Raider’s Knee Injury Still a Question Mark

Greg Robinson had to wait until the eighth round of the 1993 draft to become a Raider.

He had to wait until Nick Bell got hurt to become a starter.

And now Robinson is playing another waiting game, this one the most agonizing of all.

Robinson hurt his left knee in Sunday’s victory over the Bills in Buffalo.

Despite an initial examination, he didn’t learn anything definitive about the injury before he flew home Sunday night.

So Robinson waited until Monday.

But because swelling hampered a full evaluation of the knee, he will have to wait yet another day to learn the extent of the damage.

Robinson hurt the knee on the first play from scrimmage in the second half. As he ran off left tackle, he went down without being hit.

“I just felt a sharp pain in the knee,” he said.

There is never a good time for an injury, but this one comes at the worst possible time for both Robinson and the Raiders.

Given the chance to start at tailback, Robinson has improved consistently.

Coach Art Shell kept preaching patience to Robinson, kept telling the eager rookie to wait for the holes to open.

That advice was a lot easier to take once the holes did open. An offensive line that was struggling at the start of the season finally began to move defenders out of the way. And Robinson began to move down the field.

He gained 56 yards Sunday before getting hurt, increasing his season total to 591. He is leading all AFC rookies in rushing and is only 106 yards short of Marcus Allen’s club record for a rookie.

“It’s an unfortunate thing for Greg to get hurt at this time because he was really, really coming on,” Shell said.

The running game has been a problem for the Raiders for much of the season and now, in a desperate fight for a playoff spot, they must find another reliable pair of legs to carry them.

Which brings the club back to Bell.

At the start of the season, he was their choice. The Raiders had traded Eric Dickerson and figured they could weather the loss of Allen, who departed after his feud with owner Al Davis went public.

The Raiders were committed to Bell, who had not had much opportunity to carry the ball in his previous two seasons.

But Bell never made it onto the field for opening day. He pulled a hamstring in the Raiders’ exhibition finale. And when that was nearly healed, he sprained an ankle.

By the time he was fully healed, he had to get in line behind Robinson and Napoleon McCallum.

Tired of waiting for Bell, the Raiders had plucked McCallum off special teams and made him their short-yardage and goal-line back.

And Bell found himself on special teams.

But McCallum went out 10 days ago after undergoing an emergency appendectomy.

With four games remaining in the regular season, McCallum might still return.

For now, though, with Ty Montgomery having been largely ineffective in his few opportunities and rookie Randy Jordan lacking experience, the load, until Robinson returns, falls on Bell, with fullback Steve Smith also getting some carries.

The Raiders used Bell extensively Sunday and he responded with 44 yards in 16 carries and 38 yards with three catches.

How does he feel about his return to the spotlight?

That’s impossible to say because Bell is not talking to reporters.

The Raiders hope he makes his statement on the field.

The club received some good news Monday. Offensive tackle Gerald Perry, who was knocked out of Sunday’s game because of a twisted knee, was walking without a limp and said he had no lasting effect from the injury.

The Raiders’ fondest wish is that Robinson soon will be able to say the same thing.