PRO FOOTBALL ’94 / SEASON PREVIEWS : CLASS OF THE AFC RESIDES IN L.A. : Raiders: After plugging holes, they are picked by many to reach Super Bowl.

They haven’t won a game, scored a point or even played a down. Yet the Raiders are in the 1995 Super Bowl.

Says who?

Say many of the hundreds of football experts in broadcast booths, press boxes, newspaper offices and coaching positions across the nation. The Raiders have become the hot pick to emerge out of the AFC.

But wait a minute. Weren’t the Raiders the team whose owner, Al Davis, had supposedly lost touch with the game?

Weren’t the Raiders the team that had lost its mystique and many of its fans during several lean years?

Weren’t the Raiders the team that finally rebounded last season, making it to the second round of the playoffs, only to lose its final game, its stadium and its star defensive player for more than decade, Howie Long, within a two-week period last January?

Eight months and $60 million later, the earthquake-ravaged Coliseum is structurally better and stronger than before.

Eight months and $29 million later, the Raiders appear better and stronger than before.

That is the amount they spent in a highly productive off-season to bring in the key personnel that have generated such optimism.

Davis, rather than losing touch, displayed a magic touch, working with Coach Art Shell, director of football operations Steve Ortmayer and other members of the team hierarchy to plug the holes that had prevented the Raiders from coming all the way back.

It remains to be seen whether they have actually acquired the right material to fill those gaps. The Raiders must show they can run, can put an effective middle linebacker on the field and can blend this new cast of characters into an effective, cohesive unit.

Shell has done his best to turn the applause meter way down to keep his players from being overwhelmed by overconfidence.

But it has been hard to ignore the praise. Promise anonymity, and the players all seem to whisper the same sentence: “We are loaded.”

Following is a look at the pluses and minuses:

QUARTERBACK

On the Field: The Raiders are solid with Jeff Hostetler, coming off a career year in which he passed accurately, threw bombs and scored in the air, on the ground and with teammates who came to admire his ability to keep getting back on his feet despite injury and adversity. All Hostetler needs is a repeat performance, and the Raiders will be thrilled.

On the Bench: The team has a good combination of experience and youth with 39-year-old Vince Evans, who seems to grow better with age, and 23-year-old Billy Joe Hobert, who seemed to grow better with the expanded playing time he got in the exhibition season.

On the Spot: If Hostetler--cover your ears, Al Davis--should go down with an injury, either Evans or Hobert would have to rise to a new level for the season to be salvaged.

RUNNING BACKS

On the Field: As expected, Tom Rathman was named starting fullback Wednesday. Add to his all-around skill as a runner, receiver and blocker his leadership ability and experience as a veteran of eight years with the San Francisco 49ers and two Super Bowls, and it was hard to keep him on the bench. At tailback, however, Ty Montgomery, a converted receiver, has held off the challenge of Harvey Williams.

On the Bench: Williams can’t really be classified as a backup since Shell has indicated that the ball-carrying duties will be a team effort. If you get hot, you get the ball. And there’ll be different assignments for different backs. In short-yardage and goal-line situations, Napoleon McCallum will play. Rookie Calvin Jones will have to take a number and get in line.

On the Spot: The entire running game. The Raiders will go only as far as their legs will carry them. They finished 26th in rushing last season in a 28-team league. They can’t get to the Super Bowl from there.

RECEIVERS

On the Field: The Raiders can boast of having one of the NFL’s best big-play performers in Tim Brown on the right side and the two-time winner of the NFL’s Fastest Man race on the left side in Alexander Wright. Brown is coming off a career year that included an AFC-leading 1,180 receiving yards. At tight end, the loss of Ethan Horton to the Washington Redskins has enabled Andrew Glover to move into the starting job.

On the Bench: Pass receiving is not only the strongest area on the team, but perhaps in the entire league as well. How many clubs have a gold medal-winning track star like James Jett and a dominant figure in both college and the CFL like Rocket Ismail as backups? Take this unit to Atlanta in 1996, and it might do as well against Olympic competition as it would against the Falcons. Third-string receiver Daryl Hobbs might have a shot at the starting lineup on another team. Here, he can also take a number. Kevin Smith and former 49er Jamie Williams back up Glover.

On the Spot: Glover has never caught more than 15 passes in a season. He needs to catch three times that many to fill the role of Horton, who caught 43 last season from Hostetler. The Raider quarterback sees the tight end as far more than just a blocker.

OFFENSIVE LINE

On the Field: The left side of this line is solid, with Gerald Perry at tackle and Steve Wisniewski at guard. Don Mosebar remains the dependable anchor at center. But the right side, plagued by injuries and constant changes the last few seasons, has been the weak side. So the Raiders signed Dallas Cowboy stalwart Kevin Gogan to beef things up, playing him at right guard alongside tackle Bruce Wilkerson.

On the Bench: Veteran Max Montoya, who flirted with retirement in the off-season, agreed to come back as a reserve. Greg Skrepenak, coming off an ankle injury that cost him last season, will put pressure on Wilkerson. Rich Stephens, Robert Jenkins and long-snapper Dan Turk fill out the backup roles.

On the Spot: With Gogan next to him, Wilkerson must produce if this side of the line is to equal the left and give the Raiders options in the running game and the crucial protection Hostetler needs to make it through 16 games. If Wilkerson falters, Skrepenak, ankle permitting, is waiting for his chance.

DEFENSIVE LINE

On the Field: Not many teams could lose half their defensive starting line and not be in trouble. But the departure of Howie Long and Greg Townsend from the ends has been balanced by the return of former starter Scott Davis from retirement and the elevation of situational player Anthony Smith to a starting spot. Smith has 36 sacks in three seasons despite a serious thumb injury last season and his previous part-time role. Solid at the tackles are Chester McGlockton and Nolan Harrison.

On the Bench: One thing the Raiders did lose along with Long and Townsend was depth. So they signed veteran Jerry Ball, who looks miscast with 300-plus pounds on his 6-foot-1 frame . . . miscast that is until the football is snapped. Then, Ball has shown an explosiveness that has left both opponents and critics shaking their heads. Even Shell says that Ball is “a better pass rusher than I thought.” Veteran Aundray Bruce, draft pick Austin Robbins and converted tight end John Duff fill out this crew.

On the Spot: Davis came back in good physical shape from a two-year layoff. But his timing and rhythm on the field were something else. He must show his old form and Smith must show he can play the run and maintain his intensity after becoming a starter for this line to remain effective.

LINEBACKERS

On the Field: There was a big question mark here after the end of last season and it remains, hovering over the middle. The loss of middle linebacker Joe Kelly, largely because of salary-cap considerations, must be overcome for the Raider defense to be successful. Second-year man Greg Biekert has been impressive in the exhibition season, but his start Monday night in the opener will be his first. Winston Moss, the right-side linebacker, is the most solid of the three. Aaron Wallace on the left is an effective pass rusher.

On the Bench: Top draft choice Rob Fredrickson has been shifted from his outside position in college to the middle, where he is trying to learn along with Biekert. Veteran Mike Jones is joined by two 1994 draft choices, second-rounder James Folston and seventh-rounder Rob Holmberg.

On the Spot: Obviously, Biekert is the crucial factor here. A rugged hitter, he’s been thrown into a tough situation, trying to play in the middle of the defense and also relay the defensive signals to a squad of veterans. Opposing teams will be overjoyed if Biekert falters. A strong performance by the line would lift some of the pressure off him, but not much.

DEFENSIVE BACKS

On the Field: Cornerbacks Terry McDaniel, a Pro Bowl player each of the last two seasons, and Lionel Washington, a solid veteran, are complemented by free safety Eddie Anderson and strong safety Derrick Hoskins. A year ago, Hoskins was in the same position Biekert is in this year--a second-year man asked to replace an effective veteran with a first-round draft choice breathing down his neck. The Raiders will be happy if Biekert does as well as Hoskins, who replaced Ronnie Lott and kept the job despite the presence of Patrick Bates.

On the Bench: Veteran cornerback Albert Lewis, a four-time Pro Bowler and third in interceptions among all active players with 38, was signed in the off-season and is poised to take a starting position if the opportunity presents itself. The other reserves--Bates, Dan Land and James Trapp--figure to stay in that role, but will get plenty of playing time in passing situations.

On the Spot: Washington, bothered by a hamstring injury in the exhibition season, will have to maintain the form that has enabled him to pick off 30 passes in 10 years if he is to hold off Lewis.

SPECIAL TEAMS

On the Field: The Raiders have some special players on these squads. Kicker Jeff Jaeger is coming off the best year of his career. In fact, no kicker has ever had a better one. He made 35 field goals, tying the NFL record, and scored 132 points to lead the league. Brown, the punt returner, is the most productive player at that position in team history with a return total of 1,960 yards. Ismail, the kick returner, has been known for his accomplishments throughout his career. In his first NFL season, he led the league in that department, averaging 24.2 yards a return. Dependable Jeff Gossett is second on the Raider all-time punting list behind some guy named Ray Guy.

On the Bench: Behind Brown are Ismail and Hobbs. Joining Ismail is Williams, with Wright in reserve. Behind Jaeger and Gossett is the waiver wire.

On the Spot: With the new rules that figure to provide more running room on kickoffs, Ismail must get the Raiders in good field position on a consistent basis. New field-goal rules will make it difficult for Jaeger to equal last season’s totals.