Howard close to INT record

Thomas Howard got his sixth interception of the season Sunday, tying William Thomas' Raiders record for linebackers and recording the most by a front-seven player since the Ravens' Ray Lewis had six in 2003.

Now Howard can gun for Stan White's all-time NFL record for linebackers. White picked off eight for the Baltimore Colts in 1975. Is the record on Howard's mind?

"Hey, it is now," he said after Sunday's game against the Colts.

Howard's theft against Peyton Manning was set up by defensive end Derrick Burgess, who hit the football just as it left Manning's hand. It created a nice soft opportunity, and Howard made a leaping tip before catching it.

"I keep telling everybody, three of my six interceptions came off the defensive line," Howard said. "I know the (one in) San Diego, Denver and now this one. They were all on my defensive line, getting after it, making 'em make bad throws."

The invisible man

Off the field, free safety Stuart Schweigert is one of the most visible Raiders. He's usually the guy who shows up at hospitals to visit sick kids on the road, or makes appearances with the broadcast team at East Bay watering holes to greet fans on Sunday nights after games.

On the field, though, Schweigert is gradually becoming invisible.

"It's not fun at all," Schweigert said in the locker room Monday. "I'll admit, it's tough. . . . I haven't experienced anything like this really ever since I've been playing football."

Schweigert started for the Raiders in 2005 and 2006, but they brought in Donovin Darius to compete with him this summer. When Darius failed to make the final cut, Schweigert briefly had to fend off journeyman B.J. Ward for the job. Then, after starting 10 games, he was benched in favor of Hiram Eugene. Schweigert has rotated with Eugene, but inconsistently. He played substantially at Green Bay. Against the Colts on Sunday, he played exactly one defensive snap.

Like a lot of NFL players in similar situations, Schweigert seems irked not so much over the change in his fortunes, but over the lack of communication. He said he was never given a reason for the demotion, and goes into games having no idea how much he'll play. As attached as he has gotten to Oakland, he is looking at other options.

"I have one more year left on my contract, and who knows what could happen?" Schweigert said. "But as it is right now, I'm not playing very much. And of course I want to play, I want to be the starter, I want to go out there and play every snap . . . If this isn't where I'm supposed to be, then that's how it is."

Drumroll please . . .

Howard is one of the few Raiders with even an outside chance of making the Pro Bowl when rosters are announced today.

Fellow linebacker Kirk Morrison has three interceptions and a team-high 109 tackles, according to the NFL's unofficial tally. Burgess remains a disruptive force, but his six sacks are well off the pace that landed him in the previous two Pro Bowls. Justin Fargas (1,009 rushing yards) came on too late. Cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha has been superb in coverage, but has only one interception.

For most of the season, Shane Lechler, a two-time selection (2001, 2004), looked like the guy who would represent the Raiders in Hawaii. But Lechler had two punts returned for touchdowns the past two weeks, lowering his net average to 41.3 yards. That still leads the AFC, as does his 49-yard gross, and his ratio of kicks inside the 20-yard line to touchbacks (21-6) is solid.

So Lechler still has a good shot. But the struggles in punt coverage make it possible that Oakland will send no one to the Pro Bowl. It would be only the second time in franchise history, after 2003.

Time to ditch the jump-in?

For the second time this season, the Raiders held a team-wide revival meeting along the sidelines at McAfee Coliseum, a college-style attempt to fire up the troops after taking a late lead.

The first came with 7:43 remaining against Detroit in Week 1, after fullback Justin Griffith had given Oakland a 21-20 lead with a touchdown. Sunday, the players congregated around coach Lane Kiffin with 10:29 left, after Fargas' plunge produced a 14-13 lead.

In both instances the opponent immediately followed the hootenanny with a touchdown. The Lions, in fact, scored 17 unanswered points. In the NFL, a team clearly needs more than emotion to get the job done.

Backfield in motion

Kiffin confirmed what Fargas had told the media Sunday -- that the running back sprained his MCL, an injury that is likely to end his season after 14 games but will not require surgery.

With Fargas down, Kiffin and his offensive staff will evaluate former starter LaMont Jordan and little-used acquisition Dominic Rhodes this week as potential starters for Sunday's game at Jacksonville. The coaches will look at how the two practice, how they match up with the Jaguars' defense and how they fit into the game plan. Kiffin acknowledged that Rhodes played well against Indianapolis in relief of Fargas.

Meanwhile, the coach said that quarterback Josh McCown will almost certainly start at Jacksonville, but that rookie JaMarcus Russell will probably see his first road action. He wasn't sure when Russell would enter the game. Kiffin defended the cautious approach he has taken with the young QB, stressing how far it set him back to miss training camp.

"He's played five series so far. We haven't scored a point yet," he said.

You can reach Staff Writer Phil Barber at 521-5263 or phil.barber@pressdemocrat.com.