Hoping for Less Hassle, Raiders Hire Jim Fassel

The Raiders have reached an agreement with Jim Fassel, former offensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos, to become the quarterback coach and call the offensive plays.

Fassel’s hiring, which has not yet been announced, was the first offensive change made by new Coach Mike White. Joe Bugel was hired last month by owner Al Davis to be a senior assistant for the offense.

What remains unclear, however, is the fate of Tom Walsh, who served as offensive coordinator last season but clashed with quarterback Jeff Hostetler over the play-calling.

That is not expected to happen with Fassel, who worked with Hostetler for two seasons in New York when Fassel was quarterback coach of the Giants in 1991 and offensive coordinator in 1992.

Fassel took the same route in Denver, serving as quarterback coach in 1993 and offensive coordinator last season. He lost his job when Coach Wade Phillips was fired. Fassel applied for Phillips’ job, but never had a chance at it because owner Pat Bowlen had already zeroed in on Mike Shanahan as his choice.

The Raiders, criticized in recent years for having an outmoded offense, now have a triumvirate to direct their attack. White, promoted from assistant to head coach earlier this month, made his reputation as an offensive specialist. Bugel, former coach of the Arizona Cardinals, has long been admired by Davis for his football knowledge.

And now comes Fassel, 46, a former quarterback going all the way back to his days at Anaheim High. He led Fullerton College to a 25-1 record over two seasons and the national junior college title in 1967.

After that, Fassel was all over the football map. He played at USC and Long Beach State, was drafted by the Chicago Bears and later went to the Houston Oilers and the San Diego Chargers before beginning his coaching career at Fullerton in 1973. Fassel was also a player-coach with Hawaii in the now-defunct World Football League and was later credited with recruiting quarterback John Elway for Stanford.

Fassel is known for his imaginative offensive strategies.

*

Raider Notes

Former Raider coach Art Shell appears close to landing a job as an offensive assistant with the Kansas City Chiefs. He met with Coach Marty Schottenheimer and offensive coordinator Paul Hackett on Monday. Earlier, Shell had interviewed with Ray Rhodes, new coach of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Raider cornerback Lionel Washington, an unrestricted free agent, is visiting the Denver Broncos and Detroit Lions this week. But Bruce Allen, the Raiders’ director of football operations, says his team is interested in retaining Washington, 34 and a 12-year veteran who lost his starting job last season to Albert Lewis.

The Raiders have hired Hall of Fame cornerback Willie Brown as director of squad development. Brown, 54, spent 22 years in silver and black as player and coach and was most recently coach at Los Angeles Jordan High. He will, according to Coach Mike White, “work hand in hand with me in every phase of squad relations, such as their career planning in and out of football, their role in our community, their educational pursuits and many, many other areas.”