The Art Shell poll

[DMD]

I have watched a decent part of the two Raiders games and I am completely floored at not only how badly the Raiders have played, but how there is obviously deep and serious problems in the team/organization. As a football fan in general, it's just not fair to Oakland fans to have to endure this bad situation that has absolutely no sign of improving to me so far. The entire team appears dis-spirited, confused, scared and half frustrated/ half completely not caring. The defense is looking marginally better but this is only week two.

 

If you have seen any of the Raider games, what is your impression?

 

This is as bad a situation as I can ever remember in the NFL.

 

Part of me says he cannot quit because there is no one to give the team to - they are all new hires by him. But if this were his second or third year, I cannot imagine him making it through the season.

[Bier Meister]

make it through year and team will improve.

 

 

surprisingly, the main prob imo is that o-line. the team has some talent over there.

[DMD]

make it through year and team will improve.

surprisingly, the main prob imo is that o-line. the team has some talent over there.

 

 

I will agree - the O-line is the source of the biggest problem which is amazing since you would think that would be the best thing with Art Shell as coach. I just watched some clips though - most of the linemen are just standing around every play. If they miss their block, they just stand there. It's almost surreal.

[kpholmes]

I will agree - the O-line is the source of the biggest problem which is amazing since you would think that would be the best thing with Art Shell as coach. I just watched some clips though - most of the linemen are just standing around every play. If they miss their block, they just stand there. It's almost surreal.

 

 

I feel the Oline is the root of all the problems the team is facing. It doesn't matter who is under center, they get their ass kicked.

The defense is dramatically better, especially if you watched a lot of Raider football last year you can see the improvement.

 

The Raiders have two weeks off. Art Shell won't let them sit around and have a break, he will fix the much apparent problems at hand.

[Riffraff]

I voted that Shell is on a bad team that will get better.

Shell, at one, point during a timeout, went on the field for a pep talk with the OL. It was before the half when the Raiders were not out of the game and were playing very inspired.

 

May not save his job at years end, but...

 

If you have seen any of the Raider games, what is your impression?

 

 

Watched both week's in thier entirety.

 

The score may not show it, but today's game was a positive one.

 

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The defense played extremely well, kept them in the game, and was motivated throughout.

 

Repeat: the defense isn't half bad. For 6 turnovers, they really didn't get blownout as bad as they could have been.

 

Plenty of sideline shots of the defensive coordinator, he was quite happy with what the defense did given the hand they were dealt.

 

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The special teams were awesome. I kept expecting the kick returner (Carr) to take one the distance (in both week 1 and week 2). Carr is very, very good. 7 returns for 209 yards.

 

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The offense came alive with Walter in the game. They actually got first downs and crossed midfield (huge bonus for Oakland). His ability to use 3-step drops was inspiring for the squad. The team showed hope of coming up with the upset.

 

The boy can throw on a rope. Looks like half throws (no windmills) and his wrist-only throws were laser like as well.

 

Walter has the fire. You can see his disgust with his own play when on the sidelines. Threw his helmet, etc. He really wants to do better. It wasn't like Brooks laughing and shrugging it off.

 

Two of his fumbles (both recovered) were something you expect from a QB not taking snaps with the first team. They were muffs as they were hiked with a bad angle or too hard/fast than he was expecting from the center. Believe he jammed his finger on one of them. The third was stripped, great play by the defense.

 

One of the INTs was from Whitten popping the ball in the air instead of catching it or knocking it down. Wasn't Walter's fault. Another was at the end of the game where Baltimore was fell back and just was teeing off on the passes.

 

Most of Walter's passes were on target if he had the extra half-second to throw. He did blow one pass to Moss in the endzone, wide open and way too high. It was an easy TD if he threw it as a dump over the line.

 

Jordan's game improved with Walter in as well. His pass protection was better than he provided against the Chargers (week 1). Not alot of dump-offs in the Raiders offense that I've seen. He started moving the chains for 2-4 yard gains instead of no gains or losses.

 

Of importance: Walter may have made alot of mistakes this week, but do understand that he was driving the team downfield long enough to make multiple mistakes. This means he was doing somethig right long enough to do something wrong. He needs more grooming and he appears to be pretty good if given a little time.

 

He threw with confidence and did not have "happy feet." He stood in the pocket and was attentive downfield (on his receivers), rather than on his OL. He was making his checkdowns as best he could. He threw to Whitten quite abit. Unlike Brooks...

 

A sideline look: Walter took time to stand with Moss to get a feel of what Randy saw out there from his angle. He didn't have the glossed over or deer in headlights look, he was trying to understand the reads. Walter also accepted sideline chats from Sapp towards the end of the game where you can tell that Sapp was saying it'll get better and he wasn't totally to blame. Again, the boy has fire in him. Reminds me kind of Bulger (getting clobbered in a Martz offense), a big arm and studies well, but has much more emotion.

 

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Both the Raiders and the Ravens had 14 first downs. Total plays = OAK 59, BAL 66. Passing OAK 123, BAL 126.

 

The OL is the achilles heal, they are putrid. The Raiders called a lot of 7-step drop plays which were the times Walter was sacked, fumbled, saftetied, or threw INTs. They need to incorporate the shotgun or stick to 3-step drops.

 

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They have a bye this week, then play Cleveland and Frisco. Don't be surprised if they win both of them to get back to 2-2.

[Randall]

I don't know, but he looked shell-shocked fter the game yesterday.

[RaiderSteve]

I have been a Raider fan for a long time (28 years). The O line of course like other Huddlers mentioned is horrible, try putting even Manning back there and see what you get! Poor Jordan can't even get the help he needs to break a 5 yard run! Also, I don't like the play calling, I have always agreed that hiring that Tom Walsh guy or whatever his name is was a bad decision. OK so he worked at a bed and breakfast who cares thats not the bad part, he was out of the football scene for how long??? The only reason he got the job was cause Shell promised him if he ever got an NFL head coaching job again Walsh would be his man...at our expense! Now back to Shell, I like what Shell is doing so far, he's cleaning house. Obviously after a 4-12 season things just don't just magically appear...it's gonna take time. Our defense is actually showing some promise though and played very well at times yesterday. I'm still sticking to my prediction that we will win 6 games this year, I expect us to beat the Browns and the 49ers...if we don't just reserve us that #1 pick now. I do have a beef though with Shell going back to Brooks if he heals in time for our next game. Walter looked pretty decent, give him a shot, although behind that O line his career may end before it ever begins.

[Square]

I'm a frustrated LaMont Jordan owner and I know the Raiders don't look good. My point is that none of the other NFL teams with suspect O lines (or offenses in general) would look reasonable against the SD Defense and the Baltimore D. Most people would agree that both those D lines are very hostile to the run (if not the most hostile). The Raiders aren't going to be the only team that struggles offensively against them. I want to wait until after the bye and they play a weaker team before I give final judgement on Shell. I do wish they would run more shotgun or 3 step drops to protect their QB. The 7 step drop at Oakland is hard to watch and needs to be limited.

[alexgaddis]

I don't know, but he looked shell-shocked fter the game yesterday.

 

After seeing that press conference yesterday I say no way he finished the year...he will quit before the year is over...

 

ps - and what the hell is going on with Jerry Porter, play him or trade him, the guy has talent!

Edited September 18, 2006 by alexgaddis

[LooGie]

make it through the year. I believe the o-coord. is LOOOOONG GONE before then. i think he's the main problem. And whoever is calling 7 step drop back passes in the end zone. It's probably that bed and breakfast guy (his name slips me....WALSH!) but if it's Art, he's gone. What a stupid play. Almost as bad as a trick punt return play on the 50.

[LooGie]

and also, after seeing what Al Davis did last year, when Norv pulled Collins, and Davis had him put back in, I'm pretty certain that Al Davis will tell him to keep Walters in. Unless his brain is farther gone then we thought.

 

Everyone seemed to play better when Walters got in there. And we all know Randy will voice his opinion re: that situation, so I'm fairly confident that Brooks = unemployed. In about 14 years, he'll probably get a call from Al Davis (still alive and kicking no doubt) to come back as his QB coach or some crap.

[Pope Flick]

I think it's up to Shell: does he decide the game has passed him by?

 

I voted stay on, team gets better. Davis brought him in to re-establish some type of hierarchy that's been missing since Gruden. THey still had problems then, but the team has spiraled out of control ever since their Super Bowl.

 

The transition will take time, but won't ever be 100% complete because as soon as it starts to gel you can expect Al Davis to pull his usual hijinks.

 

They'll be good under Shell, but not for another seaason or two.

[FishFreak]

If Shell quits or get fired, seriously who wants that job with absolutely no control over personel or decision making? I THINK Davis realizes what a sad state the organization is in and will take some serious lumps to clean house. However, this team looks and plays like they are not prepared to succeed, unsure of the system and plays being called. That is just poor coaching and not taking advantages of the things you do well. Courtney Anderson sucks and has stone for hands. Everyone is screaming to run more 3 and 5 step drop backs with that awful O-line. And why not use Jordan more in the passing game since he's an excellent receiver? Alvis Whitthead starting? Nothing is making sense so I can't feel bad for that team or Shell.

 

I will say one thing. How come Brooks is getting bashed relentlessly when he didn't have a snowball's chance in hell against the SD and Baltimore pass rush? Then Walter comes in has 3 fumbles (1 lost), throws 3 INT's was 10 of 27 passing (37%) and guys are saying he's showing promise. The guy just doesn't look ready to me. On the flip side, the Raiders just played two top 5 defenses back to back so improvement should be coming in the next few weeks. If they are in fact cleaning house, then just start Walter from here on out and see if he's the future.

 

As for Porter, Shell needs to get over it. Release, trade or play the guy. He's a solid no. 2 that can only help the team.

[godtomsatan]

Like others have said, who's going to take over if/when Shell leaves mid-season? They waited until late February to hire him. He brought in castoffs for coordinators, and they made almost zero personnel moves of noted during free agency.

 

Bottom line is that they look like an expansion team. Not even a rebuilding squad.

[Skrappy1]

He may get fired, but I honestly don't see how he can quit. For quite some time now, there has been a lot of talk about the "good ole boy" network in the NFL, and about how no one will hire minority coaches. Shell has long been a name mentioned in support of that argument, posited to be a capable coaching candidate who no one would give an opportunity to. As awful as the Raiders have looked, if he walks away so soon, after all the support that he has received over the years, he would not only leave behind a team that looks as bad as any NFL team in memory, but he also will be labeled as a guy who didn't have the fortitude to try and see a bad situation through. Like it or not, PC or not, I think that would do a lot of damage to the prospects of other minority coaches being hired, and I think Shell knows that. He probably feels that he has to "take one for the team" here, and see the Raiders through some tangible improvement at the very least. I mean, the Raiders cannot play much worse than they have so far this season, so that is certainly a realistically attainable goal. I think we've seen through Joe Gibbs' return that reacclimating to coaching in the NFL after a long layoff is not always a smooth transition. The Raiders are putrid right now, but let's give Shell a little time, and hopefully he can turn this thing around. But even if he can't, I don't think that he can just walk away of his own accord, at least not anytime soon.

[Azazello1313]

i mean, if they go 1-15 they would improve from where they are now. i think that's about where they end up, but shell will probably make it through the year. the longer the better, as far as i'm concerned. did y'all catch that post-game press conference yesterday? talk about a deer in the headlights. best comedy i've seen since jim mora's "playoffs???" meltdown.

[Savage Beatings]

There are a few major problems going on with the Raiders (besides lack of talent in some key positions).

 

1) Owner is an idiot.

 

2) The inmates have run the asylum for a long time now... there are a lot of players on this team that are used to doing things their own way, and simply do not want to change (regardless of how it hurts the team).

 

3) In repsonse to Problem #2 (out of control players), Problem #1 (idiot owner) hired Problem #3 (Coach with the wrong approach). Art Shell tried to strong arm his way into fixing the problems with the players. Instead of responding by falling into line like a bunch of frightened High School players, they have responded by saying screw you, like a bunch of High School players. Shell will get nowhere with these guys if he keeps it up. They don't respect him.

 

Solution? Either they need to dump their problem players on a large scale, or they need a coach who's approach can reign in their sad efforts and expectations, and get them to achieve what they CANNOT at this point in time. Finding a new coach is certainly easier than cutting half your roster. Still, I would strongly recommend that they do both!

[Chavez]

he cannot quit because there is no one to give the team to - they are all new hires by him. But if this were his second or third year, I cannot imagine him making it through the season.

 

There you have it; unless Al wants to give Tom Flores a call, he is stuck with Shell. I don't see Shell walking out no matter how bad it gets.

[McBoog]

...They have a bye this week, then play Cleveland and Frisco. Don't be surprised if they win both of them to get back to 2-2.

 

 

 

Actually, I would be VERY surprised if they win either of those games.

 

They are as bad a team with as many problems as I've EVER seen. The bye week is just enough time for them to let sink in how badly they got their asses wooped and be even MORE tentative when they hit the field. They got a bad draw starting the season against those two teams. It may have been differrent if they started against Cleveland and the 9ers and then faced the Bolts and the Ravens. I have to believe the team psyche is badly damaged at this point!

 

The only team I think was more of a train wreck was my 1973 Chargers. Now that was a bad team from ownership to the bench players! The only difference between that team and the Raiders now is the rampent drug abuse that was systemic with the '73 Bolts and a few other teams.

Edited September 18, 2006 by McBoog

[Thews40]

Hard to blame Shell when he's an Al Davis puppet. Four fumbled snaps doesn't ring of "old school" football. Porter being out only makes things worse, but the D did a heck of a job last week against the Ravens. The Raiders weren't out of it at the end of the half, so the D may be the only saving grace. If a new QB can live long enough to get comfy, then it could get better, but they'll be out of it by week 6. What happens to Shell? ...he'll prolly stick it out.