Angry Pope
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Guarded optimism for rookie
McQuistan is under fire early as starting right guard against San Diego
ALAMEDA -- Rookie Paul McQuistan is slated to make his NFL debut as the starting right guard for the Raiders against the San Diego Chargers on Monday night.
Pretty heady stuff for a player who played for Division I-AA Weber State, lasted until the third round of the NFL draft in April and spent most of his time at offensive tackle before he arrived in Oakland.
Yet, he won't be alone as far as players under the microscope. The Chargers intend to start rookie Marcus McNeill at left offensive tackle Monday.
It's not every day that a rookie starts at such an important position. Just the same, Raiders coach Art Shell said, it's not unheard of. Shell started Steve Wisniewski at left guard in Wisniewski's rookie season in 1989 because he saw some of the same things he sees in McQuistan.
"We had no problem with Steve Wisniewski when he came here," Shell said. "We got him in the second round and right away we knew he was a player and a future Hall of Famer, in my mind. Hopefully, Paul McQuistan can have some of that rub off on him."
The drawback, Shell said, is that rookies don't have the luxury of learning the nuances of the NFL from afar. It's straight into the fire.
"They all learn, they learn on the run," Shell said. "If a guy can play, if he shows he has the ability to play, you've got to accept the fact that as a rookie he's going to make mistakes."
McQuistan said it's comforting knowing that Shell understands what he is up against.
"It's always nice to have your coach have confidence in you," McQuistan said. "On the other hand, his being an offensive line coach, his expectations are high. You've got to match those."
Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer echoed Shell's sentiments regarding McNeill, a second-round pick out of Auburn.
"He will have moments of, I'm sure, difficulty," Schottenheimer said in a conference call with Bay Area media Wednesday. "But he's a terrific player and, quite frankly, the thing that we like most about him is that he is going to improve every snap, whether it's a snap in the game or snap in practice."
Shell said he got an inkling of McQuistan's ability from watching videotape of McQuistan's games at Weber State.
"We could see the tenacity and the work ethic he had," Shell said. "Then, when he came here to the minicamp, now you see it in person, now you can get a good feel for it."
Extra points
Defensive end Lance Johnstone (shin) practiced and showed no lingering effects from his injury, Shell said. ... The Raiders signed safety Hiram Eugene and assigned him to their practice squad. That gives them a full complement of eight players on their practice squad. Eugene was cut Tuesday after making the 53-man roster.
-- Steve Corkran
McQuistan is under fire early as starting right guard against San Diego
ALAMEDA -- Rookie Paul McQuistan is slated to make his NFL debut as the starting right guard for the Raiders against the San Diego Chargers on Monday night.
Pretty heady stuff for a player who played for Division I-AA Weber State, lasted until the third round of the NFL draft in April and spent most of his time at offensive tackle before he arrived in Oakland.
Yet, he won't be alone as far as players under the microscope. The Chargers intend to start rookie Marcus McNeill at left offensive tackle Monday.
It's not every day that a rookie starts at such an important position. Just the same, Raiders coach Art Shell said, it's not unheard of. Shell started Steve Wisniewski at left guard in Wisniewski's rookie season in 1989 because he saw some of the same things he sees in McQuistan.
"We had no problem with Steve Wisniewski when he came here," Shell said. "We got him in the second round and right away we knew he was a player and a future Hall of Famer, in my mind. Hopefully, Paul McQuistan can have some of that rub off on him."
The drawback, Shell said, is that rookies don't have the luxury of learning the nuances of the NFL from afar. It's straight into the fire.
"They all learn, they learn on the run," Shell said. "If a guy can play, if he shows he has the ability to play, you've got to accept the fact that as a rookie he's going to make mistakes."
McQuistan said it's comforting knowing that Shell understands what he is up against.
"It's always nice to have your coach have confidence in you," McQuistan said. "On the other hand, his being an offensive line coach, his expectations are high. You've got to match those."
Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer echoed Shell's sentiments regarding McNeill, a second-round pick out of Auburn.
"He will have moments of, I'm sure, difficulty," Schottenheimer said in a conference call with Bay Area media Wednesday. "But he's a terrific player and, quite frankly, the thing that we like most about him is that he is going to improve every snap, whether it's a snap in the game or snap in practice."
Shell said he got an inkling of McQuistan's ability from watching videotape of McQuistan's games at Weber State.
"We could see the tenacity and the work ethic he had," Shell said. "Then, when he came here to the minicamp, now you see it in person, now you can get a good feel for it."
Extra points
Defensive end Lance Johnstone (shin) practiced and showed no lingering effects from his injury, Shell said. ... The Raiders signed safety Hiram Eugene and assigned him to their practice squad. That gives them a full complement of eight players on their practice squad. Eugene was cut Tuesday after making the 53-man roster.
-- Steve Corkran