ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Al Davis had grown sick of watching his rivals beat up on the Oakland Raiders, outplaying, outcoaching and even out-toughing his team.
The swagger that once made the Raiders the NFL's most intimidating team and contributed so much to his mantras of "Commitment to Excellence" and "Just Win Baby" had long left the franchise.
After suffering through three straight losing seasons for the first time since joining the franchise more than four decades ago, Davis reached back into the past to try to restore that aura.
Davis introduced Art Shell as his new coach Saturday, bringing back his former Hall of Fame offensive lineman and head coach to turn his struggling organization around.
"It may take us a short while, but we'll get that nastiness of the Raiders back," Davis said. "That's one of the reasons I'm going to depend on the great Art Shell to help us get that done."
Davis admitted Shell was the team's second choice after Louisville coach Bobby Petrino turned down an offer. And Shell will have a tough job ahead of him.
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| Shell has been out of coaching since 2000, when he coached Atlanta's offensive line. (AP) |
Davis talked about how much the Broncos, Chiefs and Chargers hate the Raiders and he wants a coach who can instill the importance of that rivalry into his players. Shell is ready for the challenge.
"When you walk out there, when you into that stadium, you walk out there with a presence. Mr. Davis called it a swagger," Shell said. "I just want to get back to the point where when we walk into a stadium, they know the Raiders are in town. And when we walk into the Coliseum, the Raiders are here. ... We've got to create that attitude, and that's what I expect to do."
Shell hasn't been a head coach since the Raiders fired him following the 1994 season and hasn't worked on the sidelines at all since leaving his job as an assistant with the Atlanta Falcons five years ago.
Even though he has spent the last five years in the NFL office, Shell is confident the game has not passed him by. Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan is staying with the team and Shell will have to hire an offensive coordinator after Jimmy Raye left to take a job with the New York Jets.
Shell's style will be a familiar one, harkening back to the Raiders' glory years.
"Everybody has a way of doing things. The Raiders have a way of doing things. We're about winning. And we will win," Shell said. "We will be tough. We will be power. And I want the ability, as always to strike from anywhere on the field. That's important to me."
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