Notes on a Scorecard - Dec. 26, 1994

It is time for a change in El Segundo. . . .

The Raiders need a better coach to become the force in the AFC that they should be. . . .

Art Shell said at the start of the season that this was the finest of his six Raider teams. Other, more objective experts picked them to reach the Super Bowl. . . .

They weren’t victims of bad luck or a rash of injuries, but still failed to qualify for the playoffs. . . .

Except for the San Francisco 49ers, the toughest enemies they faced all year were themselves. . . .

They set an NFL record for penalties and, if such things were measured, would have at least threatened the marks for foolish errors and poor strategy. . . .

Well-coached teams don’t make the same mistakes game after game after game. . . .

Under salary-cap restrictions, Al Davis put together what might have been the most talented roster in the conference. . . .

He retained nearly every important player from the team that came within seven points of reaching the AFC championship game last season, improved the defensive line with free agent Jerry Ball and helped to alleviate weaknesses at running back with free agent Harvey Williams and linebacker with rookie Rob Fredrickson. . . .

I don’t know how much Davis has to do with the actual coaching of the Raiders. . . .

But he can’t be blamed for all those penalties, the frequent lack of intensity or the bad call by Shell to try to gain a few more yards in the final seconds of the first half Saturday against Kansas City when they already were within Jeff Jaeger’s field-goal range. . . .

Those are the things that kept the Raiders from becoming Los Angeles’ only major league franchise to advance to the postseason in 1994. . . .

Now it is up to Davis to hire a coach to match the quality of the playing personnel. . . .

He would be wise to forget about the Mike Shanahan fiasco and bring in some bright young guy with NFL assistant coaching experience outside the organization, such as Tony Dungy of the Minnesota Vikings. . . .

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Strange, but the best game Saturday was played by two teams that already had clinched playoff spots, the San Diego Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers. . . .

The Chargers needed a victory to earn a rest this week, but there was nothing at stake for the Steelers, who kept some important players on the bench and still played hard. . . .

I don’t blame coaches who rest stars in late-season games that have little or no meaning. Their primary concern should be their teams’ chances to advance in the playoffs. . . .

Dallas Cowboy Coach Barry Switzer should have kept Troy Aikman on the bench the whole afternoon against the New York Giants instead of allowing him to risk another injury. . . .

Jim Everett had the most passing yardage of any quarterback in the league Saturday and Jay Schroeder the third most. . . .

During their Christmas Eve nightmares, the Raiders must have heard referee Red Cashion yelling, “First down!”. . . .

Thumbs up to Giant wide receiver Mike Sherrard for climbing up the stairs at the Meadowlands and giving a fan an unexpected Christmas gift--the ball Sherrard had just caught for a touchdown. . . .

The best thing about Cincinnati’s comeback victory over the Philadelphia Eagles was that the Bengals got to carry Tim Krumrie off the field on their shoulders after the final game of the defensive tackle’s 12-year career. . . .

NBC’s Jim Lampley put a different slant on Natrone Means’ touchdown run for the Chargers in the fourth quarter, saying it was “the key play that set up the game-tying extra point.” . . .

*

The San Francisco Giants might have cut their payroll, but damaged their chances in the National League West when they traded pitcher John Burkett to the Texas Rangers for a couple of minor leaguers. . . .

The Chicago White Sox, who lost Julio Franco to Japan and traded Jack McDowell to the New York Yankees, probably are going in the same direction as the Chicago Bulls. . . The Angels would be crazy not to make a serious bid to bring Jim Abbott back to Anaheim Stadium. . . .

An important horse during the Santa Anita meeting that begins today could be The Wicked North, who has been training superbly for his comeback. . . .

Jockeys are among my favorite athletes, but I don’t think they’ll have much leverage if they quit working on Jan. 1. After all, the name of the game isn’t jockey racing. . . .

On closing day in Anaheim, the Rams lost to the worst team in the NFC in front of the smallest crowd in the NFL this season. John Shaw couldn’t have planned it any better.