McCown returns as starter

ALAMEDA — A month after a rousing first start that made him the talk of the NFL, Daunte Culpepper is out as the starting quarterback of the Raiders. With the Raiders offense breaking down in every area over the past three games, coach Lane Kiffin named Josh McCown to start Sunday’s game at McAfee Coliseum against the Houston Texans.

McCown started the first three games of the season before leaving at halftime of Week 3 with a broken right big toe against the Cleveland Browns.

Kiffin said Culpepper would be the backup Sunday and first overall draft pick JaMarcus Russell would be No. 3.

“Coach said he doesn’t feel anybody should lose their job to injury,” Culpepper said Thursday. “That’s his decision. Like I said from the first day I got here — when I’m called, I’ll be ready.”

McCown, who ran scout team practices last week before rejoining the first team Wednesday, said he feels nearly 100 percent.

“I feel like I can play my game and do what I do,” he said. “The best thing is I know I don’t think about it (the injury) while I’m out there so it doesn’t factor into anything.”

If the Raiders and Culpepper had played as well over the past three games as they did against the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 30, McCown probably would still be on the sidelines — injury or not.

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