A little perspective on Art Shell…
Art Shell has taken over a team that has only won 13 times in three seasons. He was placed in charge - and I do mean in complete charge - of a dysfunctional team that couldn't come to terms with two different head coaches. He's taken over an offense with Quarterback, Tight End and Offensive Line issues, as well as difficult Wide Receiver attitudes. He inherited a team without an established Quarterback. From all informational reports, apart from the Raider hater portion of the media, Art Shell has been given complete control of the Raiders' team, while Al Davis attends to his health and other issues.
There are times when Art Shell must have felt like the loneliest man on Earth. He warned us, when he arrived for his second stint as head coach, that the offensive line wasn't suited for a vertical offense, and it would have to be restructured and retrained. He said that that work wouldn't be completed until near mid season. At this point in the season, the progress is certain but slow, but it is always difficult to even take an OL player from his position and to give him another. To do it with the entire OL at once multiplies the difficulty by five.
The local and national press warned us when Shell came in that he was an Al Davis retread, and that the Raiders would do no better than they did in 1994 (his last season in his previous stint). They maintained that stance until the Raiders won their first four preseason games, and then switched their stance to "the Raiders must be play off bound." Through those first four preseason wins the offense never looked completely comfortable, but the defense picked up the slack. After each win Art Shell told us that the team did okay but that they still were making too many mistakes and failing to complete plays and games. He kept to his previous schedule, ignored by the media, that he couldn't see this team being where it should be until some time around mid season.
But Shell spent the off-season working with Ryan, and shoring up his defense. He got Ryan the SS he'd been missing, and speedy LBs. And while it always seemed like Ryan was trying to put together a defense designed to stop the run, this unit has quietly become the most dynamic pass defense in football while the run defense is just beginning to put it all together. If Shell's schedule stays on track, although it still looks like more time is required, the Raiders, even after losing their first five in a row, might just make a run at it. If they falter, they have still built a solid foundation to work from with a greatly improved running game.
When Shell feels lonely, he no doubt seeks out the comfort from the second loneliest man in the NFL, Tom Walsh. Walsh has taken nothing but hammering because of his bed and breakfast management. But Walsh's role, it seems to me, has been largely missunderstood. When Shell was brought back Walsh was charged with reestablishing Raider tradition on offense. The only explanation from Shell has been "he knows what I want." After twelve years of switching back and forth between WC and Vertical, the Raiders had lost their identity of run hard and throw deep. Walsh was brought back because of the years of experience he gained while working within that offensive identity for the Raiders. I don't believe Walsh was brought here so much to run the offense as to teach others how it's supposed to work.
Consider that every time the Raiders huddle up, two plays are communicated to Walter, and he is charged with surveying the opposing defense and selecting from the two. Generally, one would believe, Walter is given a running play and a pass play. Right away, Walsh gives up the most important aspect of play calling, for it is Walter who must decide between the ground and the air. This system seems designed to teach Walter to call his own plays, and eventually only to take advice from an OC. Early reports from camp indicated that Walsh was meeting with his QBs in order to teach them the finer points of improvisation in case the called play breaks down. There is no question that this will take time for both Walter and Brooks to learn, because the trend in the NFL since the mid 1980s has been to take the QBs mind off of strategy so that he can just focus on mechanics. Eventually Walter will have to meld the two together and make his body do what his mind is thinking. The three greatest Raider regular QBs all had this ability, Stabler, Plunkett, and Gannon.
The most remarkable thing about Art Shell is that he has held this team together in spite of the losing, and in spite of the distractions. Every Shell decision has been examined and criticized. He was criticized as a tired old retread when hired, then praised as a god during camp. When the season started, and after only losing the first game, he was dubbed incompetent and the architect of one of the worst teams in the history of professional football. Early on, when disciplining players, he was praised. Then he was criticized again for being consistent with that discipline. He has been called stupid, emotionless, and unreasonably strict.
There are rumors that Art Shell is here to stay. Not necessarily as the Raiders coach, but to run the team when Al Davis becomes incapable of doing so. If that is true, Art Shell is the best choice of all. He is the best purveyor of the Raider Tradition, and he will run this team accordingly. But for him to keep this team together through losing five straight to start the season, through the Porter ridiculousness, through the Moss enjoyment "of life," through the unfair, unreasonable, and idiotic criticism by the media, he has shown himself to be NFL gold.
With four games against division rivals left to be played, it is unlikely that the Raiders will make the playoffs unless they sweep those games. But there is a foundation there to do it where the press claimed there was nothing but ashes. That's because the press never stands around long enough to wait to see what might rise out of those ashes.
There are times when Art Shell must have felt like the loneliest man on Earth. He warned us, when he arrived for his second stint as head coach, that the offensive line wasn't suited for a vertical offense, and it would have to be restructured and retrained. He said that that work wouldn't be completed until near mid season. At this point in the season, the progress is certain but slow, but it is always difficult to even take an OL player from his position and to give him another. To do it with the entire OL at once multiplies the difficulty by five.
The local and national press warned us when Shell came in that he was an Al Davis retread, and that the Raiders would do no better than they did in 1994 (his last season in his previous stint). They maintained that stance until the Raiders won their first four preseason games, and then switched their stance to "the Raiders must be play off bound." Through those first four preseason wins the offense never looked completely comfortable, but the defense picked up the slack. After each win Art Shell told us that the team did okay but that they still were making too many mistakes and failing to complete plays and games. He kept to his previous schedule, ignored by the media, that he couldn't see this team being where it should be until some time around mid season.
But Shell spent the off-season working with Ryan, and shoring up his defense. He got Ryan the SS he'd been missing, and speedy LBs. And while it always seemed like Ryan was trying to put together a defense designed to stop the run, this unit has quietly become the most dynamic pass defense in football while the run defense is just beginning to put it all together. If Shell's schedule stays on track, although it still looks like more time is required, the Raiders, even after losing their first five in a row, might just make a run at it. If they falter, they have still built a solid foundation to work from with a greatly improved running game.
When Shell feels lonely, he no doubt seeks out the comfort from the second loneliest man in the NFL, Tom Walsh. Walsh has taken nothing but hammering because of his bed and breakfast management. But Walsh's role, it seems to me, has been largely missunderstood. When Shell was brought back Walsh was charged with reestablishing Raider tradition on offense. The only explanation from Shell has been "he knows what I want." After twelve years of switching back and forth between WC and Vertical, the Raiders had lost their identity of run hard and throw deep. Walsh was brought back because of the years of experience he gained while working within that offensive identity for the Raiders. I don't believe Walsh was brought here so much to run the offense as to teach others how it's supposed to work.
Consider that every time the Raiders huddle up, two plays are communicated to Walter, and he is charged with surveying the opposing defense and selecting from the two. Generally, one would believe, Walter is given a running play and a pass play. Right away, Walsh gives up the most important aspect of play calling, for it is Walter who must decide between the ground and the air. This system seems designed to teach Walter to call his own plays, and eventually only to take advice from an OC. Early reports from camp indicated that Walsh was meeting with his QBs in order to teach them the finer points of improvisation in case the called play breaks down. There is no question that this will take time for both Walter and Brooks to learn, because the trend in the NFL since the mid 1980s has been to take the QBs mind off of strategy so that he can just focus on mechanics. Eventually Walter will have to meld the two together and make his body do what his mind is thinking. The three greatest Raider regular QBs all had this ability, Stabler, Plunkett, and Gannon.
The most remarkable thing about Art Shell is that he has held this team together in spite of the losing, and in spite of the distractions. Every Shell decision has been examined and criticized. He was criticized as a tired old retread when hired, then praised as a god during camp. When the season started, and after only losing the first game, he was dubbed incompetent and the architect of one of the worst teams in the history of professional football. Early on, when disciplining players, he was praised. Then he was criticized again for being consistent with that discipline. He has been called stupid, emotionless, and unreasonably strict.
There are rumors that Art Shell is here to stay. Not necessarily as the Raiders coach, but to run the team when Al Davis becomes incapable of doing so. If that is true, Art Shell is the best choice of all. He is the best purveyor of the Raider Tradition, and he will run this team accordingly. But for him to keep this team together through losing five straight to start the season, through the Porter ridiculousness, through the Moss enjoyment "of life," through the unfair, unreasonable, and idiotic criticism by the media, he has shown himself to be NFL gold.
With four games against division rivals left to be played, it is unlikely that the Raiders will make the playoffs unless they sweep those games. But there is a foundation there to do it where the press claimed there was nothing but ashes. That's because the press never stands around long enough to wait to see what might rise out of those ashes.
posted by BlandaRocked at 12:51 PM
5 Comments:
Hey BR...
So, the flagellation of Tom Walsh continued this week with both Rich Gannon & Lincoln Kennedy ripping on the "antiquated" and "vanilla" scheming of our OC.
You've complained in the past that Tom Walsh is not the problem. Given the woeful performance of our O as a whole, what reasons would you give for not canning Walsh at the end of the year?
I'm eager to hear your opinion, given both your experience with the Walsh-led offense of the 90s (which got Hoss and Tim Brown all in a tizzy that time around) and the Gilman system...
BR -
I'm so glad that your blog is back up and running. I really enjoy reading your posts.
I agree with your assessment and perspective on HC Shell. Shell's voice, plan, and message has been consistent and unwavering since February.
His steady hand during our darkest hour (0-5) is the reason that the players are continuing to believe in each other and work hard. His strong leadership is the reason the team has stayed unified and have abstained from the finger pointing.
In today's world of instant gratification, the internet, and information overload, the mediots seem to change their views on a dime. Or as Warren Sapp said the other day, 1 day you are in the penthouse, the next day the outhouse.
This is another reason I sincerely believe Shell was the right choice for the LONG TERM future of the Raiders. I think the plan is for him to clean up the mess from the last 3 years and build a solid foundation for the future. When you look at our team position by position, unit by unit, we are predominately a VERY young team. This bodes well for our long term future.
Horsecollar:
Finally, at the end of the season, it may come about that Walsh isn't the man for the job. But, you're right, I dont' think he's the major problem. The fact that every member of the OL is playing in another position than they played previously cannot be dismissed. The most important job with any OL is to get familiar with each other. With this OL, they have to first get comfortable with themselves.
While the job of an OLineman is not considered a "skill position," it is. As Sims and Gallery keep explaining, those skills become ingrained. They say they intellectually understand what they are supposed to be doing right now, but during the speed and pressure of the game they instictively fall back on what they did before (attempting to block the wrong man or block him in the wrong way). I believe that both Shell and Walsh are attempting to keep things as simple as possible until they feel comfortable with the progress of the OL.
I think that primarily Walsh was brought here to teach (and he is reportedly and outstanding teacher). He's teaching the other coaches the intricacies of the Gilman offense, and he's teaching Brooks and Walter. As I've said before, Walter isn't only given one play going into the huddle - he's given two. He's also free to check to another play should he deem it necessary. While I haven't heard anybody say it directly, all indications are that the Raiders are attempting to design a system to be run by the QB on the field. Clearly this makes Walter's job learning that much more complex. And I think that's why Shell has not been hard on Walter. So, a lot of the time where it looks like Walsh called a bad play, it was an option provided by Walsh, but Walter chose the wrong play among the choices he was given.
Here's a comment that explains a lot about Art Shell's coaching philosophy. He made this statement regarding Aaron Brooks:
"Right now, Andrew is the quarterback. Aaron has to do a lot to show me he's ready to play. It's not that you come out, 'OK, I'm ready to go.' I have to see it."
And so it is with every aspect of Shell's philosophy. You want to run a screen? Show me that you can run a screen. A poorly run screen leads to disaster. We saw exactly what kind of disaster in, what was it?, the Cleveland game, when Jordan failed to pull in a bad pass, the ball was ruled a fumble and returned by the defense.
There is no question the defense is well ahead of the offense. We didn't realize how much ahead until this last weekend. If the Raiders manage to eek their way into the playoffs with an overly simplistic offense, Shell and Ryan will deserve Coach of the Year honors.
BR: great post!
I've stood behind a rebuilding since the post-superbowl collapse. Now, I'm excited that a solid foundation is being placed. Can't wait to see what lies ahead.
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