trojans, a team his father, Marv, played for.

The younger Marinovich realized a second dream last season when he became the starter for the Raiders, another team his father played for, after Schroeder was hurt.

And now this, the chance to get the job full time.

“I’m stoked,” Marinovich said. “I couldn’t be happier. It’s a day I’ve been waiting for for a long time.”

The switch should not have been a surprise. Marinovich was easily the better of the two during the exhibition season.

What was a surprise was the timing. Although the Raiders fell to 0-2 Sunday by losing to the Cincinnati Bengals, Schroeder had his best day as a Raider, completing 25 of 40 passes for 380 yards.

That would seem to indicate that the decision to switch was reached before Sunday, perhaps during the exhibition season.

But Shell insisted that was not the case. He claimed no decision was made until after Sunday’s game.

“It’s a matter of going in a different direction and trying to find a way to win football games,” Shell said.

“That’s nothing against Jay. He’s a very capable quarterback. But we still have to win.”

Shell made it plain this will be a long-term commitment to Marinovich, a first-round draft choice in 1991 after a sometimes brilliant, sometimes erratic career at USC.

“He’s the quarterback,” Shell said. “He’s here to lead us. We feel the kid is ready to go. He had a pretty good preseason and showed that he has really grown.

“That does not say that Jay Schroeder will not ever come back and be quarterback for us. Todd could get hurt and Jay still has to come in and play.”

Shell took great pains to temper the hope that the insertion of Marinovich into the lineup will serve as an instant cure for the Raider ills.

“We all have to understand one thing with the kid now,” Shell said. “He’s not the savior.

“That’s what I told him (Wednesday) morning. I said, ‘You are not the savior. You are here to add to what we have. We are going to give you an opportunity to use your talents to help us win.’

“He’s a young guy. He’s probably going to make a mistake here and there. So don’t think he’s the answer to everything.”

Shell said he will review the Raiders’ offensive game plan and highlight those elements he believes are suited to Marinovich’s style.

“Todd is a little more active in the pocket,” said tackle Steve Wright, one of those who will have the responsibility of protecting the young quarterback. “He’s a little more unpredictable. He’s on his toes and that keeps us on our toes. He has a lot of fire.

“But we would have to rally around anybody who is in there, even if it was the ballboy. I have to sacrifice my body for whoever is back there. My job is on the line.”

Brown, one of Marinovich’s favorite targets, didn’t conceal his approval of the move.

“It should be a little bit more exciting,” Brown said. “We will open things up by making the change.”

It was a change that it sometimes seemed was being advocated everywhere and anywhere that two or more Raider fans gathered. From the letters-to-the-editor columns to the sports talk shows, from the Coliseum to the sports bars, the cry seemed unanimous: Bring on Marinovich. Columnists and commentators alike concurred.

It’s not the first time Schroeder finds himself in such a spot. He had to endure a similar demotion when he was a Washington Redskin.

“I have a lot of faith in myself and my family,” he said. “My religious beliefs have helped me.”

So has some perspective at home.

Last Sunday, while the Raider-Bengal game was on in the Schroeder household, 5-year-old Christopher got up and walked away from the TV set.

“I know Daddy’s playing,” he said. “But it’s kind of boring. I’m going to go outside and play.”