PRO FOOTBALL / DAILY REPORT : RAIDERS : Receivers Longing to Go Deep Again

In the first three games, quarterback Jeff Hostetler has had difficulty completing long passes, and he can thank the intimidating speed of his receivers for this problem.

“We’ve received so much hype about our speed that teams have been laying off really deep against us,” wide receiver Tim Brown said. “I don’t think that we’ve completed a deep ball all year. I don’t even think that we’ve even thrown more than five.”

The extra room underneath has not been a problem for Brown, who leads the team with 18 catches for 239 yards and two touchdowns.

“It’s right up my alley when they play 10 yards off of me and give me a cushion like that,” Brown said. “I still want to be a big-play guy, but I’ll take being a control receiver when it’s there.”

One receiver who has suffered against this coverage, however, has been world-class sprinter James Jett.

With only four catches for 53 yards and no touchdowns, Jett is frustrated.

“The first couple of weeks have been kind of rough and things are down right now, but I’m ready to pick up and take it to another level,” said Jett, who last season as a rookie led the NFL with a 23.4 yards-per-catch average with 33 receptions. “Teams have been showing one type of coverage on films, but in the games they have been totally different in playing back really deep. I have to somehow find a way to get open on the field.”

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Joe Madro, a 50-year veteran of football coaching and scouting, died Friday. He was 81. Madro, who began his pro coaching career with the Rams under Sid Gillman in 1954, had been a personnel scout for the Raiders since 1977.

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After blowing out Denver in their “throwback” 1963 road uniforms, the Raiders will wear their home 1963 uniforms Sunday. Because their black jerseys are the same, the only difference will be the white background logo on the helmet. San Diego will wear its road white 1961 uniform for the second consecutive week after defeating Seattle last Sunday. Hall of Fame center Jim Otto will be the Raiders’ honorary captain.