Bad Start Didn’t Improve : Raiders: Controversy translated into poor play almost from the beginning of the season, and many unanswered questions loom.

It began with a controversial announcement: Elvis has left the team.

It ended with a controversial pronouncement: Marcus is leaving the team.

And there were plenty of problems in between. This season’s Raiders featured a volatile mix of conflict, confrontation and controversy.

And that was before they took the field.

Owner Al Davis surveyed the happy locker room after Saturday’s season-ending 21-20 upset of the Washington Redskins and said, “This is the way it should have been all year.”

But it rarely was. Plagued by turnovers, the Raiders lost their first four games, couldn’t recover and wound up out of the playoffs at 7-9.

The problems on the sidelines were reflected in the performance on the field.

The first sign of the kind of season it would be came long before the first game--even before the first exhibition.

On a Raider trip to Arizona during training camp to scrimmage the Phoenix Cardinals, special teams player Elvis Patterson got into a dispute with his defensive coach, Jack Stanton. Patterson body-slammed the 54-year-old coach.

Patterson was suspended by Coach Art Shell, but reinstated 11 days later with the hope that the incident would be forgotten.

It was, but the tone had been set for an angry, ugly season.

What happened?

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Here is a breakdown of the breakdowns, position by position:

QUARTERBACK

The controversy started early here.

Shell said from the beginning of camp that he was sticking with veteran Jay Schroeder. Backup Todd Marinovich was the popular favorite.

Few would have thought then that the hero of the season finale would be 37-year-old Vince Evans, who wasn’t even on the roster opening day.

Schroeder started the first two games but was benched when the Raiders lost both.

Marinovich was given the starting job for seven games, but surrendered it after throwing three interceptions against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Schroeder, trying to overcome his reputation for inconsistency, added to it. He finished with 11 touchdown passes--and 11 interceptions.

Marinovich finished as the No. 3 quarterback.

The future--It is as muddled as the past. The Raiders are right where they were on opening day.

They are not convinced Schroeder is the one to lead them. Marinovich is a year older, but not much more experienced. And Evans is too old.

Look for a fourth alternative next season via either a trade or free agency. Joe Montana? Boomer Esiason?

RUNNING BACK

Again, there was controversy coming in.

With the acquisition of Eric Dickerson in an off-season trade, the Raiders had a logjam at tailback, where second-year player Nick Bell and veteran Marcus Allen also were ready, willing and hopeful.

Shell tried to devise a scheme to make everyone happy.

Instead, he made no one happy.

Dickerson was the starter, but wasn’t used much in the second half of games, or when the team was passing and needed extra blocking. As a result, he finished with 729 yards rushing, but scored only two touchdowns and averaged only 3.9 yards per carry.

Not exactly what the Raiders had in mind when they got Dickerson.

Nick Bell wound up with 81 carries, not exactly what he had in mind, but he averaged 4.5 yards per carry in gaining 366.

Allen, the 11-year veteran, was used as a specialty back. At season’s end, he publicly blamed his inactivity on a personal feud with Davis.

The future--Only one thing seems certain: Allen will be elsewhere.

Beyond that, the Raiders must settle on either Dickerson or Bell. It would help if they trusted one of them to block.

RECEIVER

When the season began, Tim Brown was battling to get in the starting lineup.

He won that battle early and finished as the team’s leading receiver with 49 catches for 693 yards and seven touchdowns.

The player he replaced, Mervyn Fernandez, sank steadily, from third receiver to the bottom of the depth chart to the sidelines. After getting caught eating peanuts on the bench during the Raiders’ home finale a week ago, Fernandez was deactivated Saturday.

Willie Gault had another disappointing season, with only 27 catches. He has 47 over two seasons; in 1990, he had 50.

Overall, the receivers suffered from the instability at quarterback and the predictability of the passing game.

The future--It will be a huge upset if Fernandez doesn’t join Allen in exile.

Alexander Wright, obtained in a midseason trade with the Dallas Cowboys, probably ensured his future with the Raiders with two spectacular catches Saturday. Sam Graddy, who sat out nine games because of a broken arm, is also highly regarded.

This area is the least of the Raiders’ worries.

OFFENSIVE LINE

The most memorable moment in the Raiders’ second game was a fumble by Dan Land that resulted in a Cincinnati Bengal victory.

But the worst thing that happened that day, from the Raiders’ standpoint, was a knee injury to Max Montoya that sidelined the veteran guard for six games.

His absence and subsequent injuries to Steve Wright decimated the right side of the line.

The Raiders were solid on the left with Steve Wisniewski and Bruce Wilkerson, and at center with Don Mosebar, until Wilkerson’s season ended one game early because of a broken bone in his right foot.

The future--Can the Raiders’ build their right side to the level of the left? With Montoya 37 next season, that is the crucial question.

The Raiders also must find out what they have in Greg Skrepenak, who saw little action in his rookie year.

DEFENSIVE LINE

It wasn’t hard to predict problems here.

Not with Scott Davis retiring, Greg Townsend holding out during all of training camp and then reporting substantially overweight and No. 1 draft choice Chester McGlockton getting hurt in the exhibition opener.

Controversy also arose here when the Raiders were surprisingly reluctant to use Anthony Smith on a regular basis, though he wound up as the team’s sack leader with 13.

There were other bright spots. After a slow start, Howie Long was a dependable, steadying force. Nolan Harrison and Willie Broughton filled some holes.

The future--It obviously starts with young players such as Smith and Harrison.

Thirty-five-year-old Bob Golic will be gone.

Remaining will be plenty of questions. Can Long continue to produce at 33? Will McGlockton shake off the problems of his rookie season? Will Townsend show up in shape and on time? The answers will be crucial.

LINEBACKER

This figured to be the most troublesome position for the Raiders. It was an accurate assessment.

Too many times, players such as defensive back Ronnie Lott had to come up and make key hits that should have been made by the linebackers.

Riki Ellison had his moments in the middle, as did Anthony Bell, Aaron Wallace and Winston Moss on both sides. But overall, there were problems.

The future--The Raiders will probably dip into both the draft and free-agent market for help here.

DEFENSIVE BACKS

Pro Bowl cornerback Terry McDaniel was the star, but he had plenty of help.

Lionel Washington turned in another solid season on the other corner.

At safety, Lott had only one interception, but he remained the team’s defensive leader in terms of intensity. A Lott hit can still produce a lot of punishment.

Playing in Lott’s shadow isn’t easy, but fellow safety Eddie Anderson filled that role well.

The future--The rumors remain strong that Lott wants out, although he won’t lend them any credence.

Waiting on the sidelines are young defensive backs such as Land and Torin Dorn.

SPECIAL TEAMS

They weren’t so special through much of the season. While Tim Brown was a solid punt returner, it was a constant struggle all season to find effective kick returners.

Field-goal kicker Jeff Jaeger slumped early, then bounced back, finishing with 15 successful kicks in 26 tries.

Punter Jeff Gossett ended up above his career average of 41.0 yards, at 42.3.

The future--Expect wholesale personnel changes and a plan to have the kick returners in place by the season opener. Brown, Jaeger and Gossett are safe.