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Not long after he was a fifth-round draft pick in 2000 out of Texas A&M, Shane Lechler went directly to the NFL record book for a little research.

There he found his personal Mount Everest — a 51.4-yard punting average by Sammy Baugh that had stood for 60 years.

"I looked it up when I first got in the league and I'm still chasing him," Lechler said Thursday. "I'd have thought somewhere in there I would have caught him, but those numbers are huge."

Through eight games, the four-time Pro Bowl selection is averaging 52.3 yards per punt, nearly a full yard ahead of Baugh and better than his own personal best of 49.1 yards in 2007.

"It's just clicking right now. It's kind of like when a batter gets into a groove. Everything just seems to be on right now, and I don't know why," Lechler said.

Lechler is already the NFL's all-time leader in gross punting average (47.1 yards) and set the standard for net punting last season at 44.9.

Baugh, like Lechler, was a star high school athlete in Texas. He played quarterback, as Lechler did in high school, and played both quarterback and safety for the Washington Redskins the year he averaged 51.4 yards per punt.

"You see that a lot on the old highlights," Lechler said. "He was a hell of a player. It kind of reminds you of one of those old Texas high school football players that used to play the whole game."

Lechler has been aided by the NFL's 32nd-ranked offense, giving

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him plenty of chances to kick with a lot of field to work with.

"Unfortunately, our situation helps him be the best in pro football," coach Tom Cable said. "You'd like him not to have that many opportunities. He's really had something to do with every game we've been in and the two we've won."

  • Left guard Robert Gallery (fibula) and right tackle Cornell Green practiced with no limitations and are on schedule to rejoin the starting lineup Sunday against Kansas City. Wide receiver Chaz Schilens (foot) and running back Darren McFadden also should be available, although Cable has not said if they will start. Wide receiver Javon Walker, likely to be inactive with Schilens playing for the first time, didn't finish practice with a hamstring injury.

  • For the second consecutive day, the Raiders brought in a left-footed punter for a workout to simulate the Chiefs' Dustin Colquitt. Glenn Pakulak was flown in to kick to punt returner Johnnie Lee Higgins. Ricky Schmitt was flown in Tuesday. Both have spent time in Raiders' training camp.

    Great day of TV, but not for Raiders fans
    The Raiders failed to sell out the Oakland Coliseum 72 hours before kickoff and will be blacked out for the fourth consecutive home game after being televised for the opener against San Diego.
    As a result, Bay Area television viewers will receive the Pittsburgh-Cincinnati game at 10 a.m. (CBS) and the Dallas-Green Bay game at 1:15 p.m. (Fox). The nightcap: New England-Indianapolis at 5 p.m. (NBC)