PRO FOOTBALL / DAILY REPORT : RAIDERS : Shell Says Team Is Really Ready for 49ers

Sixteen days is a long time between football games, but that’s virtually how long it will be for many Raider starters Monday night when they play the San Francisco 49ers in the season opener at Candlestick Park.

After the Raider regulars had played the first half of the exhibition against the Rams on Aug. 20, the team’s attention effectively shifted to the 49ers.

That’s why quarterback Jeff Hostetler did not play in the final exhibition at Houston and many other starters were used sparingly.

“The guys are really ready to go,” Coach Art Shell said Friday at the team’s El Segundo practice site. “I like the idea of having a long week, since we’ve really had an extra week to prepare. But you can tell the guys are chomping at the bit to play.”

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In the last three seasons, the 49er passing attack, led by quarterback Steve Young and wide receiver Jerry Rice, has been rated as possibly the best in the NFL. Shell, however, was not in the mood to talk about the 49ers. He wanted to focus on his own passing game instead.

“Tim Brown and the rest of our wide receivers are the best combination in the league,” Shell said. “I wouldn’t put our combination of receivers and quarterback second to anyone in the league.”

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The Raiders have a 30-10-1 Monday night record; the 49ers are 21-15. The Raiders, however, have lost four of their last five Monday night games; the 49ers have won five of their last six. . . . With the baseball strike continuing, the 49ers will cover the infield dirt used by the San Francisco Giants for Monday night’s game. . . . Former Raider Bo Jackson, now with the Angels, visited his old teammates this week. Jackson, who played his last game for the Raiders in 1990, worked out in the Raider weight room.