Raiders re-hire Art Shell

[Deattribution]

Raiders Go Back To Future, Hire Shell
The mystery is over for Raider Nation: Art Shell will be Oakland's "new" coach, reports John Clayton. Shell coached the Raiders from 1988 to 1994, compiling a 56-41 record before being fired in a move Al Davis always says he regretted


'Breaking' news on ESPN.com... no article yet... He might've been a good coach, but isn't that quite a hefty break for a relatively unsuccessful coach?

[Deattribution]

After considering outsiders such as Ken Whisenhunt, Bobby Petrino and Mike Martz, the Raiders went with one of their own and hired Art Shell as their new coach.

Shell will be announced Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET as the new coach of the Raiders. He replaced Norv Turner, who was fired after two seasons and went to the 49ers as offensive coordinator.

In hiring Shell, Raiders boss Al Davis was able to correct a mistake he made more than a decade ago. Davis has said for years he made a mistake in firing Shell after the 1994 season. Shell, who was 56-41 as the Raiders head coach from 1988 to 1994, will get a chance to right that wrong.

Shell was working for the NFL when he was called by Davis last week to interview for the job. Shell flew to Oakland and interviewed last Thursday. Once Whisenhunt, the Steelers offensive coordinator, decided to stay with the Steelers and informed the Raiders of his intentions Thursday, Davis put in a call to Shell.

Shell, who was in Tampa working for the league, got on a flight as soon as possible and made it to the Raiders office Friday.

After meeting with Davis most of Friday afternoon, he was offered the job and his agent worked out the contract Friday evening.

Other than Jon Gruden, Shell was the last head coach of the Raiders to have a winning record. Mike White, Joe Bugel, Bill Callahan and Turner followed Shell and failed to produce a wining record.

In the end, Davis kept it in the family and hired Shell.

John Clayton is a senior writer for ESPN.com.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2326498

[ISiddiqui]

HAW HAW!

[Wolfpack]

'Breaking' news on ESPN.com... no article yet... He might've been a good coach, but isn't that quite a hefty break for a relatively unsuccessful coach?

You're not measuring him against the last few years, though. He's a blinding supernova by comparison.

[IwasHere]

After considering outsiders such as Ken Whisenhunt, Bobby Petrino and Mike Martz, the Raiders went with one of their own and hired Art Shell as their new coach.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2326498


Shouldn't that read:
After Being turned down by Ken Whisenhunt, Bobby Petrino and Mike Martz, the Raiders went with one of their own and hired Art Shell as their new coach.

[Ksyrup]

What spin. Yes, I'm sure Davis' first inclination was to right a wrong. That's always been his style...


ESPN's John Clayton reports Steelers' offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt is no longer a part of the Raiders' head coaching search.
Art Shell and Jim Fassel are now the top candidates. Louisville's Bobby Petrino was allegedly offered the job, but turned it down. Whisenhunt will be first in line for coaching vacancies in 2007. Feb. 9 - 4:02 pm et


Jim Fassel could have a shot at the Raiders' head coaching job, as Steelers' offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt has been apprehensive about heading to Oakland.
League insiders say Steelers' offensive coordinator doesn't want to get caught in the (silver and) black hole that is the Oakland franchise and would rather wait for 2007. "He'd be one of the top candidates next season and could probably pick his job," said one league source. Possible openings for '07 could be in Baltimore, Tennessee, Jacksonville, San Diego, Dallas, Atlanta, Arizona, and Seattle. Feb. 9 - 12:05 pm et

[biological warrior]

Im surprised Shell hasn't gotten another HC job in 12 years he's been out.

[cthomer5000]

Blast from the past, baby.

[cthomer5000]

dola. bring back Bo Jackson, Jay Schroeder, and "Swervin'" Meryvn Fernandez and we REALLY have a story!

[Barkeep49]

Im surprised Shell hasn't gotten another HC job in 12 years he's been out.
I agree. Considering Joe Bugel was able to go to two teams as has Dick Juaron it does seem that Art Shell deserved another chance.

[Desnudo]

Considering the dross being hired around the league, it's a joke that he wasn't given a second chance.

[Ragone]

Just Recycle baby!

[Abe Sargent]

What spin. Yes, I'm sure Davis' first inclination was to right a wrong. That's always been his style...


ESPN's John Clayton reports Steelers' offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt is no longer a part of the Raiders' head coaching search.
Art Shell and Jim Fassel are now the top candidates. Louisville's Bobby Petrino was allegedly offered the job, but turned it down. Whisenhunt will be first in line for coaching vacancies in 2007. Feb. 9 - 4:02 pm et


Jim Fassel could have a shot at the Raiders' head coaching job, as Steelers' offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt has been apprehensive about heading to Oakland.
League insiders say Steelers' offensive coordinator doesn't want to get caught in the (silver and) black hole that is the Oakland franchise and would rather wait for 2007. "He'd be one of the top candidates next season and could probably pick his job," said one league source. Possible openings for '07 could be in Baltimore, Tennessee, Jacksonville, San Diego, Dallas, Atlanta, Arizona, and Seattle. Feb. 9 - 12:05 pm et


A possible opening in Jacksonville? What are these people smoking? Del Rio has been really good in J'ville.

-Anxiety

[Young Drachma]

Aah yes. Now all we need is Cito Gaston to be rehired by the Blue Jays and we'll have completed the black coaches/managers who were good but seemingly can't rehired circle.

I'm happy for Art Shell, but I just don't understand how these owners get to treat people this way and make it seem legit. Meh.

"You're my sixth choice. That worked for Ty Willingham at Notre Dame, no?"

[ISiddiqui]

Considering the dross being hired around the league, it's a joke that he wasn't given a second chance.Wasn't there a rumor that he was a real pain in the ass to work with or something?

[Ragone]

I think del rio wants the cowboy job or somesuch.. no idea really

[stevew]

If the Atlanta job came open, I would be interested to see what Whiz could put together for Vick.

[Ksyrup]

Who's to say it would be Jacksonville's choice for Del Rio to leave?

[miami_fan]

When was the last time a head coach has been hired with the rest of his staff already in place? That just seems like a setup for failure

[clintl]

'Breaking' news on ESPN.com... no article yet... He might've been a good coach, but isn't that quite a hefty break for a relatively unsuccessful coach?

A 56-41 career record that includes a trip to the AFC Championship Game is "relatively unsuccessful"?

[Young Drachma]

A 56-41 career record that includes a trip to the AFC Championship Game is "relatively unsuccessful"?


Glad someone else said it, 'cuz I saw that last night and wondered if my eyes were playing tricks on me.

[waltwal]

ok i think there were about 10 so-called head coaching jobs open in the nfl this year. take out the raiders and just consider the other 9 or so teams. if you took the top 10 list from each of those teams do u think art shell was on any list?

the real kicker tho is that no one wanted the raiders job because they knew that al davis meddles and has no respect for the head coach but with the exception of maybe a couple of teams is any other nfl owner any different. the typical nfl owner invites 25 or so people to his box on sunday, has a little too much too drink, his team loses and he decides too fire the head coach because artie's wife doesn't think he is a good play caller.

i have a feeling that when art is fired (replaced)it won't even be announced but one day another guy (biletnikoff, otto, etc.)will just show up in his place and no one will even notice.

[Surtt]

I think this is just another way fro Al Davis to screw with the league.
Wasn't Shell the guy everyone would interview just to comply with the minority interview rule?

[Young Drachma]

I don't think Shell was part of the minority interview tour anymore. He left that to assistants and such.

But still, I hate the way this happened. I think if you're Shell, you never get a shot again - I mean, no one is gonna hire him - so you take this and parlay it either into a different gig in the NFL as a high-priced coordinator or just to bide your time.

That said, I don't expect him to be worst than Norv Turner or Bill Callahan. I just hate how these sorts of things happen to only certain types of coaches.

[waltwal]

art shell certainly is no worse than norv turner or bill callaghan and probably is no worse than bill cowher either.when u analyze football coaches most of them are about the same. they all go to the same clinics, have similar assistants and put in 18 hours a day. football coaches are generally good coaches with varying degrees of talent on their team. of course there are some guys that aren't very good but for the most part if u have a good owner you will have a good coach.

if u sat and talked to norv turner, callaghan or shell you would be amazed at their knowledge of the game but not all jobs are equal. vince lombardi would win if he coached the 49ers and eddie d was the owner. lombardi would lose if he coached the 49ers and york is the owner.

the head coach is an important cog in a very large wheel. if owners have patience and are willing to do the right things most coaches will eventually win but since there are few good owners it just doesn't happen that way.
art shell will not win with the raiders because al davis is a meddling owner who has lost it. i have known 3 people who have worked for the raiders and the stories they tell would make it very clear that this is an organization that should be avoided if at all possible. but the raiders have about 20 football jobs and my guess is that every spot pays over $100,000 so there will always be people who are willing to put up with a job that they know is al loser.

i do think there is one area that may separate coaches and that is their ability to deal with players. it seems like cowher and parcells excel in this area but i would think that bellichick does not. this is not an area that is easy to define and i think you would have to be very close to a team to see which coaches excel in this area. bellichick does not seem to be much of an outgoing person but apparently he seems to be able to get alot out of his players. in the oakland raider organization since every coach is undercut by davis there is no way that they can command the respect of the players thus regardless of their knowledge of the game it is difficult to succeed actually impossible.

[MizzouRah]

When they lose games will the headlines read, "Raiders of the lost Art"?

Ok, that was corny.

[kentontrace]

When they lose games will the headlines read, "Raiders of the lost Art"?

Ok, that was corny.
but watch - i'm sure it will be used

[Deattribution]

A 56-41 career record that includes a trip to the AFC Championship Game is "relatively unsuccessful"?


a trip to the AFC Championship Game. Callahan took the raiders to the superbowl. In the NFL winning it all is the only thing that really certifies you. So what's your point?

I didn't say a complete failure, it just wasn't the second coming of Vince Lombardi either.

You're talking about what? like a 12 year absence... Joe Gibbs has struggled adapting, and he won 3 super bowls. Yeah, the Skins made the playoffs but it wasn't because of Gibb's offense...

Norv Turner was obviously fired because he did an unsatisfactory job, and Al Davis wants to win now, not later... Shell isn't exactly a proven commodity in this day and age.

[kcchief19]

a trip to the AFC Championship Game. Callahan took the raiders to the superbowl. In the NFL winning it all is the only thing that really certifies you. So what's your point?

I didn't say a complete failure, it just wasn't the second coming of Vince Lombardi either.

You're talking about what? like a 12 year absence... Joe Gibbs has struggled adapting, and he won 3 super bowls. Yeah, the Skins made the playoffs but it wasn't because of Gibb's offense...

Norv Turner was obviously fired because he did an unsatisfactory job, and Al Davis wants to win now, not later... Shell isn't exactly a proven commodity in this day and age.There are a lot of coaches less successful that Shell was who have gotten second and third chances -- see Turner, Norv. It's odd he never got a second shot.

A difference between Shell and Gibbs is that Gibbs was completely out of football for more than a decade, while Shell has been in the game ever since. I think the biggest struggle Gibbs has had is that he's still getting used to the speed and style of the game. I wouldn't say the game has passed him by, but he's still adjusting.

That said, I don't know how successful Shell will be. The team is a shabbles -- the little talent that have is a head case. But then again, I think Shell coached up his earlier Raider teams.

I like Art Shell and I'd like to see him succeed ... just somewhere rather than Oakland. It's unfortunate he's getting this chance just because nobody else wanted the job. If Al Davis really wanted to right a wrong, he didn't need to offer the job to 15 other guys and get turned down before going to Shell.

[Raiders Army]

a trip to the AFC Championship Game. Callahan took the raiders to the superbowl. In the NFL winning it all is the only thing that really certifies you. So what's your point?
Huge difference there. Even if Bill Callahan had won the Super Bowl, it would've been with Gruden's team...just like Gruden won with Dungy's team. I'm not trying to minimize Gruden's accomplishment, but he was the little bit that put the Buccs "over the edge". Callahan, on the other hand, just used a team that Gruden created and got to the Superbowl.

Art Shell, on the other hand, did it all himself.

I'm sorry, but I'm tired of Al Davis at this point. The Raiders have more talent than anyone else, but they always underachieve. I cannot help but attribute this to the majority owner, Al Davis.* Until he leaves, I doubt that greatness will ever come back to the Silver and Black.

*I'd also like to say that he was the man back in the day, but let it go...JoePa had to.

[clintl]

a trip to the AFC Championship Game. Callahan took the raiders to the superbowl. In the NFL winning it all is the only thing that really certifies you. So what's your point?





You are dead wrong. There are lots of highly respected coaches who have never won a Super Bowl. Shell's not among the great coaches of all time, but he was pretty successful when you consider that Jay Schroeder was the Raider QB for most the time Shell was the head coach.

[Eaglesfan27]

You are dead wrong. There are lots of highly respected coaches who have never won a Super Bowl. Shell's not among the great coaches of all time, but he was pretty successful when you consider that Jay Schroeder was the Raider QB for most the time Shell was the head coach.

Hey! Don't knock Jay Schroeder ;)

[Grammaticus]

dola. bring back Bo Jackson, Jay Schroeder, and "Swervin'" Meryvn Fernandez and we REALLY have a story!
Don't forget the "baby snake", Todd Marinovich.

[Young Drachma]

There are a lot of coaches less successful that Shell was who have gotten second and third chances -- see Turner, Norv. It's odd he never got a second shot.

I like Art Shell and I'd like to see him succeed ... just somewhere rather than Oakland. It's unfortunate he's getting this chance just because nobody else wanted the job. If Al Davis really wanted to right a wrong, he didn't need to offer the job to 15 other guys and get turned down before going to Shell.

I agree completely with all this.

[Mo.Raider]

Art Shell is where he belongs. For those lamenting the fact that he is going to crazy Al's dungeon (Al is the only reason the Raiders ARE the Raiders that we know), just think about what it did to poor John Madden. Al can be frustrating at times with draft picks, but no owner goes after top talent like Al. I'll take him over any other supposedly invisible owner any day. Al is not as bad as the media clowns portray him. He is the villain of the NFL that sells stories, nothing more. I can't believe how many people regurgitate the same junk the media spews without even questioning it. Do some research. Read the book Slick for starters. It gives a pretty good insight to a man who simply has a passion for his team. Most of the media stories are going to be skewed. The writers live and root for teams in their areas. It just seems to me that many act like it is high school and hate the man because "every one else does". Don't get me wrong; I like it when people hate on the Raiders because they root for a rival. I live behind enemy lines so I get a lot of flak (KC Cheat fans :p ). But these days I see a lot of rookie Raider fans calling for Al to step down. I feel the Raiders and the NFL are going to lose a lot of flavor when the original Raider passes on.

[kentontrace]

All I have to say is - I hope he does good. My brother-in-law is a Raiders fan - he also has Sunday Ticket on Direct TV - so I go over there every sunday to watch football...it gets old watching them stink. I'm a Bengals fan myself - and I had enough losing over the past 15 years - So hopefully he'll turn things around and I can watch two winning teams every Sunday! :cool:

[SFL Cat]

Al Davis has his pawn.

[Mo.Raider]

Al Davis has his pawn.

Nope, just a lifetime Raider fan that stretches back to the last of the Madden years. I have been everything Raiders since I was 5 years old. I just tire of regurgitated media swill being thrown around as fact. Take for instance a reporters stories on the west coast over the last several weeks. Said reporters first article states that Al has offered the HC position to Al Saunders. His next article claims Saunders turned the job down. The following article claims Al was too stupid to even offer Saunders the job thus blowing the Raiders chances at a top flight coach. Keep in mind the same stories at the time where lamenting the fact that the good assistants were not going to be interviewed because teams could not wait a couple of weeks until the playoffs were over. Al waits and is a "fool". Are there any facts in journalism these days or are stories driven because of personal dislikes for a team/owner.

[clintl]

Art Shell is where he belongs. For those lamenting the fact that he is going to crazy Al's dungeon (Al is the only reason the Raiders ARE the Raiders that we know), just think about what it did to poor John Madden. Al can be frustrating at times with draft picks, but no owner goes after top talent like Al.

You're talking about the Al from before the move to LA. That guy hasn't been around since 1981. Since then, he's spent more time chasing stadium deals than talent.

[Mo.Raider]

You're talking about the Al from before the move to LA. That guy hasn't been around since 1981. Since then, he's spent more time chasing stadium deals than talent.

Yes, he has aged a little, and made some mistakes (who hasn't). The only owners who haven't been chasing stadium deals are the ones that have great stadiums in place. The LA Coliseum was a terrible venue for pro football. The track around the field put the crowd too far from the action. Some of the seats were so far away that they were impossible to sell, so they began using huge tarps to cover some of them. Not to mention the stadium holds an enormous amount of people making sellouts impossible, and black outs inevitable. The NFL in its constant battle with the dissident owner sabotaged the stadium deal that was in the works for the Raiders, leaving Al no choice but to search for new digs. The move to Oakland was to bring an upgrade in facilities and sold out stadiums. PSL's have killed any chance of sellouts and marketing has been handled by the city of Oakland which has been in an ongoing lawsuit with Al. This is the one place where I think Al is in the wrong (lawsuit vs city), but has been ironed out this year. The city of Oakland and the Raiders have dropped their lawsuits respectively and the Raiders can now handle their own marketing. All of the failures of the Raiders on the field the past three years has been a wake up call for Al. I think the Raiders are about to recapture some of their old glory. One thing about it you can't match Al's passion when it comes to going after anyone who he thinks might make the Raiders better. I don't think many could see Randy Moss in anything but purple until last year.