PRO FOOTBALL / DAILY REPORT : RAIDERS : Bell to Be Ready After Week Off

Nick Bell is finally ready to get back on the active roster.

Getting back his starting job, however, is another matter.

Bell was named starting tailback before the beginning of training camp.

But that plan was put on hold when he pulled a hamstring in the Raiders’ final exhibition game, sidelining him for the past three weeks.

With this weekend off, Coach Art Shell said he expects Bell to play in the team’s next game, Oct. 3 in Kansas City against the Chiefs.

Asked if Bell would start, Shell replied, “He will not. But I keep telling you guys, who starts is not important.”

Greg Robinson, an eighth-round draft choice, has been the Raiders’ starting tailback in each of their three games. He is leading the team in rushing with 138 yards, but is averaging only 2.8 yards per carry.

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Quarterback Jeff Hostetler, still sore from knee and ankle injuries suffered in Sunday’s 19-16 loss to the Cleveland Browns, did not practice Wednesday. . . . Receiver/kick returner Rocket Ismail has yet to play because of a strained back muscle.