Oakland Raiders

2006 in Review

Art Shell's tenure as coach of the Oakland Raiders began as the Raiders were blanked 27-0 at home by the San Diego Chargers. Things did not get better-- the following week as the Raiders dropped to 0-2 with a 28-6 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on the road.

The Raiders would finally earn their first win against the Arizona Cardinals, who were just six days removed from a stunning 4th Quarter comeback, and obviously still in a hangover.

A week later the Raiders would take advantage of Pittsburgh Steelers Ben Roethlisberger playing with a concussion, as the Raiders defense returned two interceptions for Touchdowns highlighted by a 100-yard return from Chris Carr as they beat the defending Super Bowl Champions 20-13, despite a paltry 98 yards total offense.

A week later the Raiders were not as fortunate as they were blanked 16-0. In the waning moments of their loss to the Seattle Seahawks a television camera caught WR Randy Moss sulking on the bench.

Unfortunately for the once proud Raiders, it looked as if nobody cared as they lost their remaining games to finish the season at 2-14. They totaled just 168 points for the season, getting shutout three times, scoring 20 or more points just four times, with their highest scoring game being their 22-9 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

Along the way the Raiders became the laughing stock of the NFL with their offensive coordinator Tom Walsh getting a bulk of the attention. Walsh would lose his job in the middle of the season as the return of Art Shell lasted just one season, with the Raiders hiring the youthful Lane Kiffin following the season. Randy Moss would also be shown the door, as the Raiders traded him to the New England Patriots for a 4th round draft pick