Raiders first-year coach Art Shell was coy about who was the team's starting quarterback during Oakland's first minicamp last month.

"It doesn't matter who starts, it's who finishes," Shell said during last weekend's NFL draft. ".... We'll get to that. We got a long ways to go."

That journey continues today when the Raiders begin their second minicamp of the offseason. Here are five questions facing the Raiders heading into the weekend:

1. Will likely move improve Gallery? - Robert Gallery, the No. 2 overall draft pick of 2004 "probably" will play left tackle, where he was an All-American at Iowa, Shell said. Barry Sims has been the regular left tackle since 2001 but could move to guard, where he started four games as a rookie in 1999. Langston Walker might move from guard to right tackle, and Jake Grove will play center. The line was hit hard with injuries and disappointment last season.

2. Who is the No. 2 QB? - One of the reasons the Raiders didn't draft USC's Matt Leinart is they like second-year pro Andrew Walter, despite the fact he didn't play in one regular-season game in 2005. He had surgery on his left groin in the offseason but is expected to take snaps this weekend. A strong showing could relegate career backup Marques Tuiasosopo to third string and make Aaron Brooks a stopgap before the Walter era begins.

3. Will a defensive tackle make an impact? - Warren Sapp, still recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, will see limited action this weekend . That gives Terdell Sands, Tommy Kelly and Anttaj Hawthorne a chance to make an early impression before training camp.

4. Who will sit while Michael Huff plays? - That would be safety Derrick Gibson. He played in six games last season before dislocating his left wrist. He missed the 2004 season with a dislocated shoulder. In the three seasons before that injury, he wasn't exactly praised by most observers.

5. Will Randy step forward? - Randy Moss played hurt for most of his first season in Oakland. Now healthy, he has a chance to become a team leader. And if Brooks develops an early rapport with Moss, it could make for a big season in Oakland with Moss leading the way.

1 - Michael Huff, S, Texas (6-0, 204); 2 - Thomas Howard, OLB, UTEP (6-3, 239); 3 - Paul McQuistan, OL, Weber State (6-6, 312); 4 - Darnell Bing, SS, USC (6-2, 227); 6 - Kevin Boothe, OL, Cornell (6-5, 316); 7 - Chris Morris, C, Michigan State (6-3, 299); 7 - Kevin McMahan, WR, Maine (6-2, 196)

Analysis: Kudos to Al Davis for forgetting about making a big draft-day splash and drafting players that can actually improve his team. Huff fills the void left by Charles Woodson in the secondary, and is likely to be a better pro than Woodson. Howard is the pure outside linebacker that the Silver and Black have lacked, and Bing was a productive college player that was among the steals of the second day. McQuistan is something of an unknown, but Boothe was rated by some as possessing first-day talent. Some will question the Raiders' decision to pass up a quarterback in the draft, but with the experienced Aaron Brooks in the fold and the promising Andrew Walter still something of an unknown commodity, that was the prudent approach.

Bottom Line: Looks like the Raiders have re-committed themselves to defense, and their draft day strategy immediately makes them a team on the rise.

Art Shell was hired for his second stint as Oakland Raiders coach Friday night, replacing the fired Norv Turner. Shell has not been a head coach since the Raiders fired him after the 1994 season.

Shell, the first black head coach in modern N.F.L. history, becomes the seventh black coach currently in the league. He had been working as the senior vice president of football operations and development for the league.

Shell made eight Pro Bowls and won two Super Bowls as an offensive lineman in a 15-year Hall of Fame career with the Raiders. He had a 54-38 regular-season record with the Raiders from 1989 through 1994, leading them to the American Football Conference championship game after the 1990 season.

IV SUPER BOWL RECORD

1968 Super Bowl II Lost to Green Bay Packers, 33-14

1977 Super Bowl XI Defeated Minnesota Vikings, 32-14

1981 Super Bowl XV Defeated Philadelphia Eagles, 27-10

1984 Super Bowl XVIII Defeated Washington Redskins, 38-9

Oakland Raiders, professional football team and one of five teams in the Western Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) of the National Football League (NFL). The Raiders play at Network Associates Coliseum in Alameda, California, and wear uniforms of silver and black.

The Raiders were professional football’s most consistent team from the mid-1960s through the mid-1980s, reaching the playoffs 15 times and earning four NFL or American Football League (AFL) titles in 19 seasons. As AFL champions, they played in the second Super Bowl, in 1968, and lost to the Green Bay Packers. During John Madden’s ten years as head coach (1969-1978), Oakland played in seven league or conference championship games and won one Super Bowl, in 1977. From 1980 to 1993 the team reached the postseason eight times, winning the Super Bowl in 1981 and 1984. The Raiders are the only team that appeared in at least one Super Bowl each decade during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.

The Raiders joined the AFL as a charter member in 1960. The team spent its first three seasons changing stadiums and recording losing records. Al Davis, a former assistant coach for the San Diego Chargers, was hired as head coach and general manager in 1963. He reorganized the Raiders, and the team improved to a 10-4 win-loss record. Four years later, the club captured the 1967 AFL title under head coach John Rauch. Quarterback Daryle Lamonica won the first of his two passing titles as Oakland advanced to the Super Bowl to face the NFL-champion Green Bay Packers. Green Bay won 33-14, but the Raiders had established themselves as an AFL power. The Raiders reached the AFL Championship Game under Rauch in 1968 and again in 1969, this time under former Raiders assistant coach John Madden, who had taken over the head coaching duties. Madden was named AFL coach of the year in 1969 when, at age 32, he was the AFL’s youngest coach.

Oakland joined the NFL in 1970 when the NFL and AFL completed their merger. The team promptly won the 1970 Western Division crown and advanced to the AFC Championship Game, where they lost to the Baltimore Colts (now Indianapolis Colts). Under Madden the Raiders gained a reputation as one of the most intimidating teams in professional sports. Their character was exemplified by center Jim Otto and offensive linemen Art Shell and Gene Upshaw, who fiercely protected quarterbacks George Blanda and Kenny Stabler. The Raiders lost three consecutive AFC Championship Games from 1973 to 1975 before winning the game in 1976. In the subsequent Super Bowl, veteran wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff played an outstanding game as the club defeated the Minnesota Vikings, 32-14.

Madden left the Raiders after the 1978 season and was replaced by Tom Flores, who had been the team’s first quarterback. In Flores’s nine seasons as head coach he led the club to five postseason appearances and two Super Bowl championships. Quarterback Jim Plunkett, playing his first full season in Oakland in 1980, commanded a potent offense that also starred wide receiver Cliff Branch and running back Mark van Eeghen. That year the Raiders became the first wild-card playoff team to win a Super Bowl, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 27-10.

With hopes of a better-equipped stadium and more fan support, the Raiders franchise moved to Los Angeles, California, following the 1981 season. At its new home in the Los Angeles Coliseum, the team put together a 12-4 record in 1983 and returned to the Super Bowl. Plunkett, running back Marcus Allen, and tight end Todd Christiansen powered an offense that crushed its three postseason opponents by an average of 24 points. The Raiders’ defensive stars were cornerback Lester Hayes and end Howie Long.

From 1986 to 1989 the Raiders failed to make the playoffs. Coached by former Raider player Art Shell, the club rebounded with three postseason appearances in four years from 1990 to 1993. Shell was named coach of the year in 1990. Tim Brown emerged as one of the league’s swiftest wide receivers and most skilled punt returners during the 1990s. Following the 1994 season Shell left the team and the Raiders moved back to Oakland, as fan support in Los Angeles reached an all-time low and disagreements over renovations of the Los Angeles Coliseum continued between the city and owner Al Davis. After the 13-year hiatus, the Oakland City Council welcomed the team back with a remodeled, expanded stadium and helped the franchise pay for relocation expenses. Despite the move, the club remained near the bottom of the division through the mid- and late 1990s.