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PRO FOOTBALL DAILY REPORT : RAIDERS : Shell’s Plan: Take Crowd Out of Game

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For years, the Raiders spent the week before a trip to Seattle preparing for the noise generated by fans at the Kingdome, which can make it difficult for other offensive players to hear the quarterback.

But there are no sound-proofing techniques being practiced this year by the Raiders, who will face the Seahawks in the Kingdome on Sunday evening.

“I’ve been purposely staying away from doing that,” Coach Art Shell said. “Years ago when (the Raiders) first started (going to Seattle), we were worrying about the noise. . . . But you don’t want your team to be worrying about the crowd noise (so much) that they lose concentration on the game plan and what we’re trying to do.

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“The way to take the crowd out of the game is what we did in San Diego. Strike quick, whether defensively or offensively, and that takes the crowd out of the game.”

The Raiders scored on their first offensive play in San Diego 10 days ago on a 76-yard bomb from quarterback Jeff Hostetler to receiver Alexander Wright.

Shell said the Raiders might combat the anticipated noise in Seattle by going to a silent count, meaning the offensive linemen would have to look at the ball to see the center snap because Hostetler won’t be calling out the count.

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Safety Eddie Anderson sat out practice because of a groin pull, but Shell wouldn’t rule Anderson out of Sunday’s game.

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