PRO FOOTBALL DAILY REPORT : RAIDERS : Williams Will Start at Tailback

The Raiders will make lineup changes at tailback and offensive tackle Sunday against Atlanta.

Tailback Harvey Williams will start over Tyrone Montgomery after gaining 72 yards in 16 carries against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

“I’m not surprised because I came here to be a starter anyway,” said Williams, who leads the team with 227 yards rushing. “Tyrone is a very talented back who’s done well. But the bottom line is that we have to start winning.”

Coach Art Shell said of Williams: “The more he plays and sees the ball, the better he becomes. We’ve decided to just go ahead and start the game with him.”

With left tackle Gerald Perry sidelined for at least five games because of a broken bone in his ankle, nine-year veteran Robert Jenkins will take his place. Jenkins, formerly of the Rams, signed as a free agent before the season and has played in six games this year.

“It’s been a while since I started at left tackle,” said Jenkins, who started at right tackle for the Rams last season. “Of course, I would have liked to have played more and been more seasoned for this task, but I have a whole week of practice to be ready.”

The final move for the Raiders was the insertion of Greg Skrepenak, a former No. 1 pick from Michigan, at right tackle in place of Bruce Wilkerson, who did not play well against the Dolphins.

“It’s time to give Skrepenak his chance to play,” Shell said. “It’s not as if he can’t play left tackle, but I just think that he’s a pure right tackle.”

It will be Skrepenak’s first start in his three-year career after being inactive throughout last season and playing only a backup role as a rookie in 1992.

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Three days after the blowup between quarterback Jeff Hostetler and the Raider coaching staff over the team’s play-calling, Shell refused to discuss the matter with reporters.

“Jeff will have the same leeway that he’s had before,” Shell said. “But that thing is over with. You can keep probing all you want, but it’s over with as far as I’m concerned.”