The Raiders Are Back: Will Someone Tell Oakland? : Pro football: Team has won four of five and leads the league in scoring, yet it fails to sell out in time to lift blackout for today’s game against Seahawks.

Like most everyone else, it seems, Bob Golic will not have to pay for his ticket to today’s Raider game in Oakland with the Seattle Seahawks.

Golic will be using an NBC-TV pass, and for the first time since the defensive lineman’s retirement in 1992, he will be broadcasting a game that includes his former team.

“I will try to be partial, I mean impartial,” Golic said. “There’s a Freudian slip for you. . . . I like what I’m seeing, though, with the Raiders. Al Davis has done everything this past off-season to get this team back to where it was. That’s part of this whole pilgrimage thing to Oakland.”

The Raiders’ return to the holy land, while paying dividends in the standings, has apparently plundered Oakland and Alameda County. Newspaper reports in the Bay Area this week documented $2,896,859 in losses for the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum because only 40,000 of the 97,000 fans attending the team’s first two exhibition games bought their tickets.

The Raiders are hot, but Oakland fans have yet to catch the fever. The Raiders have scored more points than any other team in the league, and yet the team was scrambling to sell out and make a Friday night deadline to lift a local television blackout.

The Raiders have drawn 100,424 to their first two regular-season games in Oakland. A year ago in the Los Angeles Coliseum, they attracted 104,077 for the first two games.

“From what I understand, though, this team is thriving on the success they are having in Oakland and the welcome they have received,” said Golic, who is also doing four hours of sports talk every day on KMAX radio in Pasadena. “I talked to Tim Brown and he said the team has come out with a whole different attitude.

“I can sense that, too. It’s one thing to have people talk about the changes that have been made and then watch them play the same way. But you’re seeing a team winning by 40 points. Everybody knows Al Davis likes his long game, but Al Davis has shown me something here. He’s letting these guys implement the changes.

“They tell me he’s not even on the practice field all that much anymore, although I’m sure he’s not too far away. He was always there when I was playing. He might be inside now--but he’s got binoculars.”

Golic said he believes the secret to the Raiders’ success this year has been the ability of Coach Mike White, quarterback coach Jim Fassel and offensive line coach Joe Bugel to mesh, in contrast to the problems Art Shell, Tom Walsh and Terry Robiskie had in their days.

“I was surprised,” Golic said. “It’s kind of neat that Al had this kind of faith in these guys. This trio has been able to balance things out, while it seemed Shell, Robiskie and Walsh were all trying to call the shots.

“And this offense doesn’t have that predictability. I remember the very first time I lined up against the Raiders [with the New England Patriots], we were told they would come out and throw the bomb on the first play. And they did.”

The bomb remains in the Raider arsenal, but the team now has the NFL’s second-best rushing attack, a year after being ranked No. 21. The Raiders rank fourth overall offensively, and only Miami’s Dan Marino and San Francisco’s Steve Young are completing a higher percentage of passes than Jeff Hostetler (65%).

“I was ready for a change,” said Hostetler, who called 50% of the team’s plays in last week’s victory over the Jets. “We’re just scratching the surface with what we can do with this offense.”

News bulletin: Still no word yet on whether today’s game will be sold out.

ON TV

* DEFENSIVE THRILLER

Green Bay (3-1) at Dallas (4-1) Channel 11, 10 a.m.: Troy Aikman is recovering from a sore calf. Wade Wilson, Aikman’s backup, is 0-5 in previous starts against the Packers, but then Green Bay’s Brett Favre is 0-4 against Dallas. Packer defense is No. 1 in the NFL, No. 2 against the run, No. 1 against the pass and looking better and better if Wilson is on the opposite side of the ball. The Cowboys have the NFC’s No. 3 defense, and running back Emmitt Smith is averaging 108.7 yards in three games with the Packers.

Records made to be broken: The Packers have the only defense in league that has yet to allow a 300-yard passer, a 100-yard receiver or a 100-yard rusher this year.

* WHY BOTHER?

Houston (2-3) at Minnesota (2-2) Channel 4, 10 a.m.: Minnesota quarterback Warren Moon may be looking forward to this game against his former team, but why should anyone else care? Houston got beat by an expansion team, Jacksonville, last week. Minnesota has allowed more yards passing this season than any other team in the NFC and ranks 27th overall on defense. Ugly and boring are not a good combination.

So what: In the past four seasons Moon is 25-9 in domed stadiums.

* RAIDER MANIA

Seattle (2-2) at Oakland (4-1) Channel 4, 1 p.m.: The way tickets are selling in Oakland, Raider fans might have to fly to LA to avoid local blackouts and watch their team play on TV. The Raiders have scored 95 points the last two games. The most the team has ever scored in three consecutive weeks is 128--in 1963, ’75 and ’80. Seattle running back Chris Warren has topped the 100-yard mark the last two games--but can he outscore the Raiders?

No! Warren will run up against a defense that has forced a league-high 18 fumbles.

* DESPERATE SHOOT OUT

Denver (2-3) at New England (1-3) TNT, 5 p.m.: The Broncos can’t keep John Elway’s supporting cast injury-free and the Patriots can’t figure out how to live up to expectations. New England quarterback Drew Bledsoe has not completely recovered from a shoulder separation, but the Patriots can’t afford another week with Scott Zolak filling in.

What a difference: Last year Bledsoe threw 25 touchdown passes; this season he’s still looking for his first.

UPSET SPECIAL?

Indianapolis (2-2) at Miami (4-0): Just kidding. The Colts have no chance, but that’s what folks said about the Lions before they topped the 49ers, and before the Redskins whipped the Cowboys. The Colts have the No. 1 rushing defense in the AFC, which ought to make Dan Marino throw the ball more, and that’s not good for the Colts. Marino has 38 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 23 previous meetings with Indianapolis.

Just maybe: Dolphins were 6-0 in 1992 before losing to the Colts.

MAKE OR BREAK

Cleveland (3-2) at Detroit Lions (1-3): The Browns were in position to leave the injured Steelers behind, but a last-second lost to Buffalo has stalled their rise to dominance. The Lions knocked off San Francisco, but was that just a Wayne Fontes’ fluke? Speaking of flukes, Cleveland quarterback Vinny Testaverde has thrown a pair of touchdown passes in four of the first five games.

Ball hogs: The Lions have won 17 consecutive games when they have had the edge in time of possession.

Cincinnati (2-3) at Tampa Bay (3-2): Who wins when the No. 28 offense battles the No. 30 defense? The Bengals are on a three-game skid and rank last in defense. The Buccaneers already have three victories, so when do they get called to the White House?

Mr. Touchdown: Jeff Blake has started 14 games for the Bengals at quarterback and has thrown 25 touchdown passes.

Washington (2-3) at Philadelphia (2-3): Heath Shuler is back but Dallas killer Gus Frerotte remains the starting quarterback for the Redskins. Randall Cunningham awaits Tuesday’s trading deadline while Rodney Peete starts in his place for the Eagles.

Kickers, get ready: The last seven games in this series have been determined by four points or fewer.

BACK TO REALITY

Pittsburgh (3-2) at Jacksonville (1-4): The Jaguars celebrated their first victory a week ago. They figure to party again a year from now. Quarterback Neil O’Donnell, who broke a finger in the season-opener, will start again for Pittsburgh. Mark Brunell starts in place of quarterback Steve Beuerlein for the Jaguars.

Who needs Barry Sanders? Brunell’s 7.7-yard rushing average leads the NFL.

NAP TIME

Arizona (1-4) at New York Giants (1-4): A mountain of evidence suggests there are better games. Arizona quarterback Dave Krieg can notch victory No. 90. Krieg has been in the league 16 years, so that means he’s averaging almost six wins a season. Speaking of mediocre, The Giants are now 10-10 in games started by quarterback Dave Brown.

What a break: Giant rookie running back Tyrone Wheatley starts for Rodney Hampton, who has a broken hand, and gets the chance to run against a Buddy Ryan defense that is allowing 5.7 yards a rush.

Carolina (0-4) at Chicago (2-2): The Panthers have not allowed a 300-yard passer or 100-yard rusher and still haven’t won a game. Derrick Moore became the first back in Carolina history to run for 100 yards with 124 against Tampa Bay. That’s Tampa Bay.

Stat of the week: The Bears haven’t had a quarterback throw for 300 yards in consecutive weeks since Bill Wade in 1962. Erik Kramer is coming off a 317-yard effort.

New York Jets (1-4) at Buffalo (3-1): Who is worse? Jets or Giants? The Jets are No. 28 on defense against the run and Buffalo still has running back Thurman Thomas. The Bills are 6-1 against the Jets when Thomas tops the 100-yard mark.

Good news/bad news: Jet cornerback Otis Smith has had an interception in each of the last four games. Smith will miss the game with Buffalo because of an ankle injury.

BYE WEEK

Atlanta (4-1), New Orleans (0-5), St. Louis (4-1) and San Francisco (4-1).