Raiders Face Colts With Their Leader Back on Sideline : Pro football: Buoyed by return of Shell from hospital, they will attempt to even their exhibition record tonight at Indianapolis.

After losing two consecutive exhibition games and failing to score a touchdown on offense in their last eight quarters, the Raiders would get an emotional lift from a dominating performance in tonight’s exhibition against the Indianapolis Colts at Indianapolis.

But no matter what happens, the Raiders already got a huge lift Thursday.

On board their charter flight to Indianapolis was their leader, Coach Art Shell, back at the helm after a rough couple of days.

Shell left the team’s Oxnard training camp Monday night to enter a hospital for tests that revealed he is suffering from diabetes.

After checking out Wednesday, Shell went to a dentist to have an infected tooth removed.

But he was back on the field at the team’s El Segundo training headquarters Thursday morning, ready to put his medical problems behind him and his job back in front of him.

“It’s good to be back,” Shell said. “I was chomping at the bit.”

Shell will not require insulin injections for his diabetes, which doctors hope to control by diet, pills and a weight loss. Shell, still carrying some of the extra weight he had when he was a Hall of Fame offensive lineman for the Raiders, hopes to lose 30 pounds.

“I can’t eat any more fast food or fried chicken, the stuff I like,” he said. “I’ve got to take care of my weight and my eating habits.

“If I take control of it, after a while, I may not have to take the pills. The doctors told me I could live to be 90 if I want to.”

Shell, is happy to take the spotlight off himself and put it back on football.

That’s where it will be tonight in the Hoosier Dome, where the 1-2 Raiders will face the 1-1 Colts.

But in Indianapolis this summer, the main spotlight has been on the Colt who isn’t there, holdout quarterback Jeff George.

George is scheduled to receive $2 million this season, the fourth in a six-year deal.

But his biggest gripe isn’t the money. He says he just wants out of Indianapolis because of all the grief he and his family have taken over the Colts’ struggles.

Today, the 37th day of his holdout, could be crucial for George. He is being assessed $4,000 a day in fine money, bringing his total to $148,000.

But beyond that, Colt officials have said that if George does not report today, they will deduct his salary for the first game of the regular season, $111,000. In addition, they are threatening to file a grievance to deny George $1.45 million of his $3.5-million signing bonus from 1990.

In the meantime, Indianapolis is going with veteran Jack Trudeau at quarterback.

“I’m fortunate in having a guy like Trudeau, who is the wily veteran,” Colt Coach Ted Marchibroda said. “Jack is the guy who knows the game extremely well. . . . The ballclub has a great deal of confidence in him.”

That came from watching Trudeau come off the bench to pull out a pair of victories late last season.

With George injured part of the time, Trudeau appeared in 11 games and completed 58% of his passes. He threw four touchdown passes, but eight interceptions.

“I believe in him,” Marchibroda said.

Once upon a time, the Raiders believed in quarterback Todd Marinovich, too. But the former starter has been in limbo during the exhibition season, playing only one quarter.

Shell plans on playing Marinovich tonight in the second half, along with rookie Billy Joe Hobert. Starter Jeff Hostetler will play the first half. Backup quarterback Vince Evans will spend this one on the sideline.

That’s not always a bad place to be. Just ask Art Shell. After the week he has had, there’s no place he would rather be.