For Raiders, One Victory a Good Start

One victory does not make a comeback, but it’s a start.

That was the feeling around the Raiders’ El Segundo practice site Monday, the day after their 21-17 road victory over New England.

Despite 11 penalties and four turnovers, the Raiders improved to 2-3, thanks to their defense and perseverance.

“The football team played for 60 minutes,” Coach Art Shell said. “Whenever something bad happened, they responded. It wasn’t like, ‘Here we go again.’ It was like, ‘Let’s get the ball back.’ Everyone contributed, and that’s a real positive as a football team.”

The biggest positive was the five-play goal-line stand in the third quarter.

“To stop them from going in . . . that’s a big lift,” Shell said. “Especially with all of the opportunities they had.”

After a touchdown run by Jeff Hostetler that put the Raiders ahead by 21-17, New England appeared to be on the verge of retaking the lead with a drive that began on the Patriots’ 27-yard line.

Behind the passing of Drew Bledsoe, New England needed only six plays to reach the Raider six-yard line, thanks to a 24-yard catch by Ray Crittenden.

That’s when the Patriots’ problems began:

--First down: Marion Butts struggled for a three-yard gain over right tackle before being tackled by Winston Moss and Patrick Bates.

--Second down: Butts, plunging behind the left side of the line, was stopped by Greg Biekert at the Raiders’ one.

--Third down: Butts was stopped for no gain over the middle by Chester McGlockton and Biekert, but the Raiders’ Anthony Smith was penalized for being offside.

--Third down II: Butts again was stopped for no gain, by Aundray Bruce and Biekert over the left side, but this time the Raiders’ Nolan Harrison was penalized for being offside.

--Third down III: Fullback Kevin Turner tried to dive over the middle but was hit by a leaping Biekert and then fumbled, Bates recovering for the Raiders at the one.

“That was a big-time stand,” Shell said. “We had to have a couple of things happen to make a play like that. The linemen had to get penetration, (linebacker Rob) Fredrickson had to make a great hit on a blocker for Biekert to make the big hit on the ballcarrier. It was just a good team effort.”

Getting that type of effort is something the Raiders have talked about for the last two weeks and was precisely what they needed on a day when they still had their fair share of miscues.

After taking a 10-7 lead in the second quarter, New England got a big break on the ensuing kickoff when the ball bounced in front of Rocket Ismail and was recovered by Steve Hawkins at the Raiders’ 22-yard line.

The Patriots then went on to score their second touchdown only after taking three points off the scoreboard, because of an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Andrew Glover. The officials ruled that Glover had used a defensive lineman as a steppingstone in an attempt to block Matt Bahr’s 24-yard field goal. Three plays later, Leroy Thompson scored on a three-yard pass from Bledsoe.

“Everything he did was legal,” Shell said of the call against Glover. “There’s no doubt in my mind that that was a bad call. (Glover)’s our jumper. It’s unfortunate that he was called for that.”

In the fourth quarter, the Raiders tried to be charitable again when Tyrone Montgomery fumbled after catching a 14-yard pass from Hostetler. New England’s Myron Guyton recovered at the Patriots’ 43-yard line.

The Raiders made another blunder later in the quarter when, with the ball on the Patriots’ 45-yard line, Hostetler floated a corner pass over Glover’s head into the hands of Maurice Hurst at the 17-yard line.

In their previous four games, mistakes like those would have signaled a blowout. This time, however, the Raiders responded with defense.

New England had to rely on its passing game as the Raiders limited the Patriots to only 54 yards rushing in 29 attempts. The Raider pass rush, led by Anthony Smith’s two second-half sacks and a key pass deflection on the Patriots’ final drive of the game, kept pressure on Bledsoe throughout the game.

That pressure helped Terry McDaniel intercept three passes, and it is the type of pressure the Raiders will need for the rest of the season.

“A lot of things happened in the game that, from our standpoint, were tough,” Shell said. “But we were able to overcome and win against a good football team on the road.”