SHELL GAMES
Art’s kin will have to be on top of his game to slow Mack attack
The last name “Shell” carries a lot of weight in Oakland.
Over the course of a 14-year career from 1968-82, left tackle Art Shell became a legend in Raider nation, going to eight Pro Bowls and helping to deliver two of the club’s three Super Bowl titles. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1989.
On Sunday, another Shell will meet t he Black Hole. Only this one will be greeted with taunts instead of cheers.
Jets right tackle Brandon Shell, Art’s great nephew, has watched his share of old highlights from the Oakland Coliseum.
“I’ve seen some tape of [Art] and Gene Upshaw from when they played back in the day,” he said.
A fifth-round pick in the 2015 draft, Shell won the starting job over Ben Ijalana, and continues to progress well in his second season.
“He’s been a physical guy, but now he’s getting the hang of it,” coach Todd Bowles said. “The more he plays, the better he gets and the game slows down for him.”
While the 25-year-old has taken bits from his great uncle’s arsenal, he noted that football has changed tremendously since then.
“There’s a lot more speed rushers [now],” Shell said. “Back then, there was more power. You really didn’t see a lot of guys running full force, coming off the edge as defensive ends. So it’s kind of different.”
Raiders star Khalil Mack, who will go head-to-head with Shell this week, is perhaps the embodiment of the game’s evolution — an explosive, high-motor end skilled at disrupting the run and getting to the quarterback.
At 6-foot-3, 250 pounds, Mack usually lines up on the left side, which would position him opposite Shell. Though all members of the Jets’ line will need to contribute, the lynch pin of Oakland’s talented front is likely to be Shell’s primary responsibility for much of the contest.
Since 2015, Mack leads the league in total sacks with 26 and has forced seven fumbles.
“There’s a lot of challenges with [Mack],” offensive coordinator John Morton said. “He’s probably one of the best rushers in football.”
“He could wreck a game. So wee have to make sure we account forr him wherever he is at.”
Morton is right — Mack has proven capable of single-handedly wrecking games. Against the Broncos in December 2015, Mack became the sixth player in NFL history to record five sacks in a game, as the Raiders pulled off a 15-12 upset.
“He’s a very good player,” Shell said. “I give him all the credit in the world, but I just have to go out there and play my game.”
His game was solid in Week 1. Though the offense struggled to establish the run, Shell surrendered merely one pressure on 42 pass-blocking snaps, per Pro Football Focus. That helped give Josh McCown plenty of time in the pocket.
Of course, Shell wasn’t facing the NFL’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year.
It seems fitting his biggest challenge yet will come in the same city where his last name is featured on opposing jerseys.
“I’ve never been to Oakland,” Shell said. “This is my first time going to the stadium. So I’m very excited to go. I’m very excited to play.”