The Oakland Raiders
turned to a face from their past to change their present and help them build a
brighter future.
The face belongs to Art Shell, who carved out a Hall of Fame career as an
offensive tackle with the Raiders and later had considerable success (56-41
record and three playoff appearances) as the teams coach from 1989 to 94.
To some, Shells hiring is further proof owner Al Davis and the Raiders are
stuck in the past and cant see beyond their dust-covered Super Bowl trophies.
Davis, though, says its time to get back to Raider football.
To that end, Davis has turned to a close ally to restore the nastiness,
toughness and dominance that were staples of the franchise when Shell played and
during part of his first coaching stint.
Yet, Shell can do only so much. He inherits a team that won four games last
season and has won 13 total since going to the Super Bowl after the 2002 season.
Just the same, he has more talent to work with than most four-win teams. Chief
among that talent is wide receiver Randy Moss.
Under Shell, Raiders fans can count on a renewed emphasis on a power running
game and a more physical brand of defense – as well as the teams traditional
reliance on a quick-strike passing game.
SPOTLIGHT PLAYERS
RB LaMont Jordan: Jordan fared best when he got at least 20 carries in
a game, so Shells desire to run the ball more and improve the blocking should
translate into better numbers this season. Jordan also will benefit from having
played a year in the Raiders system and from beginning his offseason workout
regimen earlier than in the past.
Jordan prefers to pound his way into the line, break through and then try to
pick up extra yards against smaller defenders. For that to work better, he needs
to be more decisive and quicker in hitting the hole. Part of that can be
achieved through better blocking by the line and by Walsh calling plays better
suited to Jordans style.
WR Randy Moss: Few teams are as deep at this position, and no team has
a receiver as explosive as Moss. As long as everyone stays healthy – injuries
limited Moss and backups Doug Gabriel and Ronald Curry last season –
the receiving corps should be the teams biggest strength.
