Go ahead and assume the Raiders will introduce their defense Sunday to the sold out crowd at McAfee Coliseum.

Because if things go in the direction they were headed Friday, the starting quarterback for the Raiders against the Denver Broncos will be Josh McCown.

Culpepper didn’t practice Friday, with McCown getting most of the work with the first team offense despite a broken left pinky finger.

“Daunte did not practice today,” Kiffin said. “We’ll evaluate him again tonight, evaluate him again in the morning. See how he feels. He came in today and felt he couldn’t go during practice. So Josh took the majority of the snaps, and there’s more information to come in. I don’t have an answer for you who’s 1, 2 and 3 right now.”

Whatever it is that Culpepper did to his right quadriceps, it appears to be getting worse. He said Thursday the injury probably occurred during the Kansas City game, and seemed minor enough in nature that he didn’t even mention it to the training staff.

Culpepper practiced Wednesday, and said it began to bother him Wednesday night. He was limited Thursday, didn’t practice at all Friday and is listed as questionable.

Kiffin said if Culpepper could not play, McCown would be the starter and did not anticipate his left hand being a problem. McCown told reporters Thursday that when the injury occurred, the bone was sticking through the skin and stitches were needed.

“He’s been fine the last two days, taking snaps, so it’s not an issue,” Kiffin said.

What will be an issue, with the fans at least, will be McCown starting over Russell, who could well be listed as the backup and be a snap away from playing.

After practice ended Friday, Culpepper was not on the field with the team, while McCown and Andrew Walter walked off together. On a distant field, Russell got extra work.

It’s worth noting that Russell wasn’t throwing to starters such as Jerry Porter and Ronald Curry _ as would be the case if he were being prepared for a major role Sunday _ but was working with practice squad wide receivers Marco Thomas, Chris McFoy and Drisan James, practice squad tight end Daniel Fells and rookie fullback Oren O’Neal.

Kiffin would not commit to Russell as the backup, saying he wouldn’t know the quarterback order until Culpepper’s availability is resolved.

McCown said he hasn’t had any problems during practice with the broken pinky, noting that it is more of an issue on handoffs than with center snaps or anything else. He said he hoped to find out Saturday if he will be starting, although that information is likely to be kept under wraps until game time.

“You’d like the mindset to stay that way the whole way,” McCown said. “Obviously, when you take the majority of the reps for the week and kind of get your mind right that it’s probably going to go that way. I’m ready to roll, whatever they need.”

Kiffin indicated McCown may have to wait until Sunday for something definitive.

“I’ll always keep getting information,” Kiffin said. “If it goes down to taking it to warm-up, we’ll do that.”

You wonder how Culpepper’s lack of practice time will factor into Kiffin’s decision making. In Week 2, when the Raiders played the Broncos, McCown missed most of the week of practice with a foot injury and was listed as doubtful.

But by game time, McCown was the starter and Culpepper was the backup. McCown passed for just 75 yards _ 46 of them on a touchdown pass to Jerry Porter _ and threw three interceptions in a 23-20 overtime loss.

McCown realizes he could be asked to step aside for a few series to allow Russell some game experience. He said he read about Joe Montana getting a series here or there before taking over as the starter and thinking it was a good approach.

“It takes a little bit of pressure off the kid to be able to get his feet wet,” McCown said. “The bottom line is obviously he’s the future here, so for me I’m going to do everything I can to win the ballgame and they’ve got to do everything they can to get ready. I think that obviously they’ve got to get him some reps . . . at some point he’s going to have to take over.”

News, notes:

– Kiffin said Stuart Schweigert and Hiram Eugene would both see time at free safety against Denver and that a starter had not been determined.

– The following players made it all the way through practice and were listed as probable: LB Isaiah Ekejiuba (foot), DE Derrick Burgess (Achilles), Schweigert (calf), C Jake Grove (knee) and McCown (finger).

– Jarrod Cooper (torn ACL) is listed as out, and no roster move is likely before Sunday. Cooper will probably be put on injured reserve next week, opening up a roster spot.

– Center Jeremy Newberry is making his presence felt off the field. He’s hosting a toy drive for foster kids. For information on how you can contribute to the cause, check out this item from our “AParently Speaking” blog.

Daunte Culpepper took it easy during practice Thursday with a mysterious right quadriceps injury which will only serve to fuel speculation about the role of JaMarcus Russell this weekend against the Denver Broncos.

“He did some stuff today, we’ll see what he can do tomorrow,” Kiffin said of Culpepper.

In Culpepper’s absence, both Josh McCown and Russell took reps with the first team.

So now what?

ESPN reported a few weeks back Russell would be the starting quarterback on Dec. 2. Kiffin refuted that report, eventually going on record that Russell’s performance most likely be as a reserve for a few series with a scripted number of plays.

He said the first clue for a Russell sighting on Sunday would be when he is the backup.

So we have a few different scenarios and theories at work.

A) The Culpepper injury is a ruse, and and the Dec. 2 report was right all along. A few weeks ago, a secret high-level meeting (Al Davis and Kiffin) was held and it was determined the rookie would start against the Broncos.

B) Assuming Kiffin is on the up-and-up about Russell playing first as a reserve, the chances of seeing the No. 1 pick Sunday have taken a hit. With Culpepper hurting, Kiffin will have to play it safe and make McCown the backup because if Culpepper starts and finds he can’t finish, Russell would be exposed to situations Kiffin wants to avoid.

(Note: After I left the locker room, SFGate.com reported McCown appeared in the locker room with his left hand wrapped in ice after dislocating two joints in hi left pinkie during practice Wednesday _ an injury which wasn’t mentioned by Kiffin).

C) Culpepper is going to be fine, Russell will be the backup and see his first action of the season at some point on Sunday.

Right now, I’d lean toward “C.”

“A” is eliminated because I think Culpepper has too much pride to be a prop for the rookie’s debut. If Culpepper had issued “no comments” on Wednesday, maybe it is worth talking about.

But Culpepper, who left the locker room at one point, promised to return and answer a few questions and made good on his word.

“It was just sore yesterday,” Culpepper said. “Last night when I cooled off it really got sore. I woke up this morning . . . tried to ice it last night and it was sore. I kind of cut back on my reps today because I didn’t want to make it any worse than it is.”

A mass of bruises after any game, Culpepper assumes he was injured against the Chiefs, although the line kept him fairly clean all day, with two sacks.

“I think it was a hit I took in the game maybe,” Culpepper said. “I’m a guy who always has aches and pains but I never really make a big deal if I still can go. I think after running around yesterday and doing my conditioning it gradually got a little worse. I’m being cautious and don’t want to aggravate it any more.”

If Culpepper is back to full reps Thursday, “B” doesn’t even come into play. If not, Russell could end up being the starter by default assuming a left-pinky injury could keep McCown out of the game.

Kiffin played his “too many variables” card _ one of his favorite answers concerning potential situations _ when asked about the potential quarterback rotation in the event Culpepper can’t play.

“I don’t anticipate him being out but if he was then we’ll figure it out (by Sunday),” Kiffin said.

There is another possibility. If Culpepper starts and plays well in a tight game, Russell could stay on the sidelines even if he is the backup because Kiffin will be reluctant to swing a game in the wrong direction because he inserted the rookie at the wrong time.

Arkansas redux

Thursday’s round of Arkansas questions:

Q: Can you respond to the Arkansas rumors? Is there any interest your part?

Kiffin: I covered that yesterday. I don’t know anything about that and we’ll get ready for Denver.

Q: How do you keep it from becoming a distraction?

Kiffin: We don’t even talk about it. It’s stuff for you guys to write about it.”

Q: Just to be clear, you have no interest in the Arkansas job?

Kiffin: Yeah.

That last question is what is known in the business as the “IK,” or “Interview killer.”

As he did Wednesday, Arkansas questions caused Kiffin to issue a quick, “OK?” as he backed out of the group and trotted off to the locker room. End of interview session.

ESPN continues to report on its rumor site, with no on-the-record sources, that Kiffin is interested in the Arkansas job, but that getting freed from his contract could be a problem.

You think?

Following the 2003, Davis wouldn’t let assistant Jay Norvell out of a contract to join Bill Callahan at Nebraska. Callahan waited it out, and when Norv Turner was OK with not having Norvell on staff, he was allowed to leave.

But make no mistake, if Davis wants to make it difficult for Kiffin to leave, he can, even though the pro-to-college jump has some gray areas that don’t exist with a move to another NFL team.

He can certainly make it difficult enough for a long enough time that Arkansas will move on to another target. With a new A.D. and no coach, Arkansas needs a coach in place soon or they’ll soon find themselves at the bottom in the SEC recruiting.

With Kiffin apparently having no interest in making a more emphatic statement regarding this alleged “candidacy,” expect the speculation to continue until Arkansas begins making candidates public and the actually hires a coach.

News, notes, and observations:

– The Raiders declared the Broncos game a sellout, meaning there is no blackout and the game will be televised locally.

– Derrick Burgess, who missed practice with a sore Achilles Wednesday, was listed as having fully participated Thursday.

– The Raiders have not brought in a new player to replaced Jarrod Cooper, who underwent ACL surgery and is out for the season. When they do, Cooper will be put on injured reserve.

– With his 159-yard effort against Denver in the first meeting, LaMont Jordan could get the nod over Dominic Rhodes as the backup for Justin Fargas for the second straight week.

– Russell stayed as vague as possible regarding his involvement with the first team offense in Culpepper’s absence.

“I’m not sure, man, not sure,” Russell said when asked how many snaps he took.

In hearing about the death of Sean Taylor, I thought back to the 2004 draft and the possibility of Taylor being a Raider.

The following column ran on April, 21, 2004 but still applies with regard to problems the Raiders have had at safety without a physical playmaker in the Taylor mold on the back end:

REVERSING A 4-12 season for the Oakland Raiders isn’t going to happen with calm, rational analysis and filling an obvious need.

The move which would make the Raiders a team to be feared is to strike with swift malevolence and take Miami safety Sean Taylor with the second pick in the NFL draft.

No deals, no waiting around for the clock to wind down. Al Davis should send Taylor’s name to Paul Tagliabue the moment the commissioner says “the Oakland Raiders are on the clock.”

Having spent much of the offseason rebuilding their woeful defense, the Raiders are expected to address offensive deficiencies with their reward for being so terrible in 2003.

A new wide receiver such as Texas’ Roy Williams or Pitt’s Larry Fitzgerald to allow Jerry Rice and Tim Brown to consider the notion of retirement and busts in Canton, Ohio.

A left tackle in Iowa’s Robert Gallery to anchor the offensive line like Art Shell for the next decade.

The Raiders could trade down and take Oregon State’s Steven Jackson to become the workhorse running back essential to a Norv Turner offense.

Davis could even opt for the second coming of Hall of Fame tight end Kellen Winslow and use Doug Jolley and Teyo Johnson as trade bait for additonal picks.

Or how about Eli Manning or Ben Roethlisberger to some day take over for Rich Gannon?

Offense is the common sense move, but takes time to develop. Turner’s system will look much better in 2005 than it will in 2004.

Defense is the quickest route back to prominence, and can be turned around in one offseason.

The Raiders under Joe Bugel had the NFL’s worst defense in the last time they went 4-12 in 1997, finishing last against the run and last against the pass.

Oakland signed Eric Allen, drafted Charles Woodson, added a few smart veterans and moved all the way up to eighth in defense the following year under new coach Jon Gruden and coordinator Willie Shaw.

Taylor could be a punishing exclamation point on an offseason that has included the acquisitions of tackles Ted Washington and Warren Sapp, linebackers Dewayne Rudd and Danny Clark and cornerbacks Ray Buchanan, Denard Walker and Jacoby Shephard.

New coordinator Rob Ryan already has Woodson enthused with complicated mixes of 3-4 and 4-3 defenses, enabling pass rushers to come from different angles while offensive lines struggle with the dilemma of whether to double-team Washington, Sapp, or John Parrella.

Linebackers Napoleon Harris and Travian Smith may do more attacking in Week 1 than the did by midseason in 2003.

What Oakland needs is an enforcer on its last line of defense, someone who has a feel and instinct for the game. A player who can come into the box and clean up on running plays. Flatten receivers over the middle. Play center field on balls in the air. Charge the middle or the edge as a blitzer.

In all those areas, there’s a lot to like about Taylor.

Taylor, at 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds, has the cover skill of a cornerback and is the biggest hitter in college football. He intercepted 14 passes in 34 games and returned them for an average of 21.9 yards.

Even the nit-picking scouting reports available from several different talent evaluators are hardpressed to come up with hard evidence why Taylor won’t have a sudden impact on Sundays the moment he steps on the field.

If Rod Woodson returns from knee surgery, Taylor steps in alongside him at strong safety. If not, Taylor is the free safety.

Close your eyes and imagine Oakland choking off the run on first down. A dizzying array of blitzes and combinations brings pressure on second- and third-and-long. The quarterback, forced to release the ball early, puts it up for grabs into a secondary including Charles Woodson, Taylor and Phillip Buchanon.

The Raiders defense could go from moribund to dominant and explosive. The kind of defense that not only forces turnovers but scores touchdowns in the process.

Taylor’s skills aren’t restricted to defense. He is an adept kick-blocker who could be put to good use by Joe Avezzano, whose job it is to surround punter Shane Lechler and kicker Sebastian Janikowski with improved coverage and break Buchanon on a big returns.

None of the offensive players Oakland is considering would have such an impact on two units.

About the only constant criticism of Taylor is he sometimes rubs teammates the wrong way for being too outspoken when they don’t perform. Conicidentally, many 49ers teammates felt the same way about Ronnie Lott, and it isn’t as if the Raiders couldn’t use someone to get in Buchanon’s face when he decides to take off his helmet at th worst possible time.

History says teams don’t use the second pick on a safety. It’s only happened once, when Cleveland took Eric Turner in 1991.

Oakland has used a first-round pick on a safety just three times, correctly selecting Jack Tatum in 1971 but whiffing on Patrick Bates in 1993. Most recently, Davis opted for Derrick Gibson in 2001 while the consensus in the draft room was that Arizona State tight end Todd Heap was a better choice.

Gibson has been injury prone and spotty, neither flop nor force.

Davis has a Taylor-made chance to get this one right

Note: If anyone can remember who Jacoby Shephard is, let me know . . .

News, notes and observations from Sunday’s 20-17 win by the Raiders over the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium:

– Lane Kiffin said often he never bought into the AFC West streak, and he didn’t want his players to believe it, either. Just pretend as if it doesn’t exist and prepare for the next game.

Well, not exactly. Apparently Kiffin reminded the Raiders of their 17-game losing streak often.

“You can stop writing about it and Kiff can stop reading it and reading it to us,” defensive tackle Warren Sapp said.

– The way Herm Edwards managed the end of the game for the Chiefs made Art Shell look like Bill Belichick.

After the Raiders took a 20-17 lead, they did what they almost always do _ allowed Kansas City to drive right back down the field and deep into scoring territory. A third-and-5 pass from Brodie Croyle to Eddie Kennison got just four yards, bringing up fourth-and-1.

The Chiefs called time out. Then they decided to challenge the ruling on the spot, believing they may have had a first down. If they had made the challenge immediately, they would have lost a time out if they lost the challenge, and still had all three if they were right.

When officials upheld the original spot, the Chiefs were out a pair of time outs and had only one left.

Then the Chiefs decided to go for the first down on fourth-and-1 and didn’t get it when Kolby Smith was stopped for a 1-yard loss by Kirk Morrison and Thomas Howard.

Kansas City rushed for 163 yards and Smith had 150 on 31 carries in his first start, but it was a risky call. Too risky, Sapp believed. Referring to the two big pass plays Kiffin called on Oakland’s scoring drive which led to the leading score, juxtaposed with Edwards’ work in the final moments, Sapp said, “Kiff goes a little unconvetional and Herm hands us the game. That’s wrong. You kick that ball, you tie the game and you’re at home and live to fight another day. You tie that game, kick it off, line it up and play defense and stretch the game a little longer.”

– Kiffin noted that Dave Raymer, the Chiefs kicker, had missed a 30-yard field goal a short time before.

“I don’t know that I was surprised,” Kiffin said. “I guess you’ve got to keep in mind they had just missed a field goal pretty bad, so maybe it had to do with the footing or the kicker.”

– If Edwards had called something other than the base running play on the fourth-and-1, he likely would have hit paydirt. Rob Ryan had sent in a goal line defense, something the Raiders rarely do at the 23-yard-line in short yardage.

Kirk Morrison said he thought back to Dick Vermeil’s decision to send Larry Johnson in from the 1-yard line with time running out in his rookie year and figured it would be a run.

“You just think back to all the times that we played the Kansas City Chiefs. For them, passing in that situation would be copping out,” Morrison said. “That’s just not their mentality.”

– Raymer’s field goal preceeded an amazing three-play sequence unlike anything the Raiders have shown in recent years.

On first down, Daunte Culpepper hit Zach Miller with a 28-yard gain. Miller, the rookie from Arizona State, has been predominatly a block-and-release receiver. The depth of the route caught the Chiefs flat-footed.

“It looked like one of our other plays and I just took it deep, and it worked just like it did in practice,” Miller said. “We knew it would be there all week and we called it at a perfect time. They were all up on the ball, and it turned out pretty awesome.”

On the next play, Culpepper waited for Porter to get between zones and led him perfectly for a 35-yard strike down the right sideline to the 14-yard line. Fargas ran it in from the 14 on the next play.

The team that has numerous eight-plus play drives end in punts had scored on three perfectly executed plays.

“We talked about it with our players. It’s going to be in the fourth quarter, it’s going to be like all these other games and we’re going to go for it,” Kiffin said. “We’re not going to wait for something to happen, we’re not going to wait for them to screw it up. We’re going to go for it. We’re going to attack, and I thought we did that, especially in the second half.”

– Kiffin talked during the week about how eager he was to face the same team for the second time in a season. He said Sunday night some plays, the pass to Miller in particular, were adjustments based on the prevous Chiefs game.

“We did a lot today that counteracted what we had done last time and what we’ve been able to see with matchups,” Kiffin said.

– Whatever it is Kiffin was drawing up, what made everything possible was the Raiders best offensive line play of the season. It wasn’t perfect, but considering they were playing in Arrowhead against a front seven that dominated them in Oakland, it was better than the Week 4 domination against an extremely weak Miami defense.

Paul McQuistan was called for a false start and a hold but held up much better than in Tennesee or Minnesota. The decision to play him at right tackle and leave Robert Gallery at left tackle was a wise one in terms of continuity.

On the three-play drive which gave the Raiders the lead, Culpepper had all the time he needed to complete the passes to Miller and Porter. No Chiefs were anywhere near the pocket.

– He got some help as Kiffin tried to limit one-on-one situations, but Barry Sims effectively controlled Allen, an NFL Defensive Player of the Year candidate, as few linemen have this season.

– Fargas’ 139-yard effort was the first time the Raiders put a back over 100 yards in Arrowhead since Nov. 5, 1978. Art Whittington gained 134 yards that day.

– Michael Huff got his first interception in the 27th game of his career, correctly reading a Brodie Croyle sideline pass for impressive rookie Dwayne Bowe.

“That took a lot of weight off my shoulders,” Huff said. “They were throwing it to the outside receiver, Tony (Gonzalez) stayed in and blocked and I just took a chance and jumped it. I just made a play.”

– In case you were wondering, yes, LaMont Jordan’s 5-yard touchdown run was supposed to be a pass.

“You liked that, huh?,” Kiffin said. “Should I make myself look good? No, that was a halfback pass. He was supposed to throw it away if it’s covered. It was a great play by him. And our guys still fighting on the backside, playing until the whistle. It was a really good play by LaMont. Yeah, it was a halfback pass.”

Jordan has been with the Raiders since 2005 and had never scored a rushing touchdown on the road. The first time he gets one, it comes on a pass play.

Jordan apparently moved back above Dominic Rhodes as the second back behind Fargas.

– The Raiders twice had possessions on the Chiefs side of the field _ Huff’s interception gave them the ball at the 26 and a 29-yard Dustin Colquitt punt let them open at the 48 _ and wound up with field goals both times.

More maddening, both times the Chiefs immediately came back and scored, once on a touchdown and once on a field goal, and took a 10-6 lead into the half.

– Smith is the eighth running back to gain 100 or more yards on the Raiders this season, joining Travis Henry, Ronnie Brown, LaDainian Tomlinson, Larry Johnson, LenDale White, Ron Dayne and Chester Taylor.

– Stuart Schweigert missed the first game of his career after suiting up for 58 consecutive games and was replaced in the starting lineup by Hiram Eugene, although Eugene came out on occasion with Chris Carr playing deep safety in some packages.

– Supported with good protection and a terrific running game, Culpepper completed 68.1 percent of his passes (15 of 22) for 170 yards. He had one pass dropped _ one which would have been a first down by Curry _ and another to Porter was ruled out of bounds and looked as if it could have been ruled complete.

– As to the report last week that JaMarcus Russell would start Dec. 2 against the Broncos, Kiffin said Culpepper would start against Denver.

– Expect the Raiders to keep moving forward with the plan to get Russell in a game, although if they look as smooth and error free under Culpepper as they did against Kansas City, it might make Kiffin more hesitant to do it as soon as Sunday.

Which, of course, is a good problem to have.

– Jarrod Cooper went down with a knee injury in the first half and Kiffin indicated he is probably out for the season. The Raiders played most of the game without their two most valuable core special teams players, Cooper and Isaiah Ekejiuba, who was inactive with a foot injury.

– Janikowski had his first touchback in two weeks and converted both field goal attempts, including a 54-yard bomb. He has made 17 of his last 18 attempts.

If Lane Kiffin could send out as many mixed signals every Sunday with his offense as he does on Monday regarding rookie quarterback JaMarcus Russell, the Raiders might move the ball so well it would quiet the speculation for The Next Big Thing.

Instead, the Raiders are 2-8, and even with Daunte Culpepper’s 344-yard passing performance as a backdrop, Russell’s status remains the hottest topic in Alameda.

Here are the latest clues regarding the mystery of when Russell will take the field, and decide for yourself when that might be:

– Kiffin reiterated Monday at his weekly press conference that the ESPN report which had Russell starting Dec. 2 against Denver at McAfee Coliseum was in error.

“We’ve not made that decision yet,” Kiffin said. “Like I’ve always said, we’ll continue to push him and continue to evaluate him. At some point you’ll see him. I can’t tell you when right now.”

– Russell had his best week of practice last week. Kiffin believes it was because it occurred to him while watching the Raiders struggle that his time was drawing near.

“I think it really clicked in him, `Boy, look how close I could be to really doing this thing and my team needs me,’ ” Kiffin said.

– After hinting several times Russell’s first performance would be off the bench, Kiffin came out and said it.

“I would phrase it as it’s likely that the first time that JaMarcus will play will probably not be in a starting role,” Kiffin said. “I would say that’s safe to say. Most likely, if JaMarcus plays this year it’ll be in a limited role initially.”

That way, Russell would not be subjected to all the nuances of a two-minute offenses or situations he might not be prepared for.

– Kiffin would not be pinned down to a commitment that Russell would play this year.

– Kiffin said the first clue that Russell may be ready for his “limited role” would be if he were the backup quarterback in that game as opposed to No. 3.

– When asked if he was being too conservative with Russell and had considered the possibility that the rookie could surprise everyone and be terrific right away, Kiffin said it was possible.

“Oh, for sure there’s a chance,” Kiffin said. “You can never say you know for sure. He is going to be a great player. You’re going to say, `Could you be missing that right now? Could he be winning all these games?’ I can’t tell you he couldn’t. No one can. But from what I see and how he has come along, it’s not time.”

– Might Russell be the No. 2 quarterback this weekend against Kansas City, and by extension, be ready for his first appearance?

“Sure,” Kiffin said.

More of a chance than in previous weeks?

“There’s a chance,” Kiffin said.

More news, notes and observations as the Raiders deal with their sixth straight loss and begin preparing to face the Chiefs Sunday:

– Kiffin talked at length regarding Warren Sapp’s comments regarding the Raiders’ lack of discipline, and while he conceded he didn’t necessarily like reading them, he also couldn’t refute them.

Sapp, one of the few Raiders defenders among the front seven who played well, has enough years in the league to speak his mind, Kiffin said. He said he sits next to Sapp on the bus after every game and considers him a “like a coach” in terms of football knowledge. Sapp played on dominating defenses with Monte Kiffin in Tampa Bay and has those experiences to fall back on.

`When Warren’s frustrated at someting happening, it’s not just some rookie or second-year guy saying that he thinks might be happening,” Kiffin said. “Warren knows what it’s like to play great defense.”

– If Michael Bush isn’t on the practice field with the Raiders Wednesday, he won’t be on the 53-man roster this year.

“We haven’t made that decision yet,” Kiffin said.

– Activating Bush could directly impact Jordan or Rhodes if the Raiders feel the need to cut a running back. Kiffin remained vague about the Raiders’ intentions and the reasons why Rhodes isn’t getting more work.

– Kiffin fielded his first official job security question when he was asked if he could get the Joe Bugel-Art Shell treatmenet and be gone after one year.

“I don’t have that concern,” Kiffin said. “I can’t go about looking at this thing as a one-year plan because I think if you do you’ll make decisions that won’t be the best for us winning here in the future. I don’t look at it at all that way.”

– Interesting to note the difference in Kiffin’s response to questions about the level of involvement of Al Davis to the local media as opposed to media from another town.

This is how Kiffin described Davis’ input with regard to Russell:

“You’re always going to communicate with your owner on decisions, especially a hands-on onwner that is basically in the general manager’s role as well. We communicate on a number of decisions and we’ll commuicate on (Russell).”

This is how Kiffin described Davis’ input with Minnesota writers last week on a conference call:

“We have more interaction in the offseason, free agency and draft preparation, but he leaves mealone for the most part during the season becasue obviously there is so much to do.”

– Cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, who had to be led from the field after being kicked in the head against Minnesota, said he had a headache but didn’t lose consciousness.

– In New England’s 56-10 win over Buffalo Sunday night, Tom Brady threw his 38th touchdown pass in 10 games.

In Oakland’s 29-22 loss to Minnesota Sunday, Culpepper threw Oakland’s 38th touchdown pass since the start of the 2005 season _ a span of 42 games.

Scoring

Vikings–Ryan Longwell 38-yard field goal, 8:23

Notes:

– Justin Fargas’ first three carries of the half _ 6-yard gain, 6-yard loss, 12-yard run for a first-and-10 at the 19.

– Paul McQuistan, in for Cornell Green (foot), received a holding call which put the Raiders at their 14 with a first-and-19.

– Chris Morris is in for Jeremy Newberry, with Culpepper practicing snaps during a television timeout with Morris on the sideline.

– The Raiders ran the ball on third-and-15 to Fargas for a 7-yard gain rather than attempt a pass and risk a turnover. Fargas has 46 yards on 18 carries as the Raiders continue to have difficulty running the ball.

– Minnesota opens its first possession at its own 32-yard-line with 291 yards of total offense.

– Hiram Eugene is opening the second half as one of the starting safeties along with Michael Huff.

– Chester Taylor burst through the line and gained 29 yards, giving himi 114 yards for the game. Eugene whiffed on a one-on-one tackle attempt and Nnamdi Asomugha was injured on the play. Asomugha may have been kicked in the head on a tackle attempt by Taylor and is being tended to by medical personel.

– A woozy Asomugha is helped off the field by the Raiders medical staff. Stanford Routt and Fabian Washington are the cornerbacks.

– Mewelde Moore fumbled for the Vikings when hit by Jon Alston, but this time Minnesota got the ball back.

– Taylor gains six yards to the 20-yard line on third-and-12, bringing in Ryan Longwell for a 38-yard field goal and a 22-19 Minnesota lead.

– Two Oakland first downs _ a 19-yard pass from Culpepper to Tim Dwight and a 13-yard run by Fargas _ go for naught as the Raiders reach the Minnesota 44 but punt the ball away. Mewelde Moore calls for a fair catch at the 14-yard-line.

– Chris Clemons gets his second sack of the game on third-and-7, forcing Minnesota to punt from its won 8-yard line. Tim Dwight fielded the 47 yard punt and sliced upfield for a ??-yard return to the Minnesota 45.

–Culpepper evading pressure, rolls right and waits for Jerry Porter to break free for 31-yard gain to the 14-yard line.

– After Fargas is stopped for no gain, McQuistan is called for a false start, giving the Raiders a second-and-15 at the 19.

– Culpepper is sacked and fumbled, with Sims and Porter failing to make the recovery and Chad Greenway recovering for Minnesota . . . another wasted scoring opportunity.

– Troy Williamson ran 26 yards with a reverse to the Oakland 48, withi Jackson hitting Bobby Wade for 16 yards to the 32 on the next play. Minnesota has a first-and-10 at the Oakland 32.

– Taylor runs for eight yards to the 24-yard-line and had 14 carries for 128 yards.

– The quarter ends with Sidney Rice throwing an awkward pass on a reverse which is caught by Williamson at the 6-yard-line as the quarter expires and the Vikings threatening to take a 10-point lead.

Scoring

Vikings–Ryan Longwell 30-yard field goal, 14:56.

Raiders–John Madsen 10-yard pass from Daunte Culpepper, 12:57

Raiders–Sebastian Janikowski 30-yard field goal, 11:18

Vikings–Chester Taylor 39-yard run, 9:17

Notes:

– Ryan Longwell kicked a 30-yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter as the Vikings took a 12-3 lead despite an 0-2 disadvantage in turnover ratio.

– Minneosta is outgaining the Raiders 194-37 as the Raiders prepare to receive the kickoff.

– Ronald Curry split Darren Sharper and Antoine Winfield and came down with a spectacular 49-yard reception which set up a 10-yard touchdown pass from Culpepper to John Madsen with 12:57 left in the half.

The touchdown saved a series which seemed doomed after a Culpepper fumble (he recovered it at the 10) and a dropped pass by Curry at the goal line on a slant bullet from Culpepper.

Culpepper stepped forward and evaded pressure before finding Madsen all alone to his left.

– Culpepper has completed 4 of 7 passes for 116 yards, with Curry catching two passes for 95 yards.

– Fumble recoveries come in bunches. Jarrod Cooper leaped on a Chester Taylor fumble forced by Warren Sapp at the 14-yard line.

– Robert Gallery’s ineligible man downfield penalty _ his second penalty of the game _ put the Raiders at the 19 with first-and-15.

– The Raiders settled for a 30-yard field goal by Sebastian Janikowski and a 13-12 lead after ruining their red zone possession with a penalty, a mis-time pass between Culpepper and Jerry Porter and a third-and-12 toss sweep to Justin Fargas that gained 4 yards.

– The Raiders have six points to show for a first-and-goal at the 6 on one possession and a first-and-goal at the 14 on another.

– Stuart Schwiegert returned to the game for the Raiders not long after Hiram Eugene missed a tackle on Chester Taylor and was in coverage on a 17-yard completion to Visanthe Shiancoe.

– Chester Taylor ran 38 yards for a touchdown with Jim Kleinsasser blowing up Derrick Burgess and Schweigert unable to gain an angle just pass the line of scrimmage.

– The Vikings score continues the Raiders penchant for the give-back. The surest way to score against the Raiders is to let them score first.

– Taylor has 81 yards rushing on nine carries, and Jackson is 7-for-8 for 75 yards with the only incompletion coming on Nnamdi Asomugha’s end zone interception. Minnesota has 253 yards in total offense.

– The Raiders went three-and-out with Culpepper and Fargas combining to lose five yards on first and second down, Culpepper with a trip on a dropback and Fargas being dumped by Pat Williams.

– Warren Sapp pressured Jackson into a third-and-4 incompletion with Chris Kluwe’s first punt of the game going otu of bounds at the 32-yard line.

– Daunte Culpepper completed a 14-yard pass to Curry on third-and-1, effectively freezing the Vikings with a play-fake to Fargas, as the Raiders have a first-and-10 at the 30-yard line at the 2-minute warning.

– Janikowski kicked a 42-yard field goal with 1:42 left to put the Raiders within 19-16. Following a six-yard swing pass from Culpepper to Justin Griffith, the Raiders drive stalled with back-to-back incompletions from Culpepper, the first batted down at the line of scrimmage and the second going just behind John Madsen, who was split wide right.

– Paul McQuistan replaced Cornell Green at right tckle late in Oakland’s scoring drive.

– The Raiders recovered their third fumble of the half, with Chris Clemons hitting Jackson and Sapp recovering at the Minnesota 46 with 46 seconds left.

– Fargas gained 16 yards to the 33 on a well-executed left screen from Culpepper, giving the Raiders a first-and-10 with 10 seconds to play.

– Dominic Rhodes, on his first carry of the game, gained a yard to the 32 with three seconds remaining, with Janikowski coming into attempt a 49-yard field goal on the last play of the half.

– Janikowski’s fourth field goal of the half, this one from 49 yards, ties the score at 19-19 at halftime.

Running back LaMont Jordan was one of eight Raiders players declared inactive Sunday, raising the possibility the veteran could be waived if the club activates activates rookie Michael Bush this week.

Jordan entered Sunday’s game as the Raiders leading rusher by three yards over Justin Fargas, who replaced him as the starter. Off to the best start of his career, Jordan gained 424 yards on 84 carries through halftime of a 35-17 Week 4 win over Miami, but left with a back injury.

Although he didn’t miss a game, Jordan has 97 yards on 45 carries since the injury. He was active in last week’s 17-6 loss to Chicago but spent the game wearing sweat pants over his game pants.

Jordan has salary cap numbers of $6.1 and $6.4 million over the next two years. He accepted a roster bonus reduction of $1.75 million to remain with the Raiders in 2007.

Also inactive was special teams standout Isaiah Ekejiuba, who injured an ankle late in Friday’s practice.

Other Raiders inactives were:

QB Josh McCown

CB John Bowie

C Jake Grove

T Mario Henderson

DT Josh Shaw

QB JaMarcus Russell (third quarterback)

Vikings inactives:

CB Roynell Whitaker

RB Adrian Peterson

S Eric Frampton

TE Garrett Mills

T Chase Johnson

WR Aundrae Wilson

DE Jayme Mitchell

QB Kelly Holcomb (third quarterback)

News, notes and observations as the Raiders prepared Thursday to face the Chicago Bears:

–Cornerbacks Nnamdi Asomugha (knee) and Fabian Washington (calf) did not practice for the second consecutive day, and neither did defensive tackle Warren Sapp.

Coach Lane Kiffin said he hoped both corners and Sapp would practice Friday and be available to face the Bears.

Until the cornerbacks in particular practice, it’s hard to get a read on the seriousness of their injuries. It’s worth noting that after practice broke up, the three players getting some extra work shadowing practice squad receivers were cornerbacks Stanford Routt, Chris Johnson and John Bowie.

If Asomugha and Washington were both out, those three players and Chris Carr would be the game day cornerbacks, and the Raiders might also get more creative with Michael Huff.

– Huff may not know which way to turn Sunday. The Bears love using the tight end. Both starter Desmond Clark and backup Greg Olsen have more catches than Raiders starter Zach Miller. Clark has 28 receptions for 322 yards and Olsen 21 catches for 255 yards.

Huff said both are often on the field at the same time, with Clark being the veteran prototype and Olsen used as the more athletic receiver.

Olsen, a first-round pick out of Miami, was the only tight end selected before Miller in the draft. The Raiders mainted Miller was at the top of their board at tight end.

– Another player who has been getting lots of extra work is wide receiver Tim Dwight. Dwight was working patterns with starting quarterback Josh McCown at the same time the cornerbacks were working on another part of the field.

– It used to be Kiffin was coy about his starting quarterback. Now it is with his backup. When asked if Daunte Culpepper was his backup quarterback, Kiffin said, “He is today.”

Those three words allow continued speculation regarding the use of top pick JaMarcus Russell, who, if designated as the backup, could come in for a series or two in the first half and then give the ball back to McCown.

If Russell was the third quarterback, he couldn’t come in until the fourth quarter without making both McCown and Culpepper ineligible for the rest of the game.

– When Kiffin was in his first year at USC, Fargas was a redshirt transfer from Michigan who ran with abandon every day at the heart of the Trojans defense.

“Seek and destroy,” Kiffin said. “We called him the crash-test dummy at ‘SC.”

– Kiffin said he hoped getting McCown a second healthy start would allow him to be more effective.

“It’s unfortunate for him he hasn’t been able to be at full strength through all of this,” Kiffin said, speaking of McCown’s injuries in Week 2 and Week 3. “But he continues to battle in there and he got us out of trouble a number of times, in the pocket and moving around, so hopefully he’ll put it together and play really well Sunday.”

– Bears quarterback Brian Griese threw three interceptions in Chicago’s last game, all of them underthrown to receivers in the end zone. Five of his 10 picks have been inside the 5-yard-line.

It was just such a play which helped end Griese’s tenure as Denver’s quarterback. In 2002, Rod Woodson’s interception and 98-yard return for a touchdown jump-started a 34-10 win over the Broncos which fueled a Raiders run to the AFC championship.

Sunday’s game in Oakland will be five years to the day of that game, during which Rich Gannon completed 34 of 38 passes for 352 yards.

– Rex Grossman, the quarterback who led the Bears to the NFC championship last season only to be replaced by Griese this year with one touchdown pass, six interceptions and a 45.2 passer rating, has hit rock bottom.

After Griese threw those three interceptions in the end zone against Detroit two weeks ago, no one was calling for the backup.

– Sunday’s game is a sellout and will be televised locally.

Cornerbacks Fabian Washington (calf) and Nnamdi Asomugha (knee) were not suited up for the second consecutive day, walking out to the field after warmups Thursday as team drills began.

Center Jake Grove (knee), who was limited Wednesday, was not practicing Thursday. Defensive tackle Warren Sapp (knee) was not on the field and will apparently miss practice for the second consecutive day.

Defensive tackle Gerard Warren was again suited up and practicing. Center Jeremy Newberry and tackle Cornell Green, who took Wednesday off, were back on the field.