OAKLAND -- With his long, lanky build, John Fassel more closely resembles Ichabod Crane than your stereotypical football lifer.
And yet, when the Raiders' first-year special-teams coach unloaded on his charges in a meeting last week, it was not all that surprising. After all, the Raiders' special teams have been anything but special through the first quarter of the season and needed such a tongue lashing entering today's game in the Meadowlands against the New York Giants.
"I'm a pretty positive, excitable and kind of happy-go-lucky guy," Fassel said this week. "Monday, I kind of came out of my shell a little bit and told them what I thought, put it that way."
Coach Tom Cable has been slipping in little digs at special teams, which rank last in the NFL in kick coverage, 31st in kick returns and 29th in punt returns. A year ago, when Fassel was the assistant special-teams coach to Brian Schneider, the Raiders were 26th, 17th and second, respectively.
"But I also let them know that there's no blame," Fassel added. "It's just, everybody has to do better, and I started with myself."
All-Pro punter Shane Lechler appreciated the tone and timing of Fassel's harangue.
"Yeah, I mean, why not?" Lechler said. "You have to change something up. It wasn't like he was in there making stuff up. He said what he needed to say, and guys took it the right way. That's what you need.
"What I look at whenever a coach says that is the response and (we had), by far, our best practice since this group got together back in Napa."
Injuries have all but crippled the Raiders' return game.
Undrafted rookie Nick Miller was kept to return kickoffs, but he has yet to play thanks to the broken shin he suffered during the exhibition season. In his place, Justin Miller, Louis Rankin and Jonathan Holland have averaged a mere 18.7 yards. Holland resumes those duties today.
Johnnie Lee Higgins, he of the franchise-record three punt returns for touchdowns last season, has not been the same since suffering a sprained right shoulder against San Diego in the opener. Higgins has returned six punts for 39 yards, with a long of 19 yards, while Javon Walker and Jon Alston have each been credited with a return for no yards and Hiram Eugene has two fair catches.
Adding insult to injury last week at Houston was Jacoby Jones' 95-yard free-kick return for a touchdown off a Lechler "punt-off" following a safety.
And if you thought Fassel, 35, would have a shoulder to cry on in his father, Jim, a former Giants coach now coaching the fledgling United Football League's Las Vegas Locomotives, think again.
"He said, 'You know what, you're the one who wanted to get in this profession,' " the younger Fassel said. " 'There's a lot of great times and then there's bad times. When you get dominated and then you've got to go back to work, that's when you earn your money.' "
Sounds like the Fassel brand of tough love trickled down to Monday's meeting.
"I like seeing him raise his voice every day," said placekicker Sebastian Janikowski. "I think it gets guys pumped up a little bit."
Call The Bee's Paul Gutierrez, (916) 326-5556, and read his Raiders blog and more on the team at www.sacbee.com/raiders.
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