Raiders figure to turn up heat on Green

Chiefs quarterback to make first start today after 10-week injury layoff

? Attack Trent Green. Blitz him, rattle him. Hit him in the teeth.

Nobody needs to pry open a window in the dead of night and steal Oakland’s defensive game plan. Not this week.

The Raiders are almost certainly coming after Green, Kansas City’s two-time Pro Bowl quarterback who’ll be seeing his first live action since getting knocked unconscious and sustaining a severe concussion in the season opener Sept. 10.

If they do not test the quarterback to see if he’s rusty or tentative or fearful – or all of the above – after a 10-week layoff, the Chiefs will be as puzzled as everyone else.

“Of course that’s what they’ll do,” said defensive end Eric Hicks.

“That’s what I would do,” said left tackle Jordan Black.

Said linebacker Kendrell Bell, “It’s just the nature of the game. If you get an opportunity to do something you think might change the outcome of the game, you do it.”

Green, 36, could not even drive for the first couple of weeks. But while he recuperated and slowly worked his way back, Damon Huard did more than just keep a light on. The career backup threw only one interception while tossing 11 touchdown passes and kept the Chiefs (5-4) in the playoff hunt.

Victories over Oakland today and AFC West co-leader Denver on Thanksgiving night could vault K.C. into a strong position in the wild-card chase at the very least. That’s why many fans have been clamoring for Huard to keep the job. But Edwards, less than 12 hours after Green was given medical clearance Tuesday, went right back to the guy who has thrown for more yards the past five seasons than any quarterback in the NFL except Peyton Manning.

“He’s taken every test he can possibly take,” Edwards said. “He feels good about it. The doctor feels good about it. Trent Green has won a lot of football games for this organization.”

Oakland defensive tackle Warren Sapp doubts Green will suffer much from his inactivity.

“You’ve got a veteran guy in Trent Green who has done a lot of good things in this league, so if he’s ready to go, I don’t see any problem putting him in there,” Sapp said. “He’s a better-than-average quarterback in this league, and he gets the job done.”

Green would be as shocked as everyone else if the Raiders don’t come right after him.

“I anticipate they’re going to be revved up,” he said with a grin. “Knowing Warren and his ability to talk, and the number of times we’ve played over the years, he’s never shied away from having a comment or two. So I’m sure there’ll be something, revving them up and getting them ready to go.”

He’s also confident, he said, that he will not be gun-shy, fearful of another concussion.

“I’ve been assured by several surgeons and different doctors that I’m not at any more risk going into this game than I was going into the Cincinnati game,” he said.

Job one for the Raiders defense, said Sapp, will be Larry Johnson. Kansas City’s Pro Bowl running back has rushed for 891 yards and ranks third in the league with 99 yards per game.

In his last four games against the Raiders, Johnson has rolled up 492 yards of total offense, with six TDs rushing and one receiving. Seven of his 45 career touchdowns have come at the expense of the Raiders.

“First things first. We’ve got to stop their running game,” Sapp said. “If we get the running game under control, we’ll see if we can rush (Green) and cover his guys.”

Sapp doubts Green will show much rust.

“I wouldn’t put anything past him. You can get in this league and light it up or you can get in this league and stink it up. We’ll see.”

The Raiders (2-7) could be thinking of a quarterback switch themselves.

Aaron Brooks, sidelined for seven games because of a pectoral strain, said this week he would be available. Many Raiders fans would like to see coach Art Shell make a change, because Andrew Walter has a quarterback rating of 54.6 and has been intercepted nine times while throwing just three touchdown passes. He has also been sacked 40 times.

Shell said he might wait until today to make a decision.

“I want to make sure that (Brooks) can do the things that we’re going to ask the quarterback to do, and then I’ll evaluate the two of them together and see where we are,” Shell said at midweek.

“It’s not that Aaron has to do this for me to do that. It’s that he has to do certain things and then I’ll evaluate both of them and see where we are and make a decision.”