Shell busy shaping his staff

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Raiders insider: Shell busy shaping his staff
With the scouting combine around the corner, time is short.
By Jim Jenkins -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Saturday, February 18, 2006



New Raiders head coach Art Shell is beginning to put together a staff in advance of the important NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis next week.
Any day now there will be an announcement of at least three new hires.

Expect one to be Tom Walsh, who was at Shell's introductory news conference last week and confirmed he was interviewing for offensive coordinator. Walsh, who has been out of football, served as an offensive assistant during Shell's first term as the Raiders' coach from 1989 to 1994.

Also coming on board are Jackie Slater and Irv Eatman. They, too, were around to applaud Shell's hiring. Additionally, they were standout offensive linemen in the NFL, as was Shell.

On the flip side, the departures of staff members under ex-coach Norv Turner continue.

Special teams coach Joe Avezzano, who spent much of his career with Dallas, has left, following at least nine others to exit, including Turner.

Slater and Eatman are African American, and Shell, 59, is one of seven African American head coaches in the league. Seven represents a step forward from 1989, when Shell was the only one, but, he noted, "There's a lot of work to be done."


Quarterback hunt
Shell said at his news conference that he had briefly met with quarterback Kerry Collins and wasn't ready to pass judgment on his future with the team.
To stay, Collins must be willing to rework his contract. Even if that comes to pass, it doesn't mean the Raiders will ignore the quarterback prospects at the scouting combine.

Pending a tie-breaking coin flip with the 49ers in Indianapolis, the Raiders will end up with the sixth or seventh pick in the April 29-30 draft. All three of the top-rated college quarterbacks - USC's Matt Leinart, Texas' Vince Young and Vanderbilt's Jay Cutler - might be gone before the Raiders make a selection.

Most of the popular mock drafts have Houston leaning toward USC running back Reggie Bush with the first overall pick despite in-state lobbying to take Young.

With New Orleans, at No. 2, seemingly poised to choose Leinart, there is less certainty what the teams in the next three spots will do - Tennessee, the New York Jets and Green Bay. All have established quarterbacks with injury or age issues.

With that backdrop and knowing the Raiders' history of aggressive deals during the draft, don't rule anything out, involving a rookie or veteran quarterback.


Money owed
One aspect was missing from many reports about the Raiders launching their own season-ticket campaign early this week: The $34 million in damages the team was awarded in 2003 from its lawsuit against East Bay officials is still under appeal.
Is an amicable solution in the wind after their battle in a Sacramento courtroom over box-office matters?

"We've had conversations with them, but nothing's been done," Raiders general counsel Jeff Birren said Friday.

Added Supervisor Gail Steele: "Our communication lines with the team are much better now, but we have to have patience. This part is more complicated."

http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/story/14203333p-15029607c.html
 
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