Success Quote by Ron Jaworski

Jaworski’s surprise isn’t really about Art Shell’s resume; it’s about time. In pro football, “been away from the game so long” is code for a fear every front office tries to outrun: that the league’s evolution will embarrass yesterday’s expertise. He goes out of his way to grant Shell credibility - “he had success before” - because the point isn’t to insult a respected coach. It’s to flag the risk of nostalgia posing as strategy.

The line also quietly drags the Raiders’ organizational identity. This is a franchise famous for recycling its own mythology, and Shell’s rehiring reads like a comfort move: return to a familiar face when the present feels unstable. Jaworski frames that impulse as rational on the surface (Shell has done it) while hinting it might be lazy underneath (the job is fundamentally different now). The repetition of “game” does heavy lifting: not just rules and tactics, but the whole ecosystem - player management, schematic specialization, year-round scouting and analytics, and the speed of weekly adaptation.

There’s an emotional intelligence to how he delivers the critique. He acknowledges the sentimental appeal of a franchise legend without getting swallowed by it. The subtext is a warning to fans and owners alike: leadership in the NFL isn’t a lifetime appointment, and credibility doesn’t automatically update itself. The past can be an asset, but only if it’s paired with a present tense understanding of what wins.