By Jerry McDonald

    If it had been a practice, Art Shell would have ordered the Raiders from the field.

    Fortunately for the Raiders,  or unfortunately if you’re one of those so-called “haters” hoping for 2-14, it was less important than a practice. It was the final pre-season game.

    Nothing better than to get the San Diego Chargers overconfident than 104 yards of offense, 3-for-12 on third down conversions and a 30-7 loss to the Seattle Seahawks at Qwest Field.

   It could have been worse. The Seahawks and Raiders could have played a scoreless overtime, as Minnesota and Dallas did.

     Worse than that, somebody in a key role could have gotten hurt, which nobody did.

      The Raiders lose out on the pre-season championship to the New York Giants (4-0) and Carolina Panthers (4-0) and could be joined tonight by the Cincinnati Bengals (3-0).

       No Lombardi Trophy on the line, however. Maybe they can all share the Kotite Trophy.

     Detecting a lack of enthusiasm here?

      It probably would have meant about the same if the Raiders had won 30-7. Truth be told, Oakland may be better off with a humbling loss than a big win and an artificial 5-0 record going into its opener.

      If pre-season games are meaningless, pre-season finales are less than that. Shell said Tuesday he had a pretty good idea of who would make the team and who wouldn’t, so Thursday night’s game was merely a vanilla exercise designed to give the Chargers nothing to go on.

    Shell seemed angry at halftime, but he’ll get over it. He’s got more important things to worry about.

      Some bits and pieces as the Raiders close in on the real drama _ who will make up the final 53-man roster:

    — Hopefully special teams coach Ted Daisher got a seat with plenty of leg room on the way home. Chris Carr provided the only scoring with a 72-yard punt return for a touchdown, Sebastian Janikowski recorded a pair of touchbacks and Shane Lechler averaged 51 yards per punt including four inside the 20-yard-line.

     It really seems as if something good is happening with Oakland’s special teams from top to bottom.

    — Erase a 46-yard reception by Johnnie Morant, and the Raiders passed for 48 yards. And even on that play, Morant had to catch it twice.

    — It sure looked like John Madsen is a part of Oakland’s plans. He was in with the first team, going in motion, and threw a key block on Carr’s punt return for a touchdown. The dropped pass in the flat didn’t help, however.

   — Why on earth would Seattle have Shawn Alexander carrying the ball even one time? If I had a guy who had 27 rushing touchdowns on a team that hadn’t changed its offense, he’d be in a glass case until the season opener.

   — Strong safety Derrick Gibson looks to be in midseason form. Pretty good near the line of scrimmage, a liability in pass coverage.

   — Defensive end Kevin Huntley was playing late in the game with a heavy wrap protecting a broken thumb. If he was a sure-fire lock to make to make the team, he’d be on the sidelines.

   — Judging from the fourth quarter, if the Raiders ever line up Chad Slaughter, William Obeng, Chris Morris, Kevin Boothe and Jabari Levey at the same time, they’re in big trouble.

   – A few nice breakups to open the game in the secondary, two from Nnamdi Asomugha and one from Fabian Washington. Asomugha, it appears, may get his share of pass interference penalties as well.

    — Raiders place kicker Sebastian Janikowski looked svelte compareted to Seahawks punter Ryan Plackemeier.

      – Jeff George missed his big chance. He hadn’t experienced a sack in five seasons.

       — A terrible night for the Oakland offense as directed by Tom Walsh, but not nearly as alarming as the first two games because of the mere fact that the Raiders have demonstrated they have at least some capability to get things done.

       That wasn’t the case after the Philadelphia and Minnesota games.

     –  Wide receiver Alvis Whitted did not play and wasn’t mentioned as being injured during the week of practice.

By Jerry McDonald

     It happens every year.

     The Raiders, like every other NFL team, tell a respected veteran player to bring in his playbook as they make the final cut to 53 players.

      In most cases, the decisions are already made. Art Shell conceded he already has an idea who will make up the team, with only a few instances where a perfomrance in Thursday night’s pre-season finale in Seattle could make a difference.

      It’s not always easy to tell who the veterans on the bubble really are. Sometimes they’re not playing simply because the coaches already know what they can do and are saving them for the regular season.

     Here are five veterans who are no doubt examining all the scenarios:

      — LB Danny Clark: He was moved aside in favor of Kirk Morrison in the middle, and even the biggest Clark supporter would have to concede it’s been an upgrade. Morrison is more active and light years ahead of Clark as a pass defender.

      Clark was a standout special teams player with Jacksonville, but if the Raiders don’t want go down that road, and Ryan Riddle, a middle linebacker, is in their plans on special teams, then Clark is expendable.

     The downside of cutting him: If an outside linebacker goes down, and they’re crossing their fingers with Sam Williams, the Raiders lose the option to move Morrison back outside and put Clark in the middle.

    — FB Zack Crockett: One of the most popular guys in the locker room since he got here, Crockett could still be Oakland’s best short-yardage runner, but he hasn’t been used there regularly for a couple of years now.

      Shell said the reason Crockett isn’t running in short yardage is because he already knows what he can do. Maybe. Or maybe they think Crockett is finally showing signs of age at 33.

     John Paul Foschi is a block-and-catch fullback who comes much cheaper.

      The downside of cutting him: The Raiders are very thin at running back, and it seems they still need a guy who can come through once or twice a year as a power back.

     — DE Bobby Hamilton: Hamilton has been buried on the depth chart all season behind Tyler Brayton and in some games has been playing with the third team. That is not a good sign.

       If the Raiders like what they see of 6-foot-7 Kevin Huntley and Bryant McNeal, Hamilton, a locker room leader for the past two years, could be finished with the Raiders at age 35.

   The downside of cutting him: The Raiders play in the AFC West, and Hamilton, at 285 pounds, still might be the most stout run defender at base end.

     — C Adam Treu: Making Corey Hulsey the starting center, even though he had never played there in an NFL game, was a red flag.

        Treu is a veteran of 44 NFL starts. He’s played in playoff games and the Super Bowl. But when Jake Grove went down for three- to four weeks, Treu was not the short-term answer.

      Chris Morris, a seventh-round pick very much like Treu who also has experience as a long-snapper, waits in the wings.

     The downside of cutting him: Grove has a history of injury, and when he returns to the lineup, there is no guarantee he’ll stay there. Or that Hulsey will be able to handle the position longterm.

     — QB Marques Tuiasosopo: Shell said the Raiders might keep four quarterbacks, but that’s not the way to bet.

        There’s been a general feeling for a couple of years now that Tuiasosopo, drafted in the Jon Gruden regime, would have his best chance for success in another system. Andrew Walter is considered their quarterback of the future. If they’re convinced Jeff George can be No. 3, then maybe Tui is traded for a late-round draft choice or simply cut.

     The downside of cutting him: Say Aaron Brooks gets hurt because the Raiders have problems protecting the quarterback. Your No. 2 and 3 quarterbacks are a pair of dropback passers with little mobility. In a system which urges quarterbacks to hold on to the ball as long as it takes.

      Of course, if it gets to that point, it probably doesn’t matter who the quarterback is.