Los Angeles Raiders History: The Late '80s, Pt. Two

(For the earlier portion of the story, simply click Raiders-History-The-late-80-s-Revisited-160508">here)

As Shanahan became the head coach for the Raiders, it was obvious that plenty of things would be different.

The difference, people would soon learn, was like day and night.

First thing, out of the gate, was a transition from the old guard, to a younger team. Players like Dokie Williams, Todd Christensen, and Michael Haynes, within a year, all left quickly. Jim Plunkett, all set to return, was told by Shanahan that he wasn't needed anymore...a real surprise, as Marc Wilson, left and then signed with the Patriots.

The solution, as it were, turned out to be bittersweet. The Raiders traded for Jay Schroeder from the Redskins...but it also was a trade that cost the Raiders more than they thought. Giving Jim Lachey to them, Washington gained a player who would be a Pro Bowler for years.

Meanwhile, the QB turned out to be part of a parade of poor choices.

Shanahan's first year ended out at 7-9. But, like selling your stuff at the garage sale, and then burning the garage...the damage was done.

The next season, 1989, had the Raiders starting out roughly. With Shanahan, they were 1-3, dropping the last three. One thing that also didn't set well with the fans was the loss of Tim Brown early in the season.

Al Davis knew something needed to be done.

This was when Art Shell first came into the picture.

Art, as it was, was old school Raiders. He had a long pedigree in the game, he was well liked by fans and teammates. Some were still on the squad.

Art's task was to restore his team's image.

For this season, there were two QBs being used. One was Schroeder, and the other would be in the league for a long time, Steve Beuerlein. For this season, Steve's TD-INT numbers were better, as well yardage, but again, he was picked up in 1987, missed a year with injury...and some felt that Steve was damaged goods.

The Raiders that year just missed the playoffs, losing the last game of the season to the Giants. At 8-8, it would have made good cover...but at least the Raiders' next season would improve.

Now, here's where the open question comes in. How much of this team's turnaround is because of Art's style of coaching, and how much of it is from Shanahan's player training and tempo?

Art had a way to inspire his players. Shanahan seemed to get them fighting among themselves. Shanahan almost had a complete riot on his hands when he lit into some players for sitting on their helmets...to him, it was like spitting on a cross...to the Raiders, it was just a way, without a bench, to get a quick seat.

Back to the season. I'll add in 1990 for two reasons. It added up the overhaul that Shanahan did in his career...but as well, it showed that when Art's team finally got running, it could do some things.

The season went 12-4. Art was named Coach of the Year for his efforts, and the team was running like a well-oiled machine. Sadly, disaster hit the team, as Bo Jackson was felled by a career-ending injury. The next week, Buffalo didn't waste any time in destroying the Raiders.

We can take credit for this: Buffalo spent so many points on us...they didn't have enough for the Super Bowl. Small joke.

But in this year, we had several things occur.

Tim Brown started to develop into an all-around weapon. Time and again, Shanahan vied for his talent, even forcing Oakland to lock up Tim for a long term contract. Hey, we'll take that burden, easy.

We continued to watch Marcus Allen rot on the bench. This has to be a glaring black eye...after all, with Bo Jackson gone, shouldn't we dust off the rocket for some more fun?

Al would speak nothing of it, and Allen's time was spent gaining a little over 1,100 in his last three years with the Raiders. And then, he would return the favor with Kansas City. Ouch.

Ironically, for the players who left because of Shanahan, none came back. Or for that matter, played again. Dokie Williams, who was seen in training camp with the Browns, was cut. Todd Christensen simply retired. Howie Long lasted until 1993, then hung it up. Some say he could have kept playing, but he was also a smart man, retiring when he did.

So, from the train wreck of 1985 to 1990, Oakland went through three head coaches...a major overhaul.

Some choices you grit your teeth about, hope for better times, and you know, sometimes it works.

Other times, you'd like to throw something.

Raider on, faithful.