Raiders place-kicker Sebastian Janikowski should be good to go for the regular-season opener, coach Dennis Allen said Sunday, but center Stefen Wisniewski looks to be a tossup.
Janikowski left a 31-20 win over the Detroit Lions on Saturday after chasing Detroit's Justin Miller on an 80-yard kickoff return.
"He's a little tight, but it doesn't seem to be any real pull (or) defect in the muscle or anything like that, so I don't anticipate it being a big deal," Allen told Bay Area reporters by conference call.
Asked if Janikowski would be ready to play by Sept. 10 against the San Diego Chargers, Allen said, "That would be my assumption after seeing him today."
As for Wisniewski, Allen has already ruled him out of Thursday's exhibition finale in Seattle. Wisniewski left after the first series against Dallas on Aug. 13 with a calf strain and hasn't practiced since.
"The calf just hasn't quite responded as fast as I would hope, but we're still within that window of when we thought he might be ready to go (for the opener)," Allen said.
The Raiders appeared to be laying the groundwork last week for the possibility that Wisniewski, the presumptive starter after moving from left guard, might not be ready. Allen and offensive coordinator Greg Knapp termed the center position a "competition" that also included Alex Parsons.
Quarterback Carson Palmer singled out Parsons on Saturday night for his play against the stout middle of the
"If he continues to improve like has the last couple of days, he'll be ready to go," Allen said.
"The thing we worked with him all week is getting in the huddle, getting the communication, the tempo of the huddle, getting out, getting to the line of scrimmage, getting the play run," Allen said. "We were a lot better in that regard."
Allen wasn't blaming replacement officials, either.
"Every single one of them was a legitimate call," Allen said. "Every single one of them was inexcusable on our part."
THURsDAY'S GAME
Raiders (1-2) at Seattle (3-0), 7 p.m. KTVU




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