Angry Pope
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Raiders coach not just a Shell of his former self
BY GENE SAPAKOFF
OAKLAND, Calif. - It's early, still the preseason. There haven't even been any Oakland Raiders fans with silver and black face paint arrested for beating up a stadium guest wearing an opponent's jersey.
But the Raiders are 4-0 in the preseason after Friday night's 21-3 victory over the Detroit Lions at McAfee Coliseum. Art Shell's second tour as an NFL head coach is off to a splendid start and getting rave reviews, making some people wonder why Charleston's most accomplished sports figure didn't get another head coaching job after Al Davis fired him with a winning record 12 years ago.
Or why Davis last off-season first offered the job to Louisville head coach Bobby Petrino before re-hiring Shell, a Hall of Fame left tackle who helped the Raiders win two Super Bowls as a player and one as an assistant coach.
"I thought that was the greatest move they could have made," former Raiders linebacker Jeff Barnes said. "They always should stay in-house, and Art should have never left. Art coming back is just what the Raiders needed to get the young guys on the same page. They've had a lot of different coaches with different philosophies, and now we have Art Shell with that Raider philosophy.
"If the kids just listen to what he's saying, they can get back in the hunt, back in the playoffs and back in the Super Bowl."
Focused approach
Shell, 59, had a cushy job at NFL headquarters but he longed for another head coaching gig since he left the Raiders with a 54-38 record compiled from 1989-1994. He was an offensive line coach for the Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta Falcons before becoming an NFL senior vice president five years ago.
Wearing a suit and tie in Manhattan blended well with Shell's business-like approach. He was expressionless Friday night in the moments after star wide receiver Randy Moss scored on a 63-yard post-play reception from Aaron Brooks three plays into the game. He celebrated by glancing at his clipboard and talking into his Telex mouthpiece to an assistant coach upstairs.
"We took another step in the process of getting ready for the regular season," said Shell, who graduated from now defunct Bonds-Wilson High School in North Charleston. "We came into this game trying to get better. I felt we played hard throughout the football game. We played with a lot of intensity, and we played smart for the most part."
Even in the preseason, 4-0 is pretty sweet for a team that won a total of 13 regular season games over the last three seasons.
So far, so good
Barnes thinks a winning season is closer than most prognosticators believe.
"It's about time to turn this thing around and get the Raiders back on top," he said.
With the exception of disgruntled wide receiver Jerry Porter, Oakland players are saying the right things.
"The one thing (Shell) has helped us with more than anything is consistency day-in and day-out," defensive tackle Warren Sapp said after Friday night's game. "Whenever you get that from your head man, it's easier to go out and get your job done. He's leading us in the right direction and the best thing about it is we're following him."
The second-to-last preseason game always is the most meaningful, the practice game in which starters play the longest and borderline players get a last chance to impress before the first major cut.
It was 21-0 at halftime.
It gets real in two weeks, when the Raiders open the regular season with a Monday night home game against AFC West rival San Diego.
But so far, it looks like Davis re-hired the right guy.
BY GENE SAPAKOFF
OAKLAND, Calif. - It's early, still the preseason. There haven't even been any Oakland Raiders fans with silver and black face paint arrested for beating up a stadium guest wearing an opponent's jersey.
But the Raiders are 4-0 in the preseason after Friday night's 21-3 victory over the Detroit Lions at McAfee Coliseum. Art Shell's second tour as an NFL head coach is off to a splendid start and getting rave reviews, making some people wonder why Charleston's most accomplished sports figure didn't get another head coaching job after Al Davis fired him with a winning record 12 years ago.
Or why Davis last off-season first offered the job to Louisville head coach Bobby Petrino before re-hiring Shell, a Hall of Fame left tackle who helped the Raiders win two Super Bowls as a player and one as an assistant coach.
"I thought that was the greatest move they could have made," former Raiders linebacker Jeff Barnes said. "They always should stay in-house, and Art should have never left. Art coming back is just what the Raiders needed to get the young guys on the same page. They've had a lot of different coaches with different philosophies, and now we have Art Shell with that Raider philosophy.
"If the kids just listen to what he's saying, they can get back in the hunt, back in the playoffs and back in the Super Bowl."
Focused approach
Shell, 59, had a cushy job at NFL headquarters but he longed for another head coaching gig since he left the Raiders with a 54-38 record compiled from 1989-1994. He was an offensive line coach for the Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta Falcons before becoming an NFL senior vice president five years ago.
Wearing a suit and tie in Manhattan blended well with Shell's business-like approach. He was expressionless Friday night in the moments after star wide receiver Randy Moss scored on a 63-yard post-play reception from Aaron Brooks three plays into the game. He celebrated by glancing at his clipboard and talking into his Telex mouthpiece to an assistant coach upstairs.
"We took another step in the process of getting ready for the regular season," said Shell, who graduated from now defunct Bonds-Wilson High School in North Charleston. "We came into this game trying to get better. I felt we played hard throughout the football game. We played with a lot of intensity, and we played smart for the most part."
Even in the preseason, 4-0 is pretty sweet for a team that won a total of 13 regular season games over the last three seasons.
So far, so good
Barnes thinks a winning season is closer than most prognosticators believe.
"It's about time to turn this thing around and get the Raiders back on top," he said.
With the exception of disgruntled wide receiver Jerry Porter, Oakland players are saying the right things.
"The one thing (Shell) has helped us with more than anything is consistency day-in and day-out," defensive tackle Warren Sapp said after Friday night's game. "Whenever you get that from your head man, it's easier to go out and get your job done. He's leading us in the right direction and the best thing about it is we're following him."
The second-to-last preseason game always is the most meaningful, the practice game in which starters play the longest and borderline players get a last chance to impress before the first major cut.
It was 21-0 at halftime.
It gets real in two weeks, when the Raiders open the regular season with a Monday night home game against AFC West rival San Diego.
But so far, it looks like Davis re-hired the right guy.