PRO FOOTBALL / DAILY REPORT : RAIDERS : Wallace Relishes New Pass-Rushing Role

Aaron Wallace was drafted in the second round by the Raiders in 1990 from Texas A&M; as a pass rush specialist. In his four-year college career as an outside linebacker, he had a school-record 42 sacks.

As a rookie, Wallace played mostly as a backup defensive end and impressed teams around the league with nine sacks. The next season, however, the Raiders made him a starter when they moved him back to outside linebacker in their 4-3 defensive front.

That was until this week, when Coach Art Shell named rookie Rob Fredrickson as starter and moved Wallace back to defensive end.

“I feel that I played (outside linebacker) pretty well, but I always felt kind of average there,” Wallace said Thursday. “But I always felt that I could excel as a pass rusher.”

Did the move surprise Wallace?

“It really was a mutual decision because I’ve always been on the coaches to let me rush the passer again,” Wallace said. “With (Fredrickson) here now, I’m glad that I will get the opportunity.”

Wallace said that he may still play at linebacker against New England on Sunday, but he hopes to give the Raiders some needed sacks, considering that safety Eddie Anderson is tied for the team lead with two.

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Shell said that there is “a good possibility” that recently signed fullback Jarrod Bunch will be activated for the first time this season for the Patriots.

Shell also said that defensive end Willie Broughton, who has been sidelined because of an elbow injury, will probably sit out the game despite practicing with the team for the last three weeks.

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After four games, a major disappointment for the Raiders has been the lack of production from wide receiver James Jett, who last season led the AFC as a rookie in yards per catch.

With only five catches for 80 yards and no touchdowns, Jett has almost become the team’s forgotten man.

“It concerns me because of the things that he’s capable of doing,” Shell said. “We’ve tried these things and we’ve just been out of sync with them. There’s been some shots that we’ve taken with James, we just haven’t connected. Last year we were connecting on those things.”