Daunte Culpepper dived into the end zone for a touchdown, then rose, tapped his surgically repaired right knee and signaled "OK" to the crowd.

Raiders quarterback Josh McCown will miss Sunday's game against the Dolphins with a broken toe on his left foot, giving Daunte Culpepper the start against his former team.

Quarterback Josh McCown was nowhere to be seen at the start of practice Wednesday.

No.

As Phil Dawson lined up for the potential game-winning field goal, Oakland coach Lane Kiffin told the line judge he wanted to call a timeout before the kick.

The Raiders are sticking with Josh McCown at quarterback.

It looks as though Daunte Culpepper will get his first Oakland start after a wild series of events Friday.

JaMarcus Russell signed his contract and began practicing Wednesday - only 48 days later than would have been useful.

Ending months of negotiations and a holdout that stretched to more than six weeks, the Oakland Raiders reached a contract agreement in principle on Monday night with JaMarcus Russell, the former LSU quarterback who was the first overall selection in the 2007 draft.

The primary agent for unsigned No.

A 17-point lead quickly turned into a one-point deficit.

Two days of marathon negotiations failed to produce an accord between the Raiders and quarterback JaMarcus Russell, and barring an early Sunday breakthrough in the high-stakes bargaining, the team will officially commence its season later in the afternoon without the top pick in the 2007 draft under contract.

JaMarcus Russell apparently is moving closer to joining the Raiders.

In an effort to further close the gap in negotiations, and perhaps hammer out a contract for top overall draft pick JaMarcus Russell before the start of the season, the representatives for the former LSU quarterback are set to meet Friday with Raiders officials, according to sources.

The Oakland Raiders will start Josh McCown and not Daunte Culpepper at quarterback when they open the season Sunday against the Detroit Lions, the NFL Network reported Wednesday.

The Raiders "realize they have dropped the ball, and they started negotiating in good faith," Ray Russell, JaMarcus' uncle and adviser, told USA Today in an interview from Atlanta.

Raiders coach Lane Kiffin says there's a lot to be said about body language.

Another face-to-face meeting between the Raiders and JaMarcus Russell's representation is expected to take place in the next 24-48 hours that could provide the necessary push for the No.

Georgia defensive end Quentin Moses was the highest drafted player last April to get cut by an NFL team this summer.