NFC

The mistakes finally caught up with Scott Mitchell.

Now, rookie Charlie Batch will start at quarterback for the Detroit Lions, with Mitchell demoted to third string behind Frank Reich.

“By no means is the quarterback’s play totally responsible for us being 0-2,” Coach Bobby Ross said Wednesday. “But over time the quarterback position just wasn’t where I thought it should be.”

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Discouraged 15-year veteran Jeff Hostetler cleared out his locker, apparently leaving the Washington Redskins after his demotion to third-string quarterback. Hostetler left Redskin Park and drove home to West Virginia after a morning meeting with Coach Norv Turner. By noon, Hostetler’s locker was bare and his burgundy nameplate had been removed.

“Jeff and I met this morning. I excused him from practice today, and really that’s where we’re at right now,” Turner said. “I’ll know more tomorrow.”

Hostetler injured his knee in the final exhibition game in August and couldn’t suit up for the season opener against the New York Giants. So when Gus Frerotte threw two interceptions and hurt his shoulder, it was rookie Trent Green who got the call.

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St. Louis Ram Coach Dick Vermeil agreed to ease up on practices and meetings.

Vermeil’s notoriously grueling workload has drawn the ire of players since the first days of training camp, and it was the subject of players-only meetings Friday and again Monday. After the Monday session, the team called in Vermeil to air the complaints.

On Wednesday, Vermeil met again with the team to announce a new, tighter schedule as the Rams prepare to play at Buffalo on Sunday. Both teams are 0-2. Reports last weekend said the Rams were ready to mutiny. Players said it was never that bad. “They were talking about guys walking out. We never got even close to that,” linebacker Mike A. Jones said.

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Green Bay halfback Dorsey Levens had a screw inserted into his severely sprained right ankle. The procedure won’t add any rehabilitation time, Coach Mike Holmgren and General Manager Ron Wolf said. Levens is expected to be out about six weeks. . . . Minnesota’s Cris Carter sat out Wednesday’s practice and was listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against Detroit because of an ankle injury, but the Vikings were optimistic he would be able to play.

AFC / Elway Still Questionable

Getting treatment twice a day for his strained right hamstring, John Elway planned to test his injury for the first time in Friday’s practice.

Elway, listed as questionable on the Denver Broncos’ injury report, was noncommittal about his availability for Sunday’s game in Oakland. “I’m going to get treatment and keep working on it and see how we are at the end of the week,” Elway said.

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Councilman Nate Holden has been asked by Mike Roos, president of the Coliseum Commission, to arrange a meeting with Raider owner Al Davis regarding the right of first refusal for a team in Los Angeles. . . . New York Jet quarterback Glenn Foley was listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against Indianapolis because of separated rib cartilage.