Ron Borges

Since Art Shell last coached the Raiders in 1994, Oakland has finished .500 or worse eight times. They have won a total of 13 games the past three seasons. They have become a team that has forgottten how to win.

Owner Al Davis said many times over those dismal years that he never should have fired Shell, but he refused to reach out to him until this past offseason, after Louisville coach Bobby Petrino and then-Steelers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt pulled out of the hunt to replace Norv Turner.

Now Shell will try to rebuild a team that has talent but nowhere near as much talent as Davis likes to believe. What the RAiders have are question marks.

If pedigree is worth anything, the offensive line should be improved.

Shell is in the Hall of Fame and so too is offensive line coach Jackie Slater. Irv Eatman, who will assist both of them, was never that good, but he was a more consistent blocker than most of the guys he'll be coaching.

But can they turn around a group that produced the 29th-ranked running game and allowed 45 sacks a year ago? That remains unclear.

The biggest move was the decision to shift Robert Gallery, the No. 2 pick in the draft two years ago, from right takle to left tackle, Langston Walker from left guard to right tackle and left tackle Barry Sims inside to left guard. Add rookie Paul McQuistan at right guard and Jake Grove at center and it's a more talented group but one that has to build chemistry. The idea is to give runner Lamont Jordan a power side to run behind, like the Raiders had when Shell and Gene Upshaw were side by side, and to assure new quarterback Aaron Brooks that the line has his back. The right side remains a concern, which is why they loaded up on the left to at least have one safe piece of real estate on offense.

Shell believes at least some of last year's sacks could have been avoided by a more nimble quarterback. Now he has one in Brooks, the ex-Saint who averaged 6.2 yards a scramble last year. Unfortuantely his accuracy and timing remain a question to be answered because he threw 17 interceptions to only 12 touchdown passes a year ago. Shell even gave a look to 38-year-old Jeff George as a last-minute backup, even though he hadn't thrown a pass in an NFL game since 2001, before cutting him late in the preseason. That hints that concerns exist either with Brooks or the ability of young backup Andrew Walter to relieve him. Or perhaps both?

Offensive production should be improved greatly by the healthy presence of one man, wide receiver Randy Moss. Moss was supposed to become the next great Raiders wide receiver when he arrived a year ago, but injuries slowed him to a crawl by his standards. Nagging hip and groin problems limited him to 60 receptions for 1,005 yards and eight scores in 2005 but he remains a dangerous threat in the vertical passing game Davis loves.

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Defensively, Oakland was among the worst in the league and improving on that will be a slow process. The Raiders took defensive players with three of their first four picks and believe their No. 1 choice, safety Michael Huff, No. 2 pick, linebacker Thomas Howard, and fourth round choice Darnell Bing, who is being converted from safety to linebacker, will have an immediate impact. How could they not?

Hot seat
Tom Walsh. The football world was stunned when Shell named Walsh as his offensive coordinator. Not because he can't coach but because no one could remember the last time he had. Walsh has been out of the NFL since 1994 and out of football entirely since 1999. His last job was running a bed-and-breakfast in Idaho. Walsh inherits an offense with some talent but one that was 23rd in the NFL in points last season. His work is cut out for him, starting with explaining to his players where he's been the past 12 years.

Overheard
Shell has made clear he wants his team to use power running from Lamont Jordan to help them control the ball and limit the shots at his defense. "We're going to be running downhill,'' Shell has said, meaning inside between the tackles. That's because the Raiders averaged 25 carries in the games they won last season and 17 in the ones they lost last year.

Outlook
Brighter. Not sunny yet but brighter. The Raiders could surprise if everything goes well, but that requires a lot of ifs and maybes to become sures. It starts with the erratic Brooks and the offensive line and filters down to a defense that has yet to discover many playmakers. Shell may eventually bring the Raiders back to the glory he knew when he played there, but the future might not be now for him or for his team.

Prediction
Fourth.

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