News, notes and observations from Lane Kiffin’s season-ending press conference Monday:

– One of the most telling comments from Kiffin Monday was that he may have underestimated the effect that four years of double-figure losing had on the organization.

“It’s a difficult mentality to have when people are so used to losing that it’s just what they know,” Kiffin said. “It’s what happens. You lose gmes. You find a way to lose them. It is difficult. It’s more difficult than if you had a team that just had one year of it. With a team that’s pretty oyoung, that’s kind of all that some of them know.”

You’d never hear anything like that from Bill Callahan, Norv Turner or Art Shell. You’d either get blinders (Callahan), confused rambling (Turner) or press-release nonsense about all the talent on the roster and the tradition of the Raiders (Shell).

Kiffin, while respecting the past, has never bought into any of it with how it impacts the present. He understands where the Raiders reside in the NFL food chain. He understands that besides the woe-is-us mindset, there is a dearth of talent that must be addressed.

– Same goes for the poor, abused Raiders when it comes to the officials.

“You mean am I finally gooing to buy in that everyone’s against the Raiders in this league?,” Kiffin said, flashing a smile. “No, I’m not. There’s calls that go both ways and I’m never going to buy into that theory. You always see the ones that go the other way. Trust me, we had a facemask (by Tony Stewart) yesterday that wasn’t called and they go the other way too and their fans think they got the bad end of the deal.”

Kiffin vowed to get his team to play smarter, make better decisions and not put themselves in position for penalties.

I’ve always thought the fixation on officials, while merited when the team was strong and losing a playoff game in the snow, is impossible to justify when your team is poor and constantly committing pre-snap fouls which have nothing to do with judgement.

– Sorry, Robert Gallery bashers. He stays. And he stays at guard. He may never live up to the hype of a No. 2 overall pick and he’ll be forever trashed by a segment of the population that considers themselves budding O-line coaches, but it appears he has won over Kiffin.

Gallery’s penalties concern him, however.

– Kiffin negotiated a quarterback minefield pretty well considering everything that went into it. His caretaker quarterback (Josh McCown) struggled and got injured, Daunte Culpepper arrived late, and Russell really late.

Andrew Walter remained on the roster and didin’t complain. When it was all over Russell ended the season feeling good about his performance, Culpepper put some good work on film for free agency and McCown was hoping to land a job in Oakland as the backup quarterback.

– Typical scene in the back parking lot of the Raider facility as a handful of fans attempted to get autographs. With player after player pulling out of the gated area and past the fans with little more than a wave, McCown pulled over, rolled down his window and signed _ for a fan wearing a Culpepper jersey.

– As much as I’ve admired everything Ronald Curry went through to become an NFL starter, he had the worst of his three mostly-healthy seasons. He was prone to drops and penalties and looked as if he lost some speed as the year went on.

Curry caught 11 passes in his last give games. Kiffin said he met with Curry Monday “and we have a good plan on how he is going to improve and what he needs to do to get beter because we expect him to have a big year next year.”

– No official word regarding the fate of Rob Ryan, but when Kiffin talked about his expectations going into the season, he noted 11 returning starters on defense, nine players who were either new or in new positions on offense, and that the plan was “to run the ball and stop the run. And to build off the defense with 11 returning starters.”

– “I have talked to Warren. I am not going to comment on that until Warren talks to you guys. Warren has already made it known what he’s doing but I’m not going to take that from him. He’ll tell you guys whenever he’s ready _ ” Kiffin on the status of Warren Sapp.

Sure doesn’t sound like the way he would answer the question if Sapp were returning, does it?

– It’s hard not to like Ryan, and it’s fair to criticize the players for Oakland’s defense. Kirk Morrison said as much Sunday, that it was their fault there was speculation over Ryan.

Using that logic, you hold on to Jackie Slater and Irv Eatman and blame the offensive line, rather than bring in Tom Cable.

– Kiffin said Tommy Kelly’s rehab from knee surgery is going likely and that he is very interested in bringing back special teams player Jarrod Cooper.

– There was no promise to franchise cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, mostly because the hope is the two sides can work out a long-term deal. If that doesn’t happen, expect Asomugha to be franchised.

– The Raiders will probably be more than willing to let Jerry Porter test the free agent market, figuring 44 catches and 705 yards isn’t going to bring him anything out of the ballpark and they’ll be able compete for a reasonable price.

– After detailing to the team Monday morning what he expected this offseason, Kiffin said “a couple” of players tell him afteward, “I guess that means you’re staying.”

Wonder if they were the same guys who asked me over past few weeks if Kiffin was staying.

I always told them there was no reason to think Kiffin was leaving. If Kiffin would have been as emphatic a few weeks ago as he was Monday, there never would have been any questions.

– Have the Raiders finally come to the realization that the slender Michael Huff may not be suited to be the heavy-hitter at strong safety?

“We’re going to look at some different things with Michael,” Kiffin said.

– Rich Gannon’s NFL record of 418 completions, set in 2002, was broken by New Orleans Drew Brees, who finished with 440.

– The Raiders will flip a coin with the Falcons to see which team will get the No. 3 pick in the NFL draft. The coin flip will take place at the NFL scouting combine.

– The Raiders 2008 home opponents will be Denver, Kansas City, San Diego, New England, the New York Jets, Houston, Atlanta and Carolina.

The road opponents will be Denver, Kansas City, San Diego, Buffalo, Miami, Baltimore, New Orleans and Tampa Bay.

Scoring

Chargers–Nate Kaeding 31-yard field goal, 13:36.

Chargers–Kaeding 24-yard field goal, 1:46

Notes:

– Following a false start, Michael Turner breaks tackles on a 9-yard run to the 17, resulting in an injury to Hiram Eugene.

– Nate Kaeding kicks a 31-yard field goal when the drive stalls, culminating a 32-yard, six-play drive ignited by Sproles’ kickoff return following the Raiders’ score.

– The Raiders turn the ball over on downs with Russell throwing low to Zach Miller on fourth and 3. San Diego takes over at the Raiders 44 with Billy Volek replacing Rivers.

– San Diego goes three-and-out and Johnnie Lee Higgiins calls a fair catch of a Mike Scifres punt at the 9.

– The Raiders drive to the San Diego 30 on gains by Rhodes and consecutive 17-yard completions by Russell, one to Ronald Curry and one to Rhodes.

– Rhodes is stoned on a fourth-and-2 at the San Diego 22 and the Raiders turn it over on downs with 3:05 to play.

Russell is 20 of 27 for 204 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Rhodes has a 122 yards on 29 carries.

– The Chargers come up an inch short on a 5-yard run Turner on third-down and punt the ball back to the Raiders with 2:46 to play. The Raiders call their second time out.

– Higgins muffs Scifres punt, the ball bounces all the to the Oakland 4, where the Chargers recover with 2:32 to play.

– Turner is stopped for no gain by Stuart Schweigert at the 2-minute warning, bringing up second-and-goal.

– A Chargers false start pushes the ball back to the 9 for second-and-goal.

– Fabian Washington breaks up a pass intended for Antonio Gates in the end zone.

– Turner gains four yards to the 5. The Raiders use their final time out with 1:49 to play.

–Kaeding comes in for a 24-yard field goal with 1:46 remaining, giving San Diego a 30-17 lead and meaning a miracle Oakland finish would have to be two touchdowns to win instead of a touchdown and a field goal.

– Raiders take over at their own 31 for what may be their final possession of the season after a 24-yard kickoff return by Chris Carr.

– Russell throws a 12-yard pass to Miller _ his eighth catch of the day _ giving him 44 receptions.

– A third-and-7 pass from Russell to Rhodes is good for 5 yards, brings up fourth-and-2 withthe clock under 40 seconds. Russell is hit and fumbles the final play for the Raiders. It goes over on downs to San Diego.

– Volek kneels on the ball as the Raiders finish 4-12 and are 19-61 over the past five years.

Scoring:

Chargers–LaDainian Tomlinson 7-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Nate Kaeding kicks PAT), 9:53

Raiders–Dominic Rhodes 1-yard run (Sebastian Janikowski kicks PAT), 4:31

Notes:

– After Chris Carr returned the opening kickoff 48 yards to give the Raiders good field position, JaMarcus Russell’s first pass _ an attempted screen _ went directly to Chargers end Igor Olshansky, who returned the gift to the Raiders 47.

– The Chargers convert the turnover into a touchdown, with Rivers hitting Tomlinson in the right flat for a touchdown, with Hiram Eugene missing a tackle attempt inside the 5.

– Chris Carr returns the ensuing kickoff 45 yards to the 50, hitting a wall in the middle and breaking outside to the right.

– Sebasitan Janikowski is wide right on a 49-yard field goal attempt, a drive which was crippled by an unnecessary roughness penalty on guard Robert Gallery well down field on a Russell pass which was nearly intercepted by Antonio Cromartie.

With nose tackle Jamal Williams inactive for the Chargers in preparation for the playoffs, the Raiders are making some headway in the ground game against San Diego for a change. Dominic Rhodes has 26 yards on five carries.

– Warren Sapp shoots the gap on a running play and forces a fumble on an exchange between Rivers and Tomlisnon, with Derrick Burgess recovering at the 35.

The Raiders convert the turnover into points with the help of a 30-yard pass interference penalty on Drayton Florence against Ronald Curry. Florence never turned around and drew the obvious flag at the 1-yard line on a third-and-7.

– The Raiders are facing a third-and-8 at their own 28 in a drive which has included false starts by Ronald Curry and Barry Sims.

Rhodes finished the first quarter with 52 yards on 11 carries.

(Update: The Raiders announced Sunday’s game against the San Diego Chargers is a sellout, although some tickets returned by the visiting team may be available.

As a result it will be televised locally. Only four out of 16 games have been blacked out since the Raiders took over their own ticket operations).

A win over the San Diego Chargers Sunday would give the Raiders wins over all three AFC West opponents for the first time since 2002 and provide at least some level of comfort for a 5-11 season.

Some of the luster has been removed from what appears to be progress in Lane Kiffin’s first year because of the debacles in Green Bay and Jacksonville, but a strong performance against the Chargers could relegate those games to the background.

I’m not of the opinion that how a team finishes one season is necessarily a prelude to the next, because it happens both ways.

But one time where I’m certain it occurred was the season finale in 1999, when the Raiders beat the Kansas City 41-38 in overtime at Arrowhead Stadium, knocking the Chiefs out of the playoffs and serving as a jump-off point to a 12-4 record, an AFC West title and an appearance in the AFC championship game.

The dynamics for the San Diego game this time around don’t make for that kind of drama. San Diego is going to the playoffs, regardless, playing only for the No. 3 seed. Norv Turner could opt to rest key players for significant parts of the game, including Raider-killer LaDainian Tomlinson.

Only to most wildly optimistic of fans _ and I know you’re out there _ look at this roster and can see ways the Raiders could make the jump to 2008 the same way the 1999 Raiders improved in 2000.

At the same time, a win over the Chargers would say a lot, especially after the way the Raiders were embarrassed in Jacksonville, losing both the game as well as their composure.

Kiffin has mentioned on several occasions how many players on this roster haven’t had success for along time, and to sweep rematch games with AFC West opponents would qualify would something legitimate to hang their hat on going into the offseason.

“To sweep the division the second time around would be really good for our guys, for an organization which has not had mush success (against the AFC West) would be a step in the right direction,” Kiffin said Friday. “It is one game, but it is a team you play twice a year. You’re sending a message by the way you play. In individual matchups, if you’re a left tackle, you’re going to face the right end twice a year. All those things go into it. It would be a great way to finish.”

Safety Michael Huff agreed.

“I mean it wouldn’t salvage our season because we went through so much and we’ve only won four games,” Huff said. “But we can definitely go out there and play well, and if we sweep the second half of the (division), that’s something we can look forward to.”

More news, notes and observations:

– Dominic Rhodes will start at running back, and likely get the bulk of the work, judging from Kiffin’s explanation as to why LaMont Jordan’s playing time was so limited against Jacksonville.

“LaMont was in on a play where a guy came through and got to the quarterback, and LaMont didn’t play much after that,” Kiffin said.

Ouch.

It seems fairly safe to say that Jordan will be looking for a new employer not long after the season ends.

– Kiffin did say that “there were some other situations where LaMont would have been in that didn’t happen to come up.”

Other than the “Rhodes gets injured” situation, it’s hard to say exactly what that would be, except for perhaps the “when hell freezes over” situation.

– Interesting to note the contrast in how Kiffin occasionally skewers his players in the press with how Rob Ryan steadfastly backs them no matter what.

In the grand scheme, one style isn’t necessarily better than the other. As refreshing as it is to hear Kiffin’s blunt assessments, there is something noble about the way Ryan backs his players.

– All the opinions on whether Ryan should stay or go make for an interesting debate, but my contention it should be Kiffin’s call. And only Kiffin’s call. If Kiffin wants his own choice as coordinator and doesn’t get it, he could be forgiven for starting to look for a way out.

– Tim Dwight was limited in practice and Kiffin seemed cautiously optimistic he could resume his duties as the third wide receiver and punt return specialist. He is listed as questionable.

– LB Jon Alston did not practice and is unlikely to play.

– Fans attending the game are urged to drop off non-perishable food items before entering the game through the BART plaza or Gates A, B, C and D to help the Alameda County Food Bank provide children, seniors and families food for the holidays.

Cash donations are also welcome. Beginning at 10 a.m., fans can meet the coaches’ wives, who will be stationed at the barrels along with the Food Bank volunteers.

Most needed food includes canned meats and fish, peanut butter, canned stew, dried beans, rice, oatmeal or other healthy cereal, pasta and tomato sauce. Glass items will not be accepted. The Food Bank serves 40,000 people each week, including 14,000 children and 7,000 seniors.

If you thought Lane Kiffin would go easy on JaMarcus Russell, with it being Christmas Eve and all, guess again.

Kiffin was unsparing in his critical analysis of Russell’s first extended performance in a 49-11 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars at a brief weekly press conference on Christmas Eve.

As cool as Russell was following the game, Kiffin thought his play said something different regarding his confidence level, and was aghast at some of the fundamental errors the rookie committed.

Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart and John David Booty apparently never threw blindly to the other side of the field at USC.

“Naturally, his confidence wavered a little bit. Extremely poor decision making, I haven’t been around decision making like that before as far as just throwing the ball up across the field, like he did a number of times,” Kiffin said. “I’m sure that didn’t help his confidence. In your first time playing an extended amount of time like that, to not have success like that can’t help.”

Any other problems catch your eye, coach?

“There’s a list. Where do you start?,” Kiffin said. “Ball-handling in the running game. Footwork in the passing game. Timing. Accuracy. You name it, it was out there on film yesterday. He’s got a long ways to go.”

Kiffin again made reference to not having Russell around for the preseason and how both the quarterback and the coaching staff are still learning about each other.

“The fact that he’s playing, we’ll continue to learn information, we’ll continue to learn ways to help him in all the games so he can have success,” Kiffin said.

Having once likened Russell to a video game in his ability to deliver the ball, Kiffin thought Sunday was merely a painful part of the learning curve.

“We can talk to him all the time about what not to do and see it in practice, but unfortunately it came out yesterday,” Kiffin said. “He’s got to learn from those mistakes, that you can’t do that in this league. You’re not going to get away with it. We were really actually fortunate he didn’t throw five interceptions yesterday.”

Russell, Kiffin said, was operating with about 65 percent of the plays Josh McCown works with and he will be gauged this week to see if that figure can be increased. Russell will take all the reps in practice this week (he took most of them last week) and the plan is for him to play the entire game.

For Christmas, Russell will receive the San Diego game plan either in person or faxed to his home, and will go over it with quarterback coach John DeFilippo.

News and notes:

– Although he said he didn’t have any details on the extent of the concussion suffered by S Michael Huff, Kiffin said he expected him to play against San Diego.

– Players were given Monday off except for those needing injury treatment. DT Warren Sapp, who was ejected for coming in contact with an official _ he got three successive personal fouls _ stayed behind with his family in Florida.

Sapp told Kiffin at halftime he had not touched the official. Kiffin said the club’s film cuts off before any of the penalties were called. He said he was disappointed in both Sapp and Burgess, but would wait regarding any disciplinary action until the NFL has its say.

– Kiffin is hoping the Raiders will finish the season looking like they have in some of their better games this year, rather than the disturbing model which surfaced in road games in Green Bay and Jacksonville.

“I’d like us to finish that way, the style of football we want to play,” Kiffin said. “That’s to play really smart, not turn the ball over, stop the run and run the ball. I’d really like to see those things to kind of give us momentum going into the offseason unlike this last game.”

Among those players who were not participating in warmups or position group drills were WR Jerry Porter, CB Chris Carr, LT Barry Sims and DT Warren Sapp.

Those not present included QB Daunte Culpepper, RB Justin Fargas and C Jake Grove.

WR Tim Dwight, who missed the Indianapolis game with a leg injury, was on a separate field working with PUP and injured reserve players Michael Bush, Fred Wakefield and Jonathan Holland.

Kelly Talavou, a 6-foot-2, 336-pound defensive tackle, was added to the practice squad. Talavou takes spot which became available when Chris McFoy was promoted to the 53-man roster Saturday.

Talavou was undrafted out of Utah and went to training camp with the Atlanta Falcons.

News, notes and observations from Wednesday as the Raiders began serious preprations to host the Indianapolis Colts at McAfee Coliseum:

– Another unsubstantiated rumor went down the tubes when Bobby Petrino pulled a reverse that even Nick Saban thought was cowardly and bolted the Atlanta Falcons for the University of Arkansas.

Petrino’s hiring officially removed alleged candidate Lane Kiffin from the proceedings, although rumors persisted Kiffin pursued the job. Included was a report in popular rumor/information site profootballtalk.com that Kiffin threw a bit of a tantrum when he found out Petrino got the job.

Quoting an “industry source,” it even went so far as to say Al Davis would let Kiffin walk.

“I never had any contact with the University of Arkansas, or any college about any job at all,” Kiffin said, responding to the rumors in general and not the PFT item in particular. “I’ve done nothing but prepare my team for the upcoming game.”

So you’re not interested in any college job?

“No, no. I’m coaching the Raiders and getting us ready to play,” Kiffin said. “I don’t have any idea where all that information came from.”

– No sign of Daunte Culpepper at practice. He is still out with a right quadriceps, meaning the depth chart will likely be as it was Dec. 2 against Denver _ Josh McCown as the starter, JaMarcus Russell getting some snaps as the backup and Andrew Walter as No. 3.

– I don’t have an industry source to quote, just a guess, but I’m starting to think Culpepper is done for the year, assuming McCown holds up. He got two good performances on film against Minnesota and Kansas City to boost his free agent stock, and he has no interest in backing up Russell.

McCown, on the other hand, has already said he wouldn’t mind coming back.

– After two weeks of being inactive for games, running back Dominic Rhodes is hoping to get a chance to see the field against his former teammates Sunday _ not that it has anything to do with the opponent.

“We are loooking at Dominic this week,” Kiffin said. “He had a real good practice today. We’ll continue to evaluate it as the week goes. We’re not going to play somebody because of where they played before. That’s not fair to the team. If he plays, it’s because we need him to play, he deserves to play and there’s something we feel he can help us with.”

Rhodes has 12 carries for 24 yards and one reception for 10 yards in nine games after being the most high-profile free agent to sign in the offseason. (Culpepper did not sign until training camp was underway).

The past few weeks Rhodes has attempted to put aside his personal feelings about his workload.

“Being upset and mad didn’t put me on the field,” Rhodes said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen this week. I hope I do get in there and get an opportunity, get some extended playing time and try and get in a rhythm where I can make plays for this team.”

LaMont Jordan, the backup tailback the past two weeks, had 11 carries for 21 yards against a Green Bay defense which was probably expecting the Raiders to pass the ball.

The backup could get significant time against Indianapolis if Fargas takes another shot to the ribs.

– Indianapolis running back Joseph Addai, a college teammate of Russell’s at LSU, thinks Kiffin needn’t be concerned about the quarterback’s state of mind if were to be put in a difficult situation, saying making rookie mistakes is part of the learning process.

He also said Russell, like Peyton Manning is a good leader, even if his style is less assertive and combative.

“It’s just like a math problem,” Addai told the Bay Area media by conference call. “You could work the problem out a lot of ways and still get the same answer. Peyton has a different way of going about it and JaMarcus has a different way of going about it, but they still get the job done and and that’s what you love about ‘em.”

Russell said has spoken with Manning but not a lot about technical football, although Manning has extended the offer to do that some day.

“I worked his camp for the past two years,” Russell said. “He’s a good guy, has a great personality, good to be around and he does well with people. He handles himself in a decent way.”

– Wide receiver Jerry Porter, getting to Russell before reporters did, used his Blackberry to simulate a tape recorder and asked, “Who is going to catch your first touchdown pass?”

Said Russell: “I’m going to throw it and catch it myself.”

– Sometimes being 4-9 isn’t so bad. Just ask fullback Justin Griffith, who played for the Atlanta Falcons last year.

“It’s hard to watch. Some guys I don’t know but talking to Warrick (Dunn) last night, it’s almost like a dark cloud is hanging over head,” Griffith said. “The Mike Vick thing going down, the season not going good, the head coach, accepted the job at Arkansas. They got some rebuilding to do, but it’s going to take some time. Hopefully they’ll get a coach that’s going to stay around . . . I’m happy I’m here.”

– Other than Culpepper and Jarrod Cooper, who along with his crutches and surgically repaired ACL remain on the 53-man roster, the only player to miss practice due to injury was center Jake Grove.

Grove has missed the last six days and conceded he may need surgery at some point, although he is hoping to avoid it.

– When Warren Sapp was asked about shoring up the Raiders’ run defense following the Packers game, his speech included the phrase “Do your job” more than once. No surprise that Tony Dungy used the same phrase when asked how the Colts fixed their run defesne last season.

As bad as the Raiders have been this year, giving up an NFL-worst 153.6 yards per game on the ground, the Colts were worse last season. They finished last in run defense, giving up 173 yards per game on the ground.

In the playoffs, the Colts gave up 82 yards per game on the ground en route to winning the Super Bowl. The easy answer for the improvement was the return of hard-hitting safety Bob Sanders, although Dungy said it is not that simple.

“We just started playing better. The thing we didn’t do was change a lot of things,” Dungy said. “And it was frustrating to me because I knew we should be playing a lot better than we were. We had some people in and out of the lineup. In some cases had young guys in there. In other cases had guys maybe trying to do too much. We always tried sell our team on if they just did their jobs on every play we would be fine and we didn’t need a major overhaul.

“Then we got to the playoffs and Bob got back in and Anthony MacFarland got comfortable with us. And I think the guys did just settle in and just play our defense. And that’s really what’s happened this year. We’ve been a little healthier, we know what we’re doing a little bit more and just playing sounder.”

Despite what might be the smallest front seven in the NFL, the Colts are giving up 102.9 yards per game on the ground.

Said Kiffin: “We’re just one week removed from Denver, which was on a roll, and we shut them down. Maybe we can get back to that this week. It’s been very upand down this year. we just wnat to end on an up note with it.”

– Fans attending the game are urged to bring an unwrapped toy, valued at $20 or more, as the Raiders are teaming up with the U.S. Marine Corps reserve in the Toys for Tots program to bring some Christmas cheer to underprivileged children.

Marines will be stationed at the West Side Plaza, as well as Gates A, B, C and D before and after the game.

Daunte Culpepper is still not well enough to join his teammates at practice Wednesday, an early indication that it will probably be Josh McCown starting against the Indianapolis Colts before giving way to JaMarcus Russell.

Kiffin said Monday Russell will play _ possibly more than the 16 plays the rookie got against Denver _ but wanted to see the availability of his other quarterbacks before determining how much.

The good news for the Raiders is that running back Justin Fargas, who left the Packers loss with a rib injury, was in uniform and on the field.

Among those who appeared to be sitting out were LT Barry Sims, DT Warren Sapp and C Jake Grove. CB Nnamdi Asomugha and WR Jerry Porter were also without helmets and may have received the day off.

Grove would be the only one of those players to be out because of injury.

No sign of any new players, meaning Jarrod Cooper remains on the roster with crutches and a surgically repaired torn ACL.

In the cold, hard business side of the NFL, dwindling production by running back Justin Fargas over the last four weeks of the season gives the Raiders a better chance at retaining his services in his free agent year.

Fargas is nursing a rib injury at the moment, and the extent of his availability against the Colts Sunday at McAfee Coliseum is not known.

Fargas is tough enough that if he played, and played well, it wouldn’t be a major surprise. He could play a reduced role and share time with LaMont Jordan. In the extreme, he could not play at all.

Fargas gained 57 yards on 15 carries against Green Bay after carrying 123 times in his previous five games, breaking 100 yards in three of them. If he had continued at that pace through Green Bay and the rest of the season, Fargas would have broken 1,200 yards rushing and could have ended up with the fourth-highest rushing total in Raiders history behind Marcus Allen (1,759), Napoleon Kaufman (1,294) and Mark van Eeghen (1,273).

A rushing total that high could mean big bucks on the free agent market. Signing running backs to big numbers can be risky. Just ask the Kansas City Chiefs, who handed over $19 million in guaranteed money and $45 million over six years to Larry Johnson. Johnson carried the ball 416 times last season.

Johnson gained 559 yards on 159 carries this year, averaging 3.5 yards per carry, before going out with a foot injury. In the meantime, fifth-round draft pick Kolby Smith has emerged as a promising running back.

He would never admit it, but Chiefs G.M. Carl Peterson would take that contract back in a heartbeat.

Smith’s ascension is the nature of the position. Fargas himself came out of nowhere to surpass both Jordan and Dominic Rhodes.

If Fargas gained upwards of 1,250 yards after opening the season as a non-starter, he could command the kind of money which could make the Raiders shy away from signing him.

Through 13 games, Fargas (196 carries, 920 yards) is the second-leading rusher in the NFL scheduled for unrestricted free agency, trailing Cleveland’s Jamal Lewis (218 carries, 921 yards) by a single yard.

Lewis has so many miles on his odometer (2,040 carries) it is unlikely any team would offer him anything more than a year or two.

Derrick Ward leads the New York Giants in rushing with 602 yards, but was lost for the season with a broken left leg.

Teams have long loved the potential of San Diego running back Michael Turner, the backup to LaDainian Tomlinson in San Diego. But Turner has never carried more than 80 times in a season, and at 5-foot-10, 237 pounds, his resume looks a lot like Jordan’s when he was the backup to Curtis Martin with the New York Jets.

Coach Lane Kiffin, using Denver to illustrate his point, says that in the zone blocking system, any back who has a knack for putting his foot in the ground at the first sign of a crease can flourish _ regardless of salary and draft status.

Fargas has been extremely durable, but he takes so many direct hits you wonder sometimes how many collisions he can take before he breaks down gradually or immediately.

It’s enough to make you think before offering Fargas a contract with a $10 million guarantee or more, especially if you’re of the opinion that the system is as important as the skill of the running back.

But if Fargas’ production slows in the last three games, because of the injury and the defensive capabilities of three difficult opponents, his price comes down, and it is easier to write that check.

Kiffin made it clear he would have liked to have seen Michael Bush on the 53-man roster this year, and it’s easy to see why. With Fargas potentially playing himself into big money and Jordan and Rhodes possibly on their way out of town, it would have been nice to see what Bush can do against an NFL defense.

At the very least, it would have given the Raiders one more piece of information on what to do about Fargas.

Below is a list of some running backs scheduled to be unrestricted free agents this season and their rushing totals in 2007:

Jamal Lewis, Cleveland, 218 carries, 921 yards, 4.2 ypc

Justin Fargas, Oakland, 196 carries, 920 yayrds, 4.7 ypc

Ron Dayne, Houston, 162 carries, 618 yards, 3.8 ypc

Derrick Ward, N.Y. Giants, 125 carries, 602 yards, 4.8 ypc

Julius Jones, Dallas, 141 carries, 550 yards, 3.9 ypc

Jesse Chatman, Miami, 107 carries, 435 yards, 4.4 ypc

Aaron Stecker, New Orleans, 79 carries, 300 yards, 3.8, ypc

Michael Turner, San Diego, 48 carries, 235 yards, 4.9 ypc

Michael Pittman, Tampa Bay, 45 carries, 213 yards, 4.7 ypc

T.J. Duckett, Detroit, 33 carries, 194 yards, 5.9 ypc

Tatum Bell, Detroit, 44 carries, 182 yards, 4.1 ypc

Scoring

None

Notes

– The Raiders picked up one first down on their first possession on a 6-yard run by Josh McCown. Shane Lechler’s punt pinned Green Bay at its own 14

– The Packers drove with relative ease to the Raiders 26 on their first possession, but rather than attempt a field goal on a fourth-and-4 from the 26, Brett Favre threw incomplete and the Raiders took over on downs.

Ryan Grant gained 45 yards on his first four carries and Favre completed his first pass with an 11-yard bootleg to tight end Donald Lee.

– The Raiders, faced with a fourth-and-1 at the Green Bay 47, elected to go for the first down and failed when Justin Fargas was dumped by Nick Collins on a pitch to the right for a 2-yard loss.

Oakland had run the ball well on the possession, with Fargas gaining 8 and 9 yards and LaMont Jordan gaining seven.

– Stuart Schweigert intercepted a tipped Favre pass intended for Koren Robinson to halt Green Bay at the 18-yard line. Chris Carr had the coverage on Robinson.

The Packers drove to the Raiders 30 before the play, with help from a bogus pass inteference call on Nnamdi Asomugha against Greg Jennings.

– McCown missed a wide-open Jerry Porter on third-and-11 near the Green Bay 35 yard line on the last play of the first quarter. Jeremy Newberry’s holding penalty put the Raiders in an initial hole.

Oakland finished the opening quarter with four penalites _ a false start on Chris Johnson, a defensive hold on Gerard Warren, a pass interference on Asomugha and Newberry’s hold.

Ryan Grant has 7 carries for 47 yards for Green Bay. Fargas has 8 carries and 29 yards for Oakland.