Daunte Culpepper dived into the end zone for a touchdown, then rose, tapped his surgically repaired right knee and signaled "OK" to the crowd. His much-scrutinized knee might not be 100 percent, but it was good enough Sunday for Culpepper to lead the Oakland Raiders past the Miami Dolphins. He ran for three touchdowns and threw for two to win the grudge game against his former team, 35-17. Culpepper led the Raiders out of the tunnel before the game, raising his right fist and punching the air as fans booed. He was hardly flashy against his old team, relying on a ground game that totaled 299 yards against an injury-depleted defense.

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. McCown has not practiced all week but coach Lane Kiffin waited until Friday to officially declare that he would not be able to play Sunday. McCown broke his toe in the first quarter of last week's 26-24 victory over Cleveland. Culpepper replaced him in the second half and finished the victory. Culpepper, who was released by the Dolphins in July after one season, will get his first start since last Oct. 1 for Miami.

Quarterback Josh McCown was nowhere to be seen at the start of practice Wednesday. By the time he showed up, he wasn't in any shape to do much beyond hobbling. McCown was diagnosed with a fractured big toe on his left foot in the first quarter of Sunday's win over the Cleveland Browns. McCown's latest injury sets the stage for Daunte Culpepper to make his first start as a Raider. Coincidentally, it would come against the team that released him July 17 because coach Cam Cameron deemed Trent Green a better fit for his offense. "I'll be prepared no matter what my role is," Culpepper said. "If that's to start the game and be ready to be play, I'll be ready."

No. 1 overall draft pick JaMarcus Russell will be added to the 53-man roster by 1 p.m. today, when his roster exemption expires. He most likely will replace third-year quarterback Andrew Walter, who went 2-6 as a starter last season. The Atlanta Falcons have expressed interest in trading for Walter.

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. After watching Denver coach Mike Shanahan use that same strategy to beat his Raiders in overtime last week, Kiffin figured he'd try it himself. The move paid off when Tommy Kelly blocked Dawson's last-second attempt to help the Raiders snap an 11-game losing streak with a 26-24 victory over the Browns on Sunday.

The Raiders are sticking with Josh McCown at quarterback. Coach Lane Kiffin said Monday that McCown will start against Cleveland even though he has thrown five interceptions and fumbled six times, losing one of them, in the two games. Against the Broncos, McCown threw a 46-yard touchdown pass to Jerry Porter, but netted only 27 yards aside from that play. "Our passing game was basically embarrassing," Kiffin said. "That falls on all of us, from (linemen) up front to the receivers to the backs to the quarterback to the coaches - all of us."

It looks as though Daunte Culpepper will get his first Oakland start after a wild series of events Friday. Starter Josh McCown pulled up a little lame on his injured right foot Friday, so after Friday's practice, Raiders coach Lane Kiffin all but declared Culpepper the starter for Sunday's game at Denver. Culpepper handled a good portion of Friday's practice while McCown was officially listed as doubtful. Kiffin said he would look to see how McCown can move on the foot Saturday, but Culpepper now appears to have secured the starting job.

JaMarcus Russell signed his contract and began practicing Wednesday - only 48 days later than would have been useful. "The first day back, it feels kind of awkward," Russell said. "He showed up this morning and he didn't have any donuts - he didn't have anything with him," Josh McCown said of the rookie. "But we should be able to get some good meals, if he can afford it." "I'm a ways away," Russell acknowledged. "I have the whole year and the rest of my life - that's what it seems like - to get used to everything."

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. Barring any glitches and contingent on formalities like him passing a physical exam, ESPN.com has confirmed that Russell will officially sign a six-year contract on Tuesday and should be on the field for the team's Wednesday practice. There is still considerable work to be done, however, in terms of drawing up the contract, and a source close to the negotiations said late Monday that the two sides could still be working "very late into the night and maybe into [Tuesday] morning" to craft the precise language of the deal. ESPN.com has learned that Russell is still not in the Bay Area and will not fly to Oakland until his representatives feel comfortable with all the details of the contract. Sources said the contract, hammered out in four days of marathon face-to-face negotiations in the Bay Area, has a maximum value of $68 million.

The primary agent for unsigned No. 1 draft pick JaMarcus Russell, Eric Metz, remained in the Bay Area on Sunday so that he can visit with client and Arizona Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt tonight. He and the Raiders agreed to continue their contract negotiations today, with a potential deal closer than it has been at any time since the Raiders selected Russell in the NFL draft in April. The two sides met extensively Friday and Saturday. It is unclear if Raider officials cleared any time for more negotiations Sunday, given the team played its regular-season opener. There is growing speculation that a deal is imminent and could be announced at any time. Metz and Raider officials involved with the negotiations were unavailable for comment.