Stole this off the raiders board. raider writer make the arguement. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Curry was Handled Correctly The use of Ronald Curry was only one of a laundry list of things written about in this blog when it came to criticisms of the Art Shell regime. Colleague Monte Poole, writing about Curry's standing in Lane Kiffin's world, echoed many of those sentiments in a Sunday column. As the offseason progressed, however, I changed my mind. Through no fault of his own, Curry may never realize it, but he some day ought to thank Shell. Bringing Curry along slowly and gradually, as if the receiver were inching toward a finish line in a marathon, was the right thing to do. When the season ended, Curry was the Raiders leading receiver with 62 receptions for 727 yards. He had 33 of those receptions in the final 14 quarters _ his big finish starting at the precise moment Moss left for the remainder of the season with an ankle injury. Besides shattering the myth that Moss' presence was required to get Raiders receivers open, Curry's strong showing was enough so the club, facing a $5 million roster bonus, made sure he remained in Oakland. Curry could have caught more passes earlier in the season. I wrote it in this blog, much as Monte did Sunday, and dozens of you posted comments saying the same thing. Although a short-term coach, Shell was thinking long-term and showing rare perspective with a player coming off two serious injuries. He made the decision that was in the best interest of the player's health and career, even if it wasn't necessarily the best for his team. It wasn't communicated that way, of course. Shell didn't tell Curry he was putting him on ice as training camp started, letting him slowly work his way back. He didn't tell Curry that Alvis Whitted was going to be a starter for much of the season, with Curry playing almost exclusively in three-receiver sets. Not that it would have mattered. After tearing his Achilles' the first time as a Raider in December of 2004, Curry rehabbed so fast he was back on the field the following season, only to tear it again. He's a player, and it is his job to get back on the field as quickly as possible. It's the way he is wired. One of his teammates that year thought Curry never looked ready. "He was out there, limping around, it was terrible. He had no business being on the field," the player said. So Shell went in with a long-range plan and stuck to it. If Curry had been used early and often, he may not have been ready to finish so strongly. Or he may have gotten hurt again. It may not have seemed so at the time, but Shell and the medical staff did the right thing.
What a gross injustice. If Big Gay Al had any sense he'd bring back Shell and correct the grievous mistake that was his dismissal.
