Raiders say they're rested, ready

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Oakland Raiders are taking a break from suing the Coliseum long enough to play an exhibition game there.

The defending AFC champions host the Rams tonight in the preseason opener for both teams. There are big stars on both rosters, but none will play more than a few series, according to the coaches.

The most exciting Raiders action in August has been in a Sacramento court, where jurors are examining the team's latest lawsuit claiming it was tricked by the Coliseum's operators and an accounting firm into moving back to Oakland nine years ago.

A verdict probably won't be reached for weeks, and nobody who wears Silver and Black on the field has even the slightest public opinion on their litigious franchise's latest courtroom exploits.

The Raiders claim they were promised sellouts -- and there won't be anything close to a capacity crowd willing to pay Oakland's stiff ticket prices to watch the exhibition opener.

Oakland coach Bill Callahan led the team to the Super Bowl in his first season, so there's no reason to doubt his training camp strategy of keeping his veteran-laden roster as fresh as possible through judicious, sparing use of contact during practices.

Callahan claims his training camp policy is designed to protect his husky players more than his aging ones. He'll carry those philosophies into Oakland's exhibitions as well.

"Let's face it, these guys are 300, 320, 350, 360 or more, and they need time to recover," Callahan said. "If you're going to have a padded practice, which is a lot of contact and a lot of grinding, you have to allow them to back down."

Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk are expected to be finished in the first quarter. St. Louis has plenty of evaluations to make, but none involves a superstar.

Coach Mike Martz wouldn't say how long Warner and Faulk will play, saying he received a memo from the NFL asking coaches not to discuss it -- but Warner says he'll get exactly one series.

"It matters. Trust me, it matters," Martz said. "You trot in the stadium, it matters."

Offensive tackle Grant Williams and fullback J.R. Niklos are among those who won't play for St. Louis. Defensive end Grant Wistrom hopes to play a bit despite sore feet.