Raiders AFC Rule

The Oakland Raiders found their replacement for Kerry Collins, signing for former New Orleans quarterback Aaron Brooks to a two-year contract Wednesday worth about $8 million.
The 29-year-old Brooks gives new Raiders coach Art Shell a proven starter to compete with veteran backup Marques Tuiasosopo and second-year pro Andrew Walter. Brooks was cut last week by New Orleans when the Saints signed Drew Brees, one of the most coveted free agents available this year.

"It was a win-win scenario," said Brooks' agent, Mason Ashe. "They have a lot of potential, a lot of firepower. It looked like they were just missing the ingredient he adds — a quarterback of his caliber who has his skills."

The contract includes a number of incentives based on Brooks' performance. He started 13 games for New Orleans last season, completing 240 of 431 passes for 2,882 yards and 13 touchdowns. He threw 17 interceptions.

"Oh, sweet," receiver Alvis Whitted said in a phone interview. "I'm glad that we do have a new quarterback. I'm sure he'll fit right in with what we're trying to get done here. I'm sure the coaches are excited. From what I've seen of him play, he's done some great things. He's very athletic, a mobile quarterback and very intelligent, too. He's a great fit for us, and we're happy to have him."

Brooks, who had started 82 straight games before being benched for the final three games of 2005, spent the past six seasons with the Saints after playing for Green Bay in his first NFL campaign in 1999.

Brooks, a fourth-round draft pick by the Packers out of Virginia, was one of few capable quarterbacks left on the market this offseason.

"Aaron gives us great depth at the quarterback position and provides us with a veteran presence," Shell said.

Oakland parted ways with Collins on March 10 in an expected move that saves them $9.2 million against the salary cap once bonuses are factored into the figures.

The 33-year-old Collins went 7-21 record in two years as Oakland's starter and said at the end of the season he was willing to restructure his deal but would not play for "peanuts."

When the team cut Collins, Shell was left to consider Tuiasosopo and Walter as leading candidates for the position.

Tuiasosopo has just two starts in his five-year career. In 2003, he replaced the injured Rich Gannon to start against the Detroit Lions but suffered a season-ending injury to his left knee in the first half.

Tuiasosopo started one game last season against the New York Jets after Collins was benched but turned the ball over four times in the 26-10 loss and Collins regained the starting job the following week.

Walter, a third-round pick out of Arizona State last year, didn't play as a rookie. He threw for 85 touchdowns and 10,617 yards during his college career.

The Raiders scored only 51 points, with just six touchdowns, in their final five games and lost their last six overall and eight of nine despite an offense featuring Collins, Randy Moss, LaMont Jordan and Jerry Porter. At 4-12, they finished with one fewer victory than in fired coach Norv Turner's first season a year ago.

Perhaps the most glaring statistic is Oakland's failure to win a division game for the first time since owner Al Davis came aboard in 1963 to coach and eventually own the team. The Raiders went 1-11 against the AFC West during Turner's two seasons.

Brooks is ready to help turn things around for a franchise that has flopped since reaching the 2003 Super Bowl and losing to Tampa Bay.

"He respects the tradition of the team," Ashe said. "They treated him with a lot of respect and came out aggressively to get him. It's a pretty nice opportunity to be THE guy."

The 2006 season can't come soon enough for a Raiders team eager to distance itself from the disappointment of 2005. As it turns out, they are one of two teams that start the upcoming season sooner than any other.

The league confirmed today that the Raiders and Philadelphia Eagles are scheduled to kick off the season with an exhibition game in Canton, Ohio, on Aug. 6 at 5 p.m.

That works out well for Raiders managing general partner Al Davis and other organization members who already planned on attending the induction ceremony of former Raiders coach John Madden into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the 2006 class the day before the game.

It also works out well for new coach Art Shell. He now is permitted to coach an extra game and get in an extra week of practice, whereas most teams have only four games scheduled.

The Raiders also learned that their second exhibition game is on the road against the Minnesota Vikings in what will be the first game for Raiders wide receiver Randy Moss against his former team. The game is scheduled for Aug. 14 at 5 p.m. on ESPN.

The Raiders conclude their exhibition schedule with home games against the 49ers and Detroit Lions and a road game against the defending NFC champion Seattle Seahawks. The dates and times of these games won't be announced until next month, at the earliest.

The Seattle game gives Oakland a sneak peek at one of their regular-season opponents and its first look at the Seahawks' new stadium. Oakland last played in Seattle in 2001, when both teams were part of the AFC West.

In other news, Lions quarterback Joey Harrington visited the Miami Dolphins as part of his coast-to-coast tour of prospective employers. He then left for a visit with the Cincinnati Bengals, with the Raiders a potential stopping point.

Shell told reporters at the NFL meetings in Orlando, Fla., on Tuesday that he intends to view videotape of Harrington's four seasons with the Lions before deciding whether it's worth trading for him.

"There has to be something there for somebody to pick him third overall," Shell said. "At the time he was coming out, a lot of people liked him. So, he's a talented guy. You've just got to figure out, can he come in and fit into what you're trying to do? ... You try to evaluate what he's done when he's been there, what he was being asked to do."

Harrington, 27, compiled an 18-37 record as a starter for the Lions from 2002-05. Lions coach Rod Marinelli has said that Jon Kitna or Josh McCown will be his starting quarterback and that Harrington no longer is part of the picture. The Lions granted Harrington permission to speak with the Raiders and a handful of other teams.

The Lions reportedly are seeking a first-day pick -- one of the first three rounds -- in next month's NFL draft. Harrington is slated to earn $4.45 million each of the next two seasons and pocket a $4.5 million roster bonus June 15. Therefore, he likely would have to agree to a renegotiated contract before a trade is consummated.

Notes: Oakland hired former Steelers and Browns defensive lineman Darryl Sims as an assistant defensive line coach. He was the defensive coordinator for the World Bowl XIII champion Amsterdam Admirals in NFL Europe last season. ... The contract signed by Raiders quarterback Aaron Brooks eight days ago calls for him to earn $2 million in base salary this season and only $720,000 in 2007. He received a hefty signing bonus, as well. His deal also features numerous incentives that could net him even more money.

This was it for Art Shell. No more of having his name being brought up for every NFL head-coaching job that came open, only to fail in landing one.
Enough was enough.

"There comes a time when you have to shut it off, let it go, and say it's not going to happen," Shell said.

Thirteen years after he was fired by the Oakland Raiders, and after years spent hoping for another chance, it has happened for Shell. The Raiders brought him back in February as their head coach with the idea he would bring the Raiders Mystique back, something that is sorely needed.

As he sat surrounded by reporters at the AFC coaches breakfast at the NFL Winter Meetings, Shell said he is thrilled to be back coaching again. You can see it in his smile. He seems happy and content.

"We haven't started playing games yet," he said.

Getting him back is the right thing for the Raiders. Shell deserves another chance.

So why in the heck did it take so long? Was it because he was the first black coach of the modern era and people assumed he had failed? Was it because some considered him nothing more a puppet for Davis when he was the coach? What took so long?

"I don't know," Shell said. "I got to the point where I kept telling people they couldn't ask me that. Ask the people doing the hiring."

In the 13 years since he was let go, Shell worked as an assistant before landing a job with the league office. Coaching was still in his blood, but he was almost resigned to the fact it wouldn't happen again. He had a handful of interviews over the years, including with Davis in 1998, but he instead hired Jon Gruden.

"There's some frustration, but you can't get involved in that because it will drive you crazy," Shell said. "So you have to get involved in other things, which I did. I moved on as an assistant coach and I moved on to the NFL office. You can't let those things deter you, so you move on another mound of cheese to choose from. You can't get angry. What are you going to do? Fight somebody? Hit somebody? You just have to move on."

Even this job didn't look good. The Raiders courted Louisville coach Bob Petrino, Steelers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt and others, but none would bite. That's when Davis turned to Shell.

He was coming home, bringing with him the old Raiders ways, the commitment to excellence. Players will know the storied history of this team, Shell said.

Remember when the Oakland Raiders used to symbolize something in the NFL, a mean, nasty team that won a lot of football games, beating up their opponent as they did so.

Just Win, Baby. People noticed The Silver and Black, their merchandise becoming a top seller all over the country.

The Raiders had street cred.

The past three years, wearing Oakland Raiders stuff meant you were old school. Who would dare be caught dead wearing the silver-and-black from a team that has won 13 games the past three years?

On the street that would be Just Sin, Baby; it's Silver and Yecch.

So Al Davis, he of the slicked-back hair and black and white sweatsuits, turned to the past to bring back the glory.

Art Shell is that past.

The former Raiders tackle, who is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, previously coached the Raiders from 1989-94 and posted a winning record, going 56-41 (counting playoffs) and actually had a winning record in 1994, the year he was fired.

That was the year that the puppet talk started, that Davis pulled all the strings. That talk heated up when Shell benched Marcus Allen that year, a move many said was made by Davis.

It was the beginning of the end for Shell.

Davis has since hinted that the firing was a decision he regretted, and the Raiders have been searching for stability ever since. They had the Super Bowl season four years ago, but for the most part this has been a floundering franchise, not nearly living up to the Raiders of old.

"You sit there and you watch the organization lose and you have people asking what's up with you team," Shell said. "I didn't like to see what I saw from the Raiders. That's not the Raiders. That's a team showing up."

Bringing back Shell is a start. The talent level also has to be upgraded, and the team will have a new starting quarterback in 2006, with Aaron Brooks the likely starter. The defense has to be upgraded.

Shell has been spending his first month and half on the job catching up on his own team as well as working on free agency, the draft and putting together a quality staff.

He was asked if it's been whirl wind.

"Whirl wind?" he said. "I'm still going around."

Art Shell is back where he belongs. He finally has that second chance he deserved. He does so knowing that the trail he once blazed as the first black coach of the modern era has paid off for others.

As he talked Tuesday, coaches Tony Dungy of the Colts and Herm Edwards of the Chiefs talked at tables next to him. Across the way was Marvin Lewis of the Cincinnati Bengals.

That makes Shell happy.

"As the first of the modern era, I'm proud of that," Shell said. "I also said at the time when I got the job that I had to have some success in order for this thing to be one that would work. I think I had some success. I created opportunities for others come along. I'm proud of that. What has happened is exiting to see. And it can only get better. It will get better."

Some will say being away as a head coach for 13 years is a long time. Didn't Joe Gibbs have some adjustments when he came back as a head coach? The game, they will say, has changed.

Shell doesn't buy it, although he does say there is more zone-blitzing now than when he left in the 1990s.

"You still run the football, you still have to tackle," Shell said. "The Steelers identity has not changed from when I played or coached. They're going to run the football, they're going to play-action pass and they're going to play tough defense. So when you have people say football is on the cutting edge, the cutting edge of what? You can't reinvent the wheel. You can't reinvent the game."

You can, however, go home again.

Art Shell is back where he belongs. Now if only Davis would leave him alone, but that's about as likely as seeing Davis in something other than black or white.