The Decision That Won’t Go Away : Raiders: Key fourth-down running play against the Chargers costs Shell a night’s sleep.

You are the coach of a pro football team. You call a running play in a crucial situation, but the hole isn’t there and your strategy blows up on you.

What can you do?

Throw down your headset. Gnash your teeth. Swear a lot.

But if you are Art Shell, you can also fantasize.

You can imagine replacing that headset with a helmet, pulling a Clark Kent by ripping off your jacket to reveal a Raider uniform underneath, then rushing out onto the field, knocking those defensive linemen in every direction as you did in your playing days as a Hall of Fame offensive lineman, providing enough daylight to send your running back on his merry way.

Sunday was a day for Shell to fantasize.

Facing a 20-3 first-half deficit against the San Diego Chargers and shocked by his team’s taking the field ill prepared to play, Shell tried to ignite the Raiders’ dormant spirit with a questionable call. On fourth and three at the Charger six-yard line in the closing minute of the half, Shell decided against going to dependable kicker Jeff Jaeger for what figured to be an easy field goal, choosing instead to go for the first down and, he hoped, subsequent touchdown.

Then, rather than keeping the ball in the hands of his most reliable offensive player, quarterback Jeff Hostetler, Shell went to his unproductive running game, calling for Harvey Williams to go off left tackle. Williams got only two yards and the Raiders wound up losing, 26-24.

“You wish you could get out there,” Shell said. “As a coach, all you can do is stand on the sideline and hope things will work out. You kind of want to be able to put a uniform on and be a part of it totally.”

Every coach feels every loss. But this coach was particularly stung by this loss.

There were the ramifications. The defeat dropped the Raiders to 1-3 and gave the Chargers sole possession of first place in the AFC West at 4-0.

There were the circumstances. The Raiders, trailing, 23-3, in the third quarter, rallied to go ahead, 24-23, only to lose on a field goal by John Carney with two seconds to play.

But most of all, there was “the decision.”

Sportswriters and fans alike second-guessed Shell. Does he ever second-guess himself on a Monday morning?

“You do,” he acknowledged. “But you have to move on. If you let it hang around a whole long time, it’s going to bother you. It’s going to be a problem for you. There’s a decision that needs to be made. You have to accept that. You made the decision and you’ve got to live with it.”

Still, Shell, for one brief, uncharacteristic moment Monday, seemed about to place the blame elsewhere.

“There’s people in charge of . . . As a head coach, I accept responsibility for any call,” he said. “I don’t want to get into who was doing what and that kind of thing. Just leave it at that. The call was made. As a head coach I take responsibility on both sides of the ball. I would not second-guess myself for not kicking the ball. I had made up my mind we were not going to kick it.”

The play-calling is done by offensive coordinator Tom Walsh.

For Shell, this game has been tough to put away.

On Sunday afternoon, he watched it from the Coliseum sidelines.

On Sunday night, he watched it again on film.

In the quiet hours of Monday morning, he was still watching it again and again, playing it over in his mind as he tried unsuccessfully to sleep.

And later Monday morning, he watched it on film yet again.

“I went home last night and watched every second of the game,” Shell said. “Defense, offense and special teams. So after you watch and reflect on it, you’ve got to go on to the next day. You go to bed, wake up and come back and watch it again. You play the game over in your mind. It’s like the video is going on in your head. I didn’t sleep soundly.

“It hurts. My expectations are as high as everybody’s around here. We’ve just got to fight our way through it. I’m a fighter. And we have to fight. We have to come out punching.”

Shell’s wife, Janice, knows on nights like Sunday, it’s best to leave her husband alone.

But she did tell him, “It’s going to be OK. We’ll get it together.”

The words were appreciated.

“It’s nice,” Shell said. “I was really in the mood to hear it.”

After games like Sunday’s, does Shell ever question his choice of occupation?

“I know why I’m here,” he said. “I love the game of football. I love being around these players. I love being a part of what we’re doing. I want to win. I want them to win. I want them to feel success.”

But he also wouldn’t mind a good night’s sleep.