CHIEF AMONG THE 21st century tools of recruitment is video, perhaps because nothing attracts quite as effectively as the dramatic sights and sounds. Video sells possibilities and unlocks imagination.

The Raiders, in early recruitment mode, haven't had much to show a prospective new employee. The most appealing thing about taking a job in this Football operation is the ease with which you could outperform your predecessor.

That may have changed Sunday, as the Raiders systematically dazzled the previously surging Houston Texans.

Oakland's 27-16 win at a mostly vacant Coliseum should provide significantly more than an empty victory in a woeful season. It gives the search firm responsible for fixing the Raiders Al, Davis and Himself something to sell to those executives and coaches who might consider reviving the franchise.

That would be enough raw offensive potential to stimulate the creative mind of anyone considering a move to this organization.

Raw potential which, for much of this season, barely has been tapped.

On prominent and promising display against the Texans were second-year wide receiver
Johnnie Lee Higgins, rookie wide receiver Chaz Schilens, rookie running back Darren McFadden and rookie-like quarterback JaMarcus Russell.

Higgins scored two touchdowns, one on a 29-yard dart from Russell and the other on an 80-yard punt return. Starting at wideout for the injured Ashley Lelie, the 5-foot-11, 185-pound UTEP product took over the team lead in touchdowns with six three via pass and three returning punts.

"He's a great spark to the team,'' Russell said of Higgins. "When the ball's in his hands, he's capable of doing anything. I think he showed that today.''

Drafted in the third round in 2007 to inject to speed into the receiver corps and provide a threat as a returner, Higgins can reach the end zone in a blink. He could become everything Desmond Howard and Raghib Ismail were not. Then again, Desmond and the The Rocket totaled 11 touchdowns in their combined five seasons as Raiders.

"I feel like I'm explosive,'' Higgins said. "Like, you never know what can happen.''

Higgins then launched into the kind of detached self-appreciation made famous by Muhammad Ali.

" 'It looks like he's tackled, looks like he's down. Oh, he's gone. It looks like he can't catch it, like he can't do this ... there he goes.' I always look at myself as a playmaker.''

Oakland's other touchdown, also thrown by Russell, dropped softly into the hands of Schilens. It punctuated the team's first possession and introduced the receiver to an NFL end zone.

Schilens, a seventh-round draft pick from San Diego State, has played sparingly and still is in the early stages of learning how to navigate defenses. What should come naturally, at 6-4, 220 pounds, is a knack for fighting off cornerbacks and creating space.

For all that Higgins and Schilens produced, it was McFadden's work that kept the Texans honest. Used as a receiver and runner, the rookie finished with 12 carries for 46 yards and a game-high five catches, for 41 more.

The common thread was Russell, who may have had his most impressive game as a professional. He looked off defenders, finding and second and third receiving options. He finished 18-of-25, for 236 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions. His rating was 128.1.

"You saw a lot of young players show up and have an impact,'' said interim coach Tom Cable, who called the afternoon "a look into the future.''

That future likely won't include Cable as the head coach. After presiding over the halting of Houston's four-game win streak, he's now 3-8 as interim coach.

But Davis claims to be seeking fresh brains to help him shed the despair of recent seasons. He now has something to convince them there is more than an ill wind drifting through the organization. There are, even on this roster, a few players who demand defensive attention.

"I know what we're doing right now,'' Russell said. "But in the years to come, how good can we be?''

That will be determined, should Davis stay true to his vision, by the new brain trust. They will study this game and be seduced by the possibilities, making it easier to sign on with a 79-year-old owner with a reputation for micromanaging.

There are a lot of games he will want to hide from recruits, for fear they will flee. This one, however, was good enough to sell itself.

Contact Monte Poole at mpoole@bayareanewsgroup.com