Raiders Give Bay Fans a Kick

SAN FRANCISCO —  Early in the Raiders’ exhibition game against the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park, a group of fans unfurled a banner that read: “Welcome Back Oakland Raiders.”

The Raiders gave their Bay Area fans what could be a preview of a coming attraction by beating the two-time defending Super Bowl champions, 23-13, before a sellout crowd of 59,677 Saturday night.

By the end of the game, the black-clad Raider fanatics were the only fans remaining on a chilly, foggy night, and they gave the men in black a big ovation as they left the field.

“It was scary,” Raider nose guard Bob Golic said of the Raider fans. “It was just amazing. I haven’t seen anything like it since my Cleveland days. I’m just glad they’re on my side.

“It makes you want to win, because you don’t want to go in the parking lot with those guys standing around (if you lose).”

Raider owner Al Davis sidestepped questions about the proposed move to Oakland during a TV interview at halftime.

“First of all, as the President has said so many times in recent weeks, for security reasons I will not answer that question,” Davis told Jim Brown of CBS when asked if the Raiders will return to Oakland. Davis said he wouldn’t make a decision until all issues have been resolved.

Asked before the game if he planned to use the exhibition as a platform to make an announcement on the move, Davis said he wanted to concentrate on football. And he must have had a lot to be pleased with in the first half when the Raiders took a 20-0 lead.

The Raider defense was in top form, setting up a touchdown and three field goals by recovering two fumbles and intercepting two passes.

“It’s so early, but (the Raider defense) is way ahead of where we were last year,” Golic said. “We played a very aggressive, dominant defense against a very good offensive team. I’m excited about it.”

But it’s hard to get excited about the Raider offense, which failed to capitalize on the turnovers, scoring only one touchdown that wasn’t set up by the defense.

After failing to score a touchdown in last Sunday’s 17-10 loss to the New Orleans Saints in London, the Raider offense put together an 80-yard touchdown drive on its first possession.

Quarterback Jay Schroeder, who completed five of 11 passes for 58 yards in the first half, looked efficient during the drive, scrambling 11 yards to keep it alive on third-and-four at his 37. After Kerry Porter picked up six yards on the next play, Marcus Allen set up the touchdown by turning a draw play into a 15-yard gain.

It was the longest gain of the night for Allen, who was playing for the first time in the exhibition season. He rushed for 23 yards in 10 carries in the first half.

“I played as much as I expected,” Allen said. “I was pleased with my play, but there’s always room for improvement.”

Schroeder hit wide receiver Sam Graddy with a 31-yard touchdown pass on the play after Allen’s 15-yard run. The touchdown was set up when 49er cornerback Don Griffin, who was covering Graddy, slipped and fell on the infield dirt.

“Jay is a great quarterback as far as I’m concerned,” Graddy said. “People have said (negative) things about him, but you can just see the potential in him. Jay made an excellent throw to me on the touchdown.”

Mike Wise, who recovered two fumbles, recovered one by Roger Craig at the 49er eight, but the Raiders had to settle for a 42-yard field goal by Jeff Jaeger because of a holding call on guard Steve Wisniewski and Allen’s nine-yard loss when he tried to reverse field on a sweep.

Dexter Carter, the 49ers’ top draft pick, looked like an outfielder trying to catch a pop fly in Candlestick’s swirling winds when he fumbled a punt and Ethan Horton recovered at the 49er 18-yard line. After the Raiders were unable to move the ball, Jaeger kicked a 33-yard field goal to give them a 13-0 lead 1:43 into the second quarter.

Playing behind an injury-depleted offensive line, San Francisco quarterback Joe Montana struggled, completing four of eight passes for 64 yards in the first quarter before giving way to Steve Young.

On his first series, Young drove the 49ers to the Raider 20 before Eddie Anderson intercepted a pass to kill the drive.

On his second series, Young threw a pass that defensive end Emanuel King tipped back to him. But King stripped him of the ball, and Wise recovered to set up the Raiders at the nine-yard line.

Schroeder scored on a three-yard bootleg only three plays later to give the Raiders a 20-0 lead with 2:41 left in the first half.

Playing against the Raiders’ second defensive unit, San Francisco scored twice in the third quarter.

Vince Evans took over for Schroeder at the start of the third quarter and his second pass was intercepted by Johnny Jackson, who returned it 42 yards to the Raider 11-yard line.

Young hit former UCLA wide receiver Mike Sherrard with a six-yard touchdown pass three plays later to cut the score to 20-7.

Young drove the 49ers 75 yards on their next series, completing all of the passes he threw on the series for 46 yards, including a 23-yard pass play to fullback Keith Henderson. Henderson got the touchdown on a three-yard sweep with 53 seconds left in the third quarter to make the score 20-13.

Steve Bono took over from Young in the fourth quarter and fared poorly. Raider linebacker Darin Jordan set up Jaeger’s 22-yard field goal by intercepting a pass at the 49er three-yard line.