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Going deep in the past
These aren't your father's Raiders -- oh wait, they are, if Art Shell and Al Davis have their way
David White, Chronicle Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 5, 2006
Quick, activate the time machine. Al Davis wants his 1970s back. He started by digging into the archives and dusting off Art Shell, a throwback coach whose allegiance remains true to the way things were despite a 12-year absence from the Raider Nation. That means reviving an offense that runs hard in the tackle box and throws far down the sideline and a defense that exists to rip the football out of someone's hands. Just like the boss wants.
"It's another reaffirmation of the Raiders, of everything we ever stood for," Davis said. "He knows what he wants to do. ... He knows the right way to do things."
Davis isn't as interested in forging a new era in Raiders history as much as resurrecting the golden days of three decades ago, when the Raiders won their first Super Bowl, reached six AFC title games and captured seven division titles between 1970 and 1979.
Of course, those teams boasted 10 future members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This year's team is frontloaded with carryover players from a team that went 4-12 last season and has 15 wins in three years.
No matter. Davis expects Shell to yield superior results with mostly the same parts, because he hasn't the patience for rebuilding.
"The idea is not to be in the playoffs," Davis said. "The idea is to be in the Super Bowl. Maybe you can't get there nine out of 10, but you can get there. ... We got to get him the players. We have to do that."
Davis wanted a strong-armed quarterback in the mold of Daryle Lamonica, so he signed Aaron Brooks. Then, Davis removed the moth balls from Jeff George (last NFL game: Sept. 24, 2001) for the final week of the exhibition season, just in case. He didn't make the final roster.
To run a vertical offense, you need a go-to receiver like Cliff Branch or Fred Biletnikoff. Today, that would be Randy Moss, who is healthy and back to his bullish ways.
In the spirit of Dave Casper, the Raiders are recreating the tight end route, starring Courtney Anderson as the 6-foot-6, 270-pound mismatch who is bigger than any defensive back and quicker than your average linebacker.
For the passing game to work, the offensive line has to give Brooks time for Moss to run 30 yards.
The '70s boasted Canton-bound Jim Otto, Gene Upshaw, Bob Brown and Shell. This team starts rookie guard Paul McQuistan from Weber State and, until center Jake Grove gets healthy, journeyman Corey Hulsey.
Barry Sims was moved from left tackle, his home for three seasons, to left guard to make way for Robert Gallery, who has yet to live up to his billing.
This unit offered little resistance last year, and that's a huge reason the Raiders stunk in scoring (23rd), gaining yards (21st) and running the ball (29th).
To improve the run offense, they'll be more aggressive in their blocking schemes. LaMont Jordan ran for 1,025 yards in his first season as a starter.
Shell's power-running offense is a better fit for Jordan, a pads-down kind of back. You won't see Jordan taking many pitch sweeps this season.
"It's all about downhill," Jordan said. "We're going to play attack-the-defense style of offense. If we do that, I think we'll be successful."
To play the defensive role of Ted Hendricks, a turnover-making linebacker in the Hall of Fame, the Raiders moved Kirk Morrison to middle linebacker. He hit hard with 11 tackles in three exhibition games, and dropped into pass coverage with one leaping interception and three passes defended.
The Raiders in the preseason intercepted seven passes and picked up five of eight forced fumbles. Last year's team had five interceptions and 14 fumble recoveries in 16 regular-season games.
That's not the product of a new defense, because the Raiders are running the same 4-3 scheme. That's all about Shell insisting on employing turnover drills all of training camp, whether they liked it or not.
He wants the defense to lose its timidity and take a shot at the ball, much like the Raiders did when Willie Brown, George Atkinson and Jack Tatum roamed the secondary.
Cornerback Fabian Washington gets it. So does top-draft pick Michael Huff, who starts at strong safety but will cameo all over the secondary as a hit-man who can catch.
"Last year, they were in a position to make the plays but didn't make them," Shell said. "You have to put yourself in position, then you have to make the plays by catching the ball."
It's worked in the exhibition season. The Raiders started 4-0, just like they did in 1976 when the Raiders won Super Bowl XI.
It's hard for anyone to imagine today's Raiders making that flying leap in the next five months. Winning their first AFC West game in 21 months would be a better place to start, maybe even a .500 record.
This much is sure: Shell and Davis are going to run things the once-upon-a-time way, no matter what millennium they're in.
"I do things the way I know how," Shell said. "Now, how many games we win, I don't know. But if we do what I think we're capable of doing, we'll have a chance to have the success that I believe, deep down, we can do. I really do."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Five keys for the Raiders
1. Block somebody. LaMont Jordan and Randy Moss won't mean a thing if the offensive line doesn't vastly improve, especially the pivotal left-side combo of tackle Robert Gallery and Barry Sims.
2. Let Moss be Moss. Aaron Brooks just has throw the ball in the general direction of Moss, and let him do the rest.
3. Stop the run. Tommy Kelly and Terdell Sands better get stout in the middle, or teams will eat up yards and precious minutes.
4. Keep grabbing and running. The defense has been a turnover-making machine in the preseason, a new concept in these parts.
5. Stop cheating. The most penalized team in the NFL can't let 3rd-and-longs become 1st-and-10s.
-- David White
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2006/09/05/SPGBKKUDDH1.DTL
These aren't your father's Raiders -- oh wait, they are, if Art Shell and Al Davis have their way
David White, Chronicle Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 5, 2006
Quick, activate the time machine. Al Davis wants his 1970s back. He started by digging into the archives and dusting off Art Shell, a throwback coach whose allegiance remains true to the way things were despite a 12-year absence from the Raider Nation. That means reviving an offense that runs hard in the tackle box and throws far down the sideline and a defense that exists to rip the football out of someone's hands. Just like the boss wants.
"It's another reaffirmation of the Raiders, of everything we ever stood for," Davis said. "He knows what he wants to do. ... He knows the right way to do things."
Davis isn't as interested in forging a new era in Raiders history as much as resurrecting the golden days of three decades ago, when the Raiders won their first Super Bowl, reached six AFC title games and captured seven division titles between 1970 and 1979.
Of course, those teams boasted 10 future members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This year's team is frontloaded with carryover players from a team that went 4-12 last season and has 15 wins in three years.
No matter. Davis expects Shell to yield superior results with mostly the same parts, because he hasn't the patience for rebuilding.
"The idea is not to be in the playoffs," Davis said. "The idea is to be in the Super Bowl. Maybe you can't get there nine out of 10, but you can get there. ... We got to get him the players. We have to do that."
Davis wanted a strong-armed quarterback in the mold of Daryle Lamonica, so he signed Aaron Brooks. Then, Davis removed the moth balls from Jeff George (last NFL game: Sept. 24, 2001) for the final week of the exhibition season, just in case. He didn't make the final roster.
To run a vertical offense, you need a go-to receiver like Cliff Branch or Fred Biletnikoff. Today, that would be Randy Moss, who is healthy and back to his bullish ways.
In the spirit of Dave Casper, the Raiders are recreating the tight end route, starring Courtney Anderson as the 6-foot-6, 270-pound mismatch who is bigger than any defensive back and quicker than your average linebacker.
For the passing game to work, the offensive line has to give Brooks time for Moss to run 30 yards.
The '70s boasted Canton-bound Jim Otto, Gene Upshaw, Bob Brown and Shell. This team starts rookie guard Paul McQuistan from Weber State and, until center Jake Grove gets healthy, journeyman Corey Hulsey.
Barry Sims was moved from left tackle, his home for three seasons, to left guard to make way for Robert Gallery, who has yet to live up to his billing.
This unit offered little resistance last year, and that's a huge reason the Raiders stunk in scoring (23rd), gaining yards (21st) and running the ball (29th).
To improve the run offense, they'll be more aggressive in their blocking schemes. LaMont Jordan ran for 1,025 yards in his first season as a starter.
Shell's power-running offense is a better fit for Jordan, a pads-down kind of back. You won't see Jordan taking many pitch sweeps this season.
"It's all about downhill," Jordan said. "We're going to play attack-the-defense style of offense. If we do that, I think we'll be successful."
To play the defensive role of Ted Hendricks, a turnover-making linebacker in the Hall of Fame, the Raiders moved Kirk Morrison to middle linebacker. He hit hard with 11 tackles in three exhibition games, and dropped into pass coverage with one leaping interception and three passes defended.
The Raiders in the preseason intercepted seven passes and picked up five of eight forced fumbles. Last year's team had five interceptions and 14 fumble recoveries in 16 regular-season games.
That's not the product of a new defense, because the Raiders are running the same 4-3 scheme. That's all about Shell insisting on employing turnover drills all of training camp, whether they liked it or not.
He wants the defense to lose its timidity and take a shot at the ball, much like the Raiders did when Willie Brown, George Atkinson and Jack Tatum roamed the secondary.
Cornerback Fabian Washington gets it. So does top-draft pick Michael Huff, who starts at strong safety but will cameo all over the secondary as a hit-man who can catch.
"Last year, they were in a position to make the plays but didn't make them," Shell said. "You have to put yourself in position, then you have to make the plays by catching the ball."
It's worked in the exhibition season. The Raiders started 4-0, just like they did in 1976 when the Raiders won Super Bowl XI.
It's hard for anyone to imagine today's Raiders making that flying leap in the next five months. Winning their first AFC West game in 21 months would be a better place to start, maybe even a .500 record.
This much is sure: Shell and Davis are going to run things the once-upon-a-time way, no matter what millennium they're in.
"I do things the way I know how," Shell said. "Now, how many games we win, I don't know. But if we do what I think we're capable of doing, we'll have a chance to have the success that I believe, deep down, we can do. I really do."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Five keys for the Raiders
1. Block somebody. LaMont Jordan and Randy Moss won't mean a thing if the offensive line doesn't vastly improve, especially the pivotal left-side combo of tackle Robert Gallery and Barry Sims.
2. Let Moss be Moss. Aaron Brooks just has throw the ball in the general direction of Moss, and let him do the rest.
3. Stop the run. Tommy Kelly and Terdell Sands better get stout in the middle, or teams will eat up yards and precious minutes.
4. Keep grabbing and running. The defense has been a turnover-making machine in the preseason, a new concept in these parts.
5. Stop cheating. The most penalized team in the NFL can't let 3rd-and-longs become 1st-and-10s.
-- David White
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2006/09/05/SPGBKKUDDH1.DTL