PRO FOOTBALL / DAILY REPORT : RAIDERS : Jones Proving to Be No Passing Fancy

One improvement for the Raiders this season has been their ability to stop opponents on third down. They are fifth in the AFC, with opponents making first downs on only 49 of 144 attempts. One reason for their success has been the play of linebacker Mike Jones, who specializes in covering running backs out of the backfield on passing downs.

“On our team, and with the coaches, Mike is not overlooked,” Coach Art Shell said. “We knew he had the capabilities, and he’s done very well for us this season.”

Jones, who made several big plays while covering Thurman Thomas against the Buffalo Bills last week, was a running back at Missouri before the Raiders signed him as a rookie free agent in 1990.

After playing primarily on special teams in 1991, Jones made greats strides at linebacker with Sacramento in the World League of American Football in the spring of 1992. His defensive coordinator at Sacramento was Raider first-year linebacker coach Jim Haslett.

*

Wide receiver Tim Brown leads the AFC with 838 yards receiving (in 54 catches), and kicker Jeff Jaeger leads the conference with 99 points and 27 field goals. Other Raider AFC leaders are Rocket Ismail, averaging 27.1 yards per kickoff return, and Anthony Smith with 12 sacks.

*

Fans attending Sunday’s game against Seattle at the Coliseum will be able to vote for 1994 Pro Bowl players.

In eight games against Seattle, Shell is 7-1 with a seven-game winning streak. Seattle Coach Tom Flores, formerly the Raider coach, is 0-3 against Shell.