They’re Covered at the Corners : Raiders: Washington and McDaniel don’t get a lot of recognition or interceptions, but they do the job.

Raider cornerbacks Lionel Washington and Terry McDaniel don’t often get beat deep for touchdowns, and they don’t talk trash.

They also haven’t gained a lot of attention around the NFL, even though they have been a consistent cornerback tandem the last five years.

“We just like to go about our work quietly and get the job done,” said Washington, an 11-year NFL veteran from Tulane. “Terry and I both don’t like to be beat at any time. Not in practice, not in games, not ever.”

Especially this season.

In the Raiders’ two victories, over Minnesota and Seattle, Washington and McDaniel have been on opposing receivers like feathers on a chicken hawk.

Out of 49 passes against them, the Raider cornerbacks have given up only 14 catches at an average of only 11 yards per catch.

Most important, though, Washington and McDaniel have not given up, nor even come close to giving up, a touchdown pass.

“All I can say is that they have one of the best secondaries in the league,” said Cleveland Coach Bill Belichick, whose Browns will play the Raiders at the Coliseum on Sunday. “They have excellent cover men.”

So if Washington and McDaniel have been so good and are the NFL’s longest-running starting cornerback pair, why do they have only one Pro Bowl appearance between them?

“It’s hard to say why,” said McDaniel, who was named to the Pro Bowl last season for the first time in his five-year career. “But I feel that since we’ve been together, we’ve played very good football. There’s not been a year gone by that I felt that if I was named to the Pro Bowl I would have been surprised. I’ve always felt that we’ve played at that standard.”

When McDaniel was selected last season, after having intercepted four passes and returned them for 180 yards, Washington felt as if he had made it, too.

“I sure did, because we both had worked so hard for that one particular goal,” said Washington, who was traded to the Raiders by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1987. “It felt good that at least one of us made it. Shoot, we felt that at least one of us should have made it the last couple of years.”

Another reason Washington and McDaniel have had difficulty gaining recognition the last two years was future Hall of Fame safety Ronnie Lott. He attracted most of the attention in the defensive backfield. But now Lott has moved on to the New York Jets and second-year pro Derrick Hoskins has taken his place.

“Not knocking Ronnie at all,” Washington said, “but I always felt that we had a good secondary even before he got here, at least at our corner positions. Ronnie always picked the level of play up because you knew he was going out there and was going to make plays, so you had to match his.

“But the thing is that we still have some good players in our secondary who will play hard. Sure, we may not get recognized as much because he’s not here, but I think we’ll prove during the year how good we are.”

At 32, Washington realizes that he is a rarity among NFL veteran cornerbacks, to be in the league for so long without much fanfare.

He knows that he is not noted for blazing speed, as is Darrell Green of the Washington Redskins, or for interceptions, as is Everson Walls of the Browns. But Washington also knows that he can still play.

“You’d like to be recognized for the things you have done in this league,” he said. “But sometimes things go by you without being said. I just try to go out there and do my job the best I can, and I guess I’ve been doing that because I’ve been in the league for 11 years.”

In the Raiders’ opening victory, over Minnesota, Washington and McDaniel had a rare game. They both intercepted passes.

Interceptions have not been their trademark because they usually are in man-to-man coverage.

In 90 games with the Raiders, Washington has 13 interceptions. McDaniel has 12 in 70 Raider games.

“Terry and I play a lot of man-to-man, and our backs are always to the ball,” Washington said. “So, we don’t get a lot of interceptions. But if the ball is thrown our way, we’ll get them.”

McDaniel agreed.

“We are not big-time gamblers,” he said. “Our main objective is to do our job and make the play first. If I don’t get an interception, but my guy doesn’t make a catch, I’m happy. I don’t like to be out there consistently gambling and putting myself and the team in jeopardy.”

Their close relationship is one good reason for their success. Each knows where the other is on the field and how he is feeling. When one gives up a touchdown catch, the other shares the hurt. When one comes up with an interception, the other shares the joy.

“We don’t have to speak to each other in order for us to communicate,” McDaniel said. “It’s more of a thought process for us because we do so much together on and off the field.”

When it comes to football, Washington and McDaniel are almost inseparable. They practice together, lift weights together and train together in the off-season.

“He’s been helping me out since Day 1,” McDaniel said. “Now, we’re to the point where we just exchange things from each other to help both of us get better.”

And apparently, they are quite good, since the Raiders are No. 2 in the NFL in pass defense.

“Deep down, we think that we are the best in the league at our position,” Washington said. “But we just won’t go out and talk about it. We try to let our work speak for itself.”