PRO FOOTBALL / DAILY REPORT : RAIDERS : McCallum Has Knee Surgery

Running back Napoleon McCallum was expected to be sidelined for the season after surgery to replace a ruptured artery in his left knee.

McCallum was injured early in third quarter of the Raiders’ 44-14 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night when he severely hyperextended his knee while being tackled by Ken Norton Jr.

McCallum, who was down on the field for about seven minutes, was carried off on a stretcher after evoking images of the broken leg Washington quarterback Joe Theismann suffered when he was tackled by New York Giant linebacker Lawrence Taylor on a Monday night telecast in 1985.

“His foot got caught up under a tackler,” Coach Art Shell said Tuesday of McCallum, who also suffered ligament damage of an undetermined severity. “He broke a blood vessel. The surgery came out fine and he’s OK.”

McCallum, who rushed for five yards in three carries, had scored the Raiders’ second touchdown of the game to cut their deficit to 20-14.

“It’s disheartening because Napoleon is well loved by everyone on the football team,” Shell said. “He’s a guy who has just worked so hard. Hopefully, he gets healthy as soon as possible.”

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Other than McCallum’s injury, the Raiders walked away from Monday’s game without any other major injuries. Safety Derrick Hoskins, who was replaced by Patrick Bates in the starting lineup after suffering a knee injury in the final exhibition game at Houston, will practice this week and is expected to play Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks.

“I made the decision on Sunday to hold Hoskins,” Shell said. “I’d didn’t want him out there for a whole game. So, I gave him an extra week to get healthy.”

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Linebacker Greg Biekert and Bates gained their first NFL starts against the 49ers and Shell said both played well at times. Biekert, who was replaced by No. 1 draft choice Rob Fredrickson in the second half, had a first-half interception off a deflection by Terry McDaniel and finished with two tackles. Bates, who was a step slow on a first-quarter Jerry Rice touchdown pass play, had five unassisted tackles.

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While the 49ers had at least six runs of more than 10 yards and finished with 156 yards rushing, the Raiders’ longest run was seven yards by Tom Rathman.

A major concern for Shell?

“We didn’t run the ball well and that’s obvious,” Shell said. “But, I’m concerned about our whole football team, not just one area. We lost a big game.”