Schroeder Strong-Arms Raiders To Afc Lead

Probably no other quarterback in NFL history has thrown a football farther than Jay Schroeder.

But that has been part of his problem. Schroeder has been a bombs-away passer, not unlike the original Mad Bomber, Daryle Lamonica of the old Oakland Raiders.

Schroeder, 29 and in his sixth season, seems at last to be learning to harness his natural talent, the ability to throw a ball 80 yards or more. He is a major reason the Los Angeles Raiders are 4-1 and leading the AFC West.

``Jay's having a good year,'' said Raider Coach Art Shell. ``He's not trying to force things.''

Schroeder is the first to admit he sometimes was out of control in three turbulent seasons with the Washington Redskins and the past two in Los Angeles.

``I just relied on my arm,'' he said yesterday. ``I forced things and made a lot of mistakes. This year, I'm not making any rash mistakes. If it's not there, I throw it away.''

The No. 1-ranked quarterback in the AFC, Schroeder has completed 54 percent of his passes and has thrown only two interceptions. His history has been a low percentage of completions (49.1) and high rate of interceptions.

Schroeder's apparent maturing does not mean the Raiders have backed away from employing the bomb. In fact, it is one of their scariest weapons, something the Seattle Seahawks must be looking for in Sunday's return match in the Los Angeles Coliseum.

``I'm going to throw downfield a lot,'' Schroeder said. ``We're going to take our shots. When you've got the fastest wide receivers in the league, you've got to use your personnel.''

Willie Gault and Mervyn Fernandez are big-play receivers, each averaging more than 19 yards a catch. Gault was second to teammate Ron Brown, a kickoff-return specialist, in the NFL's fastest-man competition this year. Fernandez is a step slower but still fast enough to go deep.

That's what makes Schroeder's deep threat so important. It stretches the field for the Raider offense, aiding both the running and short-passing games.

``The Raiders have the ultimate attack going deep,'' Seahawk cornerback Dwayne Harper said. ``We expect them to go deep.''

In a 17-13 victory over Seattle three weeks ago, Fernandez caught a 45-yard pass and Gault caught one for 46 yards. It might seem that Seattle is particularly vulnerable to Schroeder's deep passes, but the Raider quarterback said that isn't unusual.

``We're going to throw the deep ball on everybody we play,'' Schroeder said. ``That's because of the talent we have.''

NOTES

-- The Seahawks signed linebacker Dave Ahrens to replace Ned Bolcar, who was placed on injured reserve after undergoing knee surgery on Monday.

-- Shell said he expects running back Bo Jackson to report sometime in the next seven days. Any possibility Jackson will cut short his fishing trip and play Sunday against Seattle?

``No,'' Shell said. ``But you never know.''

-- Shell denied reports the Raiders are trying to trade running back Marcus Allen. ``Those are unfounded,'' he said. ``Those are old rumors. People are always talking.''