Brooks Hopes He Is Not Half Bad...

[Angry Pope]

Brooks hopes he's not half bad vs. Niners

By Bill Soliday


NAPA — Aaron Brooks will be coach Art Shell's starting quarterback Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, and he has the go-ahead to play the entire first half. That means he'll get the chance he's been looking for to establish a little rhythm before heading for the sideline.

Shell made the announcement after Friday's practice. The news pleased Brooks.

"It will be nice," he said. "Any time we get a chance to go out there and play for the duration like that, it's good. We'll try to get something out of it, get a better rhythm going and put more points on the board.

"But it's still preseason. We just want to continue to get better in all phases, whether it's running or passing."

In the Raiders' first two exhibition games, Brooks played eight series — four in each game — and was in for one touchdown. At the time he left, the Raiders were tied 7-7 in a game they eventually won 16-10 and led 3-0 in a game they eventually won 16-13.

During that time, the first-team offense under Brooks never got untracked, accounting for just four first downs. There were five three-and-out series.

Brooks was 2-for-9 passing for 28 yards and was sacked three times for 21 yards in losses. The running game with Brooks under center wasn't much better with 16 carries for 56 yards, meaning in roughly a half a game the offense produced just 63 yards of total offense.



BACK TO WORK: Thursday's cut-short practice forgotten, the Raiders went hard in their one Friday practice. Shell said he was pleased.

"I thought practice today was very good," he said. "A lot of attention, a lot of focus, a lot of intensity."

The day before, Shell ordered the team off the field when he didn't like the effort that was being expended.

"It was just the slightest things," Brooks said. "It's part of camp. We had a nice meeting (Thursday night). We all talked about it, and we came out here for a better day today.

"I think at a time like that, you don't want to overemphasize yelling — yell, yell, drill and do this. All the fatigue, mental (and) physical sets in. A lot of mistakes will happen, a lot of sluggishness. You're not going to be as sharp.

"I think we kind of needed to step away from it and refocus ourselves. It was like hitting that wall. You want a break. You just want to go play an opponent. I thought it was the right approach."

Asked what had prompted the early conclusion of Thursday's practice, Shell said, "I just decided to give them the rest of the day off, that's all."


SIMS OUT: Left guard Barry Sims will be held out of Sunday's game against the 49ers because of a sore elbow.

"He should be ready to go next week (against Detroit)," Shell said, noting that results of the MRI Sims had on his ailing elbow showed no tear. "We were worried about the triceps, but it's not a problem."

The starting left guard Sunday will be Corey Hulsey, the coach said.



EXTRA POINTS: Shell said WR Jerry Porter has been cleared to make his 2006 debut. ... C Jake Grove was held out of Friday's practice with a sore heel. Shell said he expected Grove to be ready to face the 49ers. ... WR Burl Toler, a rookie free agent from Cal, had his own cheering section Friday as his father, Burl Toler Jr., and grandfather, Burl Toler, were present to watch. The senior Toler played for USF in the Dons' glory years of the 1950s and was the first black official in the NFL. Toler's father also played for Cal in the 1970s. ... The Raiders' game against the 49ers will be broadcast in Spanish on KLOK-AM (1170). The station will also air Raiders games in Spanish during the regular season with Armando Botello and Ramon Diaz doing the announcing.

 

[Angry Pope]

I am assuming that all of the starters will be playing the entire first half. Hopefully, Walter will play most of the second half.

 

[Crossbones]

I was hoping to see Walter play with the first team. Guess not.

 

[Angry Pope]

Limited choices make Brooks early favorite

The Raiders QB has more experience than Walter or Tuiasosopo

By Steve Corkran

NAPA - Raiders coach Art Shell has presented his quarterback situation as a three-horse race among Aaron Brooks, Andrew Walter and Marques Tuiasosopo.

With good reason. Doing so promotes competition, prevents complacency and leaves open the possibility of Shell making a change without dealing with any second-guessing.

That's all fine and good on the surface. In reality, few doubt that Brooks will be the starter in Oakland's regular-season opener against the San Diego Chargers on Sept. 11 and for as long as he plays at a competent level.

What other option does Shell have? Brooks is the only experienced quarterback he has on his roster, in terms of games played. Walter has yet to play in a regular-season game. Tuiasosopo has started only two games in his five NFL seasons.

Brooks, 30, has started 82 regular-season games during his seven-year career. Thirteen of those came with the New Orleans Saints last season, while Walter and Tuiasosopo watched all but one game from the Raiders sideline.

"By the time we come out of training camp, and get ready for the first regular season game, we want to make sure we got the right guy in place," Shell said.

Shell likely has his doubts through Oakland's first two games. None of the aforementioned trio has distinguished himself as the clear-cut choice.

Brooks has completed only 2 of 9 pass attempts for 28 yards and one touchdown. He also has had one pass intercepted and been sacked three times.

Walter, 24, is 13-of-29 for 194 yards and one touchdown, with two interceptions and three sacks. Tuiasosopo, 27, has completed 8 of 20 passes for 99 yards, with no touchdowns, one interception and four sacks.

Their combined passer rating is a paltry 40.9. By comparison, predecessor Kerry Collins completed 53.5 percent of his passes for 3,759 yards and 20 touchdowns, with only 12 interceptions in 15 starts last season.

"I'm looking for a quarterback that can get the ball down the field, a quarterback that can have ball security in mind, a quarterback that can take care and have a presence in the huddle, and a quarterback that doesn't turn the ball over with interceptions and stuff like that," Shell said.

Conventional wisdom says, Shell's still looking to see that from his quarterbacks. That quest continues in tonight's game against the 49ers, with games against the Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks within the next 11 days.

Shell said he intends to play his starters for at least the first half tonight. That, Brooks said, should make it more conducive to he and his offensive mates to get into a rhythm.

"That always helps," Brooks said. "It helps as a confidence booster. ... It will be nice. Any time we get a chance to go out there and play for the duration like that, it's good. We'll try to get something out of it, get a better rhythm going and put more points on the board."

Walter was elevated to No. 2 during the offseason. His 67-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Johnnie Morant fueled speculation that perhaps he deserves a shot at the starting spot.

"It will be determined on how I play in preseason," Walter said. "It's going to be important to go out and have some good games, show I can do and get comfortable in the system."

The writing is on the wall for Tuiasosopo. He was selected in the third round of the NFL draft in 2001, yet he has been bypassed by the likes of Collins, Brooks and Walter without getting more than a token shot at proving himself.

The real competition figures to take place next season, when the Raiders face a decision on whether to exercise their $5 million option on Brooks, go with Walter or search for another Rich Gannon-type in free agency. For now, all signs point to Walter being the long-term solution.

"I have my expectations," Walter said, "and it certainly sounds (as if) people do above me. But I don't think anybody's expectations can be higher than I have for myself. I want to live up to my expectations, and if I do so, I know I will be able to live up to their expectations."

Down the stretch they come.