PRO FOOTBALL DAILY REPORT : RAIDERS : McGlockton’s Injury Leaves a Big Hole

An area of concern for the Raiders against Buffalo on Sunday is finding someone to replace defensive tackle Chester McGlockton, who was put on injured reserve after suffering a broken fibula against Denver last Sunday.

“Losing McGlockton is a big loss for us because he is such a key factor in our defensive line scheme,” Coach Art Shell said Wednesday. “But when you lose people, everybody has to pick up the slack.”

After McGlockton went down on Denver’s first offensive play, Willie Broughton, a six-year veteran from Miami, filled in and played well.

“He stepped in and made some plays for us,” Shell said of Broughton, who started eight games last season. “There were a couple plays when you saw him in there chasing the quarterback.”

*

In preparation for Saturday’s 9:30 a.m. PST kickoff against the Bills, the Raiders moved their practice time up from 2 p.m. to 9:30 a.m. this week.

“We know its going to be cold and there’s nothing we can do about that,” Shell said. “But it is important to get some good practice time, and I’d rather practice here than there. The only thing we’ve changed is our practice time. Practicing early has been good for us. In fact, a couple of players walked up to me and said that they thought it was a good idea.”

The Raiders will practice this morning before leaving at 3 p.m. for Buffalo.

*

If you want to get Shell emotional, ask him about Gerald Perry’s absence from the AFC Pro Bowl team.

“Gerald was like the third alternate on the team and that’s wrong,” Shell said. “There’s no way that there are five tackles in the league that are better than him. He’s shut down all the top players all season and he’s left off the team. That’s not right.”

Shell blames the voting process.

“The whole Pro Bowl thing started going in the wrong direction when they started having the players vote. Now they have fans voting and they just don’t know. The coaches are the ones who watch film and see players all year long.”