Fixing a mistake. Sort of.

Happy day, oh happy day! Back to the bed & breakfast with you! Tom Walsh finally fired as Raiders offensive coordinator and it was only about ten games late. Well, actually, he was demoted and still holds some sort of janitorial position with the team, but in all seriousness, Walsh never even deserved consideration for the job, having been out of the game since he was fired the first time around in '94. Art Shell finally saw the light:

Shell stood by Walsh despite criticisms from players, the media and fans, before making the change with just five games left in the season. Shell called the move a "difficult decision" that had to be made for the good of the team.

So while Raider Nation seems to temporarily be past the worst of it (the actual worst of it won't be over until Al Davis is gone), Walsh's replacement might not be the perfect candidate. As a stop gap, John Shoop seems to have all the requisite credentials. His experience with the Bears is highlighted by that nice 2001 season, but the subsequent '02 and '03 seasons revealed a tepid, ineffective offense (albeit relatively better than this year's Raiders). In Shoops defense, his QBs over those last two years before he got run out were Jim Miller, Chris Chandler, and Kordell Stewart. Yipes.

Tom Walsh remains on the staff, though almost assuredly as a favor from his friend, Art Shell. Will this change mean instant success come Sunday? Probably not, though I'm betting the Raider players interpret this switch as a sign that, finally, someone is hearing their cries for change in the booth. I'm looking for a fired up Silver and Black to beat down the Texans at home, this Sunday.