Greg Townsend

The road to victory for the Chargers this weekend goes through the Raiders' vaunted defensive line. So the task ahead for the Chargers' offensive line includes opening holes for the running game and protecting a rookie quarterback against the likes of Howie Long and Greg Townsend. Long, an 11-year veteran, and Townsend, a veteran of nine seasons, are perennial Pro Bowl linemen who thrive on a physical game.

When Oakland Raider defensive lineman Greg Townsend walked out on the field to play in a competitive football game for the first time since 1994, he knew he had made the right decision. It was Aug. 3 against the Dallas Cowboys, and Townsend--who retired from football after the 1994 season--felt the competitive juices flowing again. "I knew I still belonged then," Townsend said. "My focus became clear.

Two years after a drug suspension nearly wrecked his career, defensive end Greg Townsend has approached stardom with the Raiders in his eighth season. The wait was worthwhile. The average career in the NFL lasts under four seasons, so Townsend was pushing his luck. He kept improving, refusing to accept an average life, and has been rewarded with his finest season at 29 and, more important, a chance to make amends for a serious mistake.

Greg Townsend, former Raider defensive end, now with the Philadelphia Eagles, recalled his earlier years with the Raiders under owner Al Davis: "He had three rules--be on time for the meetings, pay attention and play like hell when I tell you to and I'll pay the fines. "He said, 'I don't want to see you out there getting pushed around. If you've got to go across somebody's head, go across somebody's head.' " * Trivia time: Who holds the UCLA record for most rebounds in a game?

Raider defensive end Greg Townsend will receive the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's football man-of-the-year award June 29 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

The trade deadline passed and Greg Townsend is still a Raider. The defensive lineman's name came up in several rumored deals, the latest being a trade to the New York Jets for receiver Al Toon. "Nothing ever came out of this organization," he said. "I didn't pay attention to any of that stuff (in the media). I didn't lose any sleep over it." * Cornerback Lionel Washington remains questionable for Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks.

Regarding the article on Todd Marinovich signing with the Raiders (July 15), how much money will Todd get as an annual incentive to stay clean of drugs? Do Jerry Robinson and Greg Townsend also have such "incentives" in their contracts to stay clean? How about all the other Raiders who have never had drug problems: What incentives do their contracts hold for them? Todd Marinovich and his contract is a sham. The situation is a farce. Thank God he is not at USC anymore. HOWARD COHEN Sepulveda

The Philadelphia Eagles signed two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Greg Townsend to a one-year contract for a reported $730,000, two days after he was cut by the Raiders. "I think getting Greg Townsend is a great thing for us," Eagle Coach Rich Kotite said. "He has proven over the years with the Raiders that he's a force on the defensive line against both the run and the pass."

Although four Raiders were named to the Pro Bowl, defensive end Greg Townsend was the only Raider voted into the starting lineup. An integral part of the Raider pass rush, Townsend has a career-high 12.5 sacks this season. "I felt he should have made it last year but he didn't," Coach Art Shell said. "Now the players know who he is and respect him." Minnesota Viking Coach Jerry Burns, under fire because of the Vikings' collapse this season, says he wants to return next season.

Chicago's quarterback ran a "naked bootleg," devised to misdirect the defense, and everybody wearing a Raider uniform got suckered by it--everybody except Greg Townsend. As a result, the running Bear was left running bare, without protection, as totally exposed as a New England Patriot in a locker room after a shower. Townsend bore down. Beneath his helmet, the big man's bald skull, which resembles a helmet, cascaded rivulets of sweat.

The Philadelphia Eagles signed two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Greg Townsend to a one-year contract for a reported $730,000, two days after he was cut by the Raiders. "I think getting Greg Townsend is a great thing for us," Eagle Coach Rich Kotite said. "He has proven over the years with the Raiders that he's a force on the defensive line against both the run and the pass."

Greg Townsend was thinking about Lilly. On the day after his release from the Raiders after 11 years, two Pro Bowls and one Super Bowl, the defensive lineman was thinking about a woman in a wheelchair. He didn't know why she was in a wheelchair, he didn't know her age, although he figures she was in her 60s, and he didn't know her last name.

For Greg Townsend, it's the end of a long and distinguished career as a Raider. For Rob Fredrickson, it's only the beginning. Two players, one old and one young, one a defensive lineman too expensive to keep on the roster, the other a linebacker too valuable to keep out of camp, traded places Tuesday. The Raiders released the 32-year-old Townsend, an 11-year veteran, a two-time Pro Bowl pick and the AFC's all-time sack leader with 107.5, and signed Fredrickson, their No.

When the Raider veterans reported to training camp Friday, defensive end Greg Townsend was not among them. "We asked him not to report," Coach Art Shell said. "We're working on a trade. Something will happen, hopefully by Monday." The most likely destination for Townsend, 32, is Philadelphia. The Raiders are believed to be asking for draft choices from the Eagles. Two factors combined to make Townsend expendable: --His salary. The 11-year veteran is scheduled to make $1.5 million this season.

One hundred and four times, Greg Townsend has come bursting out of his three-point stance, battled his way past an opposing lineman into the backfield and gotten his large hands on the quarterback. One hundred and four times, he has experienced the thrill of pulling, pushing, yanking or wrestling the quarterback to the turf. One hundred and four sacks, most in Raider history and fifth most in the NFL since it became an official statistic in 1982. Those sacks often came in bunches for Townsend.

With 10 sacks already to his credit this season, defensive lineman Anthony Smith is more than halfway to a new team record, whatever that record might officially be. The Raiders list Tony Cline as their record-holder with 17 sacks in 1970, Cline's rookie season. The Raiders played a 14-game season in those days. But the NFL did not recognize the sack as an individual statistic until 1982. Since then, Sean Jones has the highest Raider total with 15 1/2 sacks in 1986.

Defensive end Greg Townsend finally showed up Friday, seven weeks late, $75,000 poorer and, by his own admission, more than a few pounds heavier. "Of course I'm not in playing shape," Townsend said after ending his holdout over a demand to renegotiate his contract. "But I'm getting there. Once you've been there, it's not that far to get back." Townsend returned to camp when it became obvious the Raiders weren't going to alter a five-year, $6.6-million deal that will pay him $1.