Pro Football Spotlight : HASTY MAKES WASTE OF THE RAIDERS

You know that Kansas City’s James Hasty returned an interception 64 yards in overtime to beat the Raiders.

And now, the rest of the story.

Last March, the Raiders and Chiefs were in a heated duel to sign the free agent cornerback.

Hasty flew to Los Angeles for a workout. He ran a 4.37 40-yard dash for Al Davis.

Hasty then worked out in Kansas City. Liking what they saw, and desperate to keep Hasty away from Davis, the Chiefs stashed the player at a local hotel under an assumed name.

By the time the Raiders found Hasty, he had already signed with the Chiefs.

The Chiefs beat Al Davis at his own game.

And Sunday, Hasty beat Davis again.

Fill in your favorite Al Davis expletive here.

INJURY REPORT

New England quarterback Drew Bledsoe suffered a mildly separated left shoulder after being hit by 49er linebacker Ken Norton, but returned. . . . Minnesota guard Chris Hinton injured his left ankle injury against Dallas but X-rays were negative. . . . Denver tight end Shannon Sharpe sprained his left ankle in the first quarter against Washington and did not return. . . . St. Louis defensive end Sean Gilbert sprained his right knee and did not play in the second half.

JENNY CRAIG HEYWARD

The New Orleans Saints gave up on Craig (Ironhead) Heyward partly because they couldn’t keep the tailback and his tail out of K-Paul’s kitchen.

But the Falcons took a chance on Heyward and enticed him with an interesting weight clause.

Heyward gets a $10,000 bonus every week he weighs in at 250 pounds or less. Heyward picked up another check Sunday when he returned to the Superdome to face his former teammates.

Heyward tipped the scales on New Orleans, gaining 102 yards in 25 carries as the Falcons beat the Saints in overtime.

THE OTHER SIDE

Art Shell spent 27 seasons as a Raider player and coach before he was fired after last season.

One reason he was canned was because he couldn’t beat the Chiefs.

Now a Kansas City assistant, it appeared Shell would be on the losing side again until Hasty’s dramatic interception return in overtime.

“I have a lot of love for some of those guys on the other side of the field,” Shell said afterward. “So it was a little bit different, yeah. But sometimes you have to change forces. You have to go with different groups. I’m with the Kansas City Chiefs now and my loyalty is totally with them.”

Shell did not speak to any of his former players before the game.

“But after the game, I talked to about eight or nine of them,” he said. “It’s difficult. The players know how I feel about them. It’s a great bunch of guys.”

NOTEWORTHY

Jerry Rice had two scoring receptions to increase his NFL-record touchdown total to 144. . . . Dallas tailback Emmitt Smith finished with 150 yards in 20 carries for his third 100-yard game in a row, only the second time in his career he has done that during the regular season. . . . Buffalo quarterback Jim Kelly surpassed 30,000 yards passing, reaching the mark in the fourth-fastest time. Only active players Dan Marino and Warren Moon and Hall of Famer Dan Fouts reached the mark faster. . . . Indianapolis has not recorded a sack or an interception this season. . . . Atlanta kicker Morten Andersen has scored in 177 consecutive games, only nine away from tying the mark of 186 set by Jim Breech.

The Chargers haven’t allowed a 100-yard rusher in 32 games. The last was Pittsburgh’s Barry Foster on Oct. 10, 1993. . . . The Rams are 6-0 against expansion teams in their first season. . . . The Chiefs’ Marcus Allen surpassed 15,000 all-purpose yards in his career, becoming the fifth player in NFL history to reach the mark. He joins Walter Payton, Eric Dickerson, Jim Brown and Tony Dorsett. . . . Bronco rookie Terrell Davis tied a team record for touchdowns in a game with three. . . . New York Giants’ No. 1 pick, running back Tyrone Wheatley, who hurt his ribs Aug. 19, made his regular-season debut and gained seven yards in his only carry.

QUOTEWORTHY

Kansas City Coach Marty Schottenheimer after his team won its second overtime game in two weeks: “ We’ve raised the ticket prices, people have to get their money’s worth. “

Arizona Coach Buddy Ryan on what it’s like trying to stop Detroit runner Barry Sanders: “Tackling that kid is like trying to tackle a runaway balloon.”

Buffalo Bill linebacker Bryce Paup after recording three sacks against Indianapolis: “ There was a lot of times when I was the ‘Almost Man . ‘ I almost had seven or eight sacks. The [ defensive backs ] did a good job covering, and we had time to get in there. “