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Offensive heads need examining
Column by Monte Poole
Article Last Updated:11/13/2006 02:49:32 AM PST
OAKLAND — The sight of Mike Shanahan should have been enough to trigger the memories of Raiders boss Al Davis and head coach Art Shell, who had pivotal roles in 1989, when the team last tried to restore its identity.
A glimpse of the Denver coach should have reminded Al that he can in fact correct his mistakes, while reminding Art of the good that can come when such a mistake is rectified.
And giving Tom Walsh the gift of an NFL offense, as Davis and Shell have done, is a gross mistake.
The latest evidence came Sunday, in the futile and final quarter at McAfee Coliseum, when Oakland's three offensive drives netted all of minus-2 yards, practically spoon-feeding the Broncos a 17-13 win.
Oakland's first possession lasted three plays, gained seven yards and ended with a punt. The second lasted one play, a sack by Broncos defensive end Kenard Lang, causing Raiders quarterback Andrew Walter to fumble away the ball. The third possession ended when Walter fumbled the first snap of the series.
Meanwhile, Denver scored a touchdown to take the lead and added a field goal late to seal the victory.
Walsh, the team's embattled offensive coordinator, can't be blamed for everything that went wrong.
But having so much go so horribly wrong surely symbolizes the troubles the offense has had all season under Walsh.
Thus, the Raiders once again trudged away with another tale of two teams. There is the defense, which empties its heart each week and deserves a better fate. And there is the offense, which consistently undermines the defense.
"You can't win like this," defensive end Lance Johnstone said.
"It's just frustrating to knowwe have a defense that's good and an offense that's not supporting'em," running back LaMont Jordan said.
"You hold Denver to 17 points? That's an accomplishment. Hold Seattle to 16 points? That's an accomplishment."
Shell straddled the company line, praising his defense — "they played well enough to win the football game" — while implying Walsh's offense is a work in progress, putting the players in position to succeed but getting little reward.
As if most of the blame for the Raiders scoring only seven touchdowns in nine games rests at the feet of those wearing shoulder pads and helmets. Some of it should be. A lot of it should be. The line has been dreadful, the run game generally ineffective, receivers often drop passes and are less than assertive in pursuit of the ball.
No doubt, the Raiders don't have the wealth of offensive talent possessed by, say, Indianapolis.
But what talent there is often gets misused or goes unused. It gets buried in the doghouse (wide receiver Jerry Porter), or burdened with an unimaginative playbook (Walsh), kneecapped by the inability or unwillingness to adjust (Walsh, again) or broken down by management's mystifying faith in Walsh's shallow and easily defended system (wideout Randy Moss, Jordan, Walter and others who opt to suppress their opinions).
"Some people around here might be a little sensitive when people speak the truth," Jordan said.
Which, on this day, did not stop Walter from expressing his, um, concerns.
"One of the reasons we're struggling in the fourth quarter," the quarterback said, "is we don't have a lot of depth to our playbook."
If Oakland's offense seems predictable to you, much less opposing defenses, Walter offers no dispute.
"I think that would be a true statement," he conceded.
All of which brings us back to Shell, who upon being re-hired in February insisted on hiring Walsh, and Davis, who approved Shell's hiring of Walsh.
Davis discovered Shanahan in the 1980s and hired him to replace Tom Flores as Raiders head coach in 1988. It was the first time Davis had gone outside the Raiders family, and he did so because he was impressed with Shanahan's work over three seasons as Denver's offensive coordinator.
But Shanahan took to the Raiders like sandpaper to wood. He tried to change the culture in 10 minutes, introducing new offensive concepts and abolishing certain traditions. He was young, 35, and impetuous, and it took 20 games for Al to realize Shanahan was the wrong coach, at that time, for the Raiders.
So, four games into the'89 season, Davis fired him. It was the only time Al bounced a head coach during the season.
Shanahan's replacement was none other than Shell, an assistant coach and established member of the organization's family. After opening the season by losing three of four under Shanahan, the Raiders went 7-5 under Shell to salvage a .500 season.
They became the Raiders again, swaggering and bullying, posting winning records in four of the next five seasons.
So much of football is about making adjustments, finding creative ways to find solutions or exploit weaknesses.
Walsh has failed in this regard. If Davis had not seen enough one month into the season, he certainly should have by now — assuming he's paying attention as he once did. It's too late to salvage this season — the'06 Raiders are Silver-and-Black toast — but he needs to do something to revive hope for the future.
Seeing Shanahan should have flicked on the light for Al and Art. If that weren't enough, being witness to this painful season and that abomination of a fourth quarter should be.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/sports/ci_4649997
Column by Monte Poole
Article Last Updated:11/13/2006 02:49:32 AM PST
OAKLAND — The sight of Mike Shanahan should have been enough to trigger the memories of Raiders boss Al Davis and head coach Art Shell, who had pivotal roles in 1989, when the team last tried to restore its identity.
A glimpse of the Denver coach should have reminded Al that he can in fact correct his mistakes, while reminding Art of the good that can come when such a mistake is rectified.
And giving Tom Walsh the gift of an NFL offense, as Davis and Shell have done, is a gross mistake.
The latest evidence came Sunday, in the futile and final quarter at McAfee Coliseum, when Oakland's three offensive drives netted all of minus-2 yards, practically spoon-feeding the Broncos a 17-13 win.
Oakland's first possession lasted three plays, gained seven yards and ended with a punt. The second lasted one play, a sack by Broncos defensive end Kenard Lang, causing Raiders quarterback Andrew Walter to fumble away the ball. The third possession ended when Walter fumbled the first snap of the series.
Meanwhile, Denver scored a touchdown to take the lead and added a field goal late to seal the victory.
Walsh, the team's embattled offensive coordinator, can't be blamed for everything that went wrong.
But having so much go so horribly wrong surely symbolizes the troubles the offense has had all season under Walsh.
Thus, the Raiders once again trudged away with another tale of two teams. There is the defense, which empties its heart each week and deserves a better fate. And there is the offense, which consistently undermines the defense.
"You can't win like this," defensive end Lance Johnstone said.
"It's just frustrating to knowwe have a defense that's good and an offense that's not supporting'em," running back LaMont Jordan said.
"You hold Denver to 17 points? That's an accomplishment. Hold Seattle to 16 points? That's an accomplishment."
Shell straddled the company line, praising his defense — "they played well enough to win the football game" — while implying Walsh's offense is a work in progress, putting the players in position to succeed but getting little reward.
As if most of the blame for the Raiders scoring only seven touchdowns in nine games rests at the feet of those wearing shoulder pads and helmets. Some of it should be. A lot of it should be. The line has been dreadful, the run game generally ineffective, receivers often drop passes and are less than assertive in pursuit of the ball.
No doubt, the Raiders don't have the wealth of offensive talent possessed by, say, Indianapolis.
But what talent there is often gets misused or goes unused. It gets buried in the doghouse (wide receiver Jerry Porter), or burdened with an unimaginative playbook (Walsh), kneecapped by the inability or unwillingness to adjust (Walsh, again) or broken down by management's mystifying faith in Walsh's shallow and easily defended system (wideout Randy Moss, Jordan, Walter and others who opt to suppress their opinions).
"Some people around here might be a little sensitive when people speak the truth," Jordan said.
Which, on this day, did not stop Walter from expressing his, um, concerns.
"One of the reasons we're struggling in the fourth quarter," the quarterback said, "is we don't have a lot of depth to our playbook."
If Oakland's offense seems predictable to you, much less opposing defenses, Walter offers no dispute.
"I think that would be a true statement," he conceded.
All of which brings us back to Shell, who upon being re-hired in February insisted on hiring Walsh, and Davis, who approved Shell's hiring of Walsh.
Davis discovered Shanahan in the 1980s and hired him to replace Tom Flores as Raiders head coach in 1988. It was the first time Davis had gone outside the Raiders family, and he did so because he was impressed with Shanahan's work over three seasons as Denver's offensive coordinator.
But Shanahan took to the Raiders like sandpaper to wood. He tried to change the culture in 10 minutes, introducing new offensive concepts and abolishing certain traditions. He was young, 35, and impetuous, and it took 20 games for Al to realize Shanahan was the wrong coach, at that time, for the Raiders.
So, four games into the'89 season, Davis fired him. It was the only time Al bounced a head coach during the season.
Shanahan's replacement was none other than Shell, an assistant coach and established member of the organization's family. After opening the season by losing three of four under Shanahan, the Raiders went 7-5 under Shell to salvage a .500 season.
They became the Raiders again, swaggering and bullying, posting winning records in four of the next five seasons.
So much of football is about making adjustments, finding creative ways to find solutions or exploit weaknesses.
Walsh has failed in this regard. If Davis had not seen enough one month into the season, he certainly should have by now — assuming he's paying attention as he once did. It's too late to salvage this season — the'06 Raiders are Silver-and-Black toast — but he needs to do something to revive hope for the future.
Seeing Shanahan should have flicked on the light for Al and Art. If that weren't enough, being witness to this painful season and that abomination of a fourth quarter should be.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/sports/ci_4649997