PRO FOOTBALL DAILY REPORT : RAIDERS : Anderson Happy With His Progress

Eddie Anderson returned to the practice field Thursday. But the bigger question remains: Can he return to the playing field Saturday?

Anderson, the Raiders’ free safety, sat out last week’s game because of a pulled groin. He is hoping to play Saturday in the regular-season showdown finale against the Kansas City Chiefs at the Coliseum with a playoff berth possibly on the line for the Raiders.

“I feel ready,” Anderson said. “I was a little sore today. It hurts a little when I go to the left, but I’ve got one more day. I seem to heal pretty quick.”

Also practicing were cornerbacks Lionel Washington, who has a calf bruise, and James Trapp, who has a groin pull. Anderson, however, is the key figure. A nine-year veteran, his presence in the defensive backfield figures to be desperately needed against a veteran like Kansas City quarterback Joe Montana.

Raider Coach Art Shell said he might not decide which, if any, of his ailing defensive backs will play until Saturday morning.

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Athletes usually tread softly heading into a big game. Nobody wants their remarks to serve as bulletin board material to inspire the opposition.

Nobody except the Chiefs, apparently.

Kansas City guard Dave Szott is quoted by the the Associated Press as saying, “Put pressure on a Raider team and they can self-destruct in the end. They have a self-discipline problem. Just look at their penalties. It’s high. . . . We’ll make fewer mistakes than they do in the fourth quarter.”

Added receiver J.J. Birden: “I think sometimes they kind of lose focus between all the late hits and cheap shots here and there.”

Raider linebacker Winston Moss smiled at the remarks.

“You have to take that with a grain of salt,” he said. “We shall see on Saturday.”