Art Shell is back.

[Randall]

Article Last Updated: 05/08/2006 02:54:57 AM PDT

 

Raiders soft, slow, undisciplined days may be numbered

Column by Monte Poole

 

ALAMEDA — If you enjoy knocking out teeth and collecting them to relive the memory, Art Shell might want to talk to you.

 

If you laugh at the sight of blood, whether it's yours or your mother's, Shell might have a job for you.

 

If you have survived all a multitude of war wounds, whether sustained on foreign soil or in your neighborhood, Shell might hire you on the spot.

 

If there is one thing the Raiders learned during their minicamp over the weekend it is that their new coach seeks toughness. He values it, admires it and believes it lights the path to building a more competitive team.

 

"With the points that Art Shell and (offensive line coaches) Jackie Slater and Irv Eatman are getting across," defensive tackle Warren Sapp said after the last practice on Sunday, "I can tell you our offensive line will be a lot meaner about what they're doing."

 

This is the same offensive line generally associated with poor pass protection, ineffective run blocking and costly penalties. A line often described as soft, slow and undisciplined.

"We will," Shell said the other day, "improve our toughness."

 

Shell, Slater and Eatman were standout offensive linemen noted for their ability to maul opponents. Ifanything, Shell seems committed to remaking the Raiders in his own image.

"He's trying to instill toughness, a certain attitude," quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo said. "He wants it to be where when we walk onto the field, the other team feels us coming. They know we're going to compete, and we're going to be nasty.

 

"But not in a dirty way. We're going to be smart about it. We're just going to be ... physical."

Among the many things the Raiders have lacked in recent years was an identity. Were they a running team? A passing team? A finesse team? An energy team? A rugged team? A speed team? A brainy team?

 

Truth is, Oakland's identity was pummeled beyond recognition 40 months ago, in January 2003, when the Raiders were blown out of Super Bowl 37.

 

Until then, they were a pass-oriented finesse team on offense and an active team on defense.

With Rich Gannon operating coach Bill Callahan's relentless short passing offense, they jabbed teams dizzy and wore them down. The Raiders played to their strengths, notably the unsurpassed recognition skills of Gannon, Tim Brown, Jerry Rice and Charlie Garner.

 

Because they controlled the ball so well, the defense had energy to burn, allowing it to play with a fury that obscured an ordinary pass rush and lack of speed.

 

In the three seasons since, one under Callahan and two

under Norv Turner, the Raiders have had the identity of a vacant lot. There has been a lack of discipline, a lack of speed, a lack of toughness and, particularly under Turner, a lack of discernible purpose.

 

"We were lining up with two tight ends, and we had Randy Moss," Sapp said. "Anybody could see the problem with that."

 

If it wasn't Moss openly defying Turner, it was Charles Woodson exposing the interpersonal shortcomings of Callahan. If it wasn't a veteran like Sapp being convinced to play out of position, it was youngsters like Tyler Brayton and Robert Gallery being told to play out of position.

It made little sense to the trained eye, even less sense to those in uniform.

"We didn't have the foundation to execute," defensive end Bobby Hamilton said. "We were running around asking each other: 'What is your role? What is my role? What is his role?' And this was in game situations."

 

Shell and his assistants have concentrated on defining roles and clarifying schemes.

"The thing I like is that it appears we're going to do what we do — and not what other people do," running back LaMont Jordan said. "Like I said last year, I felt like we did a lot of things, running-wise, because other people were doing it. Art is about power football and that's pretty much what we're doing."

 

The Raiders have had nine-win talent, five-win attitudes and two-win direction. That explains 13 wins in three seasons.

 

Shell's first priority is to provide the direction, which should lift the attitudes. Having seen the game from so many angles, he realizes none of it matters if your team is too soft.

 

"If we're going to make a run, it's gotta be an O-line and D-line dominated team." Sapp said. "We're only going to go as far as those two lines can take us. And that's where the toughness starts."

 

Actually, the toughness starts in meetings and on the practice field, where Shell takes command. By the time the Raiders called it quits on Sunday, they knew their new sheriff. And they know he wants his posse to be feared.

[Raider.Nation]

Finally something to look forward to? Hope so...

[loyalboyd]

He should at least put Raider Nation back where it should be. Not ran with old people. But people that fly around and hit people. Then dare them to get that as$ back up and take another hit.

[Clubfoothead]

He was my #1 choice here until the Tuna became a reality. Guy is an all-time favorite of mine.

[spain]

Its hard to make chicken salad out of chicken shi@te

[kpholmes]

[Randall]

 

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If Spain is trashing your team he knows they'll win more games than the Titans.

[REZ]

I always thought it was Jon Gruden's relentless short passing game.

Callahan just continued what was already working.