PRO FOOTBALL : Need Answers? Raider Defense Supplies Them

Fifteen weeks ago, they took the field with a lot of question marks. Sunday, they came off the field with nothing but exclamation points.

The two goal-line stands by the Raider defense against the Denver Broncos on Sunday made the headlines. But the play of the Raider defense is not news. Not to any of the last 10 teams that have faced the Raiders.

The defense has not yielded more than 21 points in a game since the fourth week of the season. Only one of its last eight opponents--the Pittsburgh Steelers--has rushed for more than 100 yards in a game. Excluding the Steeler game, in which the Raiders surrendered 175 yards on the ground, they have given up an average of only 58.6 yards a game to their last seven opponents.

Before this season, there were many questions about the defense.

Who would replace retired Howie Long on the defensive line?

Who would replace Greg Townsend, let go at the start of training camp, at defensive end?

Who would replace Joe Kelly, released largely because of salary-cap considerations, at middle linebacker?

Who would provide the leadership for a relatively young defense?

All the questions seem to have been resolved, some with unexpected answers.

And the key figures in Sunday’s goal-line stands have been the key figures in the defensive surge. They are:

--Jerry Ball, defensive tackle. An eight-year veteran, Ball was signed as a backup for a defensive line that already seemed set.

But when Scott Davis, trying to come back from a two-year retirement, disappeared, first from the team for two weeks, then from the starting lineup permanently, Ball stepped in, all 300-plus pounds of him, exceeding even Coach Art Shell’s expectations.

“I didn’t think that he was that good a pass rusher,” Shell said after watching Ball in training camp.

--Chester McGlockton, defensive tackle. McGlockton certainly can’t be labeled a surprise, but his first two years in the league were hampered by injuries, which led to inconsistent play.

McGlockton started to come on at the end of last season before getting injured in the playoffs, but he has grown into one of the premier defensive tackles in the league, and he should expect a spot when this year’s Pro Bowl team is announced Thursday.

Nolan Harrison was moved from defensive tackle to end to replace Townsend, leaving the middle to McGlockton and Ball. That’s more than 600 pounds of bulk for any ballcarrier to try to fight his way through.

--Greg Biekert, middle linebacker. Biekert proved he had the toughness to replace Kelly in the middle in the first week of the season. Not on the playing field, but on the practice field. He had a fistfight with Davis, taking a punch that split the bridge of his nose. But he didn’t miss any playing time.

“The more this guy plays, the more you learn to appreciate his talent,” Shell said of Biekert. “He’s very smart, he makes very few mistakes. . . . He’s a force to be reckoned with.”

There was some question whether Biekert, a second-year player, was ready to step in for Kelly with so little experience, but not in Shell’s mind.

“It’s like having (former Raider linebacker) Matt Millen come into your organization,” he said. “All he has to do is learn exactly what has to be done and let him go play.”

--Albert Lewis, cornerback. When he was with the Raiders, defensive back Ronnie Lott provided leadership for his unit. When he left after the 1992 season, veterans Terry McDaniel and Lionel Washington remained to fill the gap. But Lewis, signed as a free agent in the off-season and now in his 12th season, brought with him from the Kansas City Chiefs a more open style. When there was a need to criticize, Lewis wasn’t hesitant.

He started in an uncomfortable position, replacing the popular Washington in the starting lineup. But Lewis succeeded through hard work and an honest approach.

When the Raider defense seemed unable to sustain its effort into the fourth quarter of crucial games, Lewis called it a lack of maturity on the part of teammates he did not identify.

Rookie linebacker Rob Fredrickson, second-year safety Patrick Bates and short-yardage specialist Aundray Bruce have also contributed, as have the established veterans.

“This is our territory. You are not going to get in,” Shell said in describing the mental approach the defense took on Sunday’s goal-line stands.

It’s an approach the defense has been taking more and more as the Raiders battle for a playoff berth.