Raiders Hope He’s Back in Nick of Time : Pro football: Bell has confidence he can rebuild team’s running game when it needs it most.

First, Raider running back Nick Bell lost his starting job because of an injury.

Then he lost his chance to return because of the emergence of Greg Robinson.

Ultimately, Bell landed on special teams when the Raiders seemed to lose patience waiting for his return and went to Napoleon McCallum in short-yardage and goal-line situations.

Somewhere along the way, Bell also lost his voice, refusing to talk to reporters.

But he never lost his self-confidence.

That showed Sunday after Bell re-emerged in the starting spot he had lost on a pleasant August night in Anaheim.

“I’m capable of doing some phenomenal things,” Bell said. “I just haven’t had the opportunity.”

When the Raiders played the Rams in August in the exhibition finale for both clubs, Bell, having outlasted both Marcus Allen and Eric Dickerson, was the starting tailback.

But he pulled a hamstring that night and subsequently sprained an ankle, resulting in long, agonizing weeks of rehabilitation.

Sunday, with Robinson out because of torn cartilage and McCallum recuperating from an appendectomy, it was time again to ring for Bell.

Playing against the Seattle Seahawks in his first start of the season, Bell was less than spectacular. He gained 35 yards in 12 carries, a 2.9-yard average, and was unable to generate enough power with his 250-pound frame to avoid a safety when the Raiders took possession of the ball on their one-yard line in the second quarter.

But Bell, who started talking to reporters again Sunday, thinks he will have an advantage down the stretch as the Raiders battle for a playoff spot.

“I have fresh legs,” he said, comparing himself to others who are wearing down after accumulating the aches and pains that come with playing 13 NFL games. “I feel stronger and quicker and my ankle is back to where it should be.

“I’m starting to make guys miss. I’m starting to make things happen.”

If so, it’s great timing. The Raiders gained only 59 yards rushing Sunday. With Robinson, their leading rusher, not expected back in the regular season, their options are limited.

McCallum is expected to begin working out with the team this week, a little more than two weeks after his appendectomy.

Asked if McCallum could play Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Coach Art Shell said it was possible.

Fullback Steve Smith remains hampered by an ankle injury that has limited his playing time.

The only other possibilities are rookie Randy Jordan, who carried twice for 15 yards Sunday; Ty Montgomery, who was demoted to a non-playing role Sunday, and Rocket Ismail, the most intriguing of the options.

Receiver-kick returner Ismail ran from tailback once Sunday and lost two yards when the play collapsed.

Shell said that he had hoped to use Ismail a little more as a running back and might do so in the future.

“You try to put him in a position where he can make plays,” Shell said. “You want to make sure he doesn’t just stand on the sidelines, where he can’t contribute.”

The most productive Raider runner of late has been quarterback Jeff Hostetler, who has scored a touchdown rushing in each of the last three games.

The Raiders are thrilled to have the points, but they are less than thrilled to see them come at the expense of Hostetler’s badly battered legs. The quarterback, who is second on the club in rushing with 190 yards and has a four-yard average, left Sunday’s game in the fourth quarter because of a bruised right ankle and twisted left knee, but he is expected to play against Tampa Bay.

Hostetler has four touchdowns rushing this season, tying a club record for a quarterback held by Daryle Lamonica (1967) and Cotton Davidson (1963).

The Raiders would much prefer to see Bell or Smith or Ismail threading or banging through opposing defenses.

And until Bell, or someone else other than Hostetler, is able to effectively carry on for Robinson, the Raiders would seem to be in trouble.