With the Raiders playing out the string at 4-9, the annual tank watch is underway.

It’s understandable given the totality of a 38-7 loss to the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, one which got away so completely coach Lane Kiffin admitted afterward to running the ball late in the game to make sure things didn’t get worse.

Packing it in is one of the easiest things to allege and the hardest to prove. My long-held belief is that players don’t often quit, with the only clear instance of a Roberto Duran “No Mas” coming from Randy Moss, who often gave little or no effort because he was unhappy and wanted out.

Otherwise, these are paid professionals who want to keep drawing paychecks. Disorganization, low morale and inferior talent may contribute to the apperance of outright tanking when it doesn’t truly exist.

A team with less urgency hasn’t necessarily quit so much as it sometimes succumbed to the inevitable.

Warren Sapp opened some eyes last week when he told Packers beat writers by conference call that it’s different in Oakland because he’s “not playing for championships” any more, but it doesn’t mean Sapp has quit or succumbed. There were times against Green Bay he appeared to be expending more energy than anyone else up front.

The Raiders went far too quietly against the Packers for anyone’s comfort, and it will be interesting to see if Kiffin can field a team which will generate enough enthusiasm and precision to hang with the defending Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts.

I had casual conversations with a few players who are usually pretty good about honestly assessing how they feel the team is doing so long as I don’t quote them, and got the feeling they really thought they were going to play well against the Colts.

I reserve the right to be skeptical, particularly because it’s hard to envision the Colts not tearing through the Raiders for 500-plus yards and racking up first downs with Peyton Manning flooding the field with passes everywhere but around Nnamdi Asomugha and Joseph Addai running at will.

But the possibility exists the Raiders could get some things done on the ground against a smallish Colts defense which has already lost Dwight Freeney and Anthony McFarland and now will play without Robert Mathis up front.

The Colts play very well together defensively but are stretched to the limit in terms of depth. The more long, clock-eating drives the Raiders can manage, the more Manning and Co. are cooling their heels on the sideline.

Dungy’s lone appearance in Oakland, which happened 13 games into the season, just like this one, provides the best blueprint for going after a smaller, Tampa 2 defense.

On Dec. 19, 1999, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers came to to town with a 9-4 record and the NFL’s second-ranked defense en route to a division title. The Raiders were 6-7.

Incredibly, the Raiders beat the Bucs 45-0, rushing for 262 yards as Tyrone Wheatley had 111 yards on 19 carries and Napoleon Kaufman 122 yards on eight attempts.

“Tampa’s not very big,” coach Jon Gruden said that day., “We tried to run downhill at them.”

The Raiders don’t have the kind of offensive talent they had in 1999, when they were a year away from a 12-4 record, but for that matter, the Colts aren’t anywhere near the defense Tampa was at the time, either.

It won’t be 45-0, but if the Raiders play as well as they did two weeks ago against Denver and don’t repeat their Lambeau belly flop, it can be competitive.

Toys for Tots
– Want to feel good about the game regardless of the score? Bring an unwrapped toy, valued at $20 or more, for the annual Toys for Tots drive for underprividged children.

Members of the U.S. Marine Corps reserve will be stationed at the West Side Plaza, as well as Gates A, B, C and D before and after the game.

It’s fourth-and-goal from the 5-yard line, and Josh McCown is on the move, evading a would-be tackler with a right-roll backpedal similar to that of Montana-to-Clark, flipping a pass off his back foot into the end zone.

Johnnie Morant leaps and makes the catch in between two defenders. Touchdown.

Minicamp over.

The Raiders won’t meet again as a team until July 26 at the Napa Marriott, with the first practice scheduled for the following morning.

News, notes and jumping to some conclusions regarding the offseason to date:

– Wednesday’s special guest was Bill Walsh. Kiffin wanted Walsh’s input, and asked Al Davis to make it happen. Walsh, who is battling leukemia, watched practice from a golf cart along with Raiders executive John Herrera, with players and coaches dropping by to say hello and shake his hand.

Walsh was wearing a Raiders hat _ maybe the first one he’s worn since he left the Raiders following the 1966 season to coach the semi-pro San Jose Apaches. Kiffin was eager to finish his media session so he could mine Walsh for information.

“It was important for me to get him over here to practice,” Kiffin said. “It’s one thing to ask a question. It’s another thing to have him watch practice and get some thoughts from him on what he’s seeing out there and to spend more time with him obviously with some other questions. I’ve spent some time preparing for him.”

– Decked out in powder blue shorts, shirt and cap, working with the secondary and even throwing some passes with an aching right shoulder, was ex-Raider and Hall of Fame to-be defensive back Rod Woodson.

Woodson, his wife and five children have settled in Pleasanton. He commutes to Los Angeles for appearances as a studio host for the NFL Network, and visited to practice to check up on some former teammates as well as new secondary coach Darren Perry, a former teammate with the Steelers.

He knows the national perspective on the Raiders is another season as an also-ran. He points out people were saying the same thing about New Orleans last season. Although not wanting to make too much out of a minicamp practice, Woodson sees some ingredients in place that give reason for optimism.

“It’s hard to tell, but you want guys to compete, and you saw that,” Woodson said. “You want a quick tempo, and you saw that . . . Kiffin, he’s a disciplinarian, if you watch him talk to the guys and the coaches talk to the guys. They’re on them about everything.”

– The final minicamp play, in addition to an earlier dash up the middle in which he juked three defenders, are examples of why McCown should be able to keep Russell on the bench to start the season. If he can bag wins over Detroit and Cleveland in the first three weeks and the Raiders get off to a good start, he could hold the job until past midseason.

His mobility and creativity will be crucial in an evolving offense.

McCown sees a team which has hit the books.

“When I first got here it seemed like a young group, I didn’t know how serious they were,” McCown said. “But you get on the field and everybody knows what they’re doing, where they’re supposed to go. It’s impressive. You can’t do that unless you go home and study.”

– Russell was blunt when asked if the absence of Andrew Walter last week (arthroscopic knee was of some benefit.

“It has helped a lot,” Russell said. “The more reps, the more you see things, the better you become.”

– Impressions of Russell so far? Moves better than I thought he would. Shows exceptional arm strength on some throws, but not all of them. Passing touch has been good, as advertised, but also inconsistent. (He is, after all, only 21). Davis compared his arm strength to John Elway at the NFL owner’s meetings, but I don’t think he’s quite in that league.

The best practice passer I’ve ever seen remains Jeff George, and it’s not even close. (That includes Joe Montana and Steve Young).

But Russell is no George in terms of the way he carries himself. Both were laid back, but while George seemed as if he didn’t care, Russell’s vibe is of an earnest rookie who know he has a lot to learn and is intent on learning it.

He seems to be getting slimmer as well, although Kiffin said he’s down only four pounds since being drafted.

The question of whether football is important enough to Russell, at first glance, does not appear to be an issue at all.

– Heard an interesting story awhile back from somone who is familiar with Russell. His theory? When Russell played at LSU, he may as weighed as much as 280 pounds. So when he showed up at the combine at 265 _ more than he was listed at with LSU _ he was actually on his way down, rather than being heavier.

– Ronald Curry made two spectacular catches in goal line drills, both from McCown. He appears completely recovered from a hamstring pull suffered during organized team activities.

– Wide receiver Mike Williams (hamstring), center Adam Treu (quadriceps tear) and running back Michael Bush (broken leg) were put through drills running around cones by the training staff. All hope to be ready for training camp.

– With LaMont Jordan absent for personal reasons and Dominic Rhodes also staying away, Justin Fargas got his most extensive use in practices open to the media and made some decisive runs for good yardage. He also fumbled into the line in a red zone drill _ a problem Fargas had in his first two seasons that he seemed to have under control last season.

– Fullback Justin Griffith got a few carries as the Raiders were heavy on running plays on the final day of practice. The Raiders have rarely used the fullback as a runner in recent years, with most of Zack Crockett’s carries coming as a tailback.

– Raiders defenders spent much of the practice wearing different uniform numbers. Stuart Schweigert wore No. 50, swapping with Isiah Ekejiuba. Chris Carr wore No. 44. Sam Williams wore No. 24 and Michael Huff No. 54. Many others changed numbers as well.

You can almost imagine Davis watching film in silence later in the evening, wondering what the hell Williams was doing playing at safety.

– Robert Gallery lined up exclusively at right tackle Wednesday, with Cooper Carlisle at right guard, Jake Grove at center, Paul McQuistan at left guard and Barry Sims at left tackle.

– Oakland’s offseason has been serene and without any real controversy, something which would not have been possible had Randy Moss remained on the roster.

Hard to imagine No. 18 going from drill to drill and session to session with the sort of enthusiasm and purpose displayed by his teammates since minicamps began.